Schwarzenegger Ponders Politics

By Caitlin O'toole

Wednesday May 27, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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Arnold Schwarzenegger has a bone to pick with Democratic Calif. Gov. Gray Davis-- in fact, the Terminator's threatening to run for office if Davis can't solve the state's electricity crisis, reports Reuters. In a recent column in the Los Angeles Times, political columnist George Skelton wrote about Davis's reelection prospects following criticism of his leadership in the state's energy crisis. Schwarzenegger, 53, a Republican, got so irate that he called Skelton from the set of his latest movie. He told Skelton that more decisive leadership was needed in California. "It comes down to leadership. You have to take risks and be able to just say, 'I've taken my best shot.' And that is what is lacking," Schwarzenegger said. "It's upsetting to everyone right now . . . People are taking their companies out of state because they're worried (about electricity) . . . You cannot make great decisions if you're just worried about your reelection." The mega-star added that if Davis couldn't turn things around he could see himself following in the footsteps of former President Ronald Reagan, who left a film acting career for politics when he was elected Governor of California in 1966. Unlike Reagan, though, Austrian-born Schwarzenegger could never become president because the post is open only to American-born citizens. "I saw in the last 10 years that I'm getting much more pleasure out of (helping people) than making money and making movies. And it's increasing my desire to do that. It can lead -- and will lead, probably -- to some political office. I haven't really said this is the time. But, you know, the bottom line is if Davis goes on the way he is -- then eventually there will be a vacuum in a year and I could. . . I've thought about it many times because I love politics," Schwarzenegger said. "I get such great satisfaction out of helping people. I just leave it open. If he (Davis) doesn't keep his promises on all those issues -- energy, environment, schools, health care -- then you've got to say, OK, there's room for someone else." Politics, of course, runs in the family, even if it is on the other side of the political fence: Schwarzenegger's wife, TV journalist Maria Shriver, is the late President John F. Kennedy's niece.