… The California GOP was already well on its way to marginalization, thanks to positions on immigration, abortion and other issues that pushed the party increasingly to the right of most Californians. But the fiscally conservative, socially liberal Schwarzenegger offered hope: to broaden the appeal of California Republicans, move the state party away from the ideological fringe and even, thanks to his celebrity and uber-personality, make the GOP seem a little less old and stodgy. ..
Although party leaders and the GOP establishment embraced Schwarzenegger — actually, seized upon his candidacy like a drowning man hugging a life preserver — the feeling was never mutual. The actor assembled his own team of strategists, separate from the state party’s, to wage his gubernatorial campaign and then plot his political moves once he took office. His ideological swerves — zigzagging from moderation to the far right and back to the left — ended up alienating Democrats and Republicans alike. [cont.]
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times