NEW YORK – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has much to offer President Bush and the GOP at this week’s Republican National Convention, from star power to middle-of-the-road political appeal.
Schwarzenegger also stands to gain some political good will from the party.
But there are risks on both sides. Schwarzenegger could tarnish his moderate credentials by aligning himself with a president and a national party that are unpopular in his home state. Bush risks getting overshadowed by a star who doesn’t always stick to the script.
“It’s a challenge to write a speech for Schwarzenegger, because his real strength and charisma comes as the political outsider fighting the demons, fighting the dragons,” said Barbara O’Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at California State University, Sacramento. “And he can’t fight the dragons there. He has to support the dragons.”
Schwarzenegger will speak Tuesday during prime time, a plum spot that guarantees live coverage on network television. Aides said he will give a personal, 15- to 20-minute speech about his evolution from Austrian bodybuilder to Hollywood movie star to Republican governor, and that he’ll be effusive in his support for Bush.
He plans to “give a personal story of why he’s chosen to be in the Republican Party,” spokesman Rob Stutzman said.
Stutzman said the White House didn’t vet the speech, but “I believe they’re very pleased” at what will be a “real landmark event in the governor’s young political career.”
Schwarzenegger took office in November after voters recalled Democrat Gray Davis. The actor-turned-governor has remained wildly popular despite bruising battles with the Democrat-controlled Legislature.
Associated Press
President Bush talks with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier this month at a fund-raiser in Santa Monica, Calif.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
