Frustration shows as budget quarrel begins to take toll.

For Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, life in Sacramento has descended into a movie star's nightmare: the political version of a reality show.

As of late last week, he was involved in the same type of budget stalemate that bedeviled predecessor Gray Davis, and his "girlie men" remark about Democratic state legislators has become the focus of national ridicule.

Perhaps worst of all, his stratospheric popularity with voters is starting to fall.

To all outward appearances, the governor's vaunted partnership with Democratic lawmakers--the cornerstone of his impressive early string of political victories--has been ripped apart. But what has really tripped up Schwarzenegger is a surge of dissent from within the ranks of his own Republican Party.

Frustrated with the growing list of deals that he w as cutting with the majority Democrats, Republicans balked at a compromise the governor had nearly worked out on local government financing. And they used the only leverage they have: the ability to deny Schwarzenegger and Democrats the two-thirds vote needed to pass a budget.

"He forgot about the Republicans and the fact that Republicans are necessary to get that two-thirds majority.'" said John Ellwood, professor of public policy at the University of California Berkeley. "What he got was a rebellion from his own party."

Long time coming

It's a rebellion that many had been predicted when Schwarzenegger won the recall election. His socially liberal views and repeated promises to work with Democrats made Republicans nervous from the outset.

But that faded into the background while Schwarzenegger went from victory to victory, especially as he wrested additional workers' compensation reforms from Democrat lawmakers. In each instance, he took his case to the people and used his popularity to pressure legislators into action.

But as the state entered another July without a budget, that popularity is showing signs of strain.

A Public Policy Institute of California poll released last Thursday showed Schwarzenegger's approval rating falling to 57 percent in July from 64 percent in May. His approval rating among likely voters had slipped to 64 percent from 69 percent. The poll was taken June 30 to July 14, before the "girlie men'" remark.

Meanwhile, in Sacramento, Republicans began worrying that Schwarzenegger was giving too much away in the budget talks. "What really set it off was when Democrats and their labor allies starting bragging about the concessions he was making," said Republican political consultant Allan Hoffenblum. "That got back to the Republicans and also found its way into numerous media columns."

Republican lawmakers used their budget-blocking leverage to bring in two issues that have little bearing on the state's finances, yet are key to their business constituency.

One demand is to roll back Democrat-passed restrictions on the ability of school districts to contract out services. The other is to reverse the recent expansion of employees' right to sue their employers.

When Schwarzenegger gave in to Republicans on these issues, he angered the Democrats, who thought they were close to cutting a final set of budget deals with the governor.

And so a budget agreement that appeared close at the beginning of July suddenly became a bitter stalemate--and as it deepened, Schwarzenegger took to the road with his "girlie men" comments.

As of last week, three-way negotiations among the Schwarzenegger administration, Democrat lawmakers and Republican legislative leaders were continuing with no breakthrough in sight.

Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Margita Thompson said there was no partisan intent behind the governor's jabs at the Democrats.

"There's a bipartisan framework for a budget that's out there. Republicans need to give a little and Democrats need to give a little. The governor was just pointing out who is moving towards that bipartisan framework and who is not," she said.

As for the state rallies: "He promised during the campaign that he would make the people his partners in government and he is continuing to have that dialogue with Californians," Thompson said.

'Throwing red meat'

But others say the rallies were intended for more than just communicating with Californians.

"There was a little red meat thrown to Republicans when he said he would go after Democrats who voted against him," said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, professor of government at the School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California. "There's no way he can really change the makeup of the Legislature with his campaigning."

Thanks to the gerrymandering that took place with the 2001 redistricting that left most incumbent Democrat lawmakers in sale seats. there are only a handful of incumbents who face significant challenges from Republicans in November.

"The bigger question is what he does in some of the open seats with close races," said Democrat political consultant Darry Sragow. "That's where he can make the most difference."

While the "girlie men" comment, taken from a "Saturday Night Live" skit poking fun at Schwarzenegger 15 years ago, drew nationwide attention and ridicule, the legislative targets themselves have largely regarded it as political theater and responded in kind.

Senate President Pro-Tem. John Burton, D-San Francisco, was seen early last week posing with a coffee maker turned off and a sign saying, "Closed for business." By the end of the week, he had returned to the negotiating table.

"If this budget gets resolved fairly quickly, then much of this will fade," Sragow said. "If it drags on, though, this could be seen as a turning point, where the once-cozy relationship between Schwarzenegger and the Democrats breaks down."