Schwarzenegger fathered a child with longtime member of household staff

[itsrobert]

Source: LA Times

His wife, Maria Shriver, moved out of their Brentwood mansion earlier this year after the former governor acknowledged the child was his. The staff member worked for the family for 20 years, retiring in January.

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, separated after she learned he had fathered a child more than a decade ago — before his first run for office — with a longtime member of their household staff.

Shriver moved out of the family's Brentwood mansion earlier this year, after Schwarzenegger acknowledged the paternity. The staff member worked for the family for 20 years, retiring in January.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/la-me-0517-arnold-20110517,0,4552508.story

[Tripod]

1. I hope that is not true Pot, and gays marriage, okay.

The Terminator having other then Kennedy's children,,,,, wrong!

[TheWraith]

8. Um... what the fuck?

Okay, I may have had too much wine tonight, but that's supposed to fuck up MY grammar, not other people's.

[OneGrassRoot]

13. ...

:spray:

[UnrepentantLiberal]

34. Yeah, but when you mix the pot with the wine those commas are like

moving targets at a shooting range.

[No Elephants]

208. And everyone knows commas are gateway punctuation. Next, it'll be apostrophes and even exclamation

points!!!111111!!!!!

[Tripod]

239. ,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!

Who knew?

[wysingm]

94. former staffer said ...

Monday before Schwarzenegger issued his statement, the former staffer said another man — her then-husband — was the child's father.

She said she voluntarily left her position with the couple earlier this year after reaching a longstanding goal of working for them for two decades. "I wanted to achieve my 20 years, then I asked to retire," she said, adding she received a severance payment and "left on good terms with them."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0517-arnold-20110517,0,1994592.story

[Raschel]

67. Is the maid Hispanic or Black? Did he sire an "anchor baby"? Freepers heads will explode!

:rofl:

[roguevalley]

70. he's such a vulgar pig. nazi ss fathers might do that to you. what

a total pig.

[Raschel]

81. Another pig who leaves destruction all around. Did the child know Arnie was his dad? Think how

betrayed his children feel if it's true that Maria didn't know.

Thanks dad.

[Maine-ah]

167. he has at least supported the child financially

the whole time. Yeah, he fucked up his marriage, yeah, this is going to fuck with his kids, but....he at least was doing the right thing by the child he fathered.

[Raschel]

182. There was something in it for him. I'm sure she signed a confidentiality agreement for the cash.

At any rate, that doesn't help any of the children emotionally, especially not the one that probably didn't know that Arnold is his dad.

[No Elephants]

190. Maybe less support than if the mom took a multi-millionaire to court? Certainly less scandal.

[rocktivity]

242. BFD

the alternative was being publicly exposed -- especially while serving as governor. Hardly grounds for conferring nobility.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[No Elephants]

188. Shriver.

[LibDemAlways]

2. Apparently that was one too many indiscretions for

Maria to cope with. She isn't stupid. She probably suspected. However, as the article implies, it wasn't until the death of both of her parents and the end of his stint as governor that she finally decided to act. Wish her well. Him, not so much.

[LisaL]

3. He had that child even before he run for governor.

[harmonicon]

9. She isn't stupid? nt.

[LibDemAlways]

104. No, I don't think so. Just one of many spouses who put up with

only so much shit before they reach their limit.

[No Elephants]

191. She CAMPAIGNED for him. She specifically vouched for him when he was accused, during the campaign,

of groping women he'd worked with.

She could have remained silent or done something that would have hurt his campaign even worse than her silence would have. Her affirmatively vouching for him made a difference with many voters.

If she knew better, she really did the people of California a disservice.

Well, she did that anyway, just by supporting his candidacy. The issue is, did she know she was deceiving voters, or likely deceiving them?

[LibDemAlways]

237. I don't know. For whatever reason she decided to stand by her

man - as other political wives have done before her.

I don't think it was a wise move, but it was a wife protecting her spouse. She wasn't the first and she won't be the last.

[Drunken Irishman]

4. What a douchebag.

[Cleita]

5. The guy is a vulgar, egoist who is also a creep.

[Raschel]

63. He's always been a lecherous creep. Remember his history, and his bigotted statements.

Dreamy-eyed repubs didn't want to admit it though. They like little fantasies like the big movie star and a Kennedy, Sarah Palin etc.

They're such romantics.

[left on green only]

165. Excuse me. And why is this all coming out now after 10 years?

Doesn't it seem a little strange to anyone else, besides myself? And why is Arnie now all of a sudden in public touting the prowess of his big schwartz? I mean, if she had been working there for ten years before she had the kid, just think of how many times he must have done her before she became pregnant? And no one ever knew? Not even the gardener? Am I supposed to believe the housekeepers' ex never even suspected something might be amiss when he noticed that the kid she presented him with didn't even look like him? And then the ex the made child support payments in silence for all of those years to support Arnie's kid? That gives whole new meaning to the repuke concept of less government in the lives of private citizens. It also gives new meaning to the term 'cover up'. And while were on the subject, how was it possible that Maria never noticed at the staff, family, Xmas parties each year, that *one* of the children of her housekeeper had certain features that reminded her of her own children? So, why is this all coming out now after 10 years? Especially when its' having been in the publics' eye back when it all first happened would have saved us from having a right wing scum bag for a governor for 1 1/2 terms. And excuse me for bring this up, but I feel very much like I have been raped in an unkind way by Arnie and his big, right winged schwartz.

[Raschel]

183. You bring up some great points. For instance, the husband, he must have known about the extra cash

flowing in. Did Arnold make him and the woman sign a confidentiality agreement in exchange for the cash?

If she worked there for twenty years it would be hard to believe he decided after ten years to have sex with her and then produce a child right away.

Maybe they lost interest in their marriage after a couple of years? I'm sure there are a lot of married people in Beverly Hills etc, who have their boy toys and girl toys and are quite happy with the arrangement.

Who knows? Only Arnie, Maria and the maid I guess. Everything else is just speculation.

BUT, then someone was getting ready to spill the beans on Arnold to make him go public, because if Maria was cool with it, there'd be no reason to.

[aquart]

6. The mistress was IN the house with the wife for TEN YEARS?

They saw each other every day for TEN YEARS?

And Maria let him live? Oh, why?

[LisaL]

7. Actually the household staff member worked there for 20 years.

I presume Maria did not know. I mean, there is "looking the other way" but letting the woman to work as household staff after the husband got her preggo? That just seem like way too much.

[aquart]

139. Ten years with Arnold's kid.

Those are the years most of us would count.

[BlueMTexpat]

17. According to the story, he didn't tell Maria until after he left

the Governor's mansion. And the staff member maintained that her then-husband was the child's father.

[Blasphemer]

72. The man is scum

Generally, I think personal business can be kept out of the political arena unless the politician is using his or her personal life as a part of their platform or are guilty of complete hypocrisy but in this case, this should have derailed his political aspirations completely. I can't believe no one in the media knew - c'mon, they had to know. Unbeknown to his wife and kids, the mistress and her child were IN THE HOUSE with his wife and kids. Sorry, that is a level of treachery that makes one unfit for public service. He screwed over the state of California in much the same way.

[PatSeg]

92. I lived in California at the time

and people were aware of his reputation. Though this particular relationship wasn't made public, there were many other stories that were. It was no secret what kind of a scumbag he was, and people still voted for him. An uninformed, impressionable public put Conan in office. It was a bizarre moment.

[LibDemAlways]

98. People thought they were voting for the Terminator. They

couldn't separate the actor from the roles he played. And the press built him up to God-like status. The whole episode was an embarrassment.

[PatSeg]

119. Its funny, I can't recall talking to

anyone who voted for him. The general opinion I got was that "the whole episode was an embarrassment". I remember talking to a customer and we both agreed that California must be the laughing stock of the nation, if not the world. The movie "Idiocracy" was not so farfetched and that really scares me.

