Posted on 08/29/2005 3:19:39 PM PDT by calcowgirl
Memo to Arnold: Don't take the conservative base for granted.
The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, started out the program today with Hugh Hewitt, and in addition to the slate of proposition on reform the Governator wants to pass, lots of issues the base out here cares about were brought up. Here's how that interview went:
HH: We kick today off with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has thrown the California political map into a complete tumult with a special election coming up in November. Governor, good to talk to you.
AS: Hello, how are you, Hugh? This is great to talk to you.
HH: Thank you. It's always good to have you on, Governor. Before we go to the initiatives, and we've got to get through each of them, let me ask you. Your neighboring governors, Governor Napolitano, Governor Richardson, have declared border states of emergency in Arizona and New Mexico, respectively. Is that grandstanding?
AS: Well, I think that they have different issues than we have. They have real emergencies on the borders, they have livestock being killed, they have human trafficking, they have drug trafficking, and they have also the same problem we have, which is the flow of illegal immigrants coming in. But they have...I just recently came from a border Governor's conference in Mexico, and all of the Governors got together that are on the borders, and we talked about that. And we came up with a resolution about all working together to create more security on the border, and protect the borders and all that. So it's been a major issue, but they have an even bigger problem than we have.
HH: All right. Now I want to go on to the initiatives, because you made a roll of the dice here, and you've thrown California's political calculus, and thus, the country's, into a little bit of upheaval, especially with Prop. 77. I'm not sold on redistricting, Governor. Tell me why I should vote for this.
AS: Well, I think that what is important is that the last time we did redistricting, it was the politicians that drew the district lines. And when politicians draw district lines, that means that they are drawing it in a way that protects themselves. It protects the incumbent. So what they have done is they've built this little castle, and to protect themselves, not let anyone else go in, and not creating competition. And in order...instead of protecting the people, the voters, they've protected themselves. It was all about them, rather than about the voters, about the people out there that need to be protected. And so when I was elected, I said that I will be a Governor that will be the people's Governor, and I want to protect the people, not the politicians. So it is important that we redo that, and it is a panel of retired judges that have no vested interest in the outcome. They should draw the district lines so that it is fair, and is competetive between Democrats and Republicans. Because what they have done when they drew the district line is they have picked the voters. And that is the wrong way to go, because it has to be the voters that pick the politicians, not the politicians picking the voters.
HH: Now Governor, I know a lot of retired judges, and some of them are quite sweet, but there are many I wouldn't let change the oil in my car, much less my Congressional districts. How do we know we're not going to get bums?
AS: Well, because they will be selected, and it will be a good and fair selection and all that. I think that this is very important that we have...the question always is...with everything is, do you want to continue the old system? Do you want to keep the status quo? Do you really want to have the politicians draw the district lines that is in favor of them, rather than in favor of the voters? That's really what the issue is here. And I always said that I want to reform the system, and I want to make sure that the people are represented the proper way, because the people are working hard out there, it's the people that are paying the taxes, that live by the rules and all this. And they should really be fairly represented so that there is a competetive district, so that Democrats and Republicans can compete and go out there and campaign, rather than fixing the system the way it is right now.
HH: All right, Governor. Let's turn to public school teachers. Yesterday, we did a story on the Canton Timken Public High School in Canton, Ohio, which had sixty five pregnant high school girls out of a total of 490 girls. That school's obviously broken down. What's got you taking aim at the public school teacher's tenure?
AS: Well, I think that we always said that there is a huge problem we have in education. We are spending this time, I mean this year, we increased education spending by $3 billion dollars. It's the hugest increase. We are spending $50 billion dollars altogether in education. It's the most that we have ever spent in the history of California. And we are not getting what we are supposed to get. You know, the system has to be reformed, but at the same time, we need to make sure that we don't tackle all of the problems at the same time, and do it one at a time. The first thing I said is let's start with the teachers. It is unfair that after two years, teachers have lifetime guarantees for their jobs, and if they're good or bad, they stay in there. You can't get rid of bad teachers. And you cannot reward good teachers with bonuses, or recognition pay, which I have proposed. All of those things are just wrong the way it is done right now. So what I propose in my teacher's tenure is, let's increase that after not two years you get the lifetime guarantee for your job, but after five years. Let the teachers prove themselves, because there are so many talented and so many hardworking teachers out there. And they should get rewarded. But the ones that are not making it, we should be able to get rid of them, and I think we should do the weeding out early on.
