Schwarzenegger’s Win Puts Democrats in a Tough Place

Re “Bush, Schwarzenegger Agree to Agree for Now,” Oct. 17: President Bush’s California visit with our governor-elect Thursday highlighted the rock-and-a-hard-place situation in which state Democrats find themselves. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s landslide election as a moderate Republican demolishes the belief in California as a Democratic monolith with 55 electoral votes for next year’s presidential election.

It is a political impossibility for a Democrat to win the White House without California’s electoral votes. For that reason, state Democratic leaders cannot allow Schwarzenegger to succeed or even begin to turn around the state’s fiscal nightmare. Should he succeed, his coattails could possibly wrap far enough around Bush to carry the state for the GOP in November ’04. However, if the Democrats in the state Legislature appear to be obstructionists, the remaining progressive left could face the same public wrath that banished soon-to-be-former Gov. Gray Davis into political oblivion. What is a Democrat to do?

Walter Bailey

Encino

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Until California elected a Republican governor and Bush saw the possibility of obtaining California’s 55 electoral votes in the next election, his administration’s only interest in California was Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft taking time out from the war on terrorism to persecute medicinal marijuana distributors and pornographers in our state. I thought those who are elected represent all the people and not just those who voted for them or those they think might vote for them. I was obviously mistaken.

John Richards

Santa Ana

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Schwarzenegger has asked Bush for help with California’s deficit. Perhaps the president could spare some of the $1.75 million he raised in California on Oct. 15.

Chris Plourde

Venice