Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who drove up in his Hummer and vowed to "blow up boxes" in Sacramento following the historic 2003 recall election, is packing up his own boxes this week as he prepares to vacate the Capitol after seven years.
We won't miss him all that much.
Many Californians were optimistic when Schwarzenegger announced he was running for governor in the summer of 2003, when more than 100 candidates sought to replace Democratic Governor Gray Davis. A moderate Republican, business-friendly, and a popular movie star, Schwarzenegger brought charisma and humor to the campaign trail. We remember thinking that he could do great things for the LGBT community, both in helping move the Republican Party toward supporting equal rights for gay Americans and in signing pro-LGBT legislation. In those early years of his administration, Schwarzenegger was a political rock star.
As it happened however, Schwarzenegger proved himself to be just as ineffective in governing California as critics said Davis was. As he leaves office, Schwarzenegger leaves the state billions of dollars in the red. He never did tear up the credit cards, in fact, just the opposite occurred; Schwarzenegger resorted to budget gimmicks and borrowing to balance the state budget that hasn't truly been balanced in years.
But the governor was most disappointing when he failed to stand up for equal rights. We probably should have seen it coming: during the recall campaign he told radio host Sean Hannity, "I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman." In 2004, shortly after Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered city officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Schwarzenegger went on national television, claiming there was "rioting" in the streets of San Francisco. That was wildly inaccurate. Sure, some of the fundamentalists were protesting that first weekend, but there were no riots. In fact, most of the crowd that waited in line that rainy Presidents Day weekend was made up of happy couples waiting to get married, and their families and friends.
Schwarzenegger spent considerable energy going back and forth on his position on same-sex marriage. He said the people should decide. He said the courts should decide. When the Legislature – not once, but twice – approved bills that would legalize same-sex marriage, the governator vetoed them. When the California Supreme Court upheld the right of gays to wed, the governor was supportive. When same-sex marriage opponents put Proposition 8 on the ballot, the governor came out against it, but not very forcefully. He did not appear in any campaign materials for the No on 8 campaign. Of course, by then, he had basically abandoned the state Republican Party, which had never completely trusted Schwarzenegger and his moderate positions on social issues.
Now that he is departing, Schwarzenegger seems to have found the courage to support marriage equality. When a federal court judge ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional this summer, Schwarzenegger said, "For the hundreds of thousands of Californians in gay and lesbian households who are managing their day-to-day lives, this decision affirms the full legal protections and safeguards I believe everyone deserves. At the same time, it provides an opportunity for all Californians to consider our history of leading the way to the future, and our growing reputation of treating all people and their relationships with equal respect and dignity."
It's too bad that Schwarzenegger didn't make that statement six years ago, when he could have actually influenced public opinion.
We have long wanted to interview the governor, without success. During his re-election campaign four years ago, his campaign declined an interview despite our repeated requests, and his staff continues to refuse as the administration's days dwindle, although he has found time to talk to just about every other media outlet.
Hasta la vista, governor.