From the San Francisco Chronicle
Dated Sunday July 24
NEWS ANALYSIS
Sand kicked in face of strong-man governor
By Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Staff Writer
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has relished the role of the fearless "Terminator" armed for battle against an army of special interests, is suddenly looking more like Gulliver -- besieged, tied down, and overrun by his opponents.
And no wonder: After months of campaigning, fund raising and warning of a Nov. 8 special election he insisted was "guaranteed,'' the governor's team blinked this week. Campaign adviser Mike Murphy floated a trial balloon -- most likely to gauge Democratic Party as much as voter reaction -- with Friday's public acknowledgement that Team Schwarzenegger has discussed the impossible: dumping the much-heralded special ballot altogether.
Rob Stutzman, communications director to the governor, insisted in a Saturday e-mail that the notion of pulling the special election is "not a serious consideration."
In areas like redistricting of legislative lines, and budget, he said firmly, "the governor is committed to fixing a broken system and will continue to fight for those reforms."
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