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Posted on 10/31/2003 9:51:03 AM PST by NormsRevenge
For a novice candidate who ran for office as an outsider, Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) seemed to fit right in at a lavish party thrown in his honor by a Washington lobbying firm Wednesday night.
Cabinet members, TV news personalities, White House officials and lawmakers gathered on a roof terrace just blocks from the Capitol, but largely ignored the extraordinary view. Instead, they waited eagerly for their chance to chat with the movie star-turned-politician who worked the crowd with a big grin and talked about everything from agricultural policy to bodybuilding to wildfires.
Away from the formality of the Capitol building itself, members of Congress were finally free to ask for autographs (for their children, of course) and pose for pictures. Some brought their wives or teenage sons along to bask in the glow of the Republican Party’s newest star. Others had obviously prepared their lines in advance.
Rep. Mark Kennedy (R-Minn.) made a joke about his last name. Although he’s not related to the Democratic political dynasty that Schwarzenegger married into, Kennedy’s grandmother’s name was also Rose, he told the future governor. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) said, “I was born in your state.”
In one of the stranger moments of the evening, Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) -- who stopped the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential election -- congratulated the governor-elect’s wife Maria Shriver and her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of Democratic icons John, Robert, and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.).
“Just remarkable — so historic,” Harris said of Schwarzenegger’s victory. There’s just something about the way he connects with people, she added. “It’s almost magical.”
The Kennedys weren't the only Democrats there. California Democratic Reps. Jane Harman and Ellen Tauscher also joined their new governor. In the same building, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) held a fundraiser, but didn't join her colleagues at the rooftop event.
The hosts of the party, the consulting and lobbying firm Navigators, had worked on the Schwarzenegger campaign. Mike Murphy, one of the firm’s partners, explained that Schwarzenegger has to work with Washington insiders to help his state. “He knows that for California to be successful, it needs help in Washington,” he said.
But Schwarzenegger obviously already has his friends in Washington, opening his short speech by saying, “It’s nice to see such familiar faces.”
When Schwarzenegger made his entrance shortly after 7 p.m., the party took on the tone of a political rally. Schwarzenegger climbed the stage with the head of his transition team, Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), who seemed to relish the advisor/agent role he was playing, and proceeded to do what all insiders do best: make fun of the other famous faces in the crowd.
“Valenti, you’ve been in the paper a lot,” he said to Jack Valenti, the president of the Motion Picture Association of America who’s rumored to be considering retirement. Then the former bodybuilder, not too pale himself, needled pundit Bob Novak for being the tannest person in the room.
Both Schwarzenegger and Dreier made sure to address the tragic forest fires ravaging southern California, with the future governor telling the crowd, “We now have the hugest fire and the hugest disaster in the last 10 years.”
But even the reminders of the troubles he faces when he enters the governor’s mansion in Sacramento could not quell the excitement. No matter how much Washington likes to think it’s above Hollywood, no one was fighting to talk to Attorney General John Ashcroft or Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, both of whom came to see Schwarzenegger.
As for the governor-elect himself, he compared the day to becoming Mr. Universe: It takes a lot of hard work to get there, but the end makes it all worthwhile. “You have to see yourself first as the champion, then the training in the gym becomes fun,” he said. “I haven’t been that excited about anything for a long time.”
At which point Dreier, always at the star’s side, interjected: “He’s enthusiastic about everything,” the star-struck Rules chairman said.
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