[LibDemAlways]

123. There are plenty of star-struck Californians. I remember rallies

where crowds were hooting and hollering when he talked about taking care of the "girly men" in Sacramento. California demonstrated a lack of sophistication that election-cycle that was mind-boggling.

[PatSeg]

127. I lived in Sacramento at the time

and I didn't see the "star-struck" people except on TV. Its still a surreal moment to me. If he hadn't been born in Austria, he'd be running for president right now.

[LibDemAlways]

128. I remember star-stuck people in line on election day. Two women in

front of me at my Southern Cal. polling place were giddy at the thought of having a movie star governor. Sad, but true.

[PatSeg]

132. Oh what a horrible memory

to have to carry around with you. I have a feeling those women wouldn't have bothered to vote if a movie star wasn't on the ballot. Maybe that's why the republicans picked him.

[still_one]

164. That is my memory also, though I admit I am biased /nt

[shanti]

147. well

i'm still not convinced there wasn't some election hanky panky that went on that voting cycle, brain dead voters or not. the stakes were too high (enron) and the repukes had some bodies to bury. it helps if the SOS is also a repuke!

[PatSeg]

152. Yeah, that really makes a lot of sense to me

though it is hard to imagine republicans resorting to "election hanky panky". :rofl:

[still_one]

122. I disagree, the media mostly ignored the bad publicity on him, and were intent on trashing Davis

They also ignored the manipulation by enron and other suppliers to screw us in California

It was pure manipulation

[LibDemAlways]

124. Yep, the media could have done him in simply by publishing the

photos of him smoking pot, proudly showing off his penis, or cavorting with a topless girl on his shoulders. If those photos had been of a guy with a D after his name, you can bet they'd have been widely circulated. Instead, the corporate whores force fed the voters the image of "The Terminator" who was going to take on the "girly men," and the public fell for it.

[left on green only]

175. I agree with your contention, however

I also have vivid memories of Maria's appearance on one of the late night talk shows, back when Arnie was just a talentless movie actor, wherein she made a comment to the effect that the size of Arnie's ...er...um....transcumbent member was nothing to get excited about. I figured that if anyone was qualified to make that comment, surely it would be her. From then on, I always took pleasure in making sarcastic comments to the opposite effect, while making pretentious mention of all of Arnie's qualifications as a super hero. And I always enjoyed taking note of just how many people seemed to really understand the pretentious nature of my reference. Somehow, your mention of the fact that he could be proud in showing it off, speaks more to the size of his huge ego than anything else.


As for the voting public having fallen for the image of Arnie, The Terminator, as fed to them by the corporate whores, I can only say that I have lived in CA for 52 years and my impression of most of the voting public there is that they are by no means the sharpest tools in the shed. The election of Ronnie Reagan for two terms as gubner showed us that, but with the election of Arnie Schwarz, the new image of the CA voter that was put forth was one of their having also become champions of personal greed.

[PatSeg]

131. I relied primarily on The Sacramento Bee

and a liberal radio station, and I don't recall reading or hearing anything very supportive of Arnold. Once I heard someone interview him on the radio and he was making a sexual joke about "Hummers". It wasn't funny and I was amazed that he thought it was appropriate for someone running for governor. As such, I was shocked when he won the election.

California is such a big and diverse state. I may have been living in a more sane, rational corner.

[shanti]

150. really?

i live in sacramento and recall that GAS had the undying support of the Bee. they worshipped him. btw, i was shocked when he won as well.

[PatSeg]

151. How funny

We really do see the world in our own individual ways. Maybe because I thought his candidacy was such a joke, I only heard and saw what confirmed that belief. It was so long ago now, I only have a few distinct memories of the time and one of them was that stupid "hummer" reference on the radio.

I remember that I was so annoyed by the whole recall process. Unless someone has committed a serious breach of confidence or a crime, you live with them until the next election. I thought people were acting like spoiled children who thought they could just change their minds when things didn't go their way. Though I wasn't terribly impressed with Davis, I couldn't see that he'd done anything to warrant a recall.

We live in such strange times.

[still_one]

163. Not so much supportive, but not very critical either. It was treated as a "celebrity" event. Even

a joke from my impressions, and the state budget sure didn't get better under him

[PatSeg]

169. Being he didn't have a political history,

it might have been hard to criticize him about anything other than his personal conduct. They could have put some effort into it though.

Arnold alienated just about everyone right off the bat, so its not surprising that the budget didn't get better. I don't think he had any idea how government works. Calling legislators "girly men" and saying he "kicks nurses butts all the time" didn't exactly endear him to Californians.

[PavePusher]

129. Cough--Bill Clinton--cough.....

Just sayin'.....

[Blasphemer]

134. I'll put it this way: GHWB >>>>> Clinton >>>>>>> Schwarzenegger

I know that 90% of men in politics cheat so it all boils down to how they go about it. GHWB was at least discreet and it appears that Barbara was fully aware and looked the other way. Clinton made a very indiscreet choice and then lied to Hillary about it so much so that she was on TV defending him. That was simply humiliating. Schwarzenegger has taken things to a new low what with keeping the mistress in the same house while keeping his wife in the dark.

[PavePusher]

136. I don't think there are any such things as "new lows" on this subject. n/t

[BlueMTexpat]

206. GHWB also made sure that his lady love got a well-paid government job,

which was, IMO, worse than the adultery.

[calimary]

141. Uh-huh. Which marriage did he break up? What illegitimate child did he sire?

Huh? Sorry, I can't hear you "just sayin'..."

Say what you will about Clinton's dick. He didn't use it to leave a couple of destroyed families behind.

[PavePusher]

149. Uh, you think the Clinton "family" is normal/intact?

Wow.

[U4ikLefty]

153. How are they not?

[calimary]

176. Yeah, I think his marriage is probably more solid than john ensign's. Or which-number-wife it is

that newt gingrich is on now. I think his daughter was brought up better and was more respectable a LOT sooner as a human being than Drunk and Disorderly were in the dubya household, especially with all the abuse and physical insults heaped upon her when she was a teenager! Bill and Hillary are still together and still accomplishing things and making a difference in the world. Perhaps someday that won't be true, because there are certainly enough observers totally shocked over the Shriver/Schwarzenegger mess. Too many people assumed THAT was an almost-too-good-to-be-true love story. But til that day comes, for Clinton, I'll put the Slick Willie thing up against Mr. 9/11 "America's Mayor" or Mr. Stroll Down the Ol' Appalachian Trail's personal situations - ANY day.

[No Elephants]

193. Where did Calimary claim the Clintons were a normal or intact family?

She said only that Ahnuld was worse than Bubba. That's undeniably correct.

[JoeyT]

166. And at least the woman Clinton waved it at

were consenting. Only some of Arnold's were.

[calimary]

171. And they were consenting adults. Yes he fucked up and I'm not excusing that.

But look at all the loudest and brashest and most pompous and prancing of his critics. How they brayed and bleated and honked about holiness and the "sanctity of marriage" and blah-blah-blah - and it didn't mean SQUAT. henry hyde. newt gingrich. robert livingstone. john ensign. dan burton - had the nerve to call President Clinton, publicly, a "scumbag." Took one to know one in his case! It's one thing when assholes like that point the finger and pound their chests and parade to church for all to see, and make all kinds of high-minded, sanctimonious accusations while holding themselves up as some sorts of paragons of virtuous husbands. When that was the last thing on earth they ever could hope to be. And EACH of them left a trail of ruined marriages, besides their own, plus in dan burton's case, a baby by his own backstage girl.

