Was Arnold Schwarzenegger a good Governor?

Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Governor of California for some time, and there has been a lot of debate about whether or not he did a good job. He was the first Hollywood movie star to win a run for political office, and there was naturally a lot of hype surrounding is ascendency to the position.

Many speculated that he won simply because of his celebrity status. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a likeable ‘American dream’ story, being a foreigner who travelled to the United States to achieve success. Unlike his political rivals, Arnold has a genuine quality and was not a ‘career politician’, a status that many people had begun to lose faith in due to political donations from interest groups.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was popular initially because he said he would self-fund his campaign, meaning that he would not be influenced by donations. However, this changed after he was elected.

When he left office, he was asked about the promise he did not meet. He pretty much said that as a politician, he had to make promises that were impossible to keep.

Many people have said that since he had no experience, he did pretty okay as Governor. Whether he did it intentionally or not, he caved into monied interests and ended up being like most other politicians, which is he promised he would not be.

While many people rallied behind Arnold Schwarzenegger because they believed he would bring new hope to the state of California, he ultimately did not live up to the hype that surrounded him. Many people were left disappointed by his performance as Governor, and you can’t really blame them for feeling that way.

Ultimately, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Governor of California, is a cautionary tale of why a celebrity candidate is not necessarily going to bring great change.