Richard Koci Hernandez / Mercury News
First Lady Maria Shriver at the 18th annual Governor's Conference for Women at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Posted on 12/26/2004 9:23:21 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO - Maria Shriver's visit to an inner-city elementary school earlier this month was one of the many ceremonial duties she's assumed as the wife of California's governor. Still, one second-grader's inquiry was a surprise.
``Are you like the governor?'' he asked.
``That's a really loaded question,'' Shriver answered with a smile.
Loaded perhaps, but it's a sentiment also murmured privately in the Capitol. Whatever the answer, there's no doubt the high-voltage former television reporter from a legendary Democratic family has emerged as a force in the administration of her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The 49-year-old mother of four, who is herself a glamorous celebrity, has long been a partner in Schwarzenegger's business affairs. When her husband's business became politics, Shriver's involvement hardly dwindled.
``I've always been interested in helping Arnold with whatever he was doing. I want him to do well. I want him to succeed. I've always looked at that as part of my job,'' Shriver said in an interview this month.
In the movie business, Shriver read scripts, quizzed Schwarzenegger's agents and was his most trusted adviser in deciding which films to pursue.
In Schwarzenegger's administration, her fingerprints are everywhere, from the Impressionist landscapes that hang in his suite of offices, to the content of his speeches, to the people he hires, to his position on issues like stem-cell research and hybrid cars. Her reporter-like grilling of unprepared aides is affectionately nicknamed the ``Full Maria'' by the governor's advisers.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
First Lady Maria Shriver at the 18th annual Governor's Conference for Women at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Say what?
Glamorous?
If Maria is glamorous, one look at Ann E. Marimow would put me off eating for a decade! ;)
Once a Kennedy, away's a kennedy!
Warrants an ugly award.
"Conservative groups have criticized Schwarzenegger for supporting a controversial initiative approved last month to fund stem-cell research, an issue with personal resonance for him and Shriver.
Long before Schwarzenegger became governor, the couple had expressed support for the research at a dinner with scientists hosted by Jerry and Janet Zucker, their neighbors in Brentwood who later helped lead the campaign for Proposition 71.
But as a governor touting fiscal discipline, how could he support borrowing $3 billion to fund research without a guaranteed result? Schwarzenegger talked to George Shultz, the head of his economic council and secretary of state under President Reagan. Shriver's mother, who was visiting at the time, also weighed in.
The issues
• First lady takes it personally
Shriver doesn't claim credit for her husband's public stance: ``That's Arnold's decision to support that.'' But neither does she abdicate it: ``I'm an advocate of stem-cell research, my dad has Alzheimer's, and take it from there.''
Conservative groups have criticized Schwarzenegger for supporting a controversial initiative approved last month to fund stem-cell research, an issue with personal resonance for him and Shriver.
Long before Schwarzenegger became governor, the couple had expressed support for the research at a dinner with scientists hosted by Jerry and Janet Zucker, their neighbors in Brentwood who later helped lead the campaign for Proposition 71.
But as a governor touting fiscal discipline, how could he support borrowing $3 billion to fund research without a guaranteed result? Schwarzenegger talked to George Shultz, the head of his economic council and secretary of state under President Reagan. Shriver's mother, who was visiting at the time, also weighed in.
The issues
• First lady takes it personally
Shriver doesn't claim credit for her husband's public stance: ``That's Arnold's decision to support that.'' But neither does she abdicate it: ``I'm an advocate of stem-cell research, my dad has Alzheimer's, and take it from there.''
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So apparently Arnold and Maria were swayed by the huckster scientists at a dinner at Jerry Zucker's place well before the recall but I'll wager ol' Skeletor did a good deal of nagging and perhaps even Lysistrata-ing him into the bargain. I just could never understand how a sharp businessman like Arnold would sign off on the multi-billion dollar boondoggle this promises to be without first reading the fine print and doing a little consulting? The most hardnosed, persuasive argument I read against it was written by none other than Mel Gibson in NRO and he stuck straight facts without waving scripture around so much as once. Hell, the lack of financial accountability alone should have sufficed to queer the deal. Would Arnold invest his OWN money in such a smelly scheme so ripe for fraud?
Oh, and by the way did anyone else notice the author of the article was careful not to mention this is strictly for EMBRYONIC Stem Cell research?
Politics aside, I can't fault her for being a good wife.
Politically speaking, Arnold is maybe a little worse than your everyday, run of the mill RINO. He's married to a Kennedy.
I agree re: good wife.
This is Full Contact Politics these days , however.
She has been raised in a political family. She knows how the 'game' is played ..
We're here to help do the play by play. ;-)
I hope Santa left ya in good health this holiday. :-)
She is a good wife and she is also one more reason that it's a good thing that Arnold can't be president.
glamorous celebrity
For what? Doing the news? Celebrity? Hardly.
SHRIVERS....
This is what I think of when I see her.
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