Recalling California

First published August19, 2003

By C. W. Oberleitner

Each October for the past two years Disneyland's Haunted Mansion becomes more popular than ever by showing visitors what happens when "two holidays collide." In a similar vein, C. W. Oberleitner tells us what happens when two arenas of public life collide as the nation and the world are treated to the star studded spectacle of California's gubernatorial recall.

It probably comes as know surprise to anyone that we here at JimHillMedia.com consider ourselves to be a pop-culture site. We do stories about theme parks, feature films, cartoons, comic books, and animation among other things. So it is only natural, given the circus atmosphere surrounding it, that we begin covering the California Recall Election.

This summer Californian’s, seemingly bored with CGI loaded sequels and the lack of new attractions at most theme parks, have reached out and embraced state wide politics as their preferred form of mass entertainment. With a budget deficit greater than all other state deficits combined—38-billion (with a "b") dollars at last count—the voters of California have decided to spend an additional 35 to 90-million dollars on a special election. Said election to decide whether or not to recall the current governor and if so who should replace him.

Not Just Ahhh-Nold

The obvious reason for our doing a story about the California Recall is the entrance into the race of uber action film star Arnold Schwarzenegger. When you stop to think about it, however, the whole story behind and about the recall has all the makings of a Wagnerian opera or a classic JimHillMedia column.

For those of you who may only have just joined this story since Der Terminator’s announcement of his candidacy on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno here’s a brief recap of how things got to this point.

Conservative Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, of California’s 49th congressional district, spent nearly two million dollars of his own money to fund a petition drive to hold a special election to recall California’s current Governor, Gray Davis. Under, what was at the time, an obscure state law that allows the citizens of California to recall just about any elected state official providing they can collect enough valid signatures demanding a special election to do so.

That same law also provides for the selection of a replacement for the recalled office holder. It was always assumed Congressman Issa would—should the petition drive succeed—place his name on the ballot to replace Governor Davis.

Indeed the congressman made no secret of his willingness to "serve the people of California." However, shortly after Mr. Schwarzenegger’s announcement of his candidacy a tearful Darrell Issa bowed out saying he could best serve the people of California in the House of Representatives.

I’d probably cry too if I had just dropped $2-million dollars of my own money on an election I now realized I didn’t have a hope in hell of winning.

Because there is no primary election to win before qualifying to run for governor virtually anybody in California with $3,500 and enough signatures could qualify for the second part of the recall ballot. Two hundred forty seven people filed to have their names placed on the ballot. One hundred thirty five of those qualified making this the largest single-office ballot in U.S. History.

Which brings us back to the evening of October 6, when Austrian born bodybuilder, turned movie star, turned businessman, turned politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger told Jay Leno and the world that he would in fact place his name on the ballot as a candidate to replace Governor Gray Davis. So as they say in the movie business, with Arnold attached to the project the recall has become the biggest thing to hit California, at least for the time being, since the Northridge earthquake.

The California Recall is such a hot topic in political and entertainment circles that it has become almost impossible to tell where The Nightly News ends and Access Hollywood begins. Even the Big Blackout of 2003 was only briefly able to move news of Arnold and Company from lead item to feature story. By Saturday news of the candidates’ latest pronouncements, or lack thereof, was back at the top of the news.

Turn Left at Attila The Hun

Arnold may be the most well recognized celebrity name in the race. He is not, however, the only celebrity to throw his or her hat into the ring. Actor Gary Coleman, who ironically enough played a character named Arnold in the 70s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes, has registered to run as an independent. Also running is produce-smashing comic Gallagher.

Los Angeles is famous for being home to celebrities who are famous simply for being, well, famous. One such celeb and now gubernatorial candidate is Angelyne of busty billboard fame. Yet another candidate perhaps more well known for her broad horizons than positions on matters of state is "adult film actress" Mary (Mary Carey) Cook.

Publisher Larry Flynt, best known for Hustler Magazine, is also running. Announcing his candidacy Mr. Flynt said, "Just because I peddle in porn doesn’t mean I’m not concerned about the serious ills all of us are facing."

Disney theme park fans registered to vote in time for the recall may want to throw their support behind Democratic candidate Bill Prady. Among Mr. Prady’s credits, his occupation is listed as Writer Producer, is that of being the writer of the Muppet Vision 3D film for the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort attractions of the same name.

Not everyone running in the October 7, recall election is a celebrity or media figure. The state’s current Lt. Governor, Cruz Bustamante is running. Bill Simon the conservative Republican businessman who eight months ago lost to Governor Davis is also running.

