Features
Will Arnold Clean House in Recall Election?
by Ryan J. Wisnesky
Senior News Staff

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Terminator, a former Mr. Universe, and now, a candidate for California Governor. Running as a moderate Republican, Schwarzenegger is considered to be the primary Republican candidate for Governor, and competes with Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante and Republican challenger State Senator Tom McClintock for the top spot in opinion polls.

Coming to the United States at age 21 with virtually no possessions, Schwarzenegger worked as a brick-layer and body builder before obtaining a business degree from the University of Wisconsin. After he received his degree, Schwarzenegger delved into the California real estate business and has been a successful businessman ever since. Entering Hollywood in 1970, he continues to be a popular actor.

Schwarzenegger's humble roots and acting career belie his long involvement with political and social movements. His first modest foray into politics came in 1990, when he was named to President Bush's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In 1991, he began serving as an Executive Commissioner for the Hollenbeck Youth Center Inner-City games program in Los Angeles, helping inner-city youth overcome the challenges of poverty.

After four years serving as a Commissioner for the Hollenbeck Youth Center, Schwarzenegger helped expand the Youth Center's Inner-City games program into the nationwide Inner-City Games Foundation. This foundation provides opportunities for youth to engage in sports, academic pursuits, and cultural activities after school, and currently reaches 250,000 students across 400 schools nationwide. Schwarzenegger continues to create and support new programs, his latest being Arnold's All-stars, a program for of cultural enrichment for California's middle-schoolers.

Schwarzenegger is probably best known for creating and helping pass California Proposition 49 in 2002. The Proposition grants funds to every public middle school in California for after-school programs. As yet, it is too early to tell what impact this proposition has had on California's youth.

As a current California Governor's Candidate, Schwarzenegger has developed a comprehensive platform generally resembling that of a moderate Republican with conservative fiscal and mainstream social views.

On the fiscal side, Schwarzenegger supports government spending caps and a mandated balanced budget based on inflation and population growth, as well as independent auditing of Government accounts. He has also pledged to restructure California's $12 to $20 billion dollar debt, as well as re-allocating existing funds to provide $100 billion for road maintenance over 10 years. His Economic Recovery Council, co-chaired by investor Warren Buffet and former Secretary of State George Schultz, is currently investigating California's economic woes and making recommendations. Some of Schwarzenegger's other initiatives include reforming Worker's Compensation, creating a governmental 'rainy-day' fund, and reforming the 13 state energy-regulation agencies to support a successful free-market energy strategy based on other states' systems.

All candidates have expressed interest in reducing California's debt and deficit. Senator McClintock also supports reforming Worker's Compensation, but would like to flat-out void preexisting energy contracts rather than reform the regulatory agencies. Like Schwarzenegger, Senator McClintock has also supported repealing the new car tax; however, McClintock is generally considered to have far more of an anti-tax attitude than Schwarzenegger. Whereas Schwarzenegger would support raising taxes only in an emergency, Lt. Governor Bustamante has proposed raising nearly $8 billion through taxes and fees primarily on tobacco, alcohol, and cars. Fees for cars have already tripled under current Governor Gray Davis, and most previous fee increases on these items have been refused by the legislature as recently as last session. Moreover, several of Bustamante's increases would require a constitutional amendment.

On the social side, Schwarzenegger supports a woman's right to choose, but does not support partial-birth abortion; he supports English Immersion programs rather than Bilingual Education, and does not support the "Racial Privacy Initiative," nothing that "my position on this issue is informed by my years of visiting inner-city schools and neighborhoods and seeing the lingering effects of racial discrimination." Schwarzenegger also supports same-sex civil unions, but not same-sex marriage, and supports term-limits. He supports capital punishment, the three-strikes law, and would like to see federal reimbursement for the cost of paying for services for undocumented immigrants living in California, noting that as the Federal Government has failed to protect the border, the Federal Government should be responsible for that failure's consequences.

In contrast, McClintock supports the Racial Privacy Initiative, and Bustamante has recently pledged $4 million to support an ad campaign against the initiative. In general, McClintock is more socially conservative than Schwarzenegger, although he is not emphasizing any social issues in his campaign, instead focusing on lowering taxes, reforming Worker's Compensation, and voiding the energy contracts. However, as well as remaining staunchly opposed to domestic partnerships for gay couples, McClintock opposes Medi-Cal's funding of abortions and supports a requirement that a minor's parents be notified before an abortion. Both McClintock and Schwarzenegger support a person's right to bear arms.

Interestingly, many of the questions that Schwarzenegger has declined to answer in past interviews and debates are answered in his platform document, which is available at http://www.joinarnold.com/en/agenda/arnoldsviews.php.

With the election to take place October 7, barring any further court intervention, Schwarzenegger is looking to be the primary Republican contender. There is serious pressure by GOP leaders on McClintock to drop out of the race so as not to split the Republican vote. Current polls show Schwarzenegger neck and neck with Bustamante, making McClintock's decision of paramount importance.

Only time will tell, but the Terminator may very well be the next governor of California.

More information on Mr. Schwarznegger's campaign can be found at his website, www.joinarnold.com

Page last modified on Thursday, 02-Mar-2006 00:24:38 MST.