Actor may have most political muscle

Even so, Arnold Schwarzenegger could well be the most appealing candidate there is for Californians trying to sort out the state's increasingly chaotic and controversial recall election, political watchers here say.

Voter disgust is high -- the 1.4 million signatures that got the gubernatorial recall on the ballot for Oct. 7 proved that clearly enough. Embattled Gov. Gray Davis, a career politician, has the some of the lowest popularity ratings on record.

And that plays right in to Schwarzenegger's Terminator-sized hands.

"The voters here have just become so alienated from the political process," said Tony Quinn, co-editor of the influential political publication "The California Target Book."

"What you're going to see now is a reason for the 20-year-old grease monkey who thinks politicians are all a bunch of crooks anyway to come out and vote for the guy whose movies he's seen three times."

On his first day as Candidate Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born actor continued to sidestep hard questions and play to the audience with promises of "Pumping Up" Sacramento and bidding "Hasta la Vista" to Davis.

"We will have a plan very soon, a detailed plan, on how to face those kinds of problems and how to solve those kinds of problems," Schwarzenegger said in response to a reporter's question about how he would solve the state's budget crisis.

Inexperience pointed out

Democrats hope Schwarzenegger's inexperience will turn voters against him. U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez calls his lack of knowledge about how the state works scary. San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown quipped that playing a robot is one thing, running a state is another.

Davis and his followers have said Schwarzenegger is just another name in a list of unqualified celebrity competitors that also includes Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, 1980s kid TV star Gary Coleman and Hollywood billboard pin-up Angelyne.

But to disenchanted voters, all that might not matter. And in a recall campaign that only lasts about 60 days, Schwarzenegger could avoid hard questions right up until election day, Oct. 7.

"For Schwarzenegger, this has to be a good situation," said UCLA political science professor Jeffrey Lewis. "This is probably the best chance he's going to ever get."

Schwarzenegger, who turned 56 last month, has long been active in the Republican Party and interested in politics. He keeps a bronze bust of former President Ronald Reagan, another actor-turned-governor, in his office.

Last year, he ran a successful proposition campaign to secure state funding for after-school programs. Along the way, he positioned himself as a conservative on fiscal issues but a liberal on social issues. He supports abortion rights and gay adoptions and is quick to talk about the need for more social and school programs.

Those sorts of leanings will probably play well in California.

"If you're any sort of California moderate or conservative, you'll likely want Arnold to win," Sheri Annis, a former Schwarzenegger adviser on the after-school program, said in a recent interview. "And either way, no one could be more infinitely more interesting to watch -- especially if Gray Davis is the alternative."

Annis described Schwarzenegger as a shrewd businessman, whether it's in movie production or in politics.

His education, in fact, includes a bachelor of arts in business and international economics from the University of Wisconsin. Along with a film business, he reportedly also owns a shopping center and a Boeing 747 jet that's leased to Singapore Airlines.

Highest-paid actor

But Schwarzenegger, of course, is most famous for his acting. From a starring role in 1970's low-budget "Hercules in New York," he has transformed himself into Hollywood's highest-paid actor, reeling in some $30 million for his role in this year's "Terminator3: Rise of the Machines."

The Austrian native grew up the son of a police officer. He got into bodybuilding at age 15 because he wanted to join the Austrian soccer team. Instead, he did a brief stint in the Austrian army before leaving to take part in the Mr. Junior Europe competition.

At age 20, he was awarded his first Mr. Universe title -- one of more than a dozen world bodybuilding titles he would win. In 1968, he moved to the United States to embark on his film career.

He admits he occasionally lived the life of a playboy: smoking pot, chasing women and living fast and loose.

In the 2002 unedited version of the 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron," which follows his training in preparation to defend his Mr. Olympia bodybuilding title, Schwarzenegger is seen smoking marijuana -- something he said he didn't want cut out of the re-release.

"I did smoke a joint and I did inhale," he once said in a poke at former President Bill Clinton. "The bottom line is that's what it was in the '70s, that's what I did. I have never touched it since."