In pushing his current reform agenda (detailed in this recent Rosenblog post), California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger again showcases his simultaneous mastery of the serious and the lowbrow. It's a wicked good combo; the guy's a marketing genius, writes the Sac Bee's ace political columnist Daniel Weintraub.

This week, as he kicked off a petition drive that could culminate in a special election this fall, Schwarzenegger demonstrated once again his intention to play in both worlds.

First he held a press conference in his office to announce, in serious tones, that he was chagrined by the lack of progress in the Legislature on his policy proposals. Dressed in a gray suit, white shirt and bright pink tie, Schwarzenegger stood behind a lectern and told reporters that he was prepared to take his case to the voters.

"It's time to put the pressure on our politicians and to have the people send the message that they want true reform," Schwarzenegger said.

After several questions, the governor's aides shut down the press conference and announced that Schwarzenegger would be at the east entrance to the Capitol in five minutes for a photo opportunity. Reporters and camera crews scurried outside to find the governor's olive green, military-style Humvee waiting, adorned with a fake license plate reading "Reform 1." Soon Schwarzenegger appeared. In the interim, he had quickly changed wardrobes, losing the pink tie and jacket in favor of a windbreaker and dark sunglasses.

A crowd of aides from the Governor's Office and Republican legislative staffers lined the path down which Schwarzenegger would walk. Without hesitating, he jumped into the vehicle, fired it up and headed slowly off the Capitol grounds, schoolchildren and aging reporters chasing after him on foot. Escorted by the Highway Patrol and a truck carrying a crew filming a campaign commercial, Schwarzenegger drove five miles to the Sacramento suburbs before pulling into the parking lot of a local Applebee's diner, where he hopped out to begin collecting signatures in front of the cameras.

......You can expect more of the same over the next several weeks. Schwarzenegger has until mid-April to collect the needed signatures on what will probably be four initiatives dealing with public employee pensions, political district lines, education policy and the budget process. He plans to follow up his Sacramento appearance with made-for-television visits around the state.

Meanwhile, he will not foreclose the possibility of more negotiations with legislative leaders over possible compromises.....Legislative leaders, meanwhile, announced that they intend to roll out a series of counterproposals, perhaps as soon as next week.

.....The governor might have entered politics as an amateur, but he is an old pro at marketing. He helped turn the niche sport of body building into a worldwide phenomenon, and he took mediocre acting skills and a thick accent and transformed himself into the planet's most recognizable actor. In both cases, he worked seriously behind the scenes while often appearing cartoonish in public, drawing attention to something, or someone, who would otherwise be left in obscurity.Now he's trying to work the same magic on public policy.

Anyone who misunderestimates Arnold does so at their own risk.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at March 4, 2005 11:00 AM

---

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.rosenblog.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/750