I love the false equivalency reigning here! Again some of us seem to love equating a brick with a grain of aquarium gravel. :eyes:

[JoeyT]

177. I agree completely.

Even if we set aside broken marriages and every other difference, Clinton < Arnold because everyone Clinton messed around with was consenting adults. Arnold was perfectly happy to harass women that didn't consent. Huge difference.

[No Elephants]

194. The child didn't consent. We know that for certain.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

184. A gungeon dweller crawls out of the dungeon to bring up the Clenis. What a surprise.

[No Elephants]

195. Insisting on equating Bubba with Ahnuld on this does raise questions about motivation.

Consenting adults v. sexual harassment

Unacknowledged child v. no unacknowledged child


Differences are not meaningless.

[freshwest]

160. But that was with an extra-terrestrial, you know...

:rofl:

[Malikshah]

168. cough cough--people who say "just sayin"--cough cough perpetuated

pathetic discourse.

Shit-stirring is not attractive.

[PavePusher]

180. My point was that the mirror of infidelity works 360 deg. in politics.

I don't think any political side has firm moral ground to stand on on this subject.

[No Elephants]

196. Everything is relative--no pun intended. This story is not about simple infidelity.

Neither was Ahnuld's groping. Neither is Ensign's story. Neither was Foley's cheating on his life partner with teen boys. Neither was Newt's visiting his wife in the hospital to ask for her signature on divorce papers so he could marry his latest mistress.

Your insisting on equating all infidelity is intellectually nsustainable. Overly legalistic, too, in ignoring all the human issue.

And, if that weren't enough, Republicans, not Democrats, hold themselves out as the guardians of religion, morality and family values in America. Ensign lived in the infamous C Street house of The Family cult, as did Coburn, who negotiated Ensign's illegal deal. Sanford, hiker in chief, is also a member of The Family. Newt now apparently aspires to be.

So, please, learn how to sort issues. Consent v. no consent. No child at all born out of wedlock v. child child born out of wedlock AND unacknowledged for ten years. Hypocrisy v. no hypocrisy. All these are important distinctions and important human issues.

I am not defending anyone's adultery, but jeez, there are differences and those differences matter.

[PavePusher]

223. The point is that the differences are not at all one-sided.

Must I raise the spectre of John Edwards?

Before castigating Repubs on this, we'd better clean our own house. And I don't think that can be done.

[PavePusher]

229. P.S. Please note that when I say "I don't think it can be done"...

I mean this strictly from a condition of human nature, not at all a political condition.

[No Elephants]

192. Not the DLC co-founder's biggest fan..but what child of his went unacknowledged by him for 10 years?

Adultery for which his wife still doesn't want to end their marriage versus turning his back on a child so he could run for office seem like apples and oranges to me.

[dixiegrrrrl]

82. Really....what an insult.

Not to mention there is no knowing how long the affair had been going on under her nose.

but then, the fact he is a pig cannot be a surprise to her.

[Gormy Cuss]

107. "Mistress" implies things about the relationship that are not in evidence in the article.

For one thing, the word "mistress" implies an ongoing relationship with a married man and pregnancy can result from even a one time event. For another, it implies that the relationship was without coercion. When you've got years of employment and want to keep your job when the boss starts making sexual advances the choices aren't exactly risk-free.

[KansDem]

114. I wonder the same thing.

Has there been any discussion (in the media or blogosphere) about the {im)propriety of an Employer planking a Member of His Staff?

There aren't many details...yet.

[JI7]

10. i bet you the media whores who propped this asshole up knew about it

at least some of them but they were so excited over the terminator being Governor. and now our state is a mess.

[joshcryer]

11. Nice angle, and I bet so, too. I seem to recall something like this popping up...

...but there are so many illegitimate kids out there with our politicians I am probably confusing it with someone else.

[Raschel]

64. Exactly! The media and stupid freeper-types.

[Blue_Tires]

87. I know it was a different time, but evidently quite a few people knew about

Strom Thurmond's 'secret' for decades and kept their mouths shut...That's still something I'll never get over...

[No Elephants]

197. His daughter was amazingly nice about it.

[calimary]

142. Yeah, Gray Davis was completely hung out to dry.

How'd that Terminator thing work out for ya, California? As a disgusted Californian who stayed loyal to Gray Davis, all I can say at this point is - hey, we told you so. AND we tried to warn the rest of you, too.

:banghead:

[fortyfeetunder]

189. +1

[Skittles]

12. repuke family values

*yawn*

[WatchWhatISay]

15. Between one man and one woman . . . .

Seems to mean less and less all the time.

[JAnthony]

35. +1000 n/t

[LuckyLib]

77. Amen to that!

[hedgehog]

133. one man and one woman.....at a time?

:shrug:

[No Elephants]

201. Doesn't apply to adultery. In this instance, both parents were married at the time of conception,

[jmowreader]

14. Bartcop is going to be far more entertaining tomorrow than usual...

[NBachers]

125. Check out the Borowitz Report- I don't think any humorist will do better than this

http://www.borowitzreport.com/

[calimary]

144. "I am the Sperminator"!!! ROFL!!!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I feel bad for the kids in this. But him? NOT A CHANCE! Hey, Ahnold! Enjoy this new bed you just made! The rest of us certainly will. It's just a shame that he's not the only one who'll hurt from this, and he probably won't feel most of the pain anyway. Does a guy who does something like this to his own wife and kids even HAVE feelings? Schmuck. You know, you always hope to be wrong about your suspicions when they come up around guys like him. I certainly did.

republi-CON "Family" "Values." HAH!!!! I think we should hang this around ALL republi-CONs' necks like a Scarlet Letter Sandwich Board.

What a colossal joke. I feel bad for Maria, too, frankly. Perhaps it was just finally too much for her to bear. Now she's been publicly disgraced and humiliated - and just because she fell in love with the guy (I'm assuming).

[Rex]

16. Well hell that makes him repuke running material!

Newt look out!!!

[BlueMTexpat]

18. Except that "natural born" citizen does not apply in Arnie's case.

He obtained his US citizenship through naturalization.

Otherwise, Newt really might have to look out. LOL

Without Maria, the Kennedy "star" power and all that goes along with it, der Gropenator might never have won in CA in the first place. He made efforts to keep Maria entirely out of the loop although, unlike many others in such a situation, he seems to have behaved well in supporting his child. It may only have been "hush" money, however.

[No Elephants]

199. Behaved well? If this woman had sued a multi-millionaire for child support, she would have done

very well financially AND ended his political aspirations, which then included (delusionally) getting a Constitutional amendment that would have allowed a foreign born person to become President.

I don't get why anyone is giving him credit for paying child support. It's not optional and the last thing he wanted was for this woman to make his paternity public.

[BlueMTexpat]

205. Believe me, I am not now, never have been and never will be an Arnie fan.

And yes, I did mention that I thought that his payments were likely "hush" money, so if I was "giving him credit," it was certainly in a backhand sort of way. I was hardly championing him.

[No Elephants]

213. Direct quote: "unlike many others in such a situation, he seems to have behaved well in supporting

his child." Yes, you did say it may have been for silence, but still, saying someone seems to have "behaved well" is giving credit. My reply was "I don't get why anyone is giving him credit for paying child support. I never said you were his champion. I have no idea what you are taking issuing with.

[BlueMTexpat]

227. And I am not sure why you are taking issue with what I have said.

It is true that "unlike many others" he did pay and that in itself is behaving well - or at least better than those who don't. And, believe me, there are plenty of those, politicos and otherwise, who don't even support their legitimate children. I know from firsthand experience so I am more than a bit sensitized here. Do you and are you?

But that is hardly giving him credit for doing what he should have done; it is a relative behavioral comparison and simply acknowledges a fact. Perhaps I didn't express myself well but your inference went too far.

