July
1, 2003, 8:45 a.m.
Let Ah-nold be Ah-nold
What a Schwarzenegger
run might look like.
By Sheri Annis
n my first day as Arnold Schwarzenegger's press secretary, I realized
this would be a campaign unlike any other. One reporter wanted a picture
with Arnold. The cameramen wanted pictures and autographs. Newspaper staffers
high-fived each other during editorial-board meetings. We could not get
away from the hoopla that usually surrounds the Terminator because some
of the journalists were behaving like fans.
During the course
of Schwarzenegger's successful after-school program initiative in California
last year, I saw journalists acting more like they were covering a rock
star than a sponsor of a statewide proposition.
The star's entourage was accustomed to controlling the press. One Schwarzenegger
entertainment staffer actually suggested — no, demanded — that
I deliver to her every question that Arnold would be asked prior to an interview.
I tried to explain that the political world does not work that way. When
it became obvious that this person would not let new information get in
the way of old habits, I made it clear that I would be performing consulting
malpractice if I ever asked a political reporter for advance questions.
The very fact that the campaign had asked for the questions would have become
the story.
So things could get very interesting if Schwarzenegger seizes the opening
provided by a burgeoning effort to recall Democrat Gray Davis and jumps
into the race for governor. Rather than dealing with fawning Hollywood reporters
or news-oriented scribes covering a family-friendly initiative, Arnold would
face a new kind of sustained press scrutiny — on everything from his
political positions to his finances to his personal life. How he handles
it could determine whether the moderate Republican rides into the governor's
office on a Hummer or finds his political engine stalled.
California voters are on the brink of deciding whether to green-light a
ballot measure to recall Davis, the most unpopular governor in Golden State
history, who was reelected last November during a pathetically low-turnout
election. While such a recall is the definition of bad public policy, requiring
simply that the officeholder be considered "unsatisfactory," the
effort is moving along at warp speed.
If the measure receives the required 900,000 signatures, voters would make
a simultaneous one-two punch on whether to oust Davis and, on the same ballot,
pick his successor. That means Schwarzenegger could propel himself onto
the recall bandwagon without having to win a divisive Republican primary.
He can appeal to fiscally responsible, socially moderate California voters
from all parties. It is, in short, the perfect storm for launching his long-anticipated
political career.
Although Schwarzenegger is known best as an actor, he is just as much a
businessman and CEO of the Arnold empire. He has managed large budgets and
understands the importance of focusing on the bottom line. The recall's
winner will be handed the dubious prize of a $38-billion budget gap. Schwarzenegger
might be just the person to take a crack at terminating California's record
deficit.
But first he must do battle in a very different arena. During the campaign
to increase after-school programs, I saw how entertainment reporters were
often fawning toward Arnold. They are accustomed to ingratiating themselves
with stars so they will get first crack at future interviews and photo spreads.
Political reporters were deferential toward Schwarzenegger last time, but
in a gubernatorial campaign they will dig much deeper. This time the actor
would be putting himself, not a mother-and-apple-pie cause, on the line.
If Arnold is allowed to be himself, he'll do just fine. If his handlers
try too hard to protect him, he will be left with a frustrated press corps
that will intensify its efforts and become more aggressive as the campaign
grinds on.
Schwarzenegger is extremely media savvy. He has more experience dealing
with reporters than any first-time candidate in history, not to mention
one of the most recognizable voices in the world. He knows how to get his
points across, doesn't get flummoxed, and can stay on message without abandoning
his sense of humor. This talent has served him well in promoting everything
from Total Recall to his latest, Terminator 3. This is not
your typical policy-wonk candidate.
No matter how much a reporter tries to avoid it, Arnold is a larger-than-life
figure. Journalists from around the world are itching to cover a Terminator
race. Such a contest would be a real test for both the reporters and the
candidate, who for the first time will have to take some punches that aren't
staged by a director.
—
Sheri
Annis is a media consultant in Washington D.C.
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n my first day as Arnold Schwarzenegger's press secretary, I realized
this would be a campaign unlike any other. One reporter wanted a picture
with Arnold. The cameramen wanted pictures and autographs. Newspaper staffers
high-fived each other during editorial-board meetings. We could not get
away from the hoopla that usually surrounds the Terminator because some
of the journalists were behaving like fans.
