The Loneliness of Governor Schwarzenegger

LA Times ^ | 7/12/10 | Jennifer Steinhauer

[NormsRevenge]

LOS ANGELES — If the mark of a real independent is lack of friends, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the quintessential nonpartisan in American politics right now.

His approval rating has not risen above 30 percent since May 2009. California remains in deep fiscal distress. He is despised by the state’s workers (whose pay he cut), Democrats (who loathe his aversion to new taxes and his desire to cut entitlements) and Republicans (who wish those respective aversions and desires were stronger), as well as college students, public school parents and people who hate the smell of cigars.

As Governor Schwarzenegger prepares to leave office in January, the lesson from his seven-year effort may be this: Being an independent can win you a lot of things: an election, even re-election, and new policies. But that’s not the same as having people like you.

...

His left-leaning proclivities on issues like the environment and health care were never enough to mollify the state’s liberals; among the state’s conservatives, his right-leaning views on pension reform and crime did not compensate for the taxes he once raised and the deals he cut with Democrats.

It is an experience others who claim independence know well: the candidate Barack Obama, who won plaudits for promising to work in the spirit of compromise, but is now taking a beating from both parties; ..

You can’t really please any of the people much of the time. “There were people all the way through, people who were disappointed,” Mr. Schwarzenegger said as he pulled on a cigar during a recent interview in his Santa Monica office. Some “who thought I should be more conservative, some who thought I should be more liberal. Some people thought I should be more dissenting.”

[NormsRevenge]

conservative, hardly.. in any way shape or form..

disappointed people? lots of ‘em.. lots

is that wails and lamentations of taxpayers I hear in the distance?

so long Gub.
Nice try,, but no cigar.

[basil]

My heart bleeds—LOL!

[freekitty]

Oh Boo Hoo. The guy is a freakin RINO.

[calcowgirl]

“He clearly goes down as the biggest political reformer in modern history of California,” said Jim Brulte, a Republican and a former lawmaker who has not always agreed with the governor.

Reformer? Is that what you call it? I can think of other words.

He did more to kill conservatism and bankrupt the state than anyone in the history of California, IMO.

[lardog]

He made a better Terminator than a governor.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I said in 2003 he’d be an epic fail disaster and he’s proven I wuz right.

[calcowgirl]

But he delivered California for Bush!

(oh.... wait a minute...)

[fieldmarshaldj]

...and McCain and... *cough*

Gee whiz, how many times did I shoot down those bull$hit claims that Ah-nold would be like the magical Republican genie ? Where are all those lying asshat sycophants and paid bots now ?

[Republican Wildcat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_YHsgLTZzk

The Arnold in this video faded away more and more as the years went on while in office...

[nmh]

Arnie has no friends because he pisses of EVERYONE!

Arnie has NO PRINCIPLES.

Arnie is in no man's land because of his arbitrary political ideology. Arnie deserves this. Perhaps he will force him to do some soul searching.

[nmh]

Yea, he sure did, didn’t he!

But he delivered California for Bush!

(oh.... wait a minute...)

I distictly remember Biblical Christinaity CHEERING everyone on to vote for Arnie. I couldn’t believe it. Maybe NOW, he “sees the light”?

I had addressed this to him but see he changed his moniker.

[Republican Wildcat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_YHsgLTZzk

This is the Arnold many were hoping for...he may have still been there at the very start but then decided to go for political expediency shortly into his tenure in office.

[Republican Wildcat]

If you try to be all things to all people you end up being nothing to everyone.

[Flag_This]

You would have thought an actor would have learned a little from the movies. Mr. Miyagi said it best in the "Karate Kid:"

"Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later get squish just like grape."

But I think Arnold did a little talking on the right side and more walking on the left.

[nmh]

Yes ... .

Pragmatism doesn’t work out well.

Standing on the RIGHT principles does work out well, eventually.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

So the author doesn't realize the irony of her own article.
Arnold did everything that the Left wanted Republicans to do. He moved to the middle, placated the environmentalists, and tried to work with Dems. In short, he was the very essence of that magical "moderate" Republicans that the Dems and liberal media tout incessantly.
So what happens? Predictably, he's still hated by the Left because he's still a Republican and didn't go far enough, he's hated by the Right for abandoning conservatism, and the independents are simply disillusioned.
It's the biggest lie in politics: That Republicans need to move to the middle in order to win elections. If Arnold would have been a bold conservative, he would have been a true hero.
Now, Whitman is doing the same thing. Chasing after those mythical moderate voters, sucking up to the illegals, etc. She is spending millions of dollars to essentially be Arnold's 3rd term.

[charles1252]

What real conservative would marry a Kennedy family member?
Good riddens Govenor. You have been terminated!

[truthguy]

Arnold Schwarzenegger never had what it took to become governor in the first place. California has perhaps the stupidest electorate in the nation. They put this clown into office in a special election where they had the chance to put in a really good candidate in Tom McClintock. But in California it's cool to have a movie star as governor. Well the typical California troglodyte voter made their voice heard and we have a mess on our hands. Arnold didn't have the smarts or savvy or the education or the background/experience for the job and anyone paying attention should have know that. I warned people that he wasn't up to the job but I know several who voted for him anyway. I guess they really believed he was gonna go to Sacramento and kick *ss. He went to Sacramento and got rolled.

If you voted for Arnold first time around you need some remedial training.

[353FMG]

>In short, he was the very essence of that magical “moderate” Republicans that the Dems and liberal media tout incessantly.<

.
Another ‘Maverick’ like that senator from AZ that many in that state want to re-elect.