This morning California’s newspapers put photos of Governor Schwarzenegger on the front pages, even in abject defeat. They should have pictured the voters, or if they could have found the image for it, the process of a freewheeling election itself.
Because Schwarzenegger took on the public employee unions, he didn’t have the usual advantage that bullying pols enjoy: there was a force with money and people power to contest him. And in a fairer than usual fight, Californians said no to a rightwing celebrity’s power grab, yes to education and social services, yes to unions being able to contest corporate power and even, as a bonus, yes to young women’s right to choose.
The morning’s headlines were indeed sweet; self-indulgently, I’ll round up some tidbits here:
Voters Reject Schwarzenegger’s Bid to Remake State Government — Los Angeles Times
“Schwarzenegger put in $7.2 million of his own money. That brings his total personal spending on political endeavors to $25 million since he ran for governor in the 2003 recall race.”
This governor role has proven to be an expensive hobby.
Why His ‘Sequel’ Failed to Captivate — Los Angeles Times
“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday met the limits of his celebrity: Even a campaign built around his action-star persona could not persuade voters to embrace his ‘year of reform’ agenda.”
“A Republican strategist and occasional Schwarzenegger advisor put it more bluntly Tuesday, saying privately: ‘The act is getting stale.'”
Enough with the actors already. California faces real problems; let’s get on with solving them.
Schwarzenegger faces ‘resounding defeat’— San Jose Mercury News
“Elizabeth Garrett, who directs the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics [said] ‘It means that, Wednesday morning, he is an ordinary Republican governor working with a Democratic Legislature in California — no stronger, no weaker.”’
That’s pretty weak; the current districting of the legislature ensures that Democrats will remain in large majorities throughout this decade.
Analysis: A bruising blow from ‘the people’ — Sacramento Bee
Gale Kaufman, who presided over the multimillion-dollar campaign that brought the governor to his knees, said his political recovery won’t be that easy.
“‘I think he comes out of this election … deeply damaged, and really in a very different place,” she said. “Just waking up again and saying, ‘Today I’m back to the middle,’ doesn’t make it so. He’s lost the ability to just keep changing and having people believe it.”
He always did seem to be an actor with only one character.
CALIFORNIANS SAY NO TO SCHWARZENEGGER— San Francisco Chronicle [Full caps are the Chron’s.]
“This must be the worst defeat the governor has ever had,” said Kevin Spillane, a GOP consultant. “It’s not like having a movie that underperforms. … Now, we have to see how he deals with defeat.”
I’ll hazard a prediction here: Arnold will pull out of the governor’s race if it looks like a fight for him. I hope the unions and the Democrats in Sacramento don’t let up now. Californians deserve better and yesterday they proved they know it.
Cross posted at Happening-Here
This is a great summary.
CONGRATULATIONS to all of you Californians! You showed him. And how.
Now, I hope you can get rid of him in 2006. Who are your best prospects so far?
General Election
Phil Angelides 47%
Schwarzenegger 41%
This is the most recent polling for ’06.
Angelides actively campaigned to defeat the propositions this cycle. He’s currently State Treasurer and has good name recognition.
I’m not so sure that Angelides has much name recognition outside Sacramento and mainstream state Democratic circles. He’s certainly ambitious & will be working on it. He’s been far from a progessive light in Sacramento politics. Not quite as bland as Gray Davis, but yuck!
Last night’s elation is severely tempered for me by hearing his name bandied about as a possible gubernatorial candidate, along w/ Warren Beatty & Rob Reiner.
Will we ever learn?
I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen and heard of Angelides to date. So when you say, “He’s been far from a progressive light in Sacramento politics,” exactly what are you referring to?
That’s mostly just my reaction to yet another establishment party insider. He’s a mover/shaker, is good at fundraising, has paid his dues, and has been positioning himself for a gubnernatorial bid for a while now. Just the sort I’m tired of holding my nose while voting for ’em.
During his stint in local Sacramento politics, I seem to remember him as aligned with downtown interests (not grassroot, neighborhood types) as well as against environmentalists in development battles. Though I don’t believe he had a direct interest, his sometime business partner, Angelo Tsakopoulos (another local mover/shaker) was one of the developers involved in a major league sports (the Kings) for development sdeal that opened up the Natomas basin floodplain north of the city to massive urban development, surrounded by, of course, miles & miles of levees.
That said, he’s been a vocal critic of Schwarzenegger from the get-go, & I got a kick a few years back out when he ruffled feathers with his calls for a state power authority that might even invoke eminent domain against the utilities.
Thank you for your response. From my position of semi-paying attention in the Bay Area, it has seemed to me that he has behaved honorably in running the CalPers investment portfolio in a very enlightened manner. That, coupled with him being the only state official to respond early and vigorously in defense of consumers in the electricity debacle of 2000/2001 has led me to actively support his gubernatorial run. I heard him speak last month, and he hit ALL the notes that I wanted to hear.
That being said, if you have more specific examples of why you dislike/distrust him, I am very much interested in hearing them.
Those snippets are sweet to read. Good for California!
I keep hoping these election results show that people are finally starting to look for competence in government.
Also, it’s interesting that, in at least two places (CA and Dover, PA), voter anger over tax money used unwisely translated into action at the polling booth.
.
California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, at podium, urges citizens to vote against Gov. Schwarzenegger’s ballot initiatives in California’s special election Tuesday November 8, during a get out the vote rally in Los Angeles. From left, Dolores Huerta, President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation and Co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, State Assembly woman Karen Bass, Speaker Nunez, and Martin Ludlow, Executive Secretary Treasure of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼▼▼ READ MY DIARY
WHEW! A great huge sigh of relief from your public employee neighbor up north in Oregon-way to go, folks!
I’m quite the happy Ca. camper today. I think also people were starting to catch on here that Arnie and his ‘campaigning’ was exactly like bush’s-he had invitation only rallies etc..and only scripted questions at these so called impromptu rallies…you might even say he was quite the ‘girly-man’ to avoid talking to real people or just another chickenshit republican. People here starting to get the idea that gee, maybe he isn’t the same as his stupid tough guy movie persona-imagine that. Just another special interest repug who lies and then lies about the lies he told.
“Really, hearing “No” eight times is nothing new to me. That’s like one night with Maria!”
WAY TO GO CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!