Sacramento’s Status Quo Is History

Being a celebrity governor isn’t as easy as it looks. As California’s new chief executive makes the transition from Ah-nold to Gov. Schwarzenegger, it’s becoming clear that striking a balance between action hero and policy wonk is a pretty tricky feat.

Lean too hard on your fame and personality and you could quickly become a caricature of yourself. A bully pulpit isn’t going to do much good if all you’re selling is your own notoriety. But avoiding the pop idol aspects that get voters excited would be a mistake as well. Veer too far in one direction, and you’re Jesse Ventura; too hard in the other and you’re Gray Davis.

Although it’s still early, and the toughest part of the budget challenge is still to come, Schwarzenegger in his State of the State address Tuesday proved he is learning to walk that fine line.

Voters may not have tuned in to Tuesday’s speech because they wanted to hear about deficit reduction and government reform, but that’s what their new governor gave them, along with enough movie and entertainment references to keep them from clicking the remote control.

When Schwarzenegger talked about marketing box office duds like “Red Sonja” and “Last Action Hero,” he was delivering an instant-replay sound bite inseparable from the larger message of promoting jobs. When he promised to “blow ... up” bureaucracy, he played action hero and efficiency expert simultaneously.

On the other hand, the Democratic legislative leaders -- who appear comfortable only when talking to lobbyists, fundraisers and one another -- just couldn’t compete. When it was their turn to communicate with Californians whose lives don’t revolve around legislative subcommittee hearings, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and state Senate President Pro Tem John Burton were dour and defensive.

Admittedly, there’s a lot more to running a government than how you present yourself, but if Davis taught us anything, it’s that connecting with the voters is a critical part of the job. This may be the strongest message the new governor delivered: The state’s politics are shifting from an insider’s game to a public sport -- one with fans. Schwarzenegger understands how to communicate with them. His opponents will have a difficult time learning this skill quickly enough to make a difference.

Persuading voters to accept the drastic spending cuts that have to come would be difficult for even the most adroit communicator. But the Democratic alternative of significant tax increases is just as tough a sell. And the governor’s ability to frame his message in language understandable to the average Californian is an asset that no legislator of either party can match.

Although Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature by large majorities, more than two dozen of their members now represent districts that voted for the recall and for Schwarzenegger. The new governor’s knack for attracting and maintaining the attention of those voters will make life very difficult for each of those representatives.

In the past, they’ve only needed to listen to the special interests that fund their campaigns. But if their constituents decide to stay engaged, Schwarzenegger can use that public support to move his own policy agenda forward.

During the next eight weeks, Schwarzenegger will hit the campaign trail again, this time on behalf of the deficit-reduction bond that’s central to his economic and budget strategy, as well as to build support for his broader legislative agenda. If anyone can persuade us to accept the inevitable costs and cuts that are coming -- if anyone can convince everyday voters that there’s room for them in a realm usually restricted to professional politicians -- it’s an entertainer who understands what it takes to keep his audience in their seats.

Republican consultant Dan Schnur has been a senior advisor to former California Gov. Pete Wilson, U.S. Sen. John McCain and Peter Ueberroth.