ARNOLD NEEDS ELECTION TO KEEP VOWS.

Byline: Jon Coupal

ON Monday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pulled the trigger on a special election for November. Call it ``Recall, Part Deux.''

Like this is a huge surprise. Schwarzenegger has tried mightily to advance his reform agenda, each element of which is entirely consistent with his 2003 campaign promises.

For example, he proposed an ambitious performance-review process to ensure that taxpayers were getting good value for their dollar. But even the most modest proposals were either shot down immediately by the unions or the unions demanded so much in political favors in return that the cost was too high to justify.

Just look at what happened to pension reform. The benefits that the governor wanted to give public employees would continue to be staggering - much higher than benefits offered in the private sector. The trade-off would be that the proposed system would be more like pensions in the private sector. But the unions objected vocally. Like petulant children who put their fingers in their ears and yell, ``I'm not listening,'' they marched in front of the Capitol and hounded the governor at his appearances throughout California.

Union leadership is clearly stuck in the Gray Davis era, profoundly unable to recognize that there is a problem with either the structure of state government or the formula-driven spending that guarantees deficits no matter how much tax revenue comes in.

So the die is cast for a special election, and the combatants are taking the field.

Union leadership is counting on three weapons:

First, there's labor's massive war chest, created by extracting members' dues, whether they like it or not.

Second is the unions' ability to shout down their opponents irrespective of the merits of the reforms. (I call this the ``don't bother me with the facts'' syndrome.)

Third and finally is the army of widows and orphans the unions will trot out, accusing Schwarzenegger of being a jackbooted baby killer.

In other words, union leaders will sink to new lows, as difficult as that is to imagine.

On the other side of the equation, Schwarzenegger and his supporters will remind ordinary citizens that vast numbers of public employees do not share their union leadership's lack of vision. So there is nothing inconsistent about taking on the political power of the union bosses while at the same time holding most public employees - cops, firefighters and teachers - in high regard.

Californians will also keep in mind that this really is a continuation of the recall. What good is electing a popular, take-charge governor without giving him the means to really make a difference? Even the best carpenter in the world can't build much without his tools. It is time to give Arnold a hammer.

Californians will also come to realize that the reforms being proposed are really quite modest. The teacher-tenure proposal is hardly a radical education reform. The redistricting plan simply takes away from the politicians - both Republicans and Democrats - the ability to draw their own political boundaries to ensure their re-election. Even the proposed Live Within Our Means Act leaves the bulk of the education-spending guarantee in place and isn't a firm spending limit. Fiscal conservatives would prefer a budget reform that actually limits the growth in government to match population growth and inflation, but they have - for now - deferred to the governor's desire for a more modest approach.

Finally, at the end of the day, the reason these reforms will pass is because Californians understand that this is all about taxes and accountability. This is not a silly spitting contest between a charismatic governor and union bosses. This is about those who pay into the treasury more than they get out - taxpayers - taking back control of the state of California from those who want limitless access to our pocketbooks and wallets.

Ordinary citizens understand all this and the need for the special election.

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Photo:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stands at a lectern moments before making a live television broadcast from his Capitol office in Sacramento Monday about setting a special election for Nov. 8.

Associated Press