Arnold Schwarzenegger entered the governor’s office with little interest in
ideology and partisanship. The voters of California have expressed time and
again that as a whole, they, too, look down on avid partisanship. According to
polling, voters indicated they wanted a governor just like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But as he leaves office, Schwarzenegger’s poll numbers are in dismal territory and bi-partisan, non-ideological leadership seems an ocean away on a ship that is never going to dock.
I recall California’s premier historian, Kevin Starr, recognized
Schwarzenegger’s potential when he first came into office as perhaps another
Earl Warren — a man who could secure support and allegiance across party
lines. Starr talked of Schwarzenegger as a member of the “California Party,”
that is, someone who focuses on state issues without concern for the
political necessities that make up the planks of party platforms.
Schwarzenegger’s current popularity rating with the voters certainly could reflect that he didn’t fix the budget and other problems, as he promised to do as a candidate. But, the fact that those fixes did not occur also means the people were not so wild about following Schwarzenegger on his different crusades.
Could it be that voters really don’t mean it when they say they want a get-it-done, damn-the-ideology governor?
Of course, many political observers think a non-partisan or non-ideological leader is constantly adrift and cannot lead the people anywhere. But, the question is why voters say they want such a leader and then refuse to follow one?
“One reason is that California voters don’t really know what they want,” according to fellow Fox and Hounds blogger and Schwarzenegger biographer, Joe Mathews. “Arnold helped reveal the California electorate is really like the worst girlfriend you ever had. She’s angry all the time, but she can’t tell you what you can do to make her happy.”
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Executive Director, Kris Vosburgh, suggested that voters tell pollsters exactly what they want and know what they want: Low taxes and high public services. Whether this is an impossible formula to meet, Vosburgh says, the reaction is a natural human response.
In the end, despite what voters say they are looking for in a governor, when it comes to making choices and actually voting on issues the governor (and others) put before them, voters often display ideological passions or personal — some would say selfish — interests when they vote.
As he prepares to leave office, the man who seemed a perfect fit for California voters’ requirements for governor hears few cheers and songs of adoration. Ironic.