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Saturday, Dec. 13, 2003

Less than one month into his term, though, Schwarzenegger finds himself already breaking some campaign promises, while struggling to fulfill others.

"He raised all kinds of expectations he couldn't possibly deliver on," said Shaun Bowler, a political science professor at the University of California at Riverside. "He was doomed to fail in some ways. He couldn't match expectations."

Schwarzenegger's allies dispute that he is backtracking, and analysts agree the Hollywood action hero has had a largely successful first month. His biggest win so far came Friday, when the Legislature sent him a plan asking voters to let the state borrow $15 billion and set new restrictions on spending. Those restrictions, however, are not as tough as Schwarzenegger initially proposed.

In other respects, he has not delivered. For example, candidate Schwarzenegger pledged never to target education when cutting spending to balance the budget. But he conceded this week he might have to suspend a key school funding guarantee.

During the campaign, Schwarzenegger said Gov. Gray Davis lagged in enrolling children in a state insurance plan; as governor, Schwarzenegger now proposes to limit enrollment in the program, which could put tens of thousands of poor children on a waiting list for health insurance.

Meanwhile, his key campaign pledge for an outside audit of the state's books failed to find the large-scale waste or fraud that he suggested was there. Schwarzenegger insists the audit is a continuing, and more details from the analysis will emerge.

The governor has also abandoned a pledge to hire private investigators to examine campaign allegations that he groped women over several years, saying the probe would only be used as political fodder.

Schwarzenegger is also raising millions from powerful Capitol forces, the same as any conventional politician, after announcing, "I don't need to take money from anybody" during his Aug. 6 announcement for governor on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." He has four fund-raisers scheduled in December.

The new governor did keep a key promise _ to repeal the state's $4 billion increase in the car tax. It was his first official act as governor. But he also said he would protect cities and counties that rely on that money _ something he has had trouble achieving.

Finally, the governor's stand against a law giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants has been undermined by suggestions he will sign a new measure letting them apply for licenses after background checks.

Karen Hanretty, a California Republican Party spokesman and Schwarzenegger campaign aide, said the new governor has not been abandoning his promises. She cited his budget reform package, which honors his campaign pledge not to raise taxes.

Many of the other examples are still in the talking stages, she said.

"It's premature of special-interest groups to start panicking and saying the sky is falling because conversations are occurring," she said, adding that "with regard to campaign promises, governing is often a very slow process."

To former Davis aides such as Roger Salazar, now a Democratic consultant, Schwarzenegger's actions reflect "a hubris that you see both in his campaign and the beginnings of his administration, that `The people voted for us so we can do what we want.' That is a trap I've seen lots of administrations fall into."

For now, Bowler said, voters will give Schwarzenegger lots of room, despite suspicions he is backtracking.

"The thing is, Sacramento is child's play to this guy in terms of the spin machine," he said. "After 20 years in Hollywood, give him some credit."

© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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