Poll: Most voters not inclined to re-elect Schwarzenegger

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Wed, Sep. 07, 2005

Poll: Most voters not inclined to re-elect Schwarzenegger

BETH FOUHY
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - A majority of California voters say they aren't inclined to re-elect Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to a poll released Wednesday.

If the election were held today, the celebrity governor would face a close contest with two little-known Democrats hoping to challenge him.

The nonpartisan Field Poll found that just 36 percent of voters would support Schwarzenegger if he runs for re-election, while 56 percent would not. In February, those numbers were almost reversed, with 56 percent saying they were in favor of returning the Republican governor for a second term.

Schwarzenegger has not yet announced plans to seek re-election, but he has hinted in recent weeks that he intends to do so soon, possibly around the state Republican convention in Anaheim late next week.

Earlier this year, Schwarzenegger announced he would pursue several "year of reform" ballot measures and a special election aimed at changing the way state government operates. Several of the measures before voters would reduce the power of Democrats and public employee unions.
(snip/...)

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/12580891.htm
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[ClintonTyree]

1. I'm happy the people of California are coming to their senses....

I think they were a little "star struck" when Ahhhhnold joined the race to recall Davis. Buyer's remorse has set in BIG TIME. Now if they'd just have a recall vote for bush as well, this country could get back on it's feet again.

[bluestateguy]

2. Don't count him out yet

I still remember Pete Wilson having approval ratings in the 20's in 1993, but then went racist and demagogue to win easily in 1994.

[alarcojon]

14. I was there at the time

That was some ugly shit. I'm Latino, and I never got so many dirty looks, bad service, etc. than at that time - not in Chicago, not in DC, not in Boston, not in New Orleans (:cry:), not even in Texas. Fuck Pete Wilson!

And fuck Arnie too, of course.

[xchrom]

3. cali can be a very conservative state.

so i'll believe it when i'm dancing on ahnold's political grave.

i'm stll in shock that cali voted for him in the first place -- so i don't trust anyone on this.

[truthisfreedom]

4. i guess that the thugs only have two choices... re-write the theft code

in the voting machines to deliver much larger margins, or clone karl rove.

[Piperay]

5. It was a 'fluke' that he got in

people couldn't stand Davis, he was a money grubbing shady opportunist. I didn't even like Davis, though I voted to keep him. Arnie wasn't so much liked as Davis was disliked.

[struggle4progress]

6. Link to some data:

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/8817

[Pab Sungenis]

7. Not too many had to come to their senses....

He didn't "win" by all that much the first time.

If we use Pub logic (which they did throughout Clinton's terms), more people voted against him than for him -- he only got 49% of the vote. It's just that people like Abner Zurg and Todd Bumhunter Lewis were siphoning away anti-Ahnold votes.

Hopefully, that 36% will prove to be the rock bottom frothing right, which provide Bush with his 30% base.

[1932]

17. Only 44% of recall election voters voted for Arnold.

Here are the totals for the question whether Davis should be recalled:
Yes 4,976,274 55.4%
No 4,007,783 44.6%
Votes Not Cast 429,431 4.6%
Total: 9,413,488

And for the question who you vote for for governor:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, REP 4,206,284 48.6%
Votes Not Cast 755,575 8.0%

Arnold got 48.6% of the second vote, but that only amounted to 44.68% of the total number of people who voted in that election. So he got abot the same number of votes as there were people who didn't want a recall at all.

What is more interesting is that it's very possible that many of the people who voted for Arnold voted No on the first vote. It would be interesting to know that distribution. It's possible that the number of people who both wanted to recall Davis and who wanted Arnold governor was even smaller than that 44% of the people who voted in the election for Arnold. (As the number of Democrats who voted Yes-Bustamente, and Republicans who voted Yes-the republican who came in third place increases and eats up the Yes votes, the number of No-Arnold voters would increase.)

So, you can imagine that a lot of Californians are saying now either, "I didn't vote for Arnold" or "I voted for Arnold, but I didn't even want a recall" and that Arnold might be down to his core group of suppoerters who are saying "I wanted this recall and I voted for Arnold" and that number might be exactly where Arnold is in the polls today -- about 36%

[Tesha]

8. Oh! *NOW* they get smart, after the damage is done. Sheesh! (NT)

[dusty64]

9. Diebold wants him

and thats the ONLY vote that matters anymore.

[BiggJawn]

10. So after the "thrill" of pulling the lever for "The Terminator".....

...The reality sets in.

Kind of like waking up the next morning with a hangover, every orifice hurting, a nasty taste in your mouth, and a smelly drunken hulk laying next to you, eh, Collie-For-Nya?

[callous taoboy]

11. Hasta la vista, babee n/t

[Stuckinthebush]

12. Foolish voters....

now they see what happens when you put someone in charge based on appearance and not experience.

But I want to say this about California voters: They are just like the rest of us.

Any other state population (just about) would vote for someone based on their star appeal. You put up a big star for Governor in Georgia, Florida, Nevada, whereever, and that "big star" will probably win. American voters have either lost their capacity to critically analyze leadership or are so jaded that they just don't care anymore.

[Javaman]

13. Is he delusional? or did he just talk to Diebol?

[1932]

15. That's without knowing opponent. It can only get worse once people get to

know the Democratic nominee -- unless the Democrat totally screws up. If it's Angelides, he seems pretty steady and I don't see how people could like him less the more they know about him.

[realFedUp]

16. the only Californians he hasn't pissed off are Pete Wilson and his gang

who are running the show.

[brook]

18. Ding, ding, ding!

We have a winnah!

Ahnold needs to retire to running a ski school in Austria where Maria and the children can sing lieder at dinner for the guests.