WASHINGTON, 9 October 2003 — First a body builder, then a movie star; now Arnold Schwarzenegger will become the next governor of California.
Ending one of the most bizarre elections in American history, California voters yesterday recalled Gov. Gray Davis and replaced him with a thickly accented Austrian immigrant, and movie star of “Terminator” fame who used his celebrity, wealth and throw-the-bums-out verbiage to attract thousands of disaffected Californians.
The shakeup is stunning because California is so solidly Democratic, and Schwarzenegger is staunchly Republican, despite marrying into America’s Democratic royalty — the Kennedy clan.
Davis’ second term in office was not a happy one. Californians were fed up with electrical blackouts, high-energy prices, a $38 billion budget deficit, and Davis’ dull, mousy personality. But their remedy of choosing an actor, with no political experience, to lead them out of their mire, has many observers scratching their heads.
The sage Economist magazine saw through the sheen to the heart of the issue: “This election is taking place in the most dynamic part of the world’s most powerful country. It is also happening in a state that sets trends… that ripple not just across America but also across the world. So by all means chuckle at the absurd… but be ever so slightly afraid.”
Schwarzenegger, 56, has promised the Californian voters a lot: No new taxes, cleaner air, better schools, less traffic and even an end to special interest politics. But what he didn’t offer during his splashy soap-opera style campaign was a clear idea, let alone an outline, as to how he intends to accomplish all this.
“California is accustomed to watching movie stars and entertainers plunge into politics — Ronald Reagan, Clint Eastwood, the late Sonny Bono. But it has never seen anything quite like the swift and improbable political rise of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger,” said yesterday’s Washington Post.
Many observers interpret this rejectionist-style reaction by Californians as a more than amusing trend: “It’s clear to me that the angry voter seems to be back,” said pollster John Zogby, who canvassed voters on Tuesday.
It was also a lesson in ‘new age’ politics: “This is a remarkable and unique election, from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announcement of his candidacy on ‘The Tonight Show’ to the legal aspects of the recall itself,” CNN’s Bob Franken said yesterday.
California’s recall election had another significant aspect to it — as it was more than a dress rehearsal for the media to go through their paces in preparation for the upcoming presidential election coverage, which begins in earnest in about three months from now.
“It’s also given everybody a chance to stretch their muscles for the big race ahead, and test the technology which will bring that race to the nation,” said Franken.
President George W. Bush congratulated Schwarzenegger by telephone yesterday on his victory and told him he looked forward to working together, the White House said. “The president said to the governor-elect that he was proud of the race he ran and that he looked forward to working with him,” Bush spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
