ITHACA, N.Y. -- So far Arnold Schwarzenegger has approached the Oct. 7 gubernatorial recall election in California by avoiding issues and scattering one-line sound bites, an ability he made famous through his tough-guy acting roles. This strategy should win him the election, says a Cornell University polling analyst.

"Schwarzenegger needs to be as vague as possible," says Dietram Scheufele, Cornell assistant professor of communication, who teaches a course on polling techniques. He has examined recent polls and concludes the California election is not about issues but about images.

"Do voters care more for images or issues? Usually voters care more about issues especially if the mass media educates people about the issues," but media have not done that so far, says Scheufele. "This election is about priming, which is a process that kicks in because voters do not have well-thought-out opinions about most candidates," he says. Priming occurs when extensive media coverage leads voters to attach more importance to one issue over another in deciding their vote.

Scheufele explains that media coverage is used by voters as "mental shortcuts." He says, "In the mind of the average voter, a candidate's image is subconsciously influenced by how much the mass media emphasize certain issues. What happens is that people change their opinions and their evaluations of a candidate depending on which issues they think are the most important ones right now. And right now that's the economy."

But the focus on the economy hurts Gov. Gray Davis, who has a negative image among voters regarding state finances. Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger is carefully constructing his image as a businessman who is rich enough to ignore the Sacramento lobbyists and skilled enough to steer California out of its economic plight. Schwarzenegger will have the help of financier Warren Buffett and the conservative financial elite in California. Schwarzenegger also is getting help from the mass media, who play into his strategy with their image-centered coverage, says Scheufele.

The communications analyst predicts that issues will fail to emerge in the California election. "I think Schwarzenegger has no intention of being any more specific on the issues. Any clear stance would threaten his broad appeal and potentially alienate voters," he says. "People don't have clearly formed opinions, which is a perfect atmosphere for priming, and as a result this election is very fluid."

No other entertainer has used the media this well to his advantage since President Ronald Reagan, says Scheufele. "The comparison between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Reagan is not far-fetched. Both have perfected the art of delivering sound-bite one-liners that appeal to ordinary voters, both are taken more seriously by the voters than by pundits and commentators, and both are highly photogenic public figures who benefit from their tough-guy image."

Scheufele notes that in a recent Gallup Poll of likely voters in California, 69 percent said they would vote to recall Davis and 48 percent said there is a good or very good chance that they would cast a ballot for Schwarzenegger. "Unless the media start focusing on specific issue stances, little will change between now and then," he says.