Time to jump from sinking Schwarzenegger ship

by Steven Greenhut

We've had clues since the failed special election that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was going to move left. He dropped his challenge to the nurse ratios immediately after the election, he was apologetic about the election's divisiveness, and the business community, which had backed him, already started saying that it's not against tax increases or government spending, etc. Remember, also, that the governor's Cabinet had long been a mixed bag, likened to the bar scene from "Star Wars," and that he has been appointing many Democrats to key judicial slots. But the appointment of Susan Kennedy, former Gray Davis aide and former executive director of the California Democratic Party and the California Abortion Rights Action League, is not just the signal of a hard-left turn. It is the governor's signal to the Republican grass roots that he is no longer interested in their support or ideas.

There was much talk about Democrat Bob Hertzberg being selected as chief of staff. That would not have been a bad choice, a reach across party lines that would not have insulted the base. Hertzberg is fairly moderate, and has good working relationships with Republicans. But Kennedy, a Davis hack and social leftist, is something altogether different. The choice was a clear and purposeful slap at the Republican base. The principle-lacking California Chamber of Commerce, which had given about 90 percent of its money to Democrats during Davis' reign, instantly sent out a press release praising the appointment, calling her a "terrific asset." But any conservative or Republican with principles should view this as the last straw. Time to find another candidate and to abandon the governor.

This also leaves us with a troubling question about whether Schwarzenegger has any real principles, or whether he is an empty action hero who goes from one side to the next based on what he thinks is popular.