No one is really talking about it. But there is a strange fascination that some Californians must have toward the prospect of electing an unqualified, untested weightlifter-turned-Hollywood action star to run the nation’s largest state. It is the feeling that draws one inexplicably toward the edge of Niagara Falls or the guardrail of an elevated bridge. As in, “what would happen if ... I relinquished my sensibility and did something for no other reason than to see what might happen?”

The alluring fascination that all humans have for the reckless unknown overcame the voters of Minnesota in 1998, when a plurality chose a professional wrestler to occupy the governor’s mansion. Sure, Jess Ventura supporters claimed it was a populist movement born of intense voter dissatisfaction with the traditional two-party system. But we all know better. A good many Minnesotans felt their vote simply didn’t matter. So rather than “waste” it by choosing between boring option “A” (Democrat Hubert Humphrey) and boring option “B” (Republican Norm Coleman), many voters felt tempted to satisfy their curiosities and really shake up their government. After all, some must have concluded, wouldn’t you almost pay to hear Jesse Ventura chastising state legislators in the same blustering, drill sergeant tone as he did during Saturday afternoon promos for the World Wrestling Federation? A fair number of young, male wrestling fans certainly thought it would be cool to try.

Out in California, CNN has assigned European business anchor Richard Quest ( who is neither a sociologist nor a behavioral psychologist) to cover the political carnival that the entire world is watching in the final days of the recall election. Quest has likened voter fascination toward Arnold Schwarzenegger to the feeling one gets while standing next to an elevator and seeing a “big red button” protruding from the wall. If not for other people watching you, Quest asked fellow CNN reporters during a recent roundtable, wouldn’t it be tempting to press the big red button, just to see what might happen? Quest believes that some Californians might succumb to their mischievous temptations while shielded in the privacy and anonymity of the voting booth. He thinks that some Californians might vote for Schwarzenegger just to see what might happen.

Indeed, what would happen if Californians picked Arnold as their next governor?

The short answer is probably nothing. Thanks to mandatory spending for pre-selected programs, a general recognition of the potential harm in cutting education or basic social services, plus a hesitancy by any Republican to raise taxes or even shift a greater percentage of the tax burden toward the wealthy, there is not much chance that a Governor Schwarzenegger would do anything to significantly dent California’s $38 billion budget deficit. On the other hand, many agree that the state’s economy is still structurally sound and it is possible that California could steadily grow its way back to a balanced budget and a healthy economy.

In other words, while a Governor Schwarzenegger may do little to harm California, he would almost certainly doing nothing significant to help. Schwarzenegger shows no sign of being the bold leader that the state needs if it is going to turn its fortunes around sooner rather than later.

If Californians send Schwarzenegger to Sacramento, they won’t have a “Terminator” for governor any more than the people of Minnesota had Jesse “The Body” Ventura bouncing off ring ropes or showing up to meetings wearing wrestling tights. Frankly it wouldn’t even be all that interesting. Just a wasted opportunity for a state that (as a much better Hollywood actor, Michael Douglas, said in American President) “has serious problems to solve, and needs serious people to solve them.”

It seems to us that on October 7, 2003, there must be other, more productive ways for Californians to satisfy their curiosities. We recommend voting against the recall and in support of the steady (if slightly less curious) Governor Gray Davis. On the second part of the ballot we urge Californians to vote for Democrat Cruz Bustamante.