Posted on 09/22/2005 10:11:35 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Actor Warren Beatty leveled a blistering political assault on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday night, accusing him of governing "by show, by spin, by cosmetics and photos ops" while imposing Bush administration policies on California.
Beatty made his remarks at a convention of the California Nurses Association, an organization that has emerged in the last year as one of Schwarzenegger's most vociferous critics.
Beatty, a Democrat and longtime political activist who has been mentioned as a possible challenger to Schwarzenegger next year, did not announce his candidacy as many in the boisterous crowd had hoped. But he indicated he hadn't ruled out a run, and said he would continue to speak out on important issues.
"I believe if a private citizen is able to affect public opinion in a constructive way he doesn't have to be an elected public servant to perform a public service," Beatty said.
His speech leveled several witty, pointed jabs at Schwarzenegger, a fellow Hollywood celebrity who Beatty said had taught him years ago to "to do 15 repetitions rather than 10 because you get a better look that way."
But he used most of his address to rail against the governor's "year of reform" ballot initiatives and the special election he has called for Nov. 8. The initiatives, which would curb the power of the Democrat-controlled legislature and public employee unions, have spurred angry protests from union activists around the state.
Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Margita Thompson said "we don't care that much about Warren Beatty, and based on his ticket sales from the past generation, I doubt anyone else does either."
Schwarzenegger wants to enact a state spending cap, strip lawmakers of their power to draw political boundaries, require public employee unions to seek permission from members before using their dues for politics, and make it harder for teachers to get tenure.
The nurses union has been among the governor's most vociferous critics, after he sued to block changes in the state's nurse-patient staffing ratios and called them "special interests" whose "butts" he is always kicking.
Beatty implored the audience to campaign against Schwarzenegger's initiatives, which he called "union busting" and "fascist."
The crowd frequently interrupted Beatty with wild cheers and standing ovations, yelling "Run, Warren Run!" and "Stop Arnold!"
Beatty has spoken out several times against Schwarzenegger in the last year, most recently in a speech last May to graduates of UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. At an awards dinner in Beverly Hills last March, Beatty said Schwarzenegger should "terminate" his fundraising and dinners with "the brokers of Wall Street" and the "lobbyists of K Street."
Beatty played a senator in the 1998 movie "Bulworth" and entertained the idea of running for the presidency six years ago.
A statewide Field Poll taken in June showed that just 24 percent of California voters would be inclined to elect Beatty governor, while 53 percent said they weren't inclined and 23 percent had no opinion.
In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Schwarzenegger called Beatty's attacks "silly" and suggested Beatty was jealous of his success in politics.
*Sigh*
And "Dick Tracy" is one of my all-time favorite movies.
He's so vain.
He probly thinks this post is about him.
I like the end of Bonnie and Clyde myself.. ;-)
These has-beens are really becoming desperate for show time. Before long, he'll be begging for a drop-in on the Cindy Sheehan Reruns Show.
He's gonna have to kick Rev Al Sharpton's fat arse off the stage to pull that off.
Perhaps with the aide of a bulldozer.
just saw a couple of clips of his speech and some comments afterwards, he was asked if he will run for Gub, said
No as he stated earlier this year.
another leftist stooge, sean penn, was at one of the front tables for the event.
with the aide of a bulldozer
and a union driver at the controls. ;)
Hey, Warren, the progression is run for governor or California, then president, not the other way around. I guess next you'll be talking about running for mayor or Carmel.
of Carmel
of California.
Geez, use the proofread feature.
Thx for the bumps :)
It's been a long day and looks to be a long weekend for many across the nation dealing with the aftermath of storms, rallies and life as we know it..
Warren Beatty is from a long line of moonbats. His sister is Shirley MacLaine.
Unfortunately nurse organizations everywhere have become unionized. For awhile I apparently was mistaken for one (when I worked as a physical therapist) and received some free newsletter from American Nurses' Association or something similar. They were blatantly political, and when they published an article in 2000 stating why Algore would be the best way for nurses to vote, I blew a cylinder and fired off a letter to the editor regarding how bad socialized medicine would be for all healthcare personnel. Odd, but that was the last issue of the newsletter I received.
Warren, why don't you go outside and go jerk yourself a soda?
One word about Warren Beatty,.....Ishtar!
If Warren Beatty ever made governor I might have to move out of state.
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