Californians--how is Arnold doing?

[WI_DEM]

Well he has been Governor for several months now--what is your verdict? Is he doing better than expected in your eyes? or is he what you expected from this body building puke? Also what happened to the investigations into his sexual harrassment?

Last question, based on his performance thus far do you think he would be re-elected in 2006?

[eissa]

1. He's doing great thanks to our dems

They are so awed to be working so closely with a "movie star" that they have gone out of their way to help pass his propositions and appear with him in as many photo-ops as possible. At this rate, I don't see how they could run anyone against him given that they have all been so supportive of him.

[Semi_subversive]

4. So far

is seems that he hasn't f'd things up too much. He still needs to learn how to deal with a dem legislature and that you can't "order" the AG to do anything. He's a constitutional officer just like my boss the Insurance Commissioner. One big difference I have noticed is the quality of appointees as opposed to those of Gray Davis. Davis seemed to appoint political contributors regardless of whether they were qualified to run a department or agency. He was such a micro-manager that he wouldn't permit any of these department heads make their own decisions. And when you micromanage, nothing gets accomplished, and that's why Davis was toast. To his credit, AS has made some very good appointments such as a very experienced and effective leader over the troubled Youth and Adult Correctional Agency (a Dem) and a tree-hugger as the top dog at Cal-EPA. There are many more and it looks very bipartisan. Let's hope he will listen to them. If he doesn't, vote his ass out.

[JI7]

2. he is pretty popular

there are democrats who kiss his ass like they did in supporting those two bond measures on the ballot which ended up passing. and it was because some top democratic officials backed arnold on it that it passed, and not because of arnold himself. but overall in the state i think he is still popular especially with opposing bush on the anti gay amendment to the constitution. he is keeping somewhat of a distance from bush which helps. but i still don't have much faith in him and wish he never won.

[xchrom]

3. i'm in the bay are

and i taolk to few people who like him{grateful for small favors}.
he can't very trip up as long as he keeps getting dem support.
which isn't to say some monumental fuck-ups won't be made -- but he'll have dems to cover his ass -- euwww, gross.

[SoonerShankle]

5. The jury is still out....

The governor is doing well at communicating with the electorate and legislators. One legislator went on record as saying that he met Gray Davis only three times in five years, whereas he has met Arnold three times in only a few months. I give Arnold credit for trying to open the dialogue with groups Davis battled during his tenure. Now I didn't hate Davis, but he was definitely an abrupt and abrasive politician who played dirty. Arnold is definitely not abrasive. He does make mistakes, like saying he'll work with legislators then going around them without ever having talked to them.

I don't agree with many of Arnold's policies, but he is working hard and trying to open the doors of discussion. If he takes the next step and works on compromise instead of letting his party hold our budget hostage year in and year out, then we'll see about the jury giving a verdict.

[Wells]

6. Wary of his hydrogen highway proposition.

He eliminated the car tax, as promised. Like California 'doesn't' have too many cars? And now, mainstream/pretentious environmentalists are all goo-goo over his proposal to build hydrogen fueling stations along the freeways. It's a hoax!

First, if he were serious about advanced motor vehicle technologies, he'd be promoting Hybrids, not Hydrogen. Hybrids are far superior for a dozens of reasons, including the ability to 'plug in' hydrogen after the hybrid drive-train vehicles are perfected. Second, the solution to traffic problems must include alternate modes of travel, development patterns that support them, and to encourage less long-distance travel altogether.

Schwarzenegger's loyalty is to the interests of power, who maintain their control over the population by chaining car dependency upon us; financing, insuring, fueling, parking, maintaining, repairing and 'decorating' cars; sprawling over the countryside in "garage with attached house, suburban wage-slave housing compounds with lawn, and strip mall asphalt consumer motorist sh*t worlds.

[genius]

7. Badly and so are our Dems

He's gutting worker's rights. Pretty soon, injured workers will be given a bandaid and fired under his new worker's comp plan that a lot of Dems plan to sign onto. The elderly and disabled are losing in-home care. Hospitals are closing and people are dying in waiting rooms. Schools are last.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. Not dem legislators

there is little support for his comp plan with Dem legislators.

On Arizona's SCF website, there is an article indicating an outside group is planning on putting Arizona's plan on the California ballot.

[RichM]

8. He is "popular" and powerful. This doesn't mean he has "done well."

The media are behind him, & he has successfully exploited the simpering cowardice of Democrats, who helped him pass the Mar 2 bond measures necessary to keep the state financially afloat.

But there is nothing whatever surprising about his program, up till now.

He UNQUESTIONABLY will be re-elected, so far as it's ever possible to say such things.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. His honeymoon is almost over

A poll right before super Tuesday demonstrated people were generally pleased with the direction of the state, and he is benefiting from the passage of prop 57 and 58.

He has however, created controversy by taking on the managing editor position of the magazine and the magazine itself promotes objectification of women which may end up backfiring on him.

His next move is to try and put a Worker's Compensation reform initiative on the ballot which will make California's comp program more like Arizona's which is in direct contradiction to the California state constitution.

When he does this, it will bring out issues ads against the measure by none other than popular professional athletes so this battle will be defining.