The governor's election is all over here in California. Yes, we still have to vote and they still have to count the ballots but it's done. Stick a fork in it. Arnold Schwarzenegger is on his way to a second term. Even the reliably liberal L.A. Times has concluded: "California's one-sided contest for governor was decided weeks ago, based on polls and any clear-eyed glance at the race." If you ask me (and the Times apparently agrees), it all comes down to two words that you almost never hear from a politician: "I'm sorry."
Schwarzenegger Mends His Fences
Photo: Karen Tapia-Anderson, Los Angeles Times
What makes this stunning is that only a year ago, Schwarzenegger was political dead meat. He'd tested the voters patience with a package of reforms that were soundly rejected. His own polling numbers were at the bottom of the barrel. But then he did the unexpected. I wrote about that on November 11, 2005 in a blog post I called "Why I Still Like Arnold."
Now I've always liked Arnold. I voted for him in the special election that brought him to office and I defended him back in June of 2005 in another post called "Still Liking Arnold" when his disapproval number among voters had swelled to 58% (pretty much where Bush stands today).
For a man who made his career being bigger than life, Arnold Schwarzenegger has saved his political life by being humble. It hasn't hurt that key political heavyweights like Steven Spielberg have come out publicly in his favor. Or that the guy he's running against looks and sounds like Ichabod Crane. In his Capitol Journal today, Times reporter George Skelton further explains:
Schwarzenegger used his repeated admission of "a mistake" — along with the display of an open mind — to project inner strength.
Imagine where the national Republican party might be today if President Bush had the same attitude. Instead he dug in, and his party is in peril.
You can read the entire LA Times Article here.
