It wasn't exactly Ronald Reagan's "There he goes again," or even Reagan's "I paid for this microphone, Mr. Green." Nevertheless, it was a debate-stopping moment. In just 22 words, Arnold turned the debate to his advantage. Of registered voters, 23 percent would label Arnold the night's winner; Arianna won according to only 4 percent. Even more importantly, Arnold's poll numbers would jump drastically; the debate catapulted Arnold into a 15 percent lead over Democratic candidate Cruz Bustamante.
Why would such a seemingly inane comment help Arnold so much? Because the California recall is a referendum on truth. Californians want to toss Davis because he is an inveterate liar. They want a candidate who can cut through the cow pies. With one brilliant stroke, Arnold Schwarzenegger became that candidate.
Arianna's remark about Arnold's treatment of women was clearly hypocritical. Here was Arianna, acting without a shred of dignity: ripping the Bush administration non-stop, interrupting other candidates, selling her book, patronizing the other politicians on the platform, playing the California public for fools. Then, she asked Arnold to treat her like a lady.
So when Arnold, instead of apologizing, struck back, voters found their man. Schwarzenegger would not be taken in by Arianna's double standard. Arnold's message: If you want to be treated like a lady, act like a lady.
My mother, an executive at a film and television production company, often says that to be treated with dignity, a woman must act with dignity. As usual, she's right. Arianna Huffington should not expect Arnold to sit by while she rambles endlessly, simply because she is a woman.
With Arianna dropping out of the recall race, this election will be a lot less interesting and a lot more dignified. Arianna provided amusement, as well as a big target for Arnold. At least in that way, she's been invaluable. Here's hoping she runs against Bush in 2004.