Costa Mesa — Costa Mesa
Arnold Schwarzenegger may be the first political candidate who travels with his own special effects. At the end of his six-minute speech to a raucous rally here late last week, he directed the crowd's attention to an old car that his campaign had parked under a crane with a wrecking ball dangling from it.
"In the movies, if I played a character and I didn't like something, you know what I did? I destroyed it," Schwarzenegger said. "I brought some of my Hollywood pals here so I can show you exactly what we are going to do to the car tax." Cue the wrecking ball. A moment after it fell, the car crumpled in a spray of broken glass and twisted metal. The audience roared.
It may have been the perfect symbol for a gubernatorial recall campaign that, in its closing hours, increasingly resembles a car wreck. The proliferating allegations of sexual misconduct against Schwarzenegger, and the controversy over comments he is said to have made decades ago about Adolf Hitler, virtually guarantee that whatever happens Tuesday, the turmoil in California will continue.
If Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante becomes governor or if Gov. Gray Davis retains his seat amid the charges against Schwarzenegger, Republicans are sure to consider their candidate the victim of dirty tricks from Democrats and the media. Imagine the howls of outrage from talk radio -- or the resistance from Republicans in the Legislature -- that Davis would face if he survives under these circumstances. Every day after a date with the hangman is a good day -- but Davis would be at war every moment for the rest of his term.
If Schwarzenegger holds on to win, the hostilities might be even more intense. Even before the allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced, Schwarzenegger was unlikely to win support from a majority of voters; it's always been possible that fewer Californians will vote to make him governor than to keep Davis in office. Under the best of circumstances, that meant Schwarzenegger was likely to start with a precarious base if he won.
And the events of the last week mean that a Gov. Schwarzenegger would be taking office under conditions considerably less than the best of circumstances. More allegations of sexual misconduct appear likely. It's possible that one or more of the women who have complained about his alleged behavior could file a lawsuit, in a California echo of the Paula Jones-Bill Clinton litigation.
