Early in 1956, Republican strategists in heavily DemocraticMinnesota were ecstatic. At last there was the opportunity to breakthe vise-like grip Democrats had on the state. The GOP had recruiteda genuine celebrity to run for Congress in the Twin Cities' outlyingareas, which was represented by one whom it regarded as a dour laborhack. The challenger would be 6-foot-10 George Mikan, who wasprofessional basketball's Michael Jordan of his day. Lauded asCollege Player of the Year twice for DePaul (after Notre Dame turnedhim down) and three times All-American, Mikan, a Joliet native andQuigley Prep undergrad, put on a Minneapolis Lakers uniform in 1947.Under Mikan, the Lakers dominated early professional basketball.During the 1947-48 season he was named the NBA's most valuableplayer, dubbed "Mr. Basketball" and the greatest player of his time.To make matters better, while playing professional basketball, Mikanearned a law degree. Republicans rubbed their hands with glee. Theydidn't know what Mikan believed about the issues. Who cares? What acandidate! There's a lesson for the GOP here, the same one it has torelearn 47 years later in California.
Mikan didn't know much about the issues. He stood for . . . well,he stood for "Mr. Basketball," George Mikan. Republicans thoughtcelebrity would glide him through to victory. In retrospect, theirjob was much easier than that of GOP backers of Arnold Schwarzeneggerin California. Schwarzenegger has garnered Super Bowl publicattention but is anything but bland on the issues. He had long sinceannounced that he was "very liberal" on the social issues: proabortion rights, pro gay rights. As the conservative publicationHuman Events recalls, he had spoken out against the GOP in November1999, almost a year after the Republican-controlled House impeachedBill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice. Interviewed inGeorge, the magazine edited by John F. Kennedy Jr., cousin ofSchwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, the body builder-actor declaredhe was deeply angered with the GOP's action against Clinton. "Thatwas another thing I will never forgive the Republican Party for," hesaid. "We spent one year wasting time because there was a humanfailure. I was ashamed to call myself a Republican during thatperiod. Instead of devoting all this energy and all those hearings tohow we're going to solve the problems of inner cities . . . No, it'slike 'This man has to be removed from office because he's a nationalthreat.' Yeah, that's a good one."
California--and to a great degree national Republicans--werewilling to accept Schwarzenegger anyhow. He named liberal billionaireWarren Buffett as an economic guru, also OK. Then Buffett announcedthat Californians were not paying enough property taxes. Suddenly,the Schwarzenegger balloon started to deflate. Republicans can takeany deviation except the prospect of a tax increase. Unless Arnoldcan connect with a conservative Republican base, he may well lose theelection. Already he is slightly below an all-but-unknown Lt. Gov.Cruz Bustamante, a Democrat who could be the first Latino governor.
The lesson is celebrity can be a boon only if a candidate fits hisparty's philosophy. Ronald Reagan was a faded film actor, never aspopular with the masses as Schwarzenegger, but had honed his positionon the issues for many years. Liberal Republicans were wary of him,but Reagan fit an emerging conservative consensus like a glove.George Mikan, an affable type, always looked and sounded like a boobon the issues, and voters had difficulty imagining that he would havethe energy to serve their needs as did the ill-educated butdependable former union bargaining agent, Democrat Roy Weir. Mymemory is that once on a TV debate Mikan deferred a question to hisopponent, saying Weir knew more about it than he. An honest replyfrom an honest man, but GOP strategists groaned. Mikan lost narrowly.
In contrast, Schwarzenegger knows what he thinks but it appearshis are the ideas of a very liberal Democrat--anathema to everythingRepublicans believe. Unless he can connect quickly on taxes--andconvincingly--Schwarzenegger will fail, and deservedly so. He's animposter as a Republican and a poor-acting one at that.
Object lesson for Republicans: Stick with your own kind. If you gofor celebrity, be sure it's a philosophical fit, else the cynicism ofthe candidate pick will shine through.
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