Posted on Sun, Jun. 05, 2005
For governor, criticism drowns out adoring screams
By Tom Chorneau
ASSOCIATED PRESSSACRAMENTO - During California's recall campaign and through much of his first year in office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's public appearances had the feel of a Hollywood premiere, marked by packs of adoring fans clamoring to see the megastar-turned-political phenom.Typical of the adulation was a rally at the state Capitol on the last day of the 2003 recall campaign, when Schwarzenegger stood beside Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider and faked playing guitar before hundreds of screaming supporters.
These days, Schwarzenegger's public reception is markedly different.
He has been trailed since early in the year by a committed band of detractors, a vocal mix of teachers, nurses and unionized public employees opposed to one or another of Schwarzenegger's proposals or policies. They have been a constant feature at his public appearances, even showing up at some of the governor's out-of-state appearances.
The protests reached a zenith May 25 when an estimated 10,000 demonstrators encircled the state Capitol and several thousand more packed Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on the same day.
How much of an effect the demonstrations are having on Schwarzenegger, a superstar who has fed off fan adulation his entire career, is uncertain. Those who have known him for years say he is unlikely to be deterred if he believes in his goals.
"He's probably bothered by it. There's no way it couldn't have an effect," said Douglas Kent Hall, a longtime friend who co-wrote Schwarzenegger's 1977 autobiography, "Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder."
Nevertheless, he said the demonstrators aren't likely to influence Schwarzenegger's agenda.
"I can only speak for the Arnold I knew in the old days, and he would not back down just to be popular," Hall said. "He would stay in to win."
In recent weeks, however, the nature of Schwarzenegger's public appearances in California seems to have changed, even as he tries to garner support for a likely special election this November. He is seeking to cap state spending, redraw legislative district boundaries and make it harder for teachers to gain tenure.
His appearances have tended to be in smaller venues and more controlled environments. He has spoken before friendly business groups, provided photo opportunities at local schools or appeared on talk radio shows. He is typically surrounded by supporters or the Capitol press corps at events that appear to be designed to keep protesters at a safe distance.
Last week, he traveled to a secluded street in San Jose to talk about his transportation spending plan. The exact location wasn't disclosed even to the reporters who cover him regularly. Instead, they were directed to a parking lot where they were shuttled to the final location.
Even then, a small band of demonstrators found him and began heckling.
"It's been an enormous transition," said veteran Democratic consultant Bill Carrick. "He's gone from being the guy rescuing us to being as deeply entrenched in the political polarization of California as anyone. It's just stunning."
Grievances against the governor are varied. He angered teachers by what they claim is a broken promise over education funding and an earlier proposal, since dropped, to tie teacher raises to merit rather than tenure. Nurses have been upset by his ongoing efforts to suspend lower nurse-to-patient hospital staffing ratios. And unions have been angered by attempts to change the state's retirement pension system and a possible ballot initiative that would make it harder for them to raise campaign funds from their members.
Schwarzenegger's communications director, Rob Stutzman, said the governor views the protests as part of the response to his political agenda, what he has termed his "Year of Reform."
"He sees it as an affirmation that he's an agent of change," Stutzman said.
He conceded the protesters are having some impact on the governor's public events, but only to a minimal degree.
"There's something to it, but not much," he said. "Dealing with protesters is something that political officeholders have had to do since the beginning. There's certain things you do."
Stutzman said there has been no effort to limit Schwarzenegger's appearances to locations where public access could be restricted. He insisted there would be no hesitation about putting the governor into the same kind of public settings -- beaches, malls or county fairgrounds -- that were used during the recall.
Even so, Stutzman said he is careful not to give demonstrators the upper hand.
"I'm not going to create an event that can be destroyed by protesters," he said.
Schwarzenegger has said the demonstrators don't worry him. He even predicted the backlash in his State of the State speech in January, when he said fixing the state's structural budget problems would be painful.
"And we all know what's going to happen," he said in the speech. "The special interests will run TV ads calling me cruel and heartless. They will organize protests out in front of the Capitol. They will try to say I don't understand the consequences of these decisions."
In response to last week's massive demonstrations in Sacramento and Los Angeles, Schwarzenegger said he is aligned with the hundreds of thousands of Californians who signed petitions supporting his proposals for a possible special election.
Still, there have been times when protesters appear to have surprised and even irritated the governor.
An event in early May, for example, was designed so Schwarzenegger could drive up to a Sacramento County election office before a line of TV cameras and drop off petitions for one of his ballot measures. Organizers had dozens of young school children on hand, the kind of carefully prepared stagecraft that has been a trademark of many Schwarzenegger events. They were dressed in bright red "Go For It Arnold" T-shirts, ready to help the governor deliver the petitions in bright red wagons.
But also waiting for Schwarzenegger's arrival were dozens of union demonstrators who chanted loudly and rushed up close to the governor when he parked. Schwarzenegger stepped out of the vehicle with an uncomfortable smile. Instead of a well-choreographed media event, he was faced with a throng of shouting demonstrators.
California Highway Patrol officers kept the protesters away while Schwarzenegger tried to gather the children and the petitions. In the chaos, he was forced inside the county building before he could address his supporters and the assembled reporters.
Some observers see signs of a siege mentality overtaking the Schwarzenegger administration.
"To me, it's reminiscent of LBJ during the late 1960s," said Harvey Englander, a Democratic public relations consultant. "Everywhere he went there were anti-war protesters, and eventually the staged events stopped."
Others said Schwarzenegger is different from most public officeholders. He has overcome obstacles his entire career, from having to learn English as an Austrian immigrant to winning over Hollywood. Republican consultant Dan Schnur said the governor will find a way to deal with the protesters, no matter how persistent.
"To him, this is just another challenge," Schnur said. "He overcame (bodybuilder) Lou Ferrigno, and now he needs to get past the teachers."
On June 14, Schwarzenegger is coming to Santa Monica College to speak to graduating students. Meanwhile, he wants to cut education funding, teacher's wages, pensions and jobs across California. Join us at SMC to protest Schwarzenegger and his racist, sexist, anti-people policies. Let's build a united people's fight back to tell Schwarzenegger that students, teachers, nurses, workers, immigrants and retired people are NOT "special interests!"