The California Assembly today voted to legalize same-sex marriage, joining with the Senate to create the first legislatively-led same-sex marriage movement in the country. No activist judges here, guys, it’s the representatives of the people who did this. Good for them! Of course, not a single Republican voted for it. Party poopers. Poor losers. Meanies.
Now, here’s the point where the Governator has to put up or shut up.
Tuesday’s 41 to 35 vote amounted to more difficult news for Schwarzenegger, the Republican actor-turned-politician who roared into Sacramento on the back of a recall election in 2003 promising fundamental change. Schwarzenegger, who has taken on teachers, nurses and other state workers, has seen his popularity lag in recent months. A Field Poll of registered voters early this month put the governor’s approval rating at 36 percent — an all-time low.
If he vetoes the bill, Schwarzenegger will retain the support of his GOP base, which he needs in a special election he has called for November. But he could also alienate many Democrats who voted for him and whose backing he still covets. In the special election, Schwarzenegger is asking voters to grant him more budget-cutting power, to block gerrymandering by placing legislative redistricting in the hands of retired judges and to make public school teachers work five years instead of two before they earn tenure.
“This puts Schwarzenegger on the hot seat,” said Bruce Cain, a professor of political science at University of California at Berkeley, who predicted the governor would veto the bill. “I think it’s a slam-dunk that he’s going to have to veto the bill and hope that the anger in the gay community doesn’t spill over into other groups.”
Schwarzenegger has tried to position himself as socially liberal — well, centrist — and fiscally conservative. Unfortunately, like most conservatives who make these claims, he’s neither. He’s scheduled a very expensive special election in order to ram through some unpopular proposals before his popularity falls through the floor; and the conventional wisdom says that he will veto this marriage legislation, exposing him as being in lockstep with the conservatives who prevent any sort of equality for gay people.
What’s amusing about this is that while Republicans are out there screaming about what they call “judicial activism,” Schwarzenegger’s office says that the issue should be decided either by a vote of the people or a court decision.
