posted October 24, 2004 05:58 PM
Schwarzenegger bucks GOP twice by also backing open-primary initiative.By Dan Smith and Laura Mecoy -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, October 19, 2004
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/11142628p-12059017c.html
Bucking the leadership of his fellow Republicans, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his support Monday for a $3 billion bond measure for stem cell research and another initiative that dramatically would change elections in California.
Schwarzenegger's decision to back the stem cell measure, Proposition 71, and the open-primary initiative, Proposition 62, disappointed Republicans and other opponents. But the late-breaking endorsements prompted celebrations among supporters, despite coming only two weeks before the Nov. 2 election.
Strategists believe the popular celebrity governor can boost the fortunes of measures he endorses, particularly on a ballot with 16 propositions.
"When a governor has a 65 percent approval rating, you welcome his support any day he's willing to offer it," said a jubilant Kevin Spillane, consultant for Proposition 62 forces.
The endorsements came after Schwarzenegger had made his positions on a host of other ballot propositions known to 5 million voters in a slate mailer. That mailer partially was financed by the California Republican Party, which opposes Propositions 62 and 71.
Party spokeswoman Karen Hanretty said the measures will not achieve the goals the governor seeks, saying the open-primary measure will "lead to backroom deals" and the stem cell bond "is a gamble at the expense of the economic recovery of California." Hanretty said the party and the governor will not always agree. "We respect his positions on both of these issues, although we strongly disagree with him," she said.
Schwarzenegger said he supports stem cell research but shared the GOP's reservations about the cost of Proposition 71 - $6 billion in principal and interest payments over 30 years. The bond measure would provide about $295 million annually over the next decade to pay for stem cell studies researchers say could lead to cures or treatments for about 70 diseases.
But drafters of the measure, the governor said at an appearance in Carmel, "have done something smart, which is that there are no payments due in the next five years. So that is what really made me decide to support it."
In an appearance Monday night at the Panetta Institute Lecture Series in Seaside, Schwarzenegger attributed his support for Proposition 71 to the fact his father-in-law, Sargent Shriver, suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
Fiona Hutton, Proposition 71 spokeswoman, said the governor's support would help the campaign communicate the economic benefits of public funding for embryonic stem cell research.
"People seem to be well-versed on the potential for cures," she said. "Now we have the leading voice on the state's economy saying Proposition 71 is going to recharge the biotech sector and improve the state's economy."
Wayne Johnson, the opponents' campaign consultant, said he hadn't expected to win over the governor because Schwarzenegger repeatedly has said he supports the research.
"He's very eclectic in his political philosophy," Johnson said. "None of these positions is out of character for him."
But Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo said Proposition 62 supporters might be the big winners from Monday's announcements, because Schwarzenegger's endorsement will help a confused electorate differentiate between Proposition 62 and rival measure Proposition 60, which preserves the current election system.
Proposition 62 would replace California's closed-primary election with one that allows voters to pick any candidate without regard to party affiliation.
It also would change dramatically the general election, because only the two top vote-getters from the primary would advance, instead of the primary winner from each of the seven official political parties in California. Only presidential elections and those for party-central committees would be exempt.
Supporters say it would boost moderate candidates and reduce partisanship, but opponents - all organized political parties - say it unfairly would reduce voter choice.
Schwarzenegger said the open primary, coupled with changing the way legislative district boundaries are drawn, would produce a more accountable Legislature.
"I didn't come to Sacramento to make the political parties happy," he said in a prepared release. "I have come to Sacramento to initiate reform. ... An open primary is an important reform that will lead to more mainstream legislators from each party coming to the Capitol to solve California's problems."
Lindaland
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posted October 24, 2004 05:58 PM
posted October 24, 2004 08:04 PM
Maybe he has watched too many John Wayne movies.
posted October 24, 2004 09:20 PM
