But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is no doubt the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions. — Federalist 51

They (either Hamilton or Madison, scholars don’t know for sure) were right to be so skeptical of the public:

California just elected Arnold.

I had always been a great believer in the idea that more people should participate in government. I thought that the main reasons we have corrupt politicians and poor leadership flowed from our historically low voter turnout as a modern industrialized country.

I believed the cause of our biased cable news channels like CNN and Fox was the fact that people don’t consider changing the channel. The lack of our strong discussion on issues was the result of widespread laziness toward all issues demanding more than a five-minute attention span.

I worked on a campaign specifically designed to draw out non-traditional voters: students. I even spent a lot of time and money on it.

And I have constantly lamented to my friends who don’t vote: “If you didn’t vote, then you have no right to complain. So go kick yourself in the butt, because it was your fault this doofus won office.”

But today, I stand corrected: Large numbers of voters can go and do things like elect Arnold.

Now don’t get me wrong: Gray Davis was about as capable of managing the State of California as I am qualified to represent the people of Guatemala at the United Nations.

But Arnold? California demands more than a former-bodybuilder-turned-actor who happened to have economic means and political opportunity.

California has a larger economy than those of France, Italy, China, Brazil and Canada with its $1.4 trillion gross state product. It is the nation’s leading agricultural producer, producing almost one-fifth of all dairy products. The state is adding about 550,000 persons annually — more than the entire population of states like Wyoming.

On top of its general economic significance to the country and the world, California is in a terrible state of affairs. After all, there is a reason for recalling Davis beyond the fact that a millionaire paid a few bucks per signature to get the question on the ballot. Well, maybe that’s debatable. But the point lies in the fact that Gray Davis was incompetent. He admitted shortly after taking office in his second term that the state faced a $38 billion budget deficit.

Now I can sympathize with the argument all you neo-conservatives are about to throw at me: But Arnold isn’t beholden to the special interests — certainly he will be able to solve the fiscal mess without the political problems the average politician inherently possesses.

If you think the main qualification for holding one of the most important offices in the country is simply independence from campaign contributors, I have news for you. Successfully managing a state as critical as California requires some tact and knowledge of the issues. No amount of witty one-liners will prove to me that Arnold has either of these. It will take real performance in the political arena, not Hollywood.

Then again, Arnold has a few things going for him: A scapegoat, a lot of money and a citizenry dumb enough to elect someone with no qualifications. Does anyone outside of California think this will be enough to rescue the state from its troubles? I can only hope not.

Now I know why our forbears had some apprehension about placing too much power in the hands of the average citizen: They can elect Arnold.

Paul Temple ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in philosophy and political science.