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Schwarzenegger diminished, but Democrats risk looking small
By BETH FOUHY,
AP Political Writer
(Updated Monday, March 21, 2005, 12:10 AM)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - There's little doubt that
after 16 months in office, California's action hero-turned-governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has begun to shrink to human size. But so far, that's done little
to elevate Democrats, who still seem a bit puny by comparison.
By proposing a controversial set of
reform proposals - merit pay for teachers, overhauling the state's public
pension system, creating a mechanism to automatically cut state spending and
redrawing legislative districts - Schwarzenegger's aura of invincibility has
taken a substantial hit.
Everywhere he goes, he's trailed by a
growing number of protesters - teachers, police and fire fighters who are
furious that he's targeting their job security and retirement.
On MSNBC's "Hardball" show last week,
Schwarzenegger broke a bit of a sweat as host Chris Matthews repeatedly grilled
him on why, in his view, nurses are a special interest while the drug companies
feathering his political nest are not. Commentators and good government groups
meanwhile are crying foul over his fund raising, which is so prodigious - and
such a departure from his campaign pledge to purge big money from politics -
it's made his money-hungry predecessor, Gray Davis, seem like a piker.
Emboldened by Schwarzenegger's sinking poll numbers and a whiff of
vulnerability, Democrats appear less cowed, and are making a convincing argument
that his reform agenda amounts to a Republican power grab. "No one could have
predicted he'd declare nuclear war on teachers and firefighters all in the same
year," said Democratic consultant Roger Salazar. "It was a huge mistake on his
part, and whether it's something his consultants pushed, or a way to
triangulate, it's backfired."
But try as Democrats might,
Schwarzenegger continues to own the state's political spotlight, and not simply
because of his fame and charisma. He's dominating the discussion because he's
proposing big changes - controversial to be sure - many of which are likely to
fail or be negotiated into something both parties can live with. And Democrats
risk looking small by positioning themselves as stalwart defenders of the status
quo.
"Simply by picking this fight, he has
moved the parameters of the debate," said former Republican Senate leader Jim
Brulte, now a government affairs consultant. "Whether this debate goes all the
way down to the end, or whether there's a negotiated compromise solution, the
fact that he's willing to pick this fight is in the long-term interest of the
people of California."
Legislative Democrats have to offer
something rather than nothing, or risk playing into Schwarzenegger's argument
that they are enemies of reform. Likewise, Democrats eyeing a run against
Schwarzenegger next year must be viewed as a fresh alternative to Schwarzenegger
and resist falling into hackneyed complaints.
Launching his own campaign for governor
this week, state Treasurer Phil Angelides hammered the governor for his fiscal
policies - particularly his reliance on borrowing to balance the state budget
and unwillingness to lean more heavily on corporations and the rich to shoulder
more of the state's fiscal burdens.
It's a strategy Angelides has followed
since Schwarzenegger took office in late 2003, earning him the "anti-Arnold"
moniker but carrying steep risks for him as well. So far, he's offered few
concrete counterproposals other than raising taxes on the wealthy, which has
made him an easy target for Republicans.
"Angelides in making an interesting
gamble - being the first one to go where no one thinks it's safe and trying to
lock it up," said Raphael Sonenshein, a political scientist at Cal
State-Fullerton. "It's kind of like Howard Dean in the presidential campaign
last year, protesting the war when everyone said it was suicidal."
Meanwhile, the other major Democrat out
of the gate this week, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, reached for an entirely
different weapon, criticizing Schwarzenegger for "the arrogance of power" that
comes with "the odor of Austrian politics."
The episode rekindled memories of the
final days of the recall election, when Schwarzenegger opponents launched a
last-ditch and ultimately discredited effort to paint him as a closet Nazi.
While Lockyer's comments may have helped interfere with his rival Angelides'
campaign announcement, it also helped reinforce the notion that Democrats need
more in their arsenal than tired and recycled arguments.
"At the moment, no one looks strong
enough to beat Schwarzenegger, but it's really early and he has time to sink,"
said Phil Trounstine, a former Davis communications director who now runs the
Survey and Research Institute at San Jose State University. "But as the
governor's popularity decreases, it's created some open space. He's not
consuming all the oxygen, so it creates a space for someone to catch fire."
Editor's Note: Beth Fouhy has been covering national politics since 1988.
© 2005, The Fresno Bee
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