While Ronald Reagan and Gov. Arnold share "an intense competitiveness and a willingness to make decisions," there are real differences between the way the two former Hollywood actors approached their jobs.
Writing in the Mercury News, Reagan's biographer Lou Cannon compared the two men, noting their methods and style as governors of the nation's largest state
Both, he wrote, "came to office as outsiders who promised an end to business-as-usual in the state capital. Both faced a severe fiscal crisis. And both induced a certain fear factor among ordinary politicians because of their demonstrated ability to go over the heads of the Legislature and appeal directly to the people."
But despite those similarities, Cannon observed, there are differences in the ways in which they dealt with the problems of governing, as well as differences, too, "in the challenges and opportunities facing them."
Reagan, Cannon recalled, faced a crisis caused by an accounting gimmick that his Democratic predecessor had used to avoid a tax increase. On the other hand, "Schwarzenegger's situation is more desperate; he must deal with an enormous accumulated debt. If his proposed $15 billion bond issue (Proposition 57) fails, the state could face a New York City-style bankruptcy."
Among the differences Cannon noted:
Reagan came into office as a dedicated Republican who campaigned for the entire ticket of Republican constitutional officers in 1966, all but one of whom was elected. "Don't send me to Sacramento alone," Reagan said repeatedly during the campaign, and voters didn't.
Schwarzenegger, however, won the recall election pretty much on his own and he is the only Republican to hold statewide office. Notes Cannon, "His positions on abortion rights, gay rights and gun control are considerably to the left of his party in California, so much so that he hardly seems a Republican at all to social conservatives."
He has, Cannon adds, "put himself above party in his efforts to avert what he and many others see as a looming state fiscal calamity. To do so, he has enlisted and gained the help of Democrats, who have endorsed Proposition 57 on the March 2 ballot.
Reagan was often aloof and uncomfortable. "While courteous in dealing with individual legislators, Reagan did not enjoy socializing with politicians, as his legislative staff urged him to do. His idea of a fun evening was to have dinner with his wife, read the next day's agenda, watch 'Mission Impossible' on television, and go to bed early."
Gregarious by nature as well as by necessity, Schwarzenegger seems to relish the give-and-take of politics. In Sacramento, he has cajoled and sweet-talked opposing legislators while promising to take his case directly to the people if the Legislature does not respond.
Reagan came into office as a dedicated conservative who was also a pragmatist when he had to be. "He had promised to 'squeeze, cut, and trim' the costs of state government," but when he realized that conservative approach wouldn't work, "he quickly agreed to a $1 billion increase in taxes (more than $5 billion in today's dollars) that was then the largest tax increase ever enacted in any state. With the economy flourishing, the revenue from the tax increase exceeded what was needed to close the budget gap and gave Reagan running room for the rest of his first term as governor."
Schwarzenegger, Cannon observes, is not an ideological conservative, and "it is extremely doubtful he could carry his party with him on any significant tax increase, even if he wanted to. Republicans in 1967 were less hostile to tax increases than they are today. Most GOP legislators went along with Reagan on taxes without complaint."
Reagan came into office familiar with the intricacies of policy. Schwarzenegger was less well informed about those areas.
"Schwarzenegger shares Reagan's ability to connect with the voters," Cannon observes. "He is willing to take chances, as Reagan did, and to stand up for his beliefs.
Lou Cannon covered Ronald Reagan's political career for the San Jose Mercury News and the Washington Post. He is the author of five biographies of Reagan, most recently "Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power."
Editor's note:
Own a piece of authentic Ronald Reagan history – click here now!
Arnold Schwarzenegger "Terminates" Politics, Get the Story – Click Here Now
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
California Governor's Race
Print Page 
Forward Page 
