The Governator

On January 31st, two fairly important things happened in the Republican primary. Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the race and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed John McCain. Schwarzenegger, more commonly known as "The Governator," had stayed neutral up til that point due to his friendship with both Giuliani and McCain. With Rudy dropping out, he was free to endorse McCain, so he did. It occurred to me while I was watching the speeches, how strange it seemed that Schwarzenegger was now a very relevant, serious political figure whose endorsement really means something.

Schwarzenegger was born in Austria, came to America in the 1970's and got his start in public life as a champion bodybuilder. He parlayed that into a successful career starring in action movies such as The Terminator, and if that's where it ended Arnold would have been a great American success story. He came here with very little money in his pocket and became a multi-millionaire and a movie star. But, Schwarzenegger wasn't done. When California Governor Gray Davis was recalled in 2003, and Schwarzenegger ran to replace him and won, I don't think many people really took him that seriously. It looked like kind of a stunt. This was an action movie star, not even a member of the hollywood elite who are always sticking their nose into politics. Yet, not only was Schwarzenegger successful in his bid for the Governorship, he's now respected in political circles and considered by most to be a very successful Governor.

When Schwarzenegger took over, the state of California was in disarray. There was a massive budget deficit and a major energy crisis, with large portions of the state being hit by blackouts. Now, the budget is in better shape (though I believe California has done it through floating billions of dollars worth of bonds, which of course they will eventually have to pay back), and the energy crisis is no more. In fact, California is now leading the way with green technologies and alternative energy sources, something that is very important in an era where oil prices continue to go up and our dependence on foreign oil continues to be a major problem for this nation. California has the 8th highest GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the WORLD and the state is now thriving. But, is it because of Schwarzenegger or despite him?

According to the Governor's official website at www.gov.ca.gov, "Since he took office, Governor Schwarzenegger's responsible fiscal policies have brought California back from the brink of bankruptcy, reinvigorating the economy, creating a better environment for business and creating more than 680,000 new jobs. Improved state revenues have paid down the state's debt and afforded record investments in schools, roads and affordable healthcare for children. " The site also states that some of "Governor Schwarzenegger's most notable accomplishments include a bipartisan agreement to reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions by signing landmark legislation in 2006, increasing the minimum wage while lowering the state's unemployment rate and overhauling the workers' compensation system - cutting costs by more than 35 percent. " The Governor's site goes on to tout Schwarzenegger's environmental record and how he has made California a leader in creating alternative energy methods, cleaner fuels and cleaner air.

From what I can find on the Governor's official website he seems like a man with very balanced policies. Using government to help move business in the right direction and stimulate the economy when necessary, but still being fiscally conservative and attempting to keep a balanced budget. Schwarzenegger's 2008-09 budget proposes a spending cut of 10% in virtually all government departments and when he took office in 2003 he voluntarily gave up his salary of $175,000 and offered to work for free as a good will gesture toward his goal of cutting government spending and balancing the budget. It seems to me that Schwarzenegger is taking baby steps in the right direction as he attempts to reduce out of control government spending.

Is this the whole story though? Obviously, the Governor's official website is going to be a bit biased, so I went in search of an alternate opinion. The strongest criticisms I could find of Governor Schwarzenegger are on the website www.ArnoldWatch.org, which claims to be "watching the hidden hand of special interests in the Schwarzenegger administration." The folks at Arnold Watch say that Schwarzenegger stated during his campaign that he would "make decisions that are the wisest decisions for the people and not what is best for the special interests," then, they say, he "immediately began taking campaign contributions from some of the biggest special interests in Sacramento." While this is a fairly strong criticism, I think it may be a bit overly harsh. Unfortunately, contributions from businesses and special interests are what drive politics today, and I think that what influence special interests have on the Governor and whether that influence is good or bad, is certainly a matter of opinion and something that is very much up for debate. The other major criticism I saw on Arnold Watch, seemed to be an objection to proposals to deregulate the energy industry and other similar ideas. Frankly, this is part of an argument about the role of government which is very much a matter of opinion.

I would probably conclude that, overall, Governor Schwarzenegger has done a good job as Governor, but it still amazes me that this man is now a serious political figure and one with influence on a national stage.

As always, I'm very open to the thoughts and opinions of my readers on this subject.