NewsMax.com
Monday, Nov. 17, 2003

But Reagan kicked his administration off with the biggest tax hike of any governor in history, informing aides he didn't want to wait "until everyone forgets that we did not cause the problem…”

Biographer Lou Cannon, author of "Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power,” says, "What [Schwarzenegger] has to do off the bat is convince people he is serious about getting us out of our fix and that he's heading in the right direction. He's got to convince people he's willing to make the tough decision, but he doesn't have to have all the details spelled out by Monday. We wouldn't expect that of anyone."

With some $13 billion in unresolved debt from the current budget and a projected $17.8 billion deficit next year, Schwarzenegger may indeed have a short honeymoon period.

"First impressions are very important," former Republican Gov. George Deukmejian said. "Especially under these circumstances, where a governor was recalled and a new governor is going to begin."

Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger is against taxes, but at the same time he has not targeted any programs he would cut. After declaring during the campaign that the state's Environmental Protection Agency duplicated federal efforts and could be abolished, he quickly backed off after criticism.

The Bee reports that the action star may ask voters to balance the books in the short run by approving a bond that would be repaid over 20 or 30 years. A debt-reduction bond would allow him to honor his pledge against new taxes. It would also be helpful in avoiding painful cuts in social programs.

However, Leon Panetta, a Carmel Valley Democrat who was federal budget director and chief of staff to former President Clinton, opined, "If the first thing you do is go for the easy answer, which is basically to borrow money, then you lose the momentum you need to make the tough decisions."

The governor-elect is already trying to build alliances inside the Capitol, but has mulled taking initiatives directly to the voters.

Cannon points to the issue of the quality of his advice. "One of the problems that Mr. Schwarzenegger has is that he's famous," Cannon said. "And that people praise him. He's not used to hearing people say, 'You're a dunderhead,' like politicians hear all the time. So the question is: Does he have somebody in a high position, who is willing to be blunt with him about things and tell him when he's making a mistake?"

Panetta added, "I was in the Congress when Ronald Reagan came in as president (in 1980), and to some extent everybody was awed by the same kind of personality. But the real test for Ronald Reagan, just as it is for Arnold Schwarzenegger, was whether or not he could engage in the process. And to Ronald Reagan's credit, he knew how to cut a deal and basically work with the Democratic Congress.”

Editor's note:
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