Schwarzenegger turning into the pol he said he wouldn't be
[[For Arnie, image is everything. I.e. there is nothing else, he's all surface and no substance. He's a flash in the pan. His is getting mighty tarnished, mighty quick. And worst of all, he's Bush's baby.]]
sfgate.com
(08-27) 13:55 PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --
From the start, Arnold Schwarzenegger has pledged to be the anti-politician: an independent outsider who would run an upbeat campaign while rejecting money from special interests.
But stuck in the 20s in most polls and rocked by a surprisingly strong showing by his Democratic opponent in the race to recall Gov. Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger has begun to sound an awful lot like a traditional politician in recent days.
He has spoken on conservative talk radio programs, raked in money from donors tied to corporate interests, and planned fund-raisers offering special privileges to the biggest contributors. He has even taken a swipe at the appearance of Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, calling his Democratic opponent "Gray Davis with a receding hairline and a mustache."
"It's traditional campaigning, definitely," said Allan Hoffenblum, a former Republican strategist. "What Schwarzenegger is beginning to realize is that celebrity alone doesn't win elections."
Schwarzenegger's claim to be a political naif has always been somewhat dubious. His campaign team is dominated by veteran GOP insiders, most of whom have close ties to former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. Recently, the campaign announced it was bringing aboard longtime media strategist Mike Murphy, who most recently helped engineer the re-election of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the upset victory of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
The actor's strategy appears to contradict statements he has made on the campaign trail, including proclaiming during his announcement on NBC's "The Tonight Show" Aug. 6 that "I don't need to take money from anybody."
Despite the pledge, records show that Schwarzenegger has raised more than $1.2 million from some 100 large contributors, many of whom have business before the state.
These include Paul Folino, CEO of Emulex, an Orange County-based technology company and Hilmar Cheese, a Central Valley company that has lobbied extensively on dairy interests. Many of Schwarzenegger's contributors also gave money to the Proposition 49 campaign, a successful ballot initiative to fund after-school programs championed by Schwarzenegger in 2002.
Another Proposition 49 contributor, tech entrepreneur Tim Draper, is hosting fund-raising events for Schwarzenegger in Silicon Valley that will grant special favors to large donors.
Draper's invitation, posted on the Internet, says, "There will be a VIP reception for those who raise or contribute $10k or more. The major contributors will have an intimate dinner with Arnold at our home after the reception."
Schwarzenegger spokesman Rob Stutzman said the candidate has stood by his no-special-interest money pledge.
"He's taking a stand that's completely unique -- no money from special-interest trade groups, or people you have to negotiate with as governor," Stutzman said. "It completely contrasts with the culture Gray Davis has created."
However, Schwarzenegger's major contributors include developers Donald Bren and David Murdock, whose companies already lobby the governor's office and Legislature, according to state records.
Murdock's Castle & Cooke company owns large swaths of California real estate as well as much of Lanai, one of the Hawaiian islands. And Bren's firm, the Irvine Co., is one of the state's largest real estate developers and once owned most of Orange County.
Schwarzenegger's fund-raising reach has also stretched to the East Coast. He has received the maximum $21,200 contributions from Richard Santulli, the CEO of NetJets, and his wife, Margaret, and from William Siegel, senior vice president of News America in New York.
Schwarzenegger has also ventured into what may be the most traditional Republican territory of all in recent days -- AM talk radio. And despite his promise to stay positive, he has been taking aim at the little-known, balding Bustamante.
"It's like one newspaper pointed out, Bustamante is Gray Davis with a receding hairline and a mustache. It's the same person. Same philosophy," he told host Roger Hedgecock Monday.
Supporters called the comment fair game.
"He had probably just read that in the paper -- it shows that he's not perfectly programmed in every way," said Rep. David Dreier, a Schwarzenegger adviser. "Cruz Bustamante had just come out with an $8 billion tax increase for Californians_ that's why Arnold said what he said."
But Hoffenblum said such remarks are dangerous for Schwarzenegger, who pledges in his television ad to be "the people's governor."
"He's got to be careful -- he can't lose the outsider image," Hoffenblum said. "Let others go after Bustamante. Schwarzenegger needs to better define himself, and explain why he would be a better governor." |
