Against the backdrop of last week's tragic deaths of four firefighters in Riverside County came an object lesson in the power of political incumbency: At such times, the public wants to hear from elected leaders, not candidates.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visited the firefighters' staging area at Noble Creek Regional Park in Beaumont on Sunday afternoon, adding to a series of official fire-related duties that have included the initial somber announcement of the deaths Thursday morning, promising a $100,000 state reward for information that leads investigators to the arsonists, and paying an off-camera visit to the family of critically injured firefighter Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley, hospitalized in Colton's Arrowhead Regional Medical Center with burns over 90% of his body.
They were the kinds of acts the public expects of a sitting governor -- and they are gestures unavailable to Democratic challenger Phil Angelides despite the strong support he enjoys from California's firefighting unions, which have long tussled with Schwarzenegger. Shortly after the firefighters' deaths, Angelides issued a heartfelt statement of condolences but has otherwise been forced to concede the spotlight to Schwarzenegger.
"The danger of showing up and showing concern is people will immediately say that this is about politics, while the governor can legitimately argue that it's part of the duties of the job," said Bruce Cain, director of Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies. "It's a disadvantage for any challenger if there is a natural disaster or crisis and the incumbent shows concern and leadership in a very general sense, sort of like Bush grabbing the bullhorn in 9/11."
The tragedy also pointed up how little control Angelides has at this point over his fate in next week's vote. At a time when he had hoped voters would be tuning in to the campaign, the raging wildfires and firefighters' deaths have dominated news and conversation in Southern California, one of the state's strongest Democratic areas. Two Southland media events of late -- with Democratic heavyweights Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and national party Chairman Howard Dean -- were overshadowed by the wildfire news, and what coverage they received mentioned Angelides' campaign almost as an afterthought.
Through it all, Schwarzenegger has seemed to be trailed by his own personal spotlight, the dual draw of celebrity and incumbency.