His motives for paying are likely exactly what we both believe.

We are on the same side here. Please chill.

[Frank Cannon]

19. "While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not. " WTF?

No one's criticizing your family, asshole.

Stay classy, Arnold. :eyes:

[LiberalFighter]

117. For Arnold to stay classy, he had to be classy first. He has never been classy.

[MiaCulpa]

20. WTF?

"To protect their privacy, The Times is not publishing the former staffer's name nor that of her child. In an interview Monday before Schwarzenegger issued his statement, the former staffer said another man — her then-husband — was the child's father."


If this was a Dem, we'd have the names, date and place of the child's conception!

[rfranklin]

25. The Repubicans would be demanding DNA samples...

and releasing tapes of the actual sex acts.

[Horse with no Name]

32. John Edwards and Rielle Hunter, for starters. n/t

[No Elephants]

198. Yep. You nailed it.

[tilsammans]

75. And if it were a Dem, . . .

. . . there'd be nonstop media coverage ad nauseam.

[calimary]

179. And the birth certificate.

I imagine the Enquirer will have all the goods in a week or so. TMZ.com is probably on it, too.

[Hubert Flottz]

21. "Love" is a long and slender thing...

More GOPer "Family Values"...Arnie should have "Terminated" the bastid...

[whathehell]

148. Maybe someone

should have "terminated" Arnie

or at least his

"long and slender" thing

Like Maria, maybe.:evilgrin:

[Hubert Flottz]

162. GOP = Good Ole Poontang...

[left on green only]

173. I always thought that GOP was the sound

that shit makes, when flung against a wall.:shrug:

[Sky Masterson]

22. Collateral Damage (2002)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0233469/

Hmm..

[crim son]

27. ....

:spray:

[Sky Masterson]

28. ;)

:hi: :loveya:

[Rebubula]

23. Men in Power on BOTH sides

This is SOP for many men in power.

Yes, it is fun to point to the repubs and laugh at their transgressions - but we have many of our own heroes shouldering much of the same guilt.

Jesse Jackson, John Edwards, Gary Condit (lol...allegedly, of course), Bill Clinton and many other good Democrats have fallen at the alter of the engorged penis. (Sorry about the imagery - not enough coffee and I just got rolling...)


Arnie is a douche, but let's not pretend that this is a political party issue - it is a political POWER issue.

[Misskittycat]

24. The difference is that Republicans blather on about family values. nt

[Rebubula]

26. Agreed...

...but it is a minor issue in my opinion.

All these men trotted out the family before and after claiming love for family\faith. They are all hypocrites - sadly, politics attracts the most ego driven people with good personalities and that usually leads to an even more inflated sense of self worth.

[yardwork]

42. It's not minor to me. As a gay person, I'm not allowed to get married because of the Republicans.

While it's true that many Democrats are only reluctant supporters of equal rights, the Republican Party platform is total, 100% bigotry against gay rights of any kind (some Republicans want to make being gay illegal, no joke). All of this Republican bigotry is defended on the basis of the sanctity of heterosexual marriage.

[cstanleytech]

112. The platform? Yes but

there are a number who oppose that part of their parties platform.

[yardwork]

185. Has any Republican ever voted in favor of gay rights? I'd be interested to see names.

[cstanleytech]

186. In elected office?

None spring to mind but I didnt say those in office and there are republicans who do support equal rights for gay couples, hopefully one day those in office will grow a backbone and cease fearing the extremists in their party and stop pandering to them over it.

[No Elephants]

207. OF COURSE in elected office.

Unless otherwise specified, that is what is meant when one posts about Democrats or Republicans`--and for very good reason.

I'm sure you can find SOME rank and file Democrats and SOME rank and file Republicans on the right side of every social issue and also SOME in each major Party on the wrong side of every issue.

Nonetheless, they belong to a Party that makes "states' rights" code for white supremacy--and male white supremacy-- and oppose equal human rights for all humans, be they female or gay or people of 'a different religion or ethnicity. They vote in primaries and elections, hoping to empower those people to rule over our cities, towns, states and our country.

The people they succeed in electing are the ones with power to ruin all our lives. I don't give much of a damn what Republican voters say when trying to have it both ways, ala Pontius Pilate. I very much care what Republicans like COngressman Ryan and President Bush do after those Pontius Pilate Republican voters get their way about who has power over our lives.

[yardwork]

234. I asked if a Republican has ever voted for gay rights. That would require holding office.

There's always somebody in these threads saying that "both sides do it" and etc and so forth, but laws are made when Congress votes. I'm asking about votes.

[calimary]

170. Nor to me either. I have gay friends who ought to be able to marry the ones they love.

And the "moralists" insult me by continuing to insist that MY marriage is under threat of destruction and nullification because my gay friends would be able to marry too.

Clinton claimed a lot of things about himself, but holier-than-thou was never one of them. And John Edwards, for his disgrace, was the only loud voice the poor really had.

[No Elephants]

202. I agree with you. However, Arnold did not appeal the gay marriage case, so,

as to him, I cannot make that particular argument. However, I do very much disagree with the false equivalencies. Please see Replies 196 and 200.

[No Elephants]

222. Too late to edit, but I apologize. You are correct; I was wrong.

I kept on reading the thread and came on Replies 51, 97 and 140.

I shouldda known better.

[yardwork]

235. No need to apologize. You are a consistent ally of equal rights.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CoffeeCat]

57. So very true,and a great point...

These "men" are so quick to use their families as a glittery accessory, while treating those families
like chattel, behind the scenes.

When narcissists and people without conscience (sociopaths, psychopaths) have power--they often receive
a thrill from screwing over people. The deception and the lies they have over people gets them off. It's
like a game.

What's scary is that the typical narcissist is incredibly charming. They practically turn superficial
charm into an art form. These types are so electable in this country, especially if they are good looking.

I agree that a man having a woman on the side is a power play. It's misogyny and it reduces the woman to victim
status--especially in the mind of the man. It's a manipulative way for a misogynist to humiliate and minimize
a woman and increase his own perceived power.

Arnold's deception is one of the worst I've ever heard. Screwing the in-house help---while your wife maintains
a friendly relationship with this person for years, and fathering a child with her and keeping that from your wife.

This complex web of dysfunction and lies must have made Arnold feel like such a big man. :eyes:

[slackmaster]

74. True for Republicans in general, but has Arnold ever once uttered that expression?

I don't recall him doing so.

[LibDemAlways]

102. Arnold as much as admitted he was a scumbag back when he was

running for governor and all of the allegations surfaced about his womanizing. He never portrayed himself as a sanctimonious "family values" guy. He ran as the "Terminator" who was going to take care of the "girly men" in Sacramento. It was the tough guy persona that the voters bought into and that got him elected. He did not run on a "morality" platform.

[U4ikLefty]

154. did you vote for him?

[No Elephants]

217. Reply 51 reminded me. He turned it into a joke, but he said it for a reason. See also, Reply 97.

[calimary]

146. That is a GIGANTIC difference. It's one thing when you're out there preaching

and haranguing on and on with your own holier-than-thou schtick, legislating morality all over the place - or trying to, trying to dictate how others should live their personal lives. Dems generally don't go there. YES there are Dems with feet of clay. But they're generally not out there proselytizing about how they're so upstanding and moral and they set themselves up as role models. And they're nothing but ASSHOLES. And I must point out, yet again, Bill Clinton didn't destroy any marriages OR leave some illegitimate children behind in the mess he made.

