By Karen Ocamb

Voters have until the election in November to determine whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's State of the State address Jan. 5 was a bold vision from a newly humbled centrist public servant or a savvy acting job crafted to get him re-elected.

Schwarzenegger began his speech like a wounded general, acknowledging that his Terminator-style rhetoric of calling Democratic legislators "girlie-men," and joking about besting "special interest" teaches and nurses resulted in the defeat of his "reform" initiative packages in last November's special election and to his plummet in the polls.

"Now it's true that I was in too much of a hurry. I didn't hear the majority of Californians when they were telling me they didn't like the special election. I barreled ahead anyway when I should have listened," Schwarzenegger said. "I have absorbed my defeat and I have learned my lesson. And the people, who always have the last word, sent a clear message: Cut the warfare, cool the rhetoric, find common ground and fix the problems together. To my fellow Californians, I say message received."

The governor outlined a $222-billion, 10-year Strategic Growth Plan to essentially rebuild the foundations of California, shoring up ports, levees, waterways, fixing and expanding freeways, and building schools, prisons, and other public projects. Though Schwarzenegger's plan reminded many of former Gov. Edmund "Pat" Brown's dedicated building of California's infrastructure and education system, the subtext of Schwarzenegger's speech spoke more to avoiding another Hurricane Katrina or tsunami disaster, to which, historian Kevin Starr recently opined in the Los Angeles Times, the state is vulnerable. ("California's Calamity in Waiting," Current, Nov. 20, 2005).

Other proposals, some of which seemed to embrace Democratic positions he previously opposed, such as increasing the minimum wage and supporting negotiations on importation of prescriptions drugs, were met with cynical confusion. "It would be very hard for someone to determine from these various positions precisely what Schwarzenegger stands for," Thomas Hollihan, a media and politics professor at USC's Annenberg School for Communication, told the Times.

Deprived of sharp partisan distinctions, the two Democrats vying for the job of unseating Schwarzenegger, state Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly, attacked the governor's character and political flip-flopping.

Westly credited Schwarzenegger for "taking some steps in the right direction." But, he told the Times, "We're looking for some evidence of core values. I don't know what he believes."

The plan, Angelides told the Times, had "no credibility" since the governor initially cut education, made getting into college harder, and he "absolutely failed to invest in our infrastructure."

"The governor's State of the State speech demonstrates, once again, the stream of hypocrisy we see flowing from the Republican Party. The words do not equal the actions," said Michael Andraychak, president of Stonewall Democratic Club. "He vetoed two bills that would have given Californians access to lower-cost drugs from Canada and other countries. Now, suddenly, he seems to support this concept. It doesn't take a MENSA mind to see that the governor is fighting now for his political life, and he'll say anything, anything at all, to restore his approval ratings."

While AIDS Healthcare Foundation appreciated Schwarzenegger's call on Congress to allow for re-importation of prescription drugs, "it is not enough," AHF President Michael Weinstein said. "We cannot wait for Congress to do the right thing. Relief for Californians is long overdue, so the governor must come to the table today with California consumers of prescription drugs to find immediate and realistic solutions to the stubborn prescription drug crisis."

Openly gay Democrat Daniel Zingale, chief of staff to famed Democrat and first lady Maria Shriver, had a different reaction. "It's a very impressive plan," Zingale told IN. "It addresses the problems Californians face today and in our future and in a substantive, detailed and financially responsible way. It is very hard to argue with the facts, the plan and the blueprint that he put forward and I think the inspiring thing about it is that it rises above partisan differences. We all have a shared interest in improving our schools, reducing our time in traffic, and those are exactly the kinds of quality of life issues that the governor has taken aim at."

He also disputes the idea that Schwarzenegger's speech was a ploy to get re-elected. "I have never seen Arnold Schwarzenegger as a typical Republican or typical politician in any way," Zingale said. "I believe what we saw in the State of the State and today going forward is the same Arnold Schwarzenegger whom people elected in the recall election. I think the ideas he's putting forward and will continue to put forward are reflective of what the people were looking for when they brought him into office."

Zingale, who previously worked at AIDS Action Council, the Human Rights Campaign, and in Gov. Gray Davis' cabinet, where he created the Department of Managed Care, said he strongly supported Schwarzenegger's call on Congress to change federal policy on prescriptions drugs.

"I think it's enormously important and positive that the governor of California has taken up the battle for more affordable prescription drugs," Zingale told IN. "I think he is right on to put the first responsibility where it belongs, which is with the federal government currently standing in the way of safe importation of more affordable drugs. Perhaps it is an uphill battle but that's not an excuse for not waging it."

Republican Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist has agreed to hold a vote this year on importation of drugs, Zingale said. "A lot of people aren't aware of that. But that makes it a real issue. This is an election year -- I think it is difficult for senators to vote against importation of prescription drugs even under pressure from the pharmaceutical lobby. So the governor of California weighing in and doing it in a free-market way could be much more of a factor than people think."

Zingale said he offers help and advice to Schwarzenegger and Shriver on health-care issues, and AIDS in particular. "There is no doubt in my mind that this governor will fund AIDS to the level that we need it funded for the people who need care, treatment, and prevention. There is a clear commitment there on his part," he said.

Zingale is "having a blast" working for Shriver, "perhaps the most remarkable, funny, intelligent, and dedicated person I've had the privilege of working with. There's never a dull moment. Her commitment to public service and making the world a better place is deeply ingrained in her. She performs her public service with joy and exuberance and to work alongside of her is exhilarating," especially on issues such as "finding current solutions to problems affecting the working poor. She'll be playing a major role in a poverty conference on Feb. 2-3 at USC sponsored by the Sisters of Charity. She's co-chairing the conference with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and former Sen. John Edwards is giving the keynote address," Zingale said. "So that's one of the coolest things."

Disputing published accounts, Zingale said it was Schwarzenegger, not Shriver, who recruited openly gay Democrat Susan Kennedy to become the governor's chief of staff. "The governor chose Susan Kennedy," he said. "He knew her long before the first lady did through her work on the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) and was impressed with her from start."

Zingale, who has been with his partner Chuck Supple (they have two sons) for 25 years, said he has spoken with Shriver about gay marriage, though he wouldn't divulge their discussion. However, when told of pro-gay marriage comments Shriver made as a correspondent for NBC's Dateline during an interview with David Mixner, Zingale said he wouldn't contradict those remarks.

As for Schwarzenegger, Zingale said, "I think it's of great value that a Republican governor has said that as a Catholic and as a father he has no personal problem with gay marriage. That's in truth a milestone for the office of governor in the state of California. I'm paraphrasing, but if you look at his statement in the media around the veto [of the marriage bill], you'll find something pretty close to that. I was struck by it because that was a new high-water for mark for anybody occupying this office in this state."

Politicos say the marriage equality bill will probably not be re-introduced this year.