There are many reasons why, I believe, my man Ahnuld will cruise to reelection for a full term as Governor of the Golden State this fall, not the least of which is the caliber of his opponent. While Schwarzenegger’s poll numbers have remained constant in the mid-40s, those of Phil Angelides, his Democratic opponent have tumbled into the 30s even after he got the bounce from winning the Democratic nomination and launched a barrage of TV ads.

While the governor’s ads have largely been positive, focusing on his accomplishments since Gray Davis was recalled (and he elected) and reminding voters how Angelides’ high-tax policies would take us back to the days of that hapless predecessor.

Today, while working out at the gym, I saw California Democrats’ latest ad against the state’s Republican Governor. Using footage from a campaign appearance Schwazenegger made in 2004 on behalf of the president, the ad attempts to link him to a man not particularly popular in the Golden State.

I don’t think this ad will help much. Indeed, it shows that some Democrats are so obsessed with Bush-hatred that they assume that all those who don’t approve of the president’s performance in office hate him as much as they do. To be sure, the ad will remind those who really hate Bush that our governor backed him in ’04, but nearly all of those people are already planning to vote against the incumbent with that pesky little R after his name.

Most people who disapprove of the president’s performance in office aren’t as obsessed with him as his full-time adversaries (including many Democratic party officials and campaign consultants) would have us believe. They may disapprove of his performance, but they don’t base their every political decision on that disapproval.

Most undecided California voters (even those who don’t like the president) aren’t likely to base their gubernatorial vote upon which candidate supports or opposes the President of the United States. Instead, they want to see which candidate can best serve the Golden State.

And if the latest polls are any indication, fewer and fewer people have any confidence that Angelides is that man; he’s running well behind the percentage of registered Democrats in the state. Attacking Governor Schwarzenegger for supporting Bush isn’t going to reassure Californians that he can do a better job than that good man has done.

-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com