Politicians everywhere have a new role model: Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
Please, ignore your disbelief and your urge to laugh for just a
moment.
Yes, during this past year his term did bear an uncanny
resemblance to a disaster. He drained our debt-ridden state of
precious funding when he sponsored November’s special
elections. Then, in response to his indifference to massive public
opposition, voters slapped him across the face by rejecting every
one of his initiatives .
I was embarrassed for him. Polls have reported his approval
rating as low as 32 percent . No one would have blamed him for
retreating from the public eye forever.
Yet the governor has made the brave decision: to accept
responsibility for his actions. He even apologized ““ yes, you
read correctly, a politician said he was wrong and that he was
sorry. No trial, investigation or coercion necessary.
The governor followed up his apology with a $222-billion plan
designed to improve state infrastructure, as well as subdue critics
and win over the public. His proposal is extremely detailed and
well-thought-out, noting specific locations of road and rail
developments. Schwarzenegger is finally addressing concrete
concerns.
California’s population is expected to skyrocket within
the next few years, and according to nonpartisan legislative
analyst Elizabeth G. Hill, the state needs to begin investing
billions into state infrastructure in order to cope with the
inevitable population increase.
Schwarzenegger’s proposal addresses this issue, in
addition to resonating with voters, who grimace at the crowded
interstates and damaged roads every day during their morning
commutes.
Our governor is returning to the centrist ideals he abandoned
during the special election by displaying more willingness to
cooperate.
He is submitting ballot proposals to the legislature for
discussion and compromise. His selection of Susan Kennedy, a
long-time Democratic Party supporter, as his new chief of staff,
further supports this non-polarizing image.
In a move that hit close to home for the students of UCLA, he
also canceled the enormously unpopular fee increases that were
scheduled to take effect next year for University of California
students. This decision should save undergraduates $492 and
graduates $690.
As a conciliatory gesture toward education groups ““ which
launched a very big, very public campaign against the governor in
the past year ““ the governor announced a proposal to increase
public education funding.
He seems to be on a campaign to rectify every mistake and smooth
every ruffled feather.
Instead of satisfaction, or even I-told-you-sos, this new
strategy is being met with skepticism. Republicans, generally
conservative in their spending, are horrified by the cost of the
governor’s plan and at his appointment of left-wing Susan
Kennedy. The president of the California Republican Assembly, Mike
Spence, questioned if Schwarzenegger possessed even an “iota
of a fiscally conservative Republican belief.”
Others have questioned how California, already burdened by an
immense deficit, can possibly fund the governor’s new plan.
Suspicions that a freeze on UC fee increases could result in a
compensatory, dramatic increase in fees next year were voiced by UC
Student Regent Adam Rosenthal.
The governor responded that his $222-billion plan would be
funded through borrowing and taxation. The administration claims
the debt would be paid for by the benefits reaped by the state. A
spokesman for the Department of Finance reassured those worried
about exorbitant UC fee increases by stating that the governor
would use unexpected revenue to supply the money that was expected
from the fee increases .
Whether his new proposals are the best plans to employ at the
moment is an issue that could be debated for quite a while. What is
certain is that the notion that the governor’s changes are
bad because they may be motivated by re-election is ridiculous.
Doesn’t the beauty of a representative government lie in
the fact that those we elect can be held accountable at election
time? That lawmakers must respond to the will of the people in
order to remain in their positions of power? Why is it that a
politician is only respected if he chooses a position and remains
behind it? A pragmatic philosophy should be embraced.
Schwarzenegger has moved back toward the center because
that’s what the public responds to. Inflexible, partisan
beliefs are as unappealing as they are unproductive.
You may not agree with his agenda, and I may not vote for him in
November, but Schwarzenegger’s technique of catering to
public desires is one to be applauded and imitated.
Imagine how wonderful it would be if other politicians would
admit their mistakes instead of stubbornly staying the course.
Clinging to an ineffective governing policy hurts everyone.
No matter what his motivations are, the consequences of his
sudden change may be a less divided legislature, happier voters and
a better California.
If he can produce these results, then being re-elected is the
least Schwarzenegger should ask for.
E-mail Strickland pictures of your Schwarzenegger shrines at
kstrickland@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.