Mr. California: can Governor Arnold terminate California's problems?

Current Events, Nov 7, 2003

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- He's played a medieval barbarian, evil scientist, and killer robot. He's even walked a beat as a kindergarten cop in the movies. Now Arnold Schwarzenegger has a new role-governor of California.

On October 7, voters in the Golden State tossed the incumbent governor, Gary Davis, 11 months into his second term, in a special recall election. A recall is a process in which voters can remove an official before his or her term expires. Voters were frustrated with Davis's handling of the state's fiscal problems, high and struggling schools.

Arnold was just one of 135 candidates who vied for Davis's job, through the actor-turned-politician won the election by landslide. Schwarzenegger took 49 percent of the vote and had 1 million more votes than his nearest challenger, California's lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante.

Arnold will serve out the remainder of Davis's term, which ends in 2006. Though he has to wait until all the ballots are tallied before starting his new job later this month, Schwarzenegger said he's pumped to start his new career. "I want to reach out. I want to be the people's governor," he said.

An Action-Packed Life

Who is the man underneath all that muscle?

Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, near Graz, Austria. He grew up in a home without plumbing or a phone. When he was 13 years old, Schwarzenegger picked up his first barbell and soon built a gym in his parents' basement, telling them "I want to be the best-built man in the world." At 14, he began training with Kurt Marnul, the former Mr. Austria. Marnul told CNN about young Arnold's intense focus: "He was driven, sometimes torturing himself, he worked so hard." At age 17, Arnold entered his first bodybuilding contest.

The following year, Schwarzenegger began a year of mandatory service in the Austrian army--and got thrown in jail. His crime? Sneaking off base to enter a bodybuilding competition. At least he won the contest! Arnold was named Mr. Junior Europe. As his muscles got bigger, so did his wins. In 1967, Arnold won Mr. Universe--the first of 13 major bodybuilding titles.

In 1968, at age 21, Arnold came to the United States, settling in California to continue his bodybuilding career. He invested his contest winnings and became a millionaire by the age of 22. To prove that he had brains as well as brawn, Arnold enrolled in the University of Wisconsin, graduating with a degree in business and economics in 1979.

In 1970, Arnold muscled his way into the movie business with a small part in the film Hercules in New York. He landed the title role in Conan the Barbarian in 1986. Then came Terminator in 1984. Since then, Arnold has appeared in more than 20 movies, including the blockbusters Total Recall and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He earned $30 million for his latest movie, Terminator 3.

In 1987, Schwarzenegger, a staunch Republican, married journalist Maria Shriver--the daughter of Eunice Shriver, Special Olympics founder and sister of former Democratic President John F. Kennedy. Arnold soon became active with the Special Olympics, serving as a weight-training coach and global ambassador.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush appointed Schwarzenegger to the Presidential Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Arnold became increasingly active in the Republican party and in 2002 sponsored a bill that provides grants to California's after-school programs.

On August 6, 2003, Arnold announced his candidacy for governor on Jay Leno's The Tonight Show. "I can promise you ... I will PUMP UP Sacramento," he told the audience.

Arnold's Agenda

After winning the governorship, Arnold made another appearance on the Tonight Show. "I will not fail you," he said.

He's got a tough job ahead of him. As governor, Arnold will decide which legislation gets signed into law, who heads the agencies that implement policy, and who sits on California's courts, among other responsibilities. His biggest challenge will be submitting a state budget. California, which has the world's fifth-largest economy, may have a budget deficit of $20 billion by next year.

Arnold already knows a couple of ways he'll save money for the state. Instead of living in the governor's mansion, he'll stay put at his 11,000-square-foot estate in Los Angeles and travel by private jet.

Arnold vowed to show the same drive and commitment to being governor as he did to becoming a bodybuilder and actor. "There will be no time for movies or anything else. I will pay full attention to this job," he said.

Arnold for President?

If he succeeds as a politician, will Arnold follow in former actor and California governor Ronald Reagan's footsteps and run for the office of president of the United States? (See Time Trip.) No chance. Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution says that "No Person except a natural born Citizen ... shall be eligible for the Office of President." That won't stop him from trying, filmmaker George Butler told The New Yorker. "If you think Arnold can be stopped by a few phrases on a piece of parchment, well, you just don't know Arnold," he said.