Salon on Arnie...The Truth About Arnold...Must read

[cally]

This is the first time, I think, I've suggested an article is a must read. I think this one is for Californians.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/02/15/arnold/index.html

Feb. 15, 2005 | Titillated by the star power of his populist coup in California, the national media has swooned in Arnold Schwarzenegger's muscular embrace for over a year. The New Yorker profiled him as "Supermoderate!" Wired found him to be "surprisingly effective." The editors of the New York Times proclaimed, "The last action hero can seemingly do no wrong." On the cover of its January 2005 issue, Vanity Fair featured the leather-jacketed Schwarzenegger posing atop a Harley with his silken spouse, Maria Shriver. The story, like so many others, portrayed the glam couple as the future of American politics: bipartisan, moderate, effective ... presidential.

At first, the new governor sporadically fit the role of social liberal but fiscal conservative. He endorsed stem cell research, strengthened protections for domestic partners, and supported access to public records. Conversely, he campaigned against reforming the penal law, called for setting up a DNA database for felons, and vetoed a bill allowing illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses. But, overall, people bought into his seeming moderation -- fully two-thirds of the state's general public favored his governorship. No California governor in modern times has enjoyed such a broad-based mandate to tinker with the government of the world's fifth-largest economy.

But with his defiantly immoderate State of the State speech in early January, when he proposed to drastically cut back education and social services in lieu of taxing the rich, Schwarzenegger blindsided liberal Californians with his nakedly Republican agenda. This week, the celebrity governor travels to Washington to mine his relationship with President Bush and the GOP-controlled Congress to boost federal spending for California. Since arriving in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger has:

Taken governmental actions that benefit his personal finances, in apparent violation of state law.
Collected tens of millions of dollars from many of the same "special interests" he had sworn to kick out of town when he was elected.
Vetoed bills that would have protected labor, the environment, workplace safety and consumers.
Sought to centralize his power by abolishing citizen-run boards that make important regulatory decisions.
Advocated for increased deregulation of the electricity market.


For more than a year, proximity to the "Governator" has blinded Democratic Party leaders, reporters, editors and the public to the tawdry reality taking place in front of their eyes -- the huckstering of a conservative product line and the glorification of the Schwarzenegger brand in California's highest public office.

[NV Whino]

1. What, do you suppose, took them this long

to figure out that Arnie is a Republican?

Gaaah!

[CanOfWhoopAss]

2. Just wait until they find out...

That they now live in a RED state.

[Maat]

6. Them's fighting words, CanOfWhoopAss!

LOL! Seriously, some of always knew of the danger ahead - and there's plenty of Dems here - but I'll bet at this point it is a 60-40 split.

I'm getting discouraged. Many conservative out-of-staters moving in. Suddenly, in this part of SoCal, the religious right is all around me. But at least San Diego, the City, went Kerry. I live about 1 hour north of there, inland.

[mrdmk]

4. Because some people did not want other people to believe it!

:spank:

[Amy6627]

3. This story needs to be talked about A LOT! There are those

that want to change our Constitution so this guy, (who said that he admired HITLER!) can become president. The word needs to get out that this guy is NOT a moderate. He will do whatever the repukes want him to do!

[PROGRESSIVE1]

5. Arnold is Hitler!