[Bluenorthwest]

43. Get you facts in order. Sliming people with insinuation is wrong.

Gary Condit's affair was not 'alleged' it was acknowledged. You seem to be trying to imply something else, with a lol no less. He was never a suspect in the crime you imply, and another person confessed and has been convicted. So 'lol' that.
Edwards is slime on the half shell and I invite you to search DU for my posts about that hypocritical liar of a sack of religioist bullshit. He is on the same list with the Republicans because of his grandstanding about the 'Sanctity of Marriage' while he was fucking about. He slandered others to cover for his own crappy soul.
It most certainly is a political issue, it is a heterosexual community political issue, a community filled with liars who lie to others who love to hear that lie, to anoint themselves as 'Sacramental' and better than others. This is about how trashy the anti equality dogma shouters are, the Sanctified Straights of America.
Gary Condit does not fit that bill. You want him to, but he does not.

[slackmaster]

73. The hypocrisy and double-standards of DU are in full bloom today

Don't forget Gavin Newsom.

[LibDemAlways]

118. Unfortunately scumbaggery crosses party lines. The guy I

voted for in the last Presidential primary, one with a D after his name, found himself in the same situation.

[No Elephants]

204. Don't let Edwards lead you to false equivalencies about the two Parties. Please see Replies 196,

200, 43 and 57, among others on this thread, for some examples of false equivalencies and important distinctions.

Yes, Edwards is on a par with Newt and Arnold in many respects, but he did acknowkedge the child before she was old enough to know what was happening. Not excusing him in the LEAST, but the only thing we do know for sure about any of these situations is that the child deserves better.

[No Elephants]

203. Not much hypocrisy on this thread, except from those making false equivalencies.

[Alcibiades]

76. Rich powerful men

do this because they can. They have prenups and lawyers. Shriver knew who she was marrying: she could have found some nice middle class boy from Wisconsin, married him, and gotten him to sign a prenup.

[No Elephants]

200. Let's not rush into false equivalencies, please.

Arnold, a married man, had an illegitimate child with a married woman, then ran for governor AND left the child unacknowledged for years. He also engaged in non-consensual sexual harassment. None of the Democrats you mentioned did anything comparable.

Edwards came close, but he did acknowledge the child before she was old enough to know better. And Ryelle (a) was single and (b) made the first move. Not defending Edwards, but he's the worst of the Dems you mentioned and he was still not as bad as Ahnuld in this.

Please see also Reply 196.

I'm not even sure this is a political power issue. Yes, power is attractive to some women (probably some men, too--let's not be sexist), but over 50% of all marriages end in divorce and I'd bet adultery figures somewhere in a lot of divorces.

[Vinca]

29. So? He's a Republican. What's the "news?"

[primavera]

49. Exactly

They don't call him the Gropenführer for nothing, you know.

[Ter]

159. Both parties to it

John Edwards isn't a puke. The scum do it, it's not a party-line thing.

[No Elephants]

210. All affairs are not created equal, nor is media coverage of them. Please see Reply 204 and `'

the other Replies referenced in Reply 204.


As far as media alone, they stalked Edwards, following him into bathrooms, ffs. Rumors of this were around in 2003, but media sat on their keyboards until Ahnuld was out of the Governor's office and Maria had left him.


No matter how much of a slime Edwards was, false equivalencies about the two parties are slimy, too.

[Ter]

232. I have mixed feeling on all of these affiars

While I agree they are slimes, a part of me just wishes the media would stat out of people's lives. I liked John Edwards a lot in 2004, but I'm still unsure if I can ever put it behind me if he runs again. But on the other hand I think I should.

[Horse with no Name]

30. Republican family values again

Over and over and over...yet they beat US over the heads with their morality.:wtf:

[LeftinOH]

31. This pretty much describes my grandparents marriage-

Everybody got along just fine (eventually), but Gramps wasn't a governor.

[RKP5637]

33. This can't be. He's a republican and has extremely high ethical and moral

values. He's a family man, he's straight. He's god's chosen. We all must look up to him. The devil made him do it.

[florida08]

36. how can anyone believe in the myth of conservative moral values?

Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Newt Gingrich, David Vitter, Bill Oreilly, John McCain, Rush Limbaugh, Rudy Giulianni, Paul Wolfowitz, Ted Haggard, John Bolton, Paul Crouch, John Fund, The RNC and NRCC, Clarence Thomas, Joe Scarborough, Laura Schlessinger, and then there are the stories about GW Bush: http://www.bartcop.com/bushabortion.htm and http://www.bartcop.com/panties.

[jellen]

37. And this is the guy they threw at us.

It really ticks me off that this jerk is what the repubs thought was good enough to be gov. They don't have anybody else. I can't forget how they found all sorts of reason to recall the previous governor. Couldn't you guys see that he was just a movie star? But I guess I shouldn't be talking about the kind of leader people pick because I have no pride in who we in Wisconsin have running things now.

[LibDemAlways]

85. The day of the recall election there were two women

in front of me at the polling place who couldn't wait to vote Gray Davis out and Arnold in because they thought it would be so cool to have a movie star as governor. Enough simple-minded people confused him with the roles he played that he actually won. On the campaign trail he kept reminding people he was the "terminator," and people bought the hype.

Anyone with half a brain could see this was a terrible idea, but unfortunately there is too little intelligence and too much stupidity out there.

[lolly]

106. The star status was a feature, not a bug

If they ran Joe Nobody on a platform of letting Enron off the hook and cutting taxes for the rich, he would never have won.

Run a Movie Star--and this wasn't the first--then enough people will be so star-struck that they will vote for him without bothering to look at his platform. It's always still the Junior High School class president election for them.

Look at Reagan. Even the Gopher Guy from Love Boat. Sonny Bono. And assorted football players.

[Lint Head]

38. Republicons use say he was Presidential material and the law

requiring citizenship didn't matter. Puts that birther thing in a different light doesn't it.

[jberryhill]

39. Interesting phrase that - "fathered a child"

As if it required some kind of special effort beyond having sex.

[gauguin57]

40. He is The Sperminator!!

Maria is well rid of him.

[Arugula Latte]

110. Too bad she wasted decades with that prick. nt

[eablair3]

41. He's got balls

He fathered the kid over 10 years ago with a household staffer. He lied to his wife by not telling her about it at the time. The staffer continues to work in the home for 10 years. The Gropinator and his baby mama lie to his wife for 10 years while living and working (respectively) in her own house with her whole family there. It's one thing to do it, and come clean right away. But, then to live a lie like this to your wife for 10 years right in their own home? He secretly provides financial support to his kid for 10 years. Doesn't tell his wife. While doing all this lying, he decides to run for Governor of California. I guess he felt pretty comfortable that he could keep it all secret and continue lying to his wife, his family and a lot of others through his campaign, elections and his terms as Governor. That's some balls.

Ten years later, after leaving office, he comes clean? Something had to CAUSE him to fess up. Did I hear the baby mama who retired after 20 years finally spilled the beans to a reporter forcing the Gropinator to finally come clean to his wife and family after 10 years of lying?

Seems that the lying for 10 years is worse than the rest. What must have been going through his mind each time he was home and both his wife and the household staffer was there in the same room? He was probably fantasizing about a threesome. lol

I wonder where he did the actual deed? Probably right in the same home? Who knows what room? Or bed? Did they wash the sheets? How many times did he do it in the home with other women? Just that one time? Yeah, right. I'm sure those details will not come out. Maybe the Enquirer or The Star will pay the baby mama a big sum for details.

[Alcibiades]

78. She knew

It's hard to believe this is news to her: someone in her household, someone who spends enough time with her husband to wind up pregnant, shows up pregnant. Did she not look at the baby when it was born? This is someone who spent 20 years working for the family, after all. It's hard to imagine that she wouldn't see the kid growing up, looking more like the father as he/she got older. Oh, and he's apparently been paying for the upkeep of said child for a decade. If you can do that without your wife noticing, you've got too much money, or a very clueless wife. And Shriver may be many things, but she's not stupid. She has to have known about this for years. If she's leaving him, it's not because of the adultery or the bonus kid: it's because she's sick of him.

