The Governator's achievements are for real

Californians and Texans don't stop talking about how great their states are, perhaps even to the point where they identify themselves more by membership to their state than their country. Of course, the difference is that one state can actually back it up -- Hollywood, the Raiders, Dodgers, Ronald Reagan, beaches, women, wine, cheese, fruit, weather, great public schools, extreme diversity ... but it's rarely mentioned that California is also the most socially progressive and politically fair state in the country. That reputation has, unfairly, taken a huge hit with the election of the Governator.

California had the biggest surplus of any state in the country in 1998, but the incompetent Gray Davis turned it into a larger deficit than that of the other 49 states combined. How had the fifth largest economy in the world reached such dire straits that its bonds were barely above junk level? True, the dot.com bubble-bursting took a toll, but the political gridlock could not address the energy crisis or fix bureaucratic systems that were widely regarded as broken.

When the people of California elected a bodybuilder to fix this massively complex problem, political cartoonists and late night talk show hosts had a field day. It was an ongoing joke when he yelled out catchphrases from his movies. "To overspending and higher taxes, I say, "Hasta la vista, baby!'" "Shouldn't the government terminate reckless spending?" "Come with me if you want to live better!" My friends couldn't stop making fun of me for wasting my first vote on a meathead.

My retort: If you judge without looking at his accomplishments, you are an intellectual girlie-man. What he's done in 10 months as governor is nothing short of remarkable.

By focusing on the wonders of the state's future, instead of dwelling on the dot.com bust and economic downturn, he won people's hearts. Arnold also extended an olive branch by going to the legislators' offices for small talk, and then having substantive meetings in a khaki tent outside of his office. The symbolism was clear -- I care about your views and will not force my beliefs upon you, but instead work in a more neutral place for deal-making. That soft power was reminiscent of Ronald Reagan, who simply out-charmed and out-willed all obstacles to making the state, and America, a better place.

But the charming Kindergarten Cop persona was also complemented by the Terminator role of substantial reform and change. His top economic adviser, Warren Buffett, compares Arnold to FDR, citing his iron will, trademark smile and unwavering confidence. Together with his other advisers, most notably Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman and former Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury George Schultz, Arnold came up with a plan to "pay down the debt, stimulate the economy, lay off the taxes and unshackle business." He did this through a bond issuance and made fundamental changes to cut costs through reforming pensions and workers' compensation, and twisted the arms of special interest groups to help eliminate the state's deficit.

Now, because of Arnold's historic and forceful balanced budget proposition, California will be lawfully required to be fiscally responsible. State historian Kevin Starr says, "I don't think anybody was prepared for the extraordinary skill with which he's conducted the job."

When Arnold was in Germany visiting appreciative American troops, he opened with a joke: "I want to thank you all for changing the Constitution of the United States, and I declare here my candidacy for pres -- oh, sorry, wrong speech." But is it really that funny? Arnold is a "radical centrist," someone who believes policies should be made from the middle instead of the extremes. As an economic pragmatist supported by the likes of Warren Buffett and a social liberal who supports a woman's right to choose, gay adoptions and gun control, Arnold is accurately described by Wired Magazine as a "political hybrid who can't easily be labeled, categorized or dismissed as a conventional hack. If Clinton was famous for practicing the "politics of promiscuity' -- his willingness to try out a variety of ideological positions -- then Schwarzenegger is a political cross-dresser."

As someone with enormous personal appeal, plus bipartisan support, isn't Arnold eminently electable? Internal conflict between the evangelical Christian wing of the Republican Party and the more centrist Republicans like McCain, Pataki and Giuliani has been suppressed only because winning cures all. If Bush were to lose in November, it wouldn't be out of the question for the party to re-think its general platforms and swing toward the center. Wouldn't a centrist Republican who could carry California be a very tempting candidate to run? Wouldn't the Republican Party pretty much have to try to ram through an amendment that would ensure that Republican gets on the ballot?

The concept of a swing state would be anachronistic, since if Arnold only holds on to the states that he should win (yellow-dog Republican states and California), he'd win the presidency by a wide margin. Orrin Hatch's Arnold Amendment, which would allow anyone naturalized for over 20 years to run for president, could lead us to all to be Presidentated, instead of merely Governated.

Will Guo is a senior in the Huntsman Program for International Studies in Business from Los Angeles. Aim For The Head appears on alternate Mondays.

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