How Schwarzenegger Will Fare (10/15/03)
by Dean Hartwell
What kind of governor will Arnold Schwarzenegger make?
We will have to wait to find out. However, we have more than enough evidence to make an educated guess based upon his candidacy.
Candidate Schwarzenegger gave very few details as to his policies. But the new governor will have to not only learn to make proposals. He will also have to persuade two legislative houses led by the opposing party to vote the ideas he comes up with into law.
That will take time. So, too, will one of Schwarzenegger’s few ideas, an audit of California’s budget to determine what has gone wrong. That would make some sense except that the Republicans hurried to get the recall election on the ballot shortly after Davis’ re-election. Where has the hurry to act gone?
Candidate Schwarzenegger asked the public to make few sacrifices. Indeed, he said he would not raise taxes despite a deficit large enough to knock his predecessor out of office.
This failure to call for a sacrifice could come back to haunt him. It will also hurt California’s cities and counties. They all rely upon the car tax to help fund public safety officers (Rollback of Car Tax May Hit Roadblocks). Rescinding the tripling of the car tax, as Schwarzenegger suggested, suits the public just fine but leaves local government holding the bag. How does having fewer police officers and firefighters sound?
If Schwarzenegger and the Legislature repeal the rate hike, what will they replace it with to fund the cities and counties? The new governor will soon learn the difficulties of raising revenues as part of his on-the-job-training.
Candidate Schwarzenegger had another problem: it concerns the money that Enron and other companies owe the State of California. They rigged prices during the energy crisis of 2000-2001. A court recently held that these energy companies must pay the state.
But Schwarzenegger won’t pursue it. Why is that? Because he met with Enron chief executive Kenneth Lay and others and participated in a scheme to prevent Governor Davis from making Enron pay the state back (Arnold Unplugged - It's Hasta la Vista to $9 Billion if Governator is Selected).
To feel displeasure with some of the unpopular decisions Governor Davis made is one thing. To elect an actor with no previous political experience is quite another. Now we are stuck with a Governor who said very little about policy as a candidate, will have trouble keeping one of the few policies he spoke of, and will have his hands tied in accomplishing what Californians really need.
No script can lead him or us out of this mess. Schwarzenegger’s candidacy suited his own ego and political ends, but failed to address the public’s needs. Barring any changes, his governorship will go down the same sorry road.