[eablair3]

86. I don't believe she did

I saw a few clips of her defending him and "vouching for his integrity" during GropeGate. All the time, Arnold was lying to her, sleeping with the house staff and fathering a child.

No, I don't believe for a second that she knew. The house staffer was married, and was telling everyone that her husband was the father. When did the husband find out he wasn't the father? How? And, it's likely the poor kid was lied to, too, ... about who was his own father.

10 years of lying about something and someone right in Arnold's own home. Real integrity there.

I'm sure with all the money he had and the way he spent that it wasn't likely too hard for him to hide the payments.

[Alcibiades]

95. Well, it'a all speculation

But I think Shriver did what was expected of her during gropegate, and did what was expected of her with this child. So long as she could maintain a fig leaf of decency, she looked the other way. It's what women of her class, in her family, are trained to do. I find it odd that this is happening after the deaths of her parents, and after the staffer retires. People like this don't do anything without contracts: likely there was money paid for silence, until such point as Shriver decided to end the marriage, something she had probably resolved to do long ago.

Someone like her would have learned at her mother's knee how to run a household and deal with servants. I find it incredible that a woman attractive enough to be of interest to her husband could show up with a child and raise it for ten years without her suspecting, unless that woman's husband happened to bear a remarkable resemblance to Schwarzenegger himself: we'll know when the photos come out.

[No Elephants]

211. Per the OP article, her friends say she was unhappy for "years."

The context implies her unhappiness "for years" resulted from her knowing of his infidelities. Hell, he admitted numerous groping events while he was running for office--and she still vouched for him vigorously with respect to those groping incidents. I see no reason to assume she knew nothing of his infidelities. Maybe not about the child.

[Alcibiades]

231. I always wondered why she went for him in the first place

Any interview with Schwarzenegger makes it clear within five minutes that he's a narcissistic asshole. But the fact that she supported him during gropegate and that she stayed with him as long as she did says something about her.

She certainly had to know about his taste for women before the marriage--he was literally an international playboy. Lots of reasons, probably, for her to split.

[eablair3]

155. LA Times caused him to come out with it

I heard a report today that the LA Times had gotten the scoop, and this is why he came out yesterday with it. That's probably obvious though, seeing as how he made the announcement yesterday, and the LA Times came out with the story today. The Times likely contacted him a few days ago for comment, and Arnold set out to make his announcement in an attempt to get ahead of the story.

[truthisfreedom]

44. So? Despite his politics, the biological imperative pretty much makes all political parties equal

in their desire to procreate. Or at least practice. Who cares?

There's plenty to dislike about repukes, but let's not go overboard. Edwards, remember? Clinton, remember? Christ, affairs happen all the time. The sick stuff is when you have congress-critters pushing through bills to protect children from being victimized while chasing underage interns, or politicians who are overtly anti-gay while secretly carrying on gay relationships. At least Arnold wasn't anti-sex, right?

[Bluenorthwest]

55. Arnold took many steps against equal rights for others due to

his 'religious views'. He is just like Edwards, not like Clinton, who never took to the high horse, never claimed he was that which others are not.
Here is the famous Arnold quote against equality, showcasing the brilliant minds of the dogma set:

"I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman."
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
I note he does not mention how the staff fits into that scene....

[No Elephants]

209. All affairs are not created equal, nor is media coverage of them. Please see Reply 204

and other Replies referenced in Reply 204.

[Lucinda]

45. All I can muster on this one is eww.

Sex with Arnie? Creepy.

[Pacifist Patriot]

68. LOL!

You and I had the same reaction.

[Lucinda]

238. Great minds....

:toast:

[Historic NY]

46. "I pick things up & spread them around". ..the Governator

[Raschel]

66. How many times did they have sex? Did he tell her "he'd be back"?

[rocktivity]

47. Well, of COURSE she knew all along.

She knew all about but didn't want to hurt him politically. With both his political and movie careers over, she has nothing to lose -- and half his net worth to gain -- by leaving him now. And it's JUST hit the papers that she moved out "earlier this year?" Where was the media then? The year is nearly half over!

:eyes:
rocktivity

[LisaL]

48. Oh really? It's one thing to look the other way. It's quite another

to have the woman working in your house. I do not believe Maria knew anything. The household staff was married, and naturally people would assume the husband is the father.

[Redford]

53. Rich and powerful people

with really screwed up lives....

[Raschel]

65. I agree. I don't think she knew. Can you IMAGINE how you would feel knowing that woman was in your

house the whole time? I'm sure she had contact with the child as well.

[Alcibiades]

80. She had to have known

This is someone who was in the household for 20 years. Can you imagine that she never saw the child? Shriver knew, and put up with it, perhaps for the sake of her parents, perhaps because she's a Kennedy woman. She's not stupid. If she's done with him, it's not because of this, but because she's done with him.

[LibDemAlways]

109. I'm with you on this one. She was married to him for a

long time. She knew about the screwing around. I also think it has more to do with her parents' deaths and his being out of the governor's office than this particular revelation. The time was probably finally right for her to move on.

[glinda]

172. And her brother's death. She has been through a lot so maybe was not able to see this.

[rocktivity]

240. Between the threat of the maid spilling the beans if she were fired

and the threat it would present to Arnold's governorship (not to mention the Kennedy name), it wouldn't have been difficult to persuade Maria to keep quiet until now. She may not have known from from the very beginning, but I believe she's suspected, at least, for quite a while.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[rocktivity]

241. According to the New York Daily News

Schwarzenegger dropped a fortune paying for a massive "Quinceañera" party for Baena's niece...Schwarzenegger only confessed after Shriver confronted Baena with longstanding suspicions... (link)

Arnold Schwarzenegger confessed having a love child only after the mother threatened to go public with details of the steamy affair... (link)

I love the smell of vindication in the morning...smells like...rapture?

:headbang:
rocktivity

[perdita9]

50. Another conservative who can't keep his dick in his pants ...

...and lies to his wife.

Yep, Arnold's a Republican. No doubt about it.

[Bluenorthwest]

51. More proof that the President is right! Straights are Sanctified

and their marriages are in fact hand crafted by God! See the glory! The wonder!

The hate filled Stooge Speaks: ""I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman."
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

God is in the mix, y'all. One man, one woman, just like John Edwards used to say! Ah, memories! It reminds of of Obama's claim that straights have a 'spiritual element' to their relationships that he says gay people lack. Imagine that!

[Generic Other]

52. Well this explains why he decided to go back to movies

rather than throw his swollen ego into a bid for the white house.

[No Elephants]

219. No, the Constitution explains that.

[Generic Other]

220. I recall when they were floating the idea of getting rid of the law

that prevents him from running. That idea died down in all the haste to use the law against Obaqma.

[Love Bug]

56. We all knew he was a pig around women, so is anyone surprised by this?

Not that that excuses the woman for sleeping with him, but still. I'll bet this was the last straw for Maria.

[Raschel]

83. The only surprising part is that the cheating maid lived in the house for all those years.

That right there is the big story.

[Blasphemer]

135. Exactly. That's the mind blowing part

She lived in the house for 20 years (!) and she was married and passing off Arnie's child as her husband's. If this was just another, "I cheated, mea culpa", I would have just shrugged but this is something else entirely. People were talking about amending the Constitution for this man - would he have brought this woman into the White House as well?

[LibDemAlways]

157. "Member of the household staff" could be anything from

nanny to personal assistant. Hollywood celebrities frequently have an army of household help that extends well beyond housekeepers. If more info comes out, it will be interesting to see just how she fit into the scheme of things.

