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But dissatisfaction with George W. Bush, though growing, is nowhere near Davis' miserable 74% disapproval rating. And the dour Dean that voters have seen so far bears little resemblance to the relentlessly upbeat campaigner that Schwarzenegger proved to be. Exit polls suggest that for those who voted for Schwarzenegger, his personal qualities mattered far more than any positions he had on the issues. Take Vivien Kooper, a registered Democrat and freelance writer in Los Angeles, who confessed that last Tuesday marked the first time she voted for a Republican. "He seems to be from a guileless and fresh place," she said of Schwarzenegger. "It makes me think things can happen in a new way." All of which sounds promising to a candidate like Wesley Clark, whose appeal lies as much in who he is as in what he stands for.
Optimism sells, as Bill Clinton would be the first to tell you. Even Dean is trying harder to lace his anger with sunshine, telling New York Times editors last week, "America's always been the country of hope and of high moral principles and ideals. Let's hope again." If you're fighting the status quo, it's better to be a happy warrior.
2 TAKE NO ONE FOR GRANTED
For the Bush White House and Republicans across the country, there was no more heartening aspect of the election than the fact that Schwarzenegger cut deep into constituencies that Democrats regard as their own. "Significant parts of what the Democrats take for granted as their base cannot be taken for granted," says Bush-Cheney campaign manager Ken Mehlman. In union households, Schwarzenegger ran roughly even with the leading Democratic contender, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, and he won nearly a third of Latinos and close to 20% of African Americans. He did far better among women than strategists on either side had expected in the wake of a late-breaking scandal over allegations that he had been a serial groper--the substance of which, though not the particulars, he confirmed with the acknowledgment that he had "behaved badly sometimes."
Which is why Democrats are worried. "The election showed Hispanics are not a unified bloc," says New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat and one of the nation's most prominent Latino elected officials. "The Republicans are trying to reach a 40% goal of the Hispanic vote, and this shows that it is doable."
But Schwarzenegger is not exactly your average Republican either. "He's pro--gay rights and pro-choice; he thought the impeachment of Bill Clinton was a horrible waste of time," says Iowa Democratic Party chairman Gordon Fischer. "The phrase for that in Iowa is 'liberal Democrat.'" On election night, Schwarzenegger was surrounded onstage by his Kennedy-clan in-laws, and he opened his victory speech by telling wife Maria Shriver, "I know how many votes I got today because of you."
3 L.A. CAN BE YOUR LADY