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Contributors
Doug Gamble- Contributor
Doug
Gamble is a former writer for President Ronald Reagan and
resides
in Carmel. [go to Gamble index]
 David
vs. Goliath
California's
Treasurer/Governor wannabe vs.Schwarzenegger…
[Doug Gamble] 4/13/05
If ever the phrase “Crazy like a fox” applied
to a California politician, it might apply to Treasurer Phil
Angelides.
When the dorky Democrat kicked off his quest
for the governor’s
office in March, scoffing could be heard up and down the state.
He was pooh-poohed not only because he has the temerity to think
he can beat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but also because he threw
his green eyeshade into the ring15 months before the primary
and 20 months before the general election.
But it’s starting to look like Angelides’ early
start might not have been a bad idea after all, with Schwarzenegger’s
approval ratings dropping and Democratic and independent voters
starting to abandon him. According to a statewide nonpartisan
poll by San Jose State’s Survey and Policy Research Institute,
the so-called peoples’ governor is now favored by just
49% of the people, and disapproval of his job performance has
risen to 38%. Other recent polls also show his popularity taking
a hit.
While the charismatic and shrewd Schwarzenegger
still has to be favored to win any ballot initiatives in November
and reelection
a year later, there may be danger signs in at least one of the
Institute’s findings. According to the poll, 49% of respondents
answered “yes” when asked if Schwarzenegger is too
interested in gimmicks, public relations and image, while 41%
disagreed.
This can’t be good news for a governorship that is built
on a foundation of gimmicks, public relations and image, from
capitalizing on his fame as a movie star, to announcing his candidacy
on Jay Leno’s TV show, to such stunts as throwing rolled-up
T-shirts into campaign crowds to using props at staged media
events. While most people in his position become celebrities
because they are successful politicians, he became a successful
politician because he is a celebrity.
One has to wonder if, should he face an unexpectedly competitive
race, Schwarzenegger has a second act. It might be time for him
to start behaving more like a serious office holder and less
like a celluloid action hero. The frequent references to his
movie roles, for example, are getting stale, and polls suggest
most voters would prefer he spend more time at work in Sacramento
and less glad handing crowds.
It’s likely that Schwarzenegger’s aggressive style,
also apparently wearing thin, is a contributing factor to the
leakage of Democratic and independent support. He often crosses
the line from sounding confident to sounding like a bully, as
when he bragged that California nurses were among the groups
whose “butts” he has “kicked.” While
Ronald Reagan could maintain his grace and a certain impishness
even while attacking his opponents, the governor lacks that capacity.
Not only could Angelides benefit from being
the first Democrat out of the gate, but also from the fact
he has fought the governor
at every turn, most notably in opposing the public pension overhaul
plan Schwarzenegger last week surrendered on. While Attorney
General Bill Lockyer and Controller Steve Westly were squealing
early on like star struck schoolgirls in the wake of Schwarzenegger’s
star power -- with Lockyer even admitting he voted for him in
the recall election -- Angelides remained unmoved, as his primary
TV ads are sure to emphasize.
The Sacramento developer is a predictable liberal who would
strive to grow government and raise taxes, policies that contributed
to early endorsements of him by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. But California remains a
Democratic state at heart, and liberals traditionally attract
more voters here than they turn off.
A fight between the nerd-like Angelides and
the swashbuckling Schwarzenegger looks like a David vs. Goliath
match up, but any
complacent Republicans should remember who won that one. Of course
the treasurer will first have to wrest his party’s nomination
away from the as yet undeclared Lockyer, but that’s another
subject for another time. tRO
California-based Doug Gamble contributed speech material to
Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and writes a twice-monthly
column for the Orange County Register and CaliforniaRepublic.org.
Copyright
2004 Doug Gamble
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