Kevin Drum comments on Arnold’s motivation for calling a special election in California:

[W]e’re having an election next June anyway, and it’s unlikely that any of Schwarzenegger’s initiatives will have even a slight effect in the intervening seven months. Why not wait and save the $50 million or so the special election will cost?

Personal ego, of course, which seems to be Arnold’s speciality. I guess he’s a true Californian after all.

Schwarzenegger’s ego aside, there’s a better way to think about why he isn’t waiting for a regular election to put his initiatives on the ballot. Like every politician, Arnold is strategic. Why take heat for spending $50 million on a special election? Because he thinks it will help him achieve his goals. Here are two possible reasons:
(1) He’s already won an initiative campaign and believes the quasi-plebiscitary model plays to his strengths as a populist fighting the “special interests.”
(2) Special elections have low turnout, which means that winning is a matter of motivating your supporters to turn out, which could work to his advantage if he can fire up the base.

I have to say that think Schwarzenegger is going to go down in flames. California Democrats are up in arms and looking to channel their anti-Bush rage. He’s going to be the fall guy.