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Arkansas

Mike Huckabee, Republican

Legislature: Democratic

Final-Term Grade: F

Final Overall Grade: D

and approved, including an expansion in

Thanks to a final term grade of F, Huckabee

Medicare eligibility that Huckabee made a cen-

earns an overall grade of D for his entire gover-

terpiece of his 1997 agenda. He agreed to a 3

norship. Like many Republicans, his grades

percent income tax "surcharge" and a 25-cent

dropped the longer he stayed in office. In his

cigarette tax increase. In response to a court

first few years, he fought hard for a sweeping

order to increase spending on education,

$70 million tax cut package that was the first

Huckabee proposed another sales tax increase.

broad-based tax cut in the state in more than 20

Huckabee wants to run for the GOP presiden-

years. He even signed a bill to cut the state's 6

tial nomination next year. He's already been

percent capital gains tax--a significant pro-

hailed as a viable big-government conservative

growth accomplishment. But nine days after

candidate by some. That seems about right:

being reelected in 2002, he proposed a sales tax

Huckabee's leadership has left taxpayers in

increase to cover a budget deficit caused partly

Arkansas much worse off.

by large spending increases that he proposed

California

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican

Legislature: Democratic

First-Term Grade: D

the Democrats in the state legislature to hike the

The plot of the second reel of the current

budget by 10 percent. He also conspired with

Arnold Schwarzenegger film has taken a turn for

them to put on the ballot a massive $37 billion

the worst. In the first reel, Schwarzenegger played

bond to pay for infrastructure projects, many of

an aggressive budget cutter who slashed spend-

which have been rightly criticized as pork.

ing by around $6 billion over two years and

Meanwhile, the recommendations produced by

reversed Gray Davis's car tax hike. Part of his bud-

his first-year budget task force, which could pro-

get fix, however--a $15 billion bond to cover year-

duce $32 billion in budget savings, collect dust

to-year expenses--looks in retrospect like a har-

like a forgotten screenplay on a shelf somewhere.

binger of things to come. Lately, while he's held

Schwarzenegger is no longer the small-govern-

the line against tax increases, he's also been eager

ment crusader he claimed he was when he audi-

to expand government massively. Over the past

tioned for the role of governor. He has instead

two years, Schwarzenegger proposed budgets

become a borrow-and-spend version of the big-

that boosted spending several times faster than

spending governor he unseated in 2003.

population growth. This year he cut a deal with

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