Advertisement
In his first year in office, Arnold Schwarzenegger has laid to rest questions about his ability to govern. Despite a Democratic majority in the California legislature, the Republican governor capped state spending, slashed insurance benefits for injured workers and rejected a raise in the state minimum wage. But he also backed a successful ballot referendum that provides $3 billion for stem-cell research and ordered carmakers to cut auto emissions by up to twenty-five percent by 2016. Schwarzenegger made his national political debut in a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention -- one of only two appearances he made for George W. Bush. Indeed, in a state that supported John Kerry by ten percentage points, Arnold continues to enjoy approval ratings of close to seventy percent. Some are even calling for a constitutional amendment to enable Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria, to run for president.
Are you having fun?
I am having the greatest time, because it's so exhilarating and challenging. Every day something new is happening.
Is it harder work than you thought?
I hate the words hard work. You know something? It is all bogus. Hard work is being in a coal mine or something like that. This is interesting work. My whole life, I only thought about "How can I build my career? How can I make the next million dollars?" It's great to just think about other people.
You called some Democratic legislators "economic girlie men," and then you used that phrase again at the Republican convention. Do you think that's the language the governor of the nation's most populous state should use?
It is what Arnold as the governor uses. I am unique. I don't want to be a regular governor. I don't talk like other governors talk. I don't behave like other politicians do. I'm a much more free spirit, and I say things the way they are. Sometimes people think it's over the top, sometimes they think it's entertaining. That's the way I move forward.
What have you learned about yourself since becoming governor?
I have learned about a lot of issues and about a lot of problems that the state is facing. Since I have never had to deal with those issues, it's interesting, also, to watch myself, how I respond and what my judgment is like. I have to say I'm surprised by how much I am in the center politically on a lot of the decision-making that I do.
What do you mean by "in the center"?
I am not making decisions based on politics. I don't come from that background, and I hate the idea of ever being called a politician. I never want to be one of them. I always want to be an outsider, and I want to be kind of the people's representative. I just don't worry about whether something is a Democratic idea or a Republican idea.
Are you a natural compromiser or a natural leader?
What I'm talking about has nothing to do with compromising. It has to do with not knowing, when I sit down and decide on a bill, whether it was sponsored by a Democrat or a Republican. I would say most of the bills I signed in October came from people who were running for re-election. I found out in the end that I supported a lot of the candidates that I was campaigning against.
What's your greatest talent as governor?
First of all, I have enough money, so I cannot be bought. That means I can represent the people rather than the special interests. Being an outsider, I have the ability to bring both parties together. That is how we were able to accomplish so much last year.
Did you come under pressure from the religious right for supporting the ballot initiative in favor of stem-cell research?
The interesting thing is that I have never been under pressure. Maybe because they think they wouldn't have any power over me or wouldn't be able to persuade me. People have asked me, "How many special interests have come to you and told you that you owe them a favor because they supported your campaign?" The answer is nobody. The press doesn't believe it, and the fact is that even I am amazed that nobody has ever come to me for a favor. I think they know they can't get anywhere with that. The same is true with the stem-cell research: There was not one single Republican calling me saying, "Don't do that, Governor."
Really? Didn't you have pressure from the national level on the laws you backed limiting automobile emissions?
Absolutely no one. I make the decisions, and I don't ask anyone for permission. I want to be part of protecting our environment. Now I have the power to do that. I'm sitting in the governor's office, and I'm determined that we will cut down on our dirty air by fifty percent by 2010. I am working very closely with the state EPA to make sure that our water is clean for future generations. I have signed a bill to protect 25 million acres in the Sierra Nevada. I have signed bills that protect the oceans and the coasts. I want to prove that we can clean the environment and have economic growth at the same time.
Let me ask you some questions about national politics: How do you feel about mixing religion and politics? And what impact do you think religion played in this past election?
I like the way it is in America, where everyone just expresses their point of view. If someone is religious, they want, of course, everyone to be religious, which is totally understandable. The people who don't believe in that don't want religion to have any influence on politics. It's a democracy. Whoever gets more votes wins. I think that's perfectly OK.
I myself do not let religion interfere with my decision-making process. There are politicians that do. I am not here to complain about their way of making decisions, and I hope they don't complain about mine. That's what makes the world go round: different types of people. I think we should, as much as possible, separate church and state.
Many people don't like the state of contemporary culture and movies. Do you think there's a culture war going on in this country?
To be honest with you, I don't see it.
But there were a lot of attacks on the entertainment community during the election. Wasn't much of the vote for Bush a reaction against the nature of entertainment today?
No. I think this is a misinterpretation. The Republican Party has done a good job of going to the American people and saying, "Do you really want to get advice from the entertainers of Hollywood, who have the weirdest and the strangest lives, about who you should vote for?" They have discredited the industry, and I think they're right. If someone is a good entertainer, it doesn't make them an expert in politics.
Do you think entertainment today pollutes the culture?
No, I don't think so. I think entertainment is terrific, and I think it is an expression. There is always a debate about eight-year-olds playing video games that are R-rated or listening to music where they are talking about shooting and killing. I understand that argument, but I don't think that the entertainment industry is polluting our minds. I think we're concentrating on the wrong area. What is more important is parenting, spending time with children.
Some people on the right wing of the Republican Party say there is no room for moderates like you -- that if you don't like the conservative agenda, you should just go join the Democrats. What do you say about that?
I can't understand why some people say that, but one has to respect that, because that's their opinion. The reality, the way I see it, is that the Republican Party is broadening, is opening up. There are a lot of people in the center, like I am. It's just like in the Democratic Party -- there is a wide range of different philosophies. If you go to the South and listen to a Democrat, it's quite different than if you listen to a Democrat in California.
With the party's conservative wing so ascendant right now, do you feel comfortable in a party where there are people so against you?
They aren't against me. I don't feel threatened.
But they oppose your end of the party -- the moderates.
I'm in the center. If they're against that, then so be it. I will continue fighting for what I believe in. They should continue fighting for what they believe in. In the end, it comes down to representing people. It might very well be that there are more people on the right, and then the party should represent them. That's fine. But I think we have to shoot for a goal that says, "Let's represent all of the people, from the left to the right, everybody." That's what my job is as governor, to be the people's governor. That's why my administration is mixed with Democrats and Republicans. We have different points of views, and I welcome that.
What did you think of John Kerry?
I called him the day after the election. I wanted to tell him I know how he feels. No one likes to lose, especially after you put two years into it, and to lose so narrowly. He tried hard and put on a good campaign. I tried to never speak negatively about him. I never fell for that.
If the Constitution is changed in time, would you run for president?
I don't even think about it. That is something to think about when you have accomplished something. I've been here one year, and I have to turn the state around, take it back in a positive direction. When I've accomplished all the things I set out to do, then I can look at my administration and my work and say, "OK, am I ready to make the next move or not?" But I have no political ambitions like that.
It feels like you've really grown in office.
I have. You get smarter every day.
Next: Richard Clarke