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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has always been defined in terms that play on his former career as a movie star. He was the almighty Governator, sent to terminate his girly-men political opponents. He was Conan, swinging his sword at any who would stand in his way. That’s all fine and good, but after yesterday’s State of the State speech, he seems to fit most comfortably with his role in 1996’s Eraser, as the U.S. Marshal who gave people a new chance in life by providing them with a new identity. As the movie’s slogan said, “He will erase your past to protect your future”.

After the disastrous fallout from the recent California special election, Schwarzenegger certainly had to erase his past to protect his political future. So he gave himself a new identity of sorts—he became a Democrat, at least if you go by the traditional, stereotypical view of what a Democrat is. He called for a massive $222 billion plan to repair and expand California’s roads, hospitals, schools, prisons, water systems and courthouses, to be paid by issuing bonds—the same kind of financial planning that Republicans once panned Gray Davis (the guy who Arnold bounced out of office) for. On top of this breathless laundry-list of programs, Schwarzenegger also proposed raising the minimum wage, saying that it was a priority he wanted to sign into law as soon as possible.

It was surreal, and not just for those of us listening to the speech on the radio or watching it on television. The official Democratic response seemed to be cautious but positive, along the lines of “if he’s not pulling our chain, he seems to be proposing a lot of the same things we are, so we’ll work with him.” Some Dems even questioned Schwarzenegger from a position to his right:

But even though he is politically wounded, the governor clearly demonstrated he can still grab the spotlight and shake up the Capitol. Democrats found themselves complaining that the Republican governor was proposing to spend too much money on the infrastructure plan.

“You can’t get too giddy and wild-eyed on excessive projects that will kill other worthy projects,” said state Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco. “We don’t want to have some supermarket sweep where we pay for every pork project.”

California’s political landscape has always had its share of weirdness, but this is moving onto another level entirely. With Arnold’s approval numbers in the toilet and his image in tatters, it was obvious he needed to make a drastic change; the speech (which had the past two Democratic governors, Davis and Jerry Brown in the audience) was his attempt to return to the optimistic and independent image he once campaigned on. He admitted many of his mistakes in pushing for the special election. He was humble and optimistic and called for unity. No swipes were taken at Democrats, nurses, the teachers’ union or any of the other groups he had previously antagonized.

“I have absorbed my defeat,” he said. “I have learned my lesson. And the people, who always have the last word, sent a clear message — cut the warfare, cool the rhetoric, find common ground, and fix the problems together. To my fellow Californians, I say: Message received.”

But will today’s humility and calls for compromise still hold true months from now? Remember, Schwarzenegger’s history is one of trying to bulldoze over his political opponents while seeming to spend more effort on fundraising (or appearing in photo ops) than governing. He’s stayed in the safety of events packed with supporters while belittling those who disagreed with him. He burned a lot of bridges that he must now try to cross, and it won’t be easy. Furthermore, his drastic swing to the left runs the risk of alienating his core Republican supporters, who can’t be happy with his large spending proposals and numerous moves away from the right on social issues. And amid all the reinvention and repositioning, both sides must surely be wondering where Arnold’s principles really are.

In the original Terminator flick, Schwarzenegger was the villain, a relentless killing machine that would go through anyone and anything to achieve his objective. In Terminator II, Schwarzenegger’s was written as the hero, a humanized cyborg that the audience could cheer for. There are certainly some interesting parallels between the movie themes and Arnold’s current political situation, but it’s unlikely that such a drastic transformation can be pulled off in real life. It will certainly be interesting to watch, however.

Pass the popcorn.