[calimary]

181. And it makes me wonder - if the kid's ten now, and she worked for Ahnold for 20 years,

what went on during the first ten years? Was there sexual harassment? How long had they been having sex? Surely he wasn't a Mr. One-Shot here. Since hearing all the various details about the whole john ensign mess, where he evidently pressured his staffer's wife to have sex with him and she was apparently worried for her job and her husband's since they both worked for ensign, was there something similar in operation here too? Was she afraid to lose her job if she didn't do what he wanted? "You know you got a good job here... and things are tough out there... and... " I suppose ANYTHING is possible.

What a mess. I was telling a friend today - I've been publicly humiliated in my day, but it looks pretty damn tame compared to what Maria Shriver has to put up with at the moment. Sheesh.

[RebelOne]

84. No. This whole story doesn't surprise me in the least. n/t

[tjwash]

58. Is DU a celebrity gossip rag now?

geez....

[No Elephants]

212. Yeah, nothing political about this story.

:sarcasm:

[Deep13]

59. Meh. Don't care. ...

In fact I am so unconcerned, I felt it necessary to add this extra sentence explaining how unconcerned I am.

[neoralme]

60. Well, there goes the chance for any reconciliation. Arnie has always

been an asshole, no matter what he does or how much money he makes. Another perfect Republican.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

61. Did she leave in a choppa?

[The Backlash Cometh]

62. Before his first run for office!

Where the hell is the press? Someone knew.

They almost changed the laws to prep Arnold for the presidency. This is unbelievable.

[Raschel]

69. "I wanted to achieve my 20 years, then I asked to retire," she said,

adding she received a severance payment and "left on good terms with them."

This woman comes close to beating out Rielle Hunter as despicable.

[Gin]

158. wonder if the child looks like him.....I agree...shes a sleaze just

like ahnold....more is coming out according to tmz...personally..I want to know the details.

[KansDem]

71. Like Newt, maybe patrotism overcame him?

:shrug:

[freshwest]

161. Yup! It was his love of nookie, er, country, that made him wave the pole, er, flag. I'll stop now.

Just not soon enough, though.

:blush:

[No Elephants]

214. Newt implied that working hard in the service of his country led to his adulteries.

Ahnuld was not in public office when he impregnated this woman. Maybe he can blame it on his agent or his movie studio, but not on his patriotism.



ETA: no pun intended by "working hard."

[Ratty]

79. And yet, if he ran again against a Democrat

The christian conservatives would be behind him 100%

[No Elephants]

215. We've already seen them support an adulterer over a family man for President.

McCain v. Obama

McCain had the support of the mega church evangelicals and, I'm guessing, more quietly, the Catholics. Speaking about those who back "abortuaries" and the "homosexual lifestyle" may as well be saying "Don't vote Democrat." Only you don't lose your tax exempt status.

[Britethorn]

88. Classy Guy

I sure hope they do a movie about this. Maybe they can get someone like Ron Jeremy to play Arnold. (Just kidding. I wouldn't want to see any more pain inflicted on Maria.)

[moblsv]

89. Private matter

We should not politicize these things and leave it as a family matter. You know, like they did with Clinton.

[lolly]

111. I agree completely!

And if any salacious details about the affair--or any other affairs he had--are recounted in court proceedings, we should definitely follow the law and keep them private. We should NOT, I repeat NOT, have them published for everyone to see, and hold a special meeting of the state legislature so that each member can read through the entire account.

And the news channels should NOT cover the story 24/7, even as they're wringing their hands about how all this talk about s-e-x will cause immeasurable damage to our children's innocence.

[No Elephants]

216. First, that is a false equivalency. See Replies 200 and 204, among others.

Then again, what other response could the RW possibly have to a story like this?

Second, this story tells me a lot about Arnold, the Party that ran him, Maria, and the media that kept silent. Some of those things are very important for me to know, even if Arnold has left the Governor's Office. He and/or Maria may still run for office; the Republican Party is still around and so are the media.

Third, I formed an opinion about the character of Bill Clinton (and Hillary) after Genifer Flowers and Monica Lewinsky, an opinion I am entitled to weigh with other factors in deciding for whom to vote.

[Bluzmann57]

90. Hmmm...May have to rethink the effects of steroids

Oh wait, nobody ever accused Ahnold of taking 'roids. Never mind.

[jwirr]

91. Just another rethug with "family" values. They are all alike.

[hunter]

93. The powers-that-be required someone who could cover up the looting of California...

... by the big energy companies and banks.

Seems Arnold had plenty of practical experience for the job...

[shoutinfreud]

96. Gay people made him do it! Them and their hatred of the sanctity of marriage!

[Botany]

97. Remember all the bluster and fluster from team Arnold ...

... when he was running in the special election* against Gray Davis about all those
"false charges" that concerned his grouping, group sex, steroids, cheating, and unwanted
sexual advances?


* A Special Election brought to the people of California by Enron, Dick Cheney's energy task force,
man made electric black outs, and energy price fixing scummy people.

[onager]

99. We can thank Enron & Karl Rove for Arnie

I live here. It wasn't so much that Scheiss-eneggar decided to run for Governor - Karl Rove and the RNC decided for him and he happily went along with it. Sort of like anohter "amiable dunce" from CA, Ronald Reagan.

In a nutshell, as I remember it:

1. After promising "more choice and low energy prices" - I remember their TV commercials - in 2002-03 Enron proceeded to virtually destroy the CA power system. You may remember that suddenly a state power grid that had worked flawlessly for over a century, with "socialist" controls in place, suddenly went haywire. Energy prices went thru the roof and major power stations were suddenly and mysteriously going "offline for maintenance."

That was Enron's traders manipulating the system. Here in Los Angeles, our DWP kept its Evil Socialist Overlords, and we ended up providing emergency excess power to those masters of the free market up north.

2. Gov. Gray Davis ignored his advisors. They told him to immediately call out the National Guard to secure the power plants, issue indictments, and put a stop to the Enron circus.

3. After the Enron disaster, GOP asshat Darrell Issa personally funded a recall of Davis, spending millions of his own money. He wanted to run for Governor.

4. When Issa's recall succeeded, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, among others, flatly told him he would not be running for Governor of CA. They had hand-picked Schwarzenegger for the job.

Conveniently for Rove & Co., Issa came equipped with his own load of dirty laundry - some "youthful indiscretions" that included car theft, possible arson/insurance fraud and some very shady, lawsuit-generating business deals. All that was covered in a New Yorker profile of Issa a few months ago. The profile didn't mention Rove & Co. stopping his run for Governor, though it was common knowledge at the time and even some of the media reported it.

5. Issa gave a Nixonoid press conference where he actually broke down and cried over losing his bid for Governor. As a consolation prize, Issa was allowed to run for Congress, where he unfortunately remains. He was yammering about starting endless, Clinton-type investigations of Obama. Though he seems to have backed off of that idea since the OBL mission.

[lolly]

115. Thank You for the reminder

The whole thing seems like such a bad dream.

The state was taken over by some sort of brain-eating fungus at the time. It was bizarre to watch people fall into line, following the Enron script.

[Alcibiades]

138. I lived in CA at the time, too

Sometimes folks on DU have slammed CA for having a Republican governor--even after Jerry Brown assumed office, in fact. Everyone forgets about Enron, the rolling blackouts, Davis' fecklessness, the recall, etc.

[tomm2thumbs]

100. Once a pig, always a pig

If he truly had guilt, he would have said something immediately -- he's just another con man from the GOP

[caseymoz]

101. Who's surprised? I mean, really?

Remember the controversy when he first ran for office over his many gropings and other crap, and the farce of his own "investigation" into them? There was a good reason why Trudeau called him "groppenfuhrer."

And of course, with the media watching him, he'd turn to his old-time staff for sexual fulfillment, someone who'd been with the family and from which he could expect a degree of loyalty-- and take advantage of it.

