Schwarzenegger shifting message
LONG BEACH, Calif. – One day Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger describes himself as a warrior battling union bosses and their puppet army of legislators. Another day, he’s humble, almost apologetic, telling viewers in a commercial released Friday: “I’ve had a lot to learn.”
Elected two years ago to shake up a stagnated statehouse, the Republican governor is trying out a variety of campaign messages in the closing days of a political campaign in which he hopes to push through a slate of ballot initiatives.
The shifts in tone and tactics point to a political reality: With polls showing several of Schwarzenegger’s proposals on shaky ground, he must find a way to connect with voters uneasy with his leadership and with the special election he called for Nov. 8.
“He needs to convince Democrats and independents that his reforms are not politically motivated, that he’s looking after their best interests,” said Mark Baldassare, a pollster at the Public Policy Institute of California.
Schwarzenegger enters the last full week of the campaign still trying to find his stride following a year in which his popularity faded and his agenda stalled. The “year of reform” election is his bid to win at the ballot box what Democrats denied him in the Legislature.
In an interview Thursday, Schwarzenegger said he was confident his campaign had hit the right message but conceded that a flood of union-sponsored TV ads had hurt his cause.
“We don’t have the 100-plus million to spend to go on television … and undo all the untrue ads,” he told the Associated Press.
Campaign finance records released Thursday show Schwarzenegger raised $45 million for his special election campaign, while the coalition of unions and Democratic supporters aligned against him has spent $115 million.
Schwarzenegger has staked the success of his first term on four measures on the ballot:
“Proposition 74, which would extend from two years to five the length of time teachers must work to receive tenure and would make it easier to fire veteran teachers.
“Proposition 75, which would require public employee unions to secure written permission from members before using their dues for political purposes.
“Proposition 76, which would set a state spending limit and give the governor authority to make midyear budget cuts.
“Proposition 77, which would strip lawmakers of the power to draw their district boundaries.
The outcome could restore some of his lost luster or further damage his standing as he heads toward a re-election campaign in 2006.
In June, he warned that failure to enact his plans would lead to skyrocketing taxes. He has attacked union leaders as little more than political bosses who drain the state of energy and money. In his latest TV ad, he mutes his union criticism in favor of a more general message. “My heart is in this, and I want to do right by you,” he says.
But with voters distracted by the war in Iraq and day-to-day issues such as housing prices and the cost of gasoline, some say they are unable to connect Schwarzenegger’s goals to their more immediate concerns at home.
“Politics seem remote from our lives,” said Rachelle Aguiar, 23, a college student in Fresno who tends to vote Republican. With families overwhelmed by bills, child care and work, “I think people don’t care about it.”
Schwarzenegger, who made stops Saturday around Los Angeles, conceded that voters aren’t fully informed.
“There’s still a lot of people out there who don’t quite understand what the initiatives are all about,” he said.
In the interview, Schwarzenegger said he has tried to govern in a bipartisan fashion since winning the governor’s seat in the 2003 recall election.
“In politics, sadly, they draw the line in the sand on every issue,” he said. “In the end, when there is no help coming from the other side, you have to rely on your Republican pals.”