Word: arnold
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...election is a lot like a movie blockbuster - a fast, thrilling spectacle that keeps people riveted to their seats. Government is a lot like a 12-hour Swedish documentary on the mating habits of elephant seals - slow, grueling, with endless complications and a desperate need for subtitles. We know Arnold Schwarzengger can handle an action blockbuster, and now it?s clear he can handle an election, but is he ready for the challenge of governing the largest state in the nation and the sixth biggest economy in the world? California is about to find out. If he succeeds, Arnold will...
...Surround yourself with good people: When George W. Bush ran for the Presidency in 2000, the biggest worry in many voters? minds was whether this one-term governor of Texas - who, much like Arnold, was not a gifted public speaker - could handle the job. Bush countered this by surrounding himself with the most experienced people possible; he selected Dick Cheney to be his running mate and hinted that Colin Powell had a spot reserved in the cabinet-to-be. Schwarzenegger did much the same thing during his campaign, appointing former Gov. Pete Wilson, a moderate Republican who handled California...
...Schwarzenegger has made his job more difficult by making three popular pledges: he?ll repeal the recent increase of the car tax, he won?t raise taxes and he won?t cut education spending. The car tax repeal alone will widen the budget gap by $4 billion. But Arnold shrewdly avoided revealing any other details of his plan to fix the budget, arguing he first needs to audit the entire government. While that wasn?t fair to voters - and in exit polls two-thirds griped that he hadn?t given them enough information - they voted for him anyway...
...Democrats have a solid majority in both chambers of roughly 60%, and a two-thirds majority is needed to pass any budget. Schwarzenegger claims he can solve the deficit by cutting wasteful spending - but in reality, one politician?s wasteful spending is another?s valuable service to the people. Arnold is going to have to make some deals, keeping Republicans solidly behind him while luring half the Democrats over to a budget they can get behind. If he does this well, he can probably pass some version of the remainder of his priorities: renegotiating state employee contracts, workers? compensation reforms...
...Burton told reporters later, the senator told Schwarzenegger he can?t repeal the car tax without the legislature?s approval. At his press conference later in the day, Schwarzenegger replied, ?We have a difference of opinion.? It will probably be the first of many with the legislature. Some Arnold will have to make compromises on, but sometimes he?ll have to draw the line. He is the Governor after all, and he can use the status of his office and his line item veto to get things done his way. The results of the recall help...