California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's name will not appear on the special election ballot on Tuesday, when California voters go to the polls to consider initiatives he says are crucial to reshape state government.
But the special election he called is as much a referendum on the governor himself as it is about the "year of reform" agenda he is asking voters to support. Its outcome is likely to set the stage for the next chapter of his unconventional political career.
If Schwarzenegger's early days in office were characterized by his celebrity status and bipartisan governing style, the past year has been defined by his launch of this divisive special election and the fallout from that decision.
A recent poll found that just 36 percent of voters want to see Schwarzenegger re-elected next year, with 55 percent opposed.
Schwarzenegger was elected as a moderate Republican in a Democratic state, but veered to the right to promote his reform initiatives, which target Democratic lawmakers and public-sector unions. He has paid a price for that gamble, losing support from large numbers of Democrats and independents, who constitute more than 60 percent of the California electorate.
Whatever the outcome, political experts said the governor must work to repair the damage to his image brought on by the special election, which will cost the state US$52 million to US$55 million. Whether he can do so will determine his ability to govern next year and the strength of his reelection bid.
"If all the initiatives go down, partisan Democrats will say `We beat him today, now let's go beat him next year," said political analyst Allan Hoffenblum.
But Hoffenblum, who is a former Republican campaign consultant, said Schwarzenegger can reclaim some of his lost stature and position himself for re-election if he absorbs some important lessons.
"He needs to reconnect with soft Democrats and independent voters, keep the rhetoric and jokes down, and come up with some good ideas," Hoffenblum said.
Schwarzenegger already appears anxious to move in that direction, especially as polls show none of his four initiatives with majority support. He wants to reform teacher tenure laws, limit state spending, change the way legislative districts are drawn and reduce the ability of public employee unions to raise money for political campaigns.
Voters also will decide on Tuesday between two competing initiatives aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs; a constitutional amendment requiring doctors to notify the parents or guardians of underage girls seeking abortions; and an initiative on whether to reregulate the state's electric utilities.
In recent days, Schwarzenegger has talked about plans to tackle several of the state's major problems next year, including traffic congestion, children without health insurance and underperforming schools -- the kind of issues critics complain his ballot measures did little to address.
In an interview last week, Schwarzenegger said he planned to work closely with legislative leaders despite their differences over the special election.
"No matter what the outcome of the election, we have to talk," Schwarzenegger said. "This place is ready to boom. It could be another Gold Rush here. So let's start putting a program together for infrastructure that's really big thinking -- like landing a man on the moon kind of vision. Big."
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
UNSCHEDULED VISIT: ‘It’s a very bulky new neighbor, but it will soon go away,’ said Johan Helberg of the 135m container ship that run aground near his house A man in Norway awoke early on Thursday to discover a huge container ship had run aground a stone’s throw from his fjord-side house — and he had slept through the commotion. For an as-yet unknown reason, the 135m NCL Salten sailed up onto shore just meters from Johan Helberg’s house in a fjord near Trondheim in central Norway. Helberg only discovered the unexpected visitor when a panicked neighbor who had rung his doorbell repeatedly to no avail gave up and called him on the phone. “The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don’t like to open,” Helberg told television
RSS