SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger described himself Tuesday as "a salesman by nature."
"If I can sell tickets to my movies like 'Red Sonja' or 'Last Action Hero,' you know I can sell just about anything," he joked in his first State of the State address.
But even for a Hollywood film star whose marketing skills have proved one of his most valuable assets as a politician, promotion of the billions of dollars in government cuts he will propose later this week will pose a daunting challenge.
The full scope of the pain that Schwarzenegger would mete out to resolve California's fiscal crisis will become clear only Friday, when he releases his budget.
But that budget is sure to include cuts that could trigger a voter backlash. And in his State of the State speech, Schwarzenegger set out on the task of dodging political damage.
For the short term, the question is whether Schwarzenegger can draw enough power from his status as a mega-celebrity to overcome lawmakers' resistance to his budget and recover from any dip in his popularity.
For the long term, Schwarzenegger's political interests dictate a fast resolution to the budget crisis to ease his path to reelection in 2006, should he seek a second term.
"It's kind of like Civil War surgery: If you're going to take someone's leg off, then do it quickly," said Rod Kiewiet, a Caltech political science professor.
History suggests that approach can succeed. Gov. Ronald Reagan approved a major tax hike in his first year in office, leaving the unpopular move well behind him by the time he was reelected in 1970. Gov. Pete Wilson's job-approval rating sank to 28% after he raised taxes and slashed programs during a deep recession early in his first term. Yet Wilson, now a Schwarzenegger mentor, went on to win reelection two years later in a romp.
Schwarzenegger's first political task is to navigate among foes in the Legislature. Last month, it was largely his force of personality that prodded lawmakers into putting his budget measures on the March 2 ballot. His force of personality will again be a crucial tool for the governor in promoting his overall budget.
"The guy has a commanding presence," Republican strategist Arnold Steinberg said. "He comes across as a leader. These characteristics are enormously helpful in trying to sell bad news."
The new Republican governor began framing the budget debate on his own terms amid the pageantry of his first State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature.
