Action hero's the silent type

Action hero's the silent type
Thrilled crowd doesn't seem to mind that Schwarzenegger avoids details

James Sterngold, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, August 23, 2003

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Huntington Beach, Orange County -- If chaos equaled political prowess, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger would have to be declared the overwhelming favorite in the recall race.

The actor-turned-candidate's 30-minute stroll on Main Street here Friday paralyzed the commercial heart of this seaside community with a rolling mob of gawkers, shirtless surf bums and well-wishers.

The recall campaign, of course, has barely opened, and polls suggest voters are split whether to oust Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in the unprecedented Oct. 7 election. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante have emerged as the early front-runners from the 135 would-be governors on the replacement ballot.

But Schwarzenegger's appearance here demonstrated his skill at political theatrics, if nothing else.

Little was left to chance, of course, in what was one of Schwarzenegger's first efforts to mix freely with the public in his gubernatorial campaign. Huntington Beach, an archetypal Southern California beach town, is solidly Republican and, mellowed by a salt-scented breeze and flip-flop casualness, not the sort of place people would be likely to demand details of the policies he has refused to spell out. They performed as expected.

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