The Week

She’s rich from oil money. She pays no taxes. She takes her cues from tobacco lobbyists. Maybe we should endorse Arianna Huffington?

There have been several pieces of good news for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign for governor of California. First, Bill Simon graciously dropped out of the race. A Governor Simon would have been a much more appealing prospect for conservatives than a Governor Schwarzenegger. But Simon reasoned that his continued presence in the race would serve the interests only of Democrats. Second, Schwarzenegger won the endorsement of Warren Buffett. He is serving as an adviser to the candidate, which will reassure many voters who consider Buffett a reliable guide to economic policy. Third, the candidate has shown himself willing to ignore Buffett’s advice, which is in fact reliably bad when it comes to economic policy. Buffett suggested that Californians need to pay higher property taxes. Schwarzenegger distanced himself from that idea, noting that the state is already among the most overtaxed in the nation. Fourth, Democratic divisions show no sign of closing. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the most popular politician in the state, urged voters to oppose recall and skip the vote on who should replace Gray Davis. Nancy Pelosi, the leader of House Democrats, told voters to oppose recall but vote for Cruz Bustamante, the lieutenant governor, on the second ballot. Schwarzenegger has managed to inspire an apoplexy on the left that is not, alas, matched by the conservatism of its object. He has not yet won the support of California voters—or our support. Many conservatives will prefer to support the candidacy of Tom McClintock, whom they can trust to share their views. But the early developments in Schwarzenegger’s campaign have been reasonably encouraging.

Featured Tags

Manage following

Arnold Schwarzenegger

She’s rich from oil money. She pays no taxes. She takes her cues from tobacco lobbyists. Maybe we should endorse Arianna Huffington?

There have been several pieces of good news for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign for governor of California. First, Bill Simon graciously dropped out of the race. A Governor Simon would have been a much more appealing prospect for conservatives than a Governor Schwarzenegger. But Simon reasoned that his continued presence in the race would serve the interests only of Democrats. Second, Schwarzenegger won the endorsement of Warren Buffett. He is serving as an adviser to the candidate, which will reassure many voters who consider Buffett a reliable guide to economic policy. Third, the candidate has shown himself willing to ignore Buffett’s advice, which is in fact reliably bad when it comes to economic policy. Buffett suggested that Californians need to pay higher property taxes. Schwarzenegger distanced himself from that idea, noting that the state is already among the most overtaxed in the nation. Fourth, Democratic divisions show no sign of closing. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the most popular politician in the state, urged voters to oppose recall and skip the vote on who should replace Gray Davis. Nancy Pelosi, the leader of House Democrats, told voters to oppose recall but vote for Cruz Bustamante, the lieutenant governor, on the second ballot. Schwarzenegger has managed to inspire an apoplexy on the left that is not, alas, matched by the conservatism of its object. He has not yet won the support of California voters—or our support. Many conservatives will prefer to support the candidacy of Tom McClintock, whom they can trust to share their views. But the early developments in Schwarzenegger’s campaign have been reasonably encouraging.