When Proposition 13, California’s landmark property tax limitation, was awaiting the judgment of voters in 1978, then-Gov. Jerry Brown denounced it as “consumer fraud” and added, “It’s a rip-off, it’s a legal morass and it’s a long-term tax increase.”

As soon as the measure won overwhelming voter support, however, Brown — seeking a second term as governor — did a 180-degree flip, declared himself to be a “born-again tax cutter,” and pushed a state tax cut through the Legislature.

It was the most obvious, but by no means only, example of the young governor’s penchant for abrupt changes of position, or as his critics put it, finger-in-the-wind politics.

The three men who followed Brown into the governor’s office in Sacramento were a fairly consistent lot — sometimes stubbornly so — but the latest occupant, Arnold Schwarzenegger, may be outdoing Brown on political pirouettes.

Schwarzenegger’s action movie characters were models of resolute purpose, and that image stood him in good stead when he ran for governor in 2003. Schwarzenegger sold himself to voters as an outsider who would solve problems regardless of the political consequences. He talked about ending “crazy deficit spending” and “blowing up the boxes” and reforming the political system.

Four years later, however, he has morphed into Son of Brown, who says one thing one day, says something else a day later and doesn’t even bother to explain why he changed. One example: Very early in his governorship he proposed a state spending limit to close deficits, but when Democratic legislators balked, he accepted their much-weaker alternative, then peddled it to voters as a strong measure that would “cut up the credit cards.” Now, however, having presided over tens of billions of dollars in additional deficits, he says the 2004 measure was a failure.

Schwarzenegger’s credibility took a big hit in 2005, when he reneged on a promise to educators about restoring school spending that they had agreed to cut to narrow budget deficits. When he offered a package of “year of reform” ballot measures, the California Teachers Association took its revenge with television ads about his broken promises and voters buried his measures.

Ever since, Schwarzenegger has been a conventional, deal-making, hot-air-spouting politician.

 The most recent flip-flop came this week, when Schwarzenegger declared his support for Proposition 93, a measure to modify legislative term limits, after often declaring that he supported the current limits and would entertain a change only if legislative leaders agreed to reform legislative redistricting as well.

 Legislators said they’d do it, but they reneged after placing the term limit measure on the Feb. 5 ballot and by rights, Schwarzenegger should have either opposed it or remained neutral, but this week he endorsed it, saying that the current limits go “too far” and that the state would be better served by allowing legislators to remain in their seats longer.

The reasons, whatever they are, notwithstanding, Schwarzenegger’s reversal on term limits undercuts his already shaky credibility even more. Why should we believe anything he says any more, especially on taxes and the budget, since he evidently places so little value on his own words?

(Walters writes for the Sacramento Bee.)