CUTTING DOWN THE OAK

I see from the latest headlines surrounding Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial bid that the ad-hominem attack is still the prevalent mode of political discourse in the States these days.

So Arnold groped women, did he? Reprehensible! And he supposedly said he admired Hitler for rising from obscurity to totalitarian power? Unconscionable! (at least according to Gray Davis)

Never mind that these allegations are still, as yet, allegations (although I have a hearsay account of an incident that lends support to the ones about groping). That isn't the point. The point is that Schwarzenegger's piggishness around the fairer sex has about as much relevance to his ability to govern California as does the size of his famous biceps or the fact that he has appeared in a number of popular movies--which is to say none.

The Hitler thing is a bit trickier. Assuming the allegation is true, it reveals nothing more shocking than the psychological basis for Arnie's political aspirations. Now, this does conceivably bear on the matter of his potential job performance. However, the typical knee-jerk responses from the anti-Arnie camp fail to get past the word "Hitler." I find this profoundly asinine. It should be obvious to anyone the slightest bit familiar with Schwarzenegger's various careers that he shares with Der Fuhrer a will to power that would make Nietzsche weep for joy. To deride the Austrian Oak for recognizing a common personality trait is actually to pay him the compliment of being able to separate an aspect of Hitler the man from the oversimplified associations we all have with Hitler the icon.

The real problem with Arnold, far as I can see, is that he's in way over his head. It's not that he's wrong in his obvious view of the recall as a popularity contest; about that he's absolutely right. It's just that the poor bastard apparently thinks America is still the land of opportunity, the land that helped him become Mr. Olympia seven times, then helped him become Conan the Barbarian and the Terminator. It may yet be the land that will help him become California's governor, but not because he deserves to be. America today is ruled by two things: fear and advertising. And if Arnold Schwarzenegger succeeds this time, it'll only be because his own shameless advertising of himself as action hero won out over the opposition's shameless attempts to make voters fear a misogynist Nazi.