Populism at its very worst.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/21/na...partner=GOOGLE
August 21, 2003
Schwarzenegger Tries to Add Some Substance to Celebrity
By CHARLIE LeDUFF and JOHN M. BRODER
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 ? Arnold Schwarzenegger came out from behind the curtain today to put some muscle in a campaign that until now was based on sheer celebrity, calling for a constitutional cap on state spending and making clear his distaste for new taxes.
Facing a horde of cameras and reporters from as far away as China, Mr. Schwarzenegger, 56, was flanked by his advisers, Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor, and George P. Shultz, former secretary of state. Using humor and a few specifics, the former Mr. Olympia tried to dispel any perception that he is a movie star on a vanity project.
Mr. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said one of his priorities, should he be elected to replace Gov. Gray Davis, would be to rein in state spending. He said he would appoint an outside auditor, John Cogan, the economist and Mr. Shultz's colleague, to look at state finances.
"We must have a constitutional spending cap and must immediately attack operating deficits head on," Mr. Schwarzenegger told a ballroom packed with reporters at the Westin Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport.
"Does that mean we are going to make cuts?" he said. "Yes. Does this mean education is on the table? No. Does this mean I am willing to raise taxes? No. Additional taxes are the last burden we need to put on the backs of the citizens and businesses of California."
Mr. Schwarzenegger spoke on a day when Judge Stephen V. Wilson of United States District Court moved to keep the Oct. 7 recall election on schedule, rejecting an effort by the American Civil Liberties Union to delay the vote until March.
Another candidate, Peter V. Ueberroth, former baseball commissioner and chairman of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles also began his campaign by pledging that if elected he would cut state general fund spending by 5 percent and limit state spending to a formula based on population growth and inflation.
Mr. Schwarzenegger said he would not provide specifics on budget cuts during the campaign. "The public doesn't care about figures," he said.
"What the people want to hear is, are you willing to make the changes. Are you tough enough to go in there and provide leadership. "
The actor, who has drawn the ire of his party's conservative base because of his moderate stance on social issues, made clear that when it comes to economics he is philosophically opposed to tax increases. Still, he said he would not commit to the kind of "no new taxes" pledge that haunted his mentor and friend, the former President George Bush.
In a town hall-style meeting tonight at a Los Angeles television studio, Governor Gray Davis said it might be necessary to raise taxes to preserve state programs.
"It's fun for Arnold to say `no new taxes,' " Mr. Davis said. "You just ask him, `Where are the cuts?' "
In his appearance, Mr. Schwarzenegger said, "I feel the people of California have been punished enough. From the time they get up in the morning and flush the toilet they're taxed. When they go get a coffee they're taxed. When they get in their car they're taxed. When they go to the gas station they're taxed. When they go to lunch they're taxed. This goes on all day long. Tax. Tax. Tax. Tax. Tax."
This weekend a hullabaloo enveloped the Schwarzenegger camp after Mr. Buffett suggested to The Wall Street Journal that state property taxes needed to be increased. The idea instantly riled Republicans in a state known for the tax rebellion that pushed through Proposition 13 and its limits on property tax increases.
Today, Mr. Schwarzenegger gave an unequivocal promise that he would not seek to alter the property tax structure, while chastising Mr. Buffett.
"First of all, I told Warren if he mentions Prop. 13 one more time he has to do 500 situps," he said.
Mr. Buffett gave a crooked smile.
Mr. Schwarzenegger said that he would also ask the federal government to help defray the costs of illegal immigration and that he did not support Proposition 54, which would prohibit the state from collecting racial data. That initiative will appear on the same ballot as the recall on Oct. 7.
His outlook today was decidedly pro-business. Among the 18 members of his Economic Recovery Council, whom he met with this morning, were titans of business and finance and economics professors. There were no union representatives or consumer advocates.
His presentation today helped cast the recall campaign along traditional party lines despite the oddities of a 135 candidate race. On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, a Democrat who appears to be the main challenger to Mr. Schwarzenegger, according to recent polls, displayed a very different economic plan, which analysts said was bound to be contentious.
Mr. Bustamante, who defied Governor Davis's call for Democrats to stay off the recall ballot, said he would seek to restructure Proposition 13, allowing the state to reassess commercial property and tax it at its current value. This would require a constitutional amendment, an unlikely prospect, experts agree. He also proposed a tax increase on the top 4 percent of earners, an increase in cigarette and alcohol taxes and a half-billion dollar crackdown on Medi-Cal fraud.
Mr. Schwarzenegger was engaging and seemed to regain the self-confidence that had eluded him thus far in this campaign.
The scene was decidedly different a few miles away at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where Mr. Ueberroth was starting his campaign. About a dozen reporters and four television cameras attended.
Mr. Ueberroth, 65, promised a campaign based on "truth, substance and specifics." He vowed that he would not attack other candidates or respond to their criticism.
Mr. Ueberroth said his campaign would focus on solving the state's budget problems and rebuilding its faltering economy. Besides making his pledge to limit state spending, he said he would institute a statewide hiring freeze, renegotiate state employee union contracts and eliminate fraud from the state's Medicaid program.
He also proposed a one-time amnesty for those with delinquent tax bills, which he said could raise as much as $6 billion. He said he would not seek to alter the Proposition 13 cap on property tax increases for homeowners.
Mr. Ueberroth said that if he were elected he would not seek re-election in 2006, nor would he accept a salary. He said he expected to spend about $10 million on his campaign, with roughly a third coming from his own pocket.
"California is in a mess, a real mess, but we can get out of the mess and be great again," he said.
The appearances sent the campaign into high gear a day after Mr. Davis called on Californians to help him fight the recall, which he characterized as a "right-wing power grab."
And for now, at least, there appeared to be little chance of turning back after the federal court ruling against delaying the recall.The American Civil Liberties Union had argued that because Los Angeles, San Diego and several other counties were still using discredited punch-card voting machines a large number of votes would be improperly counted. It asked the court to delay the election until next March. Judge Wilson said the election should take place as scheduled.
"The recall election in particular is an extraordinary, and in this case, unprecedented exercise of public sentiment," the judge said in his order today. "Implicit in a recall election, and explicit in the time frame provided by the California Constitution, is a strong public interest in promptly determining whether a particular elected official should remain in office."
The civil liberties association said it would appeal the decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.
Democratic party officials said today that Ann Lewis, the White House communications director during President Clinton's impeachment case, would temporarily move to California to groups opposing the recall.
Mr. Schwarzenegger has reinforcements, too, but said he wanted to put one rumor to rest.
"Rob Lowe is not a senior adviser," he said. "Nor is he an adviser. But you know how it is in Hollywood with the publicity agents."
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