The Arnold Interlude: First Annual Report.

This paper takes a look at California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's first fifteen months in office. He came to office with an aura of Charisma which was reminiscent of governors from a California past—giants the likes of Hiram Johnson, Earl Warren, and Ronald Reagan. These were governors who adhered to a model of California politics that could be called ‘moralistic’ if one were to use the political labels designed by political scientist Daniel Elazar in the 1960s. Now that Governor Schwarzenegger has served his first fifteen months, it may be time to pause and consider if he has maintained his charismatic posture, and if his style of politics fits with the moralistic model he seemed to promise when he was inaugurated in November 2003. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]