I don't believe sex lives should be anyone's business, unless practiced publicly, or unless it involves rape or child-abandonment, but Arnold shows he mastered the political art of intrigue and cover-up. I wait to see what else is buried.

[No Elephants]

221. I disagree. Please see Reply 216. And, MAYBE Ahnuld did not rape anyone,

but he did admit sexual harassment - Groping a number of women on movie sets. Plus, he's left this child unacknowledged for a long time. That, and other things about this mess say a lot about his character, IMO.

[caseymoz]

233. (Long) Yes, but when elections ads are dominated salacious innuendo, rumors and gossip- -

. . . as they will be as money floods into political ads, and the public becomes less touchy about sexual discussion of politicians, as it is progressively becoming; then you will see which is the lesser of two evils. That's what I think. You will wish you didn't know any of it.

We know for sure about Arnold only in retrospect and only due to his own admission. During a negative ad campaign, it will be impossible to tell. You will have no way to determine it, only accusations and counter-accusations claimed by some and denied by others, covered-up or promoted. If you want to know their sexual resumes covered by the press, be prepared to get nothing in politics but salacious gossip. None of it will be good for anything except masturbation material.

I mean, the Republicans, I think, documented Bill Clinton's sexual resume very well, and you know he had a spin-team set up for just such "bimbo eruptions." As a result, did you believe any of it? Did that prepare you for Monica Lewinsky? Therefore, expect to know less and to be in denial about more if you're being informed of politicians sex lives. Never mind that will crowd out "the issues" from public debate.

How much can you tell about a person from his or her sexuality? The most chaste president in the modern age, in fact, was likely Richard Nixon. He seems to have been totally devoted to his wife, and what did that tell you about the rest of his character?

Before other Edwards, Clinton and the rest, there was Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower and Roosevelt; Kennedy and Johnson especially, and these were in the purportedly less permissive times. Johnson wouldn't just grope, he'd expose himself to women. Since those are presidents from both parties taken at a time where recording and storage technology was getting better and the barriers to mentioning sex were gradually coming down, you can probably extrapolate that into the past generations of presidents and probably find pretty much the same thing.

Also be prepared to find, if good sexual behavior is your standard, or any of the standards we like to think we have, as women or men. If they do, suspect that they're either good at covering it up or that you're seeing what you want to see. Also, expect the ones that do, like Nixon, are probably ones you wouldn't trust with anything else.

All this being said, I do think Arnold is more heinous than most. I'd rank him with Lyndon Johnson, but anyone who saw him in the '70s documentary "Pumpin' Iron" would know he was a creep. However, his term wasn't a disaster for California. There were other disasters, not him, not caused by him. He didn't steal, he didn't have an ethics scandal. If he's not nearly greatest, his sex life didn't seem to foreshadow too terrible a governorship either.

[Blue Owl]

103. Is anyone really that shocked?

Celebrities will be celebrities. Deal with it.

:eyes:

[AllyCat]

105. Republican family values at work. They like lots of stuff for them, but not for you

[Silent3]

108. At least Schwarzenegger didn't, as far as I recall, rant about "family values"...

...like so many of his other fellow Republicans, so he's nowhere as big a hypocrite as someone like John Ensign. I'm more inclined to write this off as a private matter because of that.

[No Elephants]

218. Well.....please see Replies 140, 51 and 217.

[Silent3]

230. OK, more of a hypocrite than I was thinking...

...still not quite so bad as an Ensign or a Vitter, but bad enough.

[TygrBright]

113. And we should give a ratsass about this why? n/t

[No Elephants]

224. Interest in this story is legitimate. Please see Reply 216,

[Veronica.Franco]

116. Kinda hard to keep denying the child ...

When Ahnold has such distinctive genes ... can you imagine being the woman's husband who thought it was his kid all these years? ...

Ahnold has had a horrendous reputation for his sexual escapes dating back to his weight lifting days and gay guys giving him blow jobs in the gym ... why Maria married this clown is a mystery to me ...

[No Elephants]

225. Who knows what the woman's husband thought all these years. They split up long ago. Do we know why

[still_one]

120. and where was the frickn' media when they the recall for Davis was going on, and the media

essentially didn't report any unfavorable news toward schwarzenegger

even when we were being manipulated by enron and cheney's buddies, the media did everything they could to make Davis appear as responsible for the so-called brown outs

I would love to know where this libural media is?

[craigmatic]

121. I'm not surprised. This is the same guy who likes to grope women. Where there's smoke there's fire.

[KamaAina]

126. How exactly did he manage to keep this covered up?

The lib'rul media :sarcasm: tore John Edwards to pieces for the exact same thing. :eyes:

[LibDemAlways]

130. The timing of the story is interesting. No way would it have come out

when Arnold was running. He gave a half-assed response to allegations of womanizing and the press dropped the entire matter. Too much at stake for the corporations for the media to have done its job.

[SoapBox]

137. Way to vote in ANOTHER RushThug slime ball California!

...I never supported this Show Time Clown.

And now we learn more.

[alp227]

140. In 2003 before the recall election he was accused of fathering a love child

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2003/10/05/2003-10-05_sex_stories_grip_ah-nold.html

Oh, as governor Ahnuld also repeatedly pocket vetoed same-sex marriage bills. So he can't stand with the "protect marriage" crowd anymore now that this is out.

[closeupready]

143. Great. So no condoms, STD's be damned.

What a scumbag.

[shanti]

145. as if the gropenator could disgust me any more

than he already had! that lying, cheating, piece of shit! :grr:

[brooklynite]

156. Don't think of her as staff....

I'm sure she was "like family" to him.

[DeSwiss]

174. K&R

- http://www.stinque.com/2011/05/17/consider-that-a-divorce/">We’ll open the bidding with Kindergarten Cop: “We’re going to play a wonderful game called ‘Who is my daddy and what does he do?’”

[24601]

I wuz givin my neighbor crap about Ahnold and he retorted that

he was as republican as Lieberman is a democrat. Score one for the neighbor.

[No Elephants]

226. I bet your neighbor supported Ahnuld against the Democrat, though.

And Ahnuld never campaigned for any Democrat, even his inlaws.

Besides, people to this day describe Lieberman as a Democrat.

Sorry, your neighbor is a typical double standard Republican.

[Sequoia]

178. So he's sorry is he? As if that will fix anything.

I hope Maria burns him but good. He is the lowest of the lowest of the low. You'll soon see him laughing it up and courting Hollywood. He and that woman just stuck the knife in Maria's back over and over again.

[liberalla]

187. I have never understood what Maria saw in that man...

I remember when they got married. Have fun, have an affair but don't marry the guy! He always gave me the willies.

I feel badly for Maria and the kids, though.

[No Elephants]

228. Ahnuld, the woman and Maria all behaved oddly.

I can maybe see Maria staying with Arnold for the children after he admitted sexually assaulting many women on the sets of his movies. But her impassioned defense of him during his campaign was very influential in saving his flaccid political ass.

Democrat or no, Kennedy offspring or no, it pissed me off then and still does. Maybe she didn't deserve him, but neither did the people of California.

The employee, setting a goal of working for 20 years for the woman she cuckolded and the father of her unacknowledged child? Please, Louise!

Ahnuld, I understand. I don't approve, but I understand. Huge ego, totally selfish, politically ambitious. The bit about keeping the woman as an employee may also be understandable. Maybe his affair with her was ongoing and/or maybe her employment provided cover for the checks he was writing her. Again, not excusable, but comprehensible.

[Gin]

236. adding insult to injury....this additional info was on a website...

Maria's son was born September 27th and Beana's son was born October 2nd.

They were both pregnant in the same house at the same time..
to the same man...both boys born just days apart.