Happy anniversary, Governator!

Published 08 October, 2008, 19:02

No matter what your position is on California politics, it is hard not to admire Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maybe even to hold him in awe. October 8 is the fifth anniversary of his election as governor of California. It seems as though the flamboyant Austrian, who retains dual Austrian citizenship, has been running the state. RT is taking advantage of the moment to goggle at him unabashedly.

His father called him Cinderella. His grim, postwar childhood in Graz, Austria, was very far from the glamour of Hollywood and the hall of American political power. Schwarzenegger gained his first taste of fame as Mr. Junior Europe in 1965, when he was also declared “the best-built man in Europe.” The following year, he came in second in the Mr. Universe competition and attracted the attention of coach Charles Bennett, who took him into his home in London’s East End and trained him for victory the following year, at age 20. Schwarzenegger would go on to win the Mr. Universe title three more times after that and to win the most bodybuilding title of anyone ever (13). He acknowledges using steroids when they were legal.

Acquaintances, biographers and various snoops describe Schwarzenegger as ambitious and calculating. Schwarzenegger has stated that he dreamed of moving to America from the age of ten. The Mr. Universe was his ticket to the New World. He lived with a string of women and continued training and competing. He also found the time to graduate from the University of Wisconsin at Superior.

The Nixon touch

Schwarzenegger described his arrival in the United States to the 2004 Republican National Convention. “I arrived with empty pockets, but full of dreams, full of determination, full of desire. The presidential campaign was in full swing. I remember watching the Nixon-Humphrey presidential race on TV. A friend of mine who spoke German and English translated for me… Listening to Nixon sounded like a breath of fresh air. I said to my friend, I said, ‘What party is he?’ My friend said, ‘He’s a Republican.’ I said, ‘Then I am a Republican.’”

Schwarzenegger landed his first film role, playing Hercules, in 1970. He refocused his ambitions and struggled in Hollywood until he hit the big time with Conan the Barbarian in 1982. In 1977, he met Maria Shriver, niece of John, Robert and Ted Kennedy, and began a relationship with her. They were married in 1986 and have four children. Shriver is a journalist and Democratic political activist.

Conan the Republican

Schwarzenegger had a golden life in 2003 when he announced on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that he would run for governor of California. He was on the ballot at the same time as the recall of his predecessor Gray Davis, the only successful recall in California history. His success seemed as fantastic as everything else his life, and indeed it was. He won with 48.6 percent of the vote.

Schwarzenegger thus began his political career. He got off to a running start, reducing drivers’ registration fees, supporting the death penalty and boosting the state’s credit rating. He survived scandals involving long-ago drug use and sex with an underage girl. Inevitable setbacks came soon enough, however. While his popularity remained high (over 50 percent), he became known for his loud mouth and immoderate views. His opposition to softening California’s “Three Strikes, You’re Out” law, making long sentences mandatory for any third-time felony, gained him a national reputation as Draconian.

He ran for reelection in 2006 and won.

Schwarzenegger is an independent politician, not hesitating to oppose conservatives, but never describable as liberal. He has always had a troubled relationship with the California legislature. This year, as of October 1, he has vetoed 415 of 772 bills submitted to him, approving only the most essential as a matter of policy. His threat to veto the state budget left the state with no budget for 85 days. He declared the trimmed down budget he signed a victory for himself and the people of his state. (The state has a $15.2-billion deficit any way.) Environmentalists have also taken him to task. His approval rating remains over 50 percent.

Arnie is more than a bodybuilder, actor or politician. He is a legend. His governorship will be remembered as successful and he will be remembered for a myriad of things, not the least of which will be his indomitable personality. There is speculation that he will run for the U.S. Senate after he finishes his second (and last allowable) gubernatorial term, and talk of changing the U.S. Constitution to allow the foreign-born to run for president is likely to resurface more than once before Schwarzenegger’s career ends.

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