The governor must retreat to advance

Thursday’s court ruling tossing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reapportionment initiative off the ballot blows a major hole in the governor’s reform agenda and is the latest in a series of setbacks. But handled correctly, it’s also an opportunity for the governor to pull out of his political tailspin.

Ironically, the initial reason for the governor to call a special election this fall rather than wait for the June primary was so that the reapportionment initiative could be approved in time to trigger new districts for 2006. Now that there’s no chance (barring a surprising appeals court reversal) for this to occur, it’s time for the governor to consider a temporary tactical retreat in order to ensure the long-term success of his agenda.

Let’s be clear. Schwarzenegger’s agenda -- though it’s been distorted by the government employee unions and their legislative lackeys, and undermined by a press that has focused on the insider politics of the initiatives rather than the problems they address -- is very much needed.

And Schwarzenegger has demonstrated political courage by trying to tackle the state’s dysfunctional budget process, its exorbitant pension system and its unaccountable Legislature.

The governor is right on the merits, and every Californian, regardless of their partisan affiliation, has a huge stake in whether Schwarzenegger’s reforms ultimately succeed. If Schwarzenegger loses, we will all pay dearly in the form of reduced services, higher taxes and an unaccountable political system that fails to address the state’s major needs.

But right now, it’s clear the governor is not succeeding. Millions of dollars of misleading advertising by public employee unions have taken a toll. Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer has worked to sabotage the reforms, most notably by writing a biased title and summary for the governor’s budget reform measure. The governor’s own missteps have played into his opponents’ hands. He is now facing a campaign with the odds badly stacked against him.

Throughout his careers in bodybuilding, entertainment and politics, Schwarzenegger has dealt with setbacks by moving steadily forward.

But now the governor needs to retreat so that he can live to fight another day. The governor should use the court ruling as justification to endorse legislation to cancel the special election. After all, the judge’s decision means that all that is left of the governor’s agenda on the ballot is a minor modification of teacher tenure that is likely to pass and a budget reform measure that is unlikely to succeed.

In the same speech announcing that he wants to cancel the election, Schwarzenegger also needs to announce that he’s running for reelection and that he remains committed to long-term reform.

As part of this new tactic, the governor must also admit his mistakes -- both the missteps he’s made in handling these initiatives and, more recently, his controversial magazine consulting deal -- in order to move on. He must apologize for them while reexplaining why reform is so badly needed.

The American people are enormously forgiving, and if Schwarzenegger launches a Mea Culpa Tour across California, it will not weaken him but strengthen him. We understand that real heroes make mistakes and get knocked down because of them. It’s when they acknowledge their flaws and get back up that they become heroic to us.

By announcing for reelection, Schwarzenegger will frustrate his opponents and encourage his supporters by letting it be known that he is here to stay. California has a long history of reelecting its governors: Jerry Brown, Pete Wilson and even Gray Davis were all easily reelected despite facing even worse poll numbers.

Remember: The governor’s opponents don’t want to beat him, they want to destroy him. If the labor bosses and their allies, the ultra-liberals in the Legislature, can take out Schwarzenegger, they will be politically unstoppable for at least the next decade. That’s why the Democrats were never seriously interested in negotiating meaningful compromises.

The governor needs to get back on offense and start over on his work to improve the state. He will undoubtedly have to return to the initiative process to advance reform, but he can do so better prepared and more likely to succeed with a sustained effort.

I’m not arguing for weakness and capitulation -- just the opposite. I believe this is a war, not a battle, and that the governor needs to treat it as such by making it a long-term effort.

If the governor supports canceling the election as an opportunity to regroup, admits his mistakes and reinforces his commitment to reform during a reelection announcement, he will be better positioned to ultimately triumph.

For our state’s future, let’s hope the governor is willing to try a new approach.

Kevin Spillane is a veteran Republican political consultant based in Sacramento.