Schwarzenegger, Paterson find unlikely alliance in fiscal, climate change crises

Schwarzenegger, Paterson find friendship in crisis

ALBANY, N.Y. — One is the courtly governor of the Empire State, the other the flashy star of the Golden State.

But a fiscal crisis hammering New York and California, the shared priority for a future of clean, renewable fuel sources, and a couple twists of fate have quietly brought together New York’s David Paterson and California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Paterson: a slight, studious Democrat who quotes classic poetry from memory. Schwarzenegger: a Republican who once ruled the bodybuilding world and the ultimate showman, armed with a cache of jokes and “Terminator” catchphrases.

Both governors acknowledge an alliance that would appear unlikely to the outsider but that makes sense to them.

“Maybe we’re sort of bicoastal twins,” Paterson told The Associated Press this week. “We have the same kind of problem, we have different sorts of origins. … We’re in different parties, but there’s certainly a connection.”

The friendship began with what could have been seen as a snub. In February, at the National Governors Association conference, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine asked Paterson — with just a half-hour’s notice — to sub for him in a global warming presentation to be led by Schwarzenegger.

Paterson just had to sit there as the designated Democrat, maybe throw in a comment or two.

An hour passed, then two. Schwarzenegger was nowhere to be seen.

“Then they turned to me,” Paterson said.

So he did something actors like Schwarzenegger know well: He improvised.

Paterson recalled sweating the spotlight and having to rely heavily on Governors Association staff for information that was supposed to have been presented by Schwarzenegger.

“Everyone was whispering, and I’m really getting annoyed because it’s clear I have to get so much direction,” he said. “In fact, at one point I said to the other people at the seminar that I didn’t mind being the puppet, I just hated when they let the strings show.”

Schwarzenegger finally arrived and went straight to Paterson.

“He comes in and leans in and says something like, ‘I’m sorry,’” Paterson said in his best Schwarzenegger impression. “He had a great excuse, but that wasn’t helping me any.”

The apology led to dinner the next night with Paterson’s wife, Michelle, and Schwarzenegger’s, Maria Shriver — along with a bit of drama.

Paterson left the table to take a phone call. His 80-year-old aunt had fallen ill while visiting family in Toronto. Paterson’s cousin wasn’t sure if the local hospital was prepared for the complications and wondered whether the family should risk rushing her to a Buffalo hospital, almost two hours away.

Schwarzenegger told Paterson that the Toronto mayor, David Miller, was just a couple of tables away, and Schwarzenegger got him. The mayor phoned the hospital, learned how it was prepared for the situation and briefed Paterson, who directed his aunt to Buffalo, where gall bladder care was a specialty. Paterson’s aunt was soon en route to the care that helped save her.

“Gov. Schwarzenegger enjoys a productive relationship with Gov. Paterson as they both pursue similar goals on climate change,” said Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger’s spokesman. “He was honored to have Gov. Paterson participate in the Governors’ Global Climate Summit and looks forward to working together to protect the environment while creating jobs.”

For that appearance two weeks ago, Schwarzenegger called Paterson directly to get a critical big state to attend his global warming summit. Paterson had earlier declined the event as he wrestled with a newly predicted state deficit of at least $2.1 billion. In opening remarks, Schwarzenegger singled Paterson out among a half-dozen governors at the second annual summit.

The champion bodybuilder from Austria and New York’s first black governor were both fed skepticism that they could ever lead a state. Now, as they try to do the job, they are mired in their lowest approval rating poll numbers — Paterson at 20 percent, Schwarzenegger at 27 percent.

In all, this month’s 36-hour trip to California led to a sharing of information and strategy about heading off deepening deficits and a commitment for a follow-up trip by New York Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch to Sacramento.

It also led to a bit of political advice from Schwarzenegger, famous for speaking or inspiring Hollywood one-liners, to Paterson, who admits he’s had some trouble getting his message through to critics: “He said you have to keep pounding away until people get it.”

“He said it would be worth it, and it was,” Paterson said, then added: “I was pumped up.”

Associated Press writers Tom Verdin and Juliet Williams in Sacramento contributed to this report.