EDITORIAL WINNER TAKE ALL SPECIAL ELECTION IS A REFERENDUM ON SCHWARZENEGGER REVOLUTION.

THE ballot questions California voters will answer in the special election Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for Nov. 8 will deal with a broad range of issues, from teacher tenure to spending policy.

But the election itself isn't so much about any of these issues as about the ultimate high-stakes power game that Schwarzenegger and Democratic leaders are playing up in Sacramento.

Democrats have called Arnold's bluff, and now it's time for the governor to show them his hand.

When Schwarzenegger first took office after the 2003 recall, Democrats were cowed by his massive popularity and the repudiation of their policies. Fearful that he could go over their heads at any time by simply taking his agenda to the people through an initiative, they were quick to make compromises. That's why both sides were able to strike deals on stabilizing the budget and workers' compensation reform.

But Democrats weren't going to stay intimidated forever.

Since then, they've come to realize that Schwarzenegger is vulnerable after all. They've seen him stumble. And public-employee unions have had much success with their strategy of sending protesters out to his events and saturating the airwaves with attack ads.

Now the Democrats in Sacramento no longer fear Schwarzenegger's ability to dominate at the ballot box. When he challenged them to cooperate with him or else face him in a special election, their response was: See you at the polls.

And so here we are.

California now braces for what stands to be the nastiest and most expensive campaign yet. The state's prison-guard and teachers unions have raised members' dues just to wage this battle, while Schwarzenegger has raised mountains of campaign cash. The likelihood is that hundreds of millions of dollars will be raised from special interests from across the country in an election with national implications.

It's winner-take-all.

If Schwarzenegger wins, he puts Democrats back in the submissive position they were in post-recall. If his initiatives fail, he loses his single-most potent political weapon - the threat of a public vote.

Whatever happens in November, the Schwarzenegger Revolution hangs in the balance - and perhaps the future well-being of California, too.