Guest Post by Morbo
Believe it or not, but there is a politician in America less popular than George W. Bush. His name is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s governor of California.
As the Carpetbagger noted on Wednesday, the latest Field poll is in, and the news is not good for the amazing steroid statesman: 37 percent of registered voters approve of the job Schwarzenegger is doing. Fifty-three percent say they do not approve. (Among all adults, the governator’s approval rating stands at a dismal 31 percent.)
Since February, the muscle-bound governor’s approval rating has dropped 18 points. Democratic voters in the Golden State are finally coming to their senses. As the AP reported, “The biggest decline came among Democrats and nonpartisan voters, but the poll also found Schwarzenegger’s support among Republican voters has fallen.” Only 16 percent of California Democrats now approve of Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger has been trying to run California through a combination of referenda, bluster and the sheer force of his personality. He engineers ballot questions and then uses his star power to push them through. Voters are getting weary of the game. Last week, Conan the Chief Executive called for a Nov. 8 special election dealing with several issues, among them state spending caps, redrawn legislative and congressional districts and changes in tenure for public school teachers, reported the AP.
Fifty-two percent of voters disagree with Schwarzenegger’s push for a special election. When told the election will cost between $45 million and $80 million, opposition rises to 61 percent.
Schwarzenegger is pretty moderate by Republican standards, but his rise to power is, to me, an ominous thing. To be blunt, the man had no qualifications to run the nation’s largest state. He based his campaign on vapid slogans from his action movies and hobnobbed with fellow movie stars on the campaign trail. It was a perfect example of what’s wrong with American politics — the triumph of style and personality over substance and ideas. I regard his election as a testament to the juvenile worship of celebrities that holds so many Americans in its grip.
As it turns out, running one of the largest economies in the world isn’t like storming a Ritz-Carlton with your pals and ordering lots of room service while harassing the cleaning ladies. Temper tantrums, name-calling and threats might get you what you want on a movie set; in politics, the act grows thin very quickly.
Last year, people were actually talking about changing the Constitution so this clown could run for president. These days, California Democrats can smell the blood in the water. Top state politicos are lining up take on the man who only six months ago looked unbeatable. It’s early yet, but one can hope that by November of 2006, Golden State voters will be ready to say, “Hasta la vista, Arnold.”