Schwarzenegger campaigns loses aura of winner
By BOB KEEFE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES -- When Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he was joining California's chaotic gubernatorial race, it rattled the state like a political earthquake.
Who can possibly compete with the name recognition of one of the world's best-known actors? Who could equal the multimillionaire's war chest? And with his ties to Republicans and Democrats, who could match the charismatic Schwarzenegger's appeal to voters?
But the Austrian Oak, as he was known during his bodybuilding days, is showing signs of splintering.
With California's historic recall vote only about three weeks away, the latest polls show Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's lead over Schwarzenegger growing. And in a troubling sign for all the candidates to replace Gov. Gray Davis, the polls also show voters' appetite for the recall waning, with a statistical tie between those favoring ousting the governor and those opposed.
Schwarzenegger's troubles are popping up so fast he might think he's back in one of his action movies. They range from the re-emergence of a 1977 magazine interview in which he discusses his experience with drugs and group sex to his reluctance to participate in debates or offer specific solutions to the state's problems.
"He's tripping. He's stumbling," said Joe Cerrell, a Democratic political strategist who just a few weeks ago was among the many -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- who said the governor's office was Schwarzenegger's to lose.
To be sure, nobody is bidding "Hasta la vista" to the Terminator yet.
In a state where voters are clearly fed up with partisan politics and the governor admits he's not a warm and fuzzy guy, Schwarzenegger still attracts fans with his likable style and populist views.
"If I wasn't going to vote for him, I am now," Jim Vanderpool, 32, said after hearing him speak at a town hall-style meeting last week. "I think he seriously wants to try to make things better, and he doesn't owe anybody."
But the interest and support Schwarzenegger garnered shortly after announcing his candidacy in early August is clearly waning.
The mobs of fans and entertainment media from around the globe don't follow him as they initially did. Last week's town hall meeting at Chapman University in conservative Orange County, for instance, drew a small crowd.
Schwarzenegger is taking heat over his lack of specifics and avoidance of anything but staged events or media appearances where he's apt to get kid-glove treatment.
Dodging questions
On Monday, for instance, Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, will tape an appearance on TV's "Oprah." It will give him publicity other candidates can only envy, but will likely provide few clues about his plans should he become governor. Schwarzenegger's interviews have mostly been limited to entertainment reporters and conservative talk show hosts.
Schwarzenegger has made a point of surrounding himself with smart people. Investor Warren Buffett and former Treasury Secretary George Shultz joined his economic advisory panel. Last week, he convened a similar education panel with teachers, administrators and his mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
But he keeps the panel meetings secret and he has yet to announce anything substantive from them. Meanwhile, he has avoided most opportunities to talk in depth about the issues facing California, from its fiscal problems to immigration concerns.
"It can only be taken as an insult when a candidate says he wants to be the people's governor yet refuses to engage in dialogue and genuine debate," Paul Turner, senior program manager of the Greenlining Institute, said before a Los Angeles debate sponsored by the group, which works to improve quality of life for the poor.
Tony Quinn, co-editor of the California Target Book, an influential political guide, said Schwarzenegger's lack of specificity was starting to hurt him in the polls.
A Los Angeles Times poll released Friday shows Bustamante leading the actor 30 percent to 25 percent, up 2 points from a month ago.
State Sen. Tom McClintock, Schwarzenegger's most prominent GOP rival, runs third in polls with 18 percent. Schwarzenegger boosters are quick to point out their man would likely take the lead if McClintock bows to increasingly heavy pressure from GOP leaders to drop out to give the party one major candidate. McClintock has said he won't quit.
Strategist signs on
"What polls show us is that he [Schwarzenegger] hasn't made his case with voters," Quinn said. "Voters are now saying, 'We know who you are, we know you're famous, but what are you going to do to make things better?' "
Schwarzenegger may be starting to realize fame can take him only so far. Friday he released a detailed economic recovery plan that addresses such issues as unemployment insurance rates, which he blames for hurting the California economy.
He recently hired longtime GOP strategist Mike Murphy, who worked for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and on the presidential campaigns of Lamar Alexander and John McCain, to help plot strategy. He has also started raising money from outsiders, something he indicated earlier he wouldn't do.
Campaign spokesman Rob Stutzman said Schwarzenegger would likely come out with some "policy speeches" over the next few weeks.
But for the most part, "we'll continue to let Arnold be Arnold," Stutzman said, adding that criticism over lack of specifics comes mainly from reporters, not voters. "He'll continue to do events with large crowds where you'll be able to see him and hear him talk to voters."
For some Californians, that may be all that's needed.
"We need a leader who is more charismatic," said Sean Hall, 33, who came out to cheer for Schwarzenegger after the candidate's town hall meeting in Orange County. "We need someone who can rally the people."
Beside Hall, son Douglas, 10, held a homemade sign: "California needs a governor tougher than Minnesota had," referring to wrestler-turned-politician Jesse Ventura.
"And we need someone who looks good in front of a camera," Douglas Hall added. "We need a movie star governor." |
