Arnold announced this weekend he's running for re-election in 2006.
Of course no one's sure he's really running. It was just something he had to do to help out his special election this fall. And he has to do well on the special this fall in order to run for reelection. It's like he needs a chicken and an egg.
Two other big things happened as well. Schwarzenegger had to tie his fortunes to the CA GOP. He's having to run to the right of the California electorate. Probably been in the cards since he faced vs. Bruce Springsteen in the Bush vs. Kerry proxy was in Ohio.
Schwarzenegger also drew a new line in the sand: "paycheck deception," the initiative that would limit the ability of unions to participate in policy and political debates; for nurses, hush up on the healthcare policy; firefighters, why do you need to complain publicly about shuttering firehouses, etc. He did this because it's leading and if he can pull it out, despite all his other foibles, it might make him look like a winner.
The problem? It reinforces his history of attacking nurses, firefighters, teachers, and cops for political gain. And THAT is a tough place to be.
Many articles out this weekend. Here are 3 good ones.
Michael Finnegan in the LA Times points out that the GOP is not much of a base, and Scharzenegger's going to have to move beyond it for real power. Like he used to do. Finnegan notes:
"I think they ought to move to South Carolina some place where you can sell that stuff," said {Democratic Consultant Bill} Carrick, a native of that politically fierce Southern state. "Union bashing has never worked in California
Carla Marinucci and John Wildermuth in the SF Chronicle point out the problems with Schwarzenegger's plan:
But the strategy carries significant political risk. If Schwarzenegger can turn around his declining approval ratings and gain victory for all or most of his initiatives on Nov. 8, he can once again become the bipartisan political superstar Democrats fear most. But if the measures fail, the governor's prestige could sink along with them.
Kate Folmar in the Mercury-News looks at Schwarzenegger and his attacks on unions, and wonder how we got here. She writes:
Endorsing Proposition 75 will ignite a political bonfire, predicted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political analyst at the University of Southern California. Schwarzenegger is ``giving red meat to the Republican faithful,'' said Jeffe, who attended the convention and the governor's speech. ``And Democrats will go sky-high. It will be Armageddon.'' This year, unionized teachers, nurses and firefighters have been the governor's most effective critics, using protests and millions of dollars in critical ads to seriously diminish his standing. Several have hiked dues to oppose him, including the California Teachers Association, which raised annual dues by $60 per member for three years to raise $50 million. Endorsing Proposition 75 is viewed as another tack to the right by Schwarzenegger, who is seeking to shore up his base support from Republicans and business donors if he is to win any of the four initiatives that he is pushing in the Nov. 8 special election.
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