Among the other well-known political figures running are former Major League Baseball Commissioner and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee President Peter Ueberroth. One time conservative spokesperson now a left leaning political commentator Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington has also qualified for the ballot. She was married to one term congressman and oil billionaire Michael Huffington. They divorced after eleven years of marriage. Shortly thereafter he announced that he was gay and went into the movie business.

The remaining field of candidates, while not as well known even within the state as some of the "big names" on the ballot, represents an interesting cross section backgrounds. Kurt "Tachikaze" Rightmyer is a middleweight (188-255 lbs.) sumo wrestler. Candidate Leonard Padilla lists his occupation as bounty hunter and Paul Nave is a businessman and prizefighter. Some of the other occupations and professions represented are: used car dealer, retired meat packer, university chemistry instructor, golf pro, homemaker, and denture manufacturer.

Not surprisingly the majority of attorneys running are Democrats and the majority of planners, analysts, advisors and consultants are Republicans. Candidates listing their occupation as "entrepreneur" seem to be evenly divided between the two major parties. Two very enterprising Democratic businessmen are running solely to promote their product, BUTTMONKEY BEER, The official beer of the California Recall.

The eclectic mix of candidates running for governor is not the only reason the recall election is being turned into an entertainment spectacle. Just about every form of entertainment media available in California, and that would all of them, has jumped on the recall bandwagon.

Bill Maher host of HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher is dedicating increasing amounts of program time to the recall. Two weeks ago he opened the show with a live video chat with California Governor Gray Davis and this past week he did an in studio one on one segment with Arianna Huffington. Not to be outdone Maher’s pal Jay Leno invited all 135 candidates to appear on The Tonight Show later next month.

The Game Show network is rushing WHO WANTS TO BE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA? THE DEBATING GAME into production. On their website GSN says,

Game Show Network (GSN) is spoofing the game of politics with an election special about the underdog/celebrity candidates in California’s Gubernatorial recall race. The one-hour special, WHO WANTS TO BE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA? THE DEBATING GAME, will include the first political debate ever produced game show style and will air Wednesday, October 1 at 9:00 PM ET/PT exclusively on GSN.

At press time they already had candidates adult film actress Mary (Mary Carey) Cook and former Diff’rent Strokes star Gary Coleman signed to participate.

The Trouble With Warren

When it wants to, the Republican Party in California can be quite entertaining as well. As Chris Matthews once said on his MSNBC program Hardball With Chris Matthews, "There’s a reason that Republicans do not hold a single elected office in California and it’s not just that the Democrats out number them. The first thing that Republicans in California do to choose candidates for state office is to form a circular firing squad."

Last week Republican Gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon, in the finest tradition of his party, came out swinging not at Gray Davis but against fellow Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr. Simon accused Arnold of being too liberal to be called a Republican. He stopped short of calling him a Democrat.

For his part Arnold has said precious little since first announcing his candidacy on The Tonight show. As Chris Matthews said on the Today Show, "He’s entered the race at the top of the pack. He’s only got one way to go."

Not that Arnold’s campaign is without its share of problems. Their biggest announcement came on August 13. In a move widely seen as an attempt to stem criticism that the campaign was all show and no substance the Schwarzenegger campaign announced billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett would become Arnold’s senior economics advisor.

Buffett, the second wealthiest man in the world, is a Democrat known to strongly disagree with the Bush administration’s economic policies. The glow and favorable press about his appointment to assist candidate Schwarzenegger formulate plans to grapple with California’s budget crisis lasted just 48 hours.

Last Friday in remarks made to the Wall Street Journal Mr. Buffett touched the third rail of California politics. He suggested California raise property taxes in order to resolve the state’s ongoing fiscal mess. To illustrate the problem created when Californians passed Prop 13, The Property Tax Initiative, in 1978 he told the Journal that he pays considerably more taxes on his $500,000 Nebraska residence than he does on his $4-million dollar Laguna Beach, California vacation home.

The Schwarzenegger campaign quickly issued a press release stating that Arnold has been a staunch supporter of Prop 13 for twenty-five years. The response to Mr. Buffett’s remarks was so overwhelming that news that Democrat and actor Rob Lowe was joining the Schwarzenegger campaign got moved from the front pages of most of the state’s newspapers to the entertainment sections.

This Just In

A federal judge warned that he may put the Oct. 7 recall election on hold because four California counties have not complied with a key civil rights law governing voting procedures.

For more on the California Recall check you local TV and entertainment listings.

C’ya real soon!