Like It or Not, Here Comes the Governor

Up close, one on one, Gov. Pete Wilson is plenty likable. He grins. He’s civil. He converses easily. He shows emotion. He may swear. He’s human. He’s interesting. He’s clearly sharp.

Add more people to the room and a stiffness sets in. Give him an audience and a speech to read, especially before a television camera, and the words often come out flat. The voice cracks. The image is a cross between a nerd and a Marine. Experts say the camera doesn’t lie. But there’s obviously more to this man who has been elected governor, a U.S. senator, a mayor and a legislator, going back 28 years.

Wilson’s biggest problem these days, as he begins an underdog race for reelection, is not the lagging California economy, the pesky budget deficit, the Democratic Legislature or voter anger at crime, schools and illegal immigration. His biggest problem is that voters don’t like him much.

That’s well-documented by polls. A statewide Times poll in October showed that more voters had an unfavorable impression of Wilson than favorable, 53% to 44%. The Field Poll consistently has found him to be the most unpopular governor in decades.

So an underlying theme of Wilson’s campaign--one he isn’t actually stating in words--is that y o u don’t have to like me to vote for me . “He’s not a guy you like, but a guy you respect,” explains one Wilson strategist.

To win a second term, Wilson knows that voters will have to respect him for having made the tough but necessary decisions on tax hikes and spending cuts, even if they were unpopular. He has to be seen as the solid, steady pilot they want at the wheel of state government in a storm. And who knows when this storm will end? Better not take risks, especially with the sister of Jerry Brown.

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And that brings us to Wilson’s State of the State Address on Wednesday.

The subliminal message to legislators was: You don’t have to like me to work with me; look at what we did together last year to help the business climate and how we all prospered politically .

And to the voters, he was saying: What gridlock in Sacramento? It’s ended. You don’t need a new Democratic governor to do that.

“Last year, gridlock gave way to progress in one of the most productive legislative sessions in history,” Wilson told the lawmakers while urging a repeat performance. “California needs our leadership.”

Sitting a few feet from the governor were his two Democratic rivals, Treasurer Kathleen Brown and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, both campaigning on the theme that Wilson’s leadership is virtually nonexistent.

And, by the way, the incumbent governor also is the candidate of change : “We can either shape change or suffer change. . . . Let’s lead that change.” But, of course, “We’ve already made major change. . . . Think where we’d be now if we hadn’t.”

Remember all those tough, unpopular decisions : “If we continue to make the right choices, even though they are tough choices today, California can soar into the 21st Century.”

But let’s also keep our feet on the ground and not get too caught up with Brown or Garamendi in the vision thing : “Many Californians--quite understandably--are less concerned about the coming century than about the security of their job today and the safety of their families tonight. . . . New jobs and safe streets are the twin pillars on which we must build California’s future. . . . But to attract more jobs, we must first reclaim our communities from violent crime.”

Jobs and crime : Wilson’s two main issues, as usual. They’re also currently the electorate’s.

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Is it pandering or responding to voters when a governor--any politician--jumps all over a hot issue like crime? It’s a fine line.

“From a cynical point of view, it’s tailor-made for a political campaign,” says the Wilson adviser. “But it’s also the issue of the day. And these (Democratic legislators) up here are scared to death.” Notes another GOP strategist: “There are worse things in the world than politicians actually doing what the public wants. That’s not pandering; that’s doing your job.”

The governor on Wednesday proposed spending additional billions for more cops, more prisons and longer sentences.

“Our streets are being stained with the blood of our children and, damn it, it’s got to stop,” he said, as the father of the murdered Polly Klaas looked on from the balcony. “There will be those who protest such costs. They’ll complain that they would prefer to spend the money on higher education. . . . Well, so would I. But this is not a matter of choice. . . . Does anyone want to assign a dollar value to 400 murdered children (in 1993)?”

Wilson knows he and the voters are agreed on that much, even if they don’t especially like him. His campaign will be about getting their respect.