HH: Now Prop. 76, the companion initiative, goes after state spending, and part of that is school funding. Are you proposing to cut school funding?
AS: No, no. We never want to cut anything. As a matter of fact, it's quite the opposite. We want to increase funding for education, because as you know, I'm an education Governor. I want to make sure that education gets a fair amount of money, but we have to also show accountability. People want to see accountability, that the money is spent wisely, and more that 65% go into the classroom. That's what we are shooting for. What is happening right now is the money does not go into the classroom. It doesn't go towards the teachers. It goes to many other things, and administrative costs. So we want to clean house there. We want to make sure that the parents get their moneys worth, because they are paying the taxes. And we want to make sure that the children get the best education possible. So teachers tenure is the thing to start, and then we're going to continue on and expand and create real reform in education. But the important thing is we have to increase education spending, pay as much attention to education as possible, and really treat the teachers the right way, with respect, and give them a merit pay, and increase their pay.
HH: Now, there are a whole bunch of other initiatives on here that you did not put on, but I'd like your opinion on two of them. Prop. 73, which is a waiting period and parental notification for minors seeking an abortion. Will you vote for Prop. 73, Governor?
AS: Well, to be honest with you, I'm right now focuses only on our propositions. So we stay focused, so I don't go all over the place here, and talk about many initiatives, all of the initiatives. So this is why we always get involved with the other initiatives down the line. So maybe in October, we'll get involved with the other initiatives. But right now, it is important for us to talk about teachers tenure, to talk about living in our means, Proposition 76, and Proposition 77, which is the redistricting. And may I remind you, the key thing here is that when you talk about living within our means, is that the state stops spending more money than we take in. What created this huge mess, and why we had the recall election, was simply because our legislators could not keep control over their spending. They rung up a $22 billion dollar debt. That's what I have inherited. And they still today did not get the message. They're still spending more money than we have. This coming year, our structural defecit will be an additional $7.5 billion dollars. We cannot continue this way. And I simple reason why this is bad is that not only because we are not living within our means, but we never save enough money to really build an infrastructure, to work on our highways and freeways. We cannot afford all of these things. We need to build more schools. We need to build hospitals, emergency rooms. We need to create more nurses, more teachers. There's so many challenges ahead of us. If we continue always living in debt, we cannot afford what we need...
HH: That's absolutely true, but can you expect conservatives to get up and march, and you need them to march on this stuff, if you're not out there for say paycheck protection? I mean, that one's...that's the nuclear weapon that's been unleashed here. If the unions lose their stolen money from their people, they're going to be crippled. So are you going to be out there for Prop. 75?
AS: Well, again, like I said earlier, I'm not getting off...in principle, I'm for all of those things, but we are not going to get involved in endorsing any of the other initiatives. What is important is that we're using November 8th as the time for all of California to rally together and go to the polls and to vote, and to create real change. Because the legislators are incapable to create real reform in California, which we need so badly, in order to fix the broken system. I always promised the people that when I come into office, I will fix the broken system.
HH: Will you be appointing the new Justice on the California Supreme Court before the election?
AS: I don't think it will be before the election, but I mean...
HH: Are conservatives going to be happy, Governor?
AS: We are right now going through the process, and it is, as you know, it's always very important that we appoint the right person, the most competent person, the person that really has skills and experience.
HH: But it's got to be a conservative. I mean, Janice Rogers Brown was the most conservative member of that court, and if you come in with a moderate, aren't the conservatives going to sit on their hands for you, Governor, next year?
AS: You can count on it that we will do the right...we will pick the right choice, and that we will do the right replacement.
End of interview.
In the very first link you provided it say this: He'll attend no public events... and will only meet in private for several hours with Mexican and U.S. governors participating in the 23rd annual Border Governors Conference.
From the very same piece: Schwarzenegger attended the conference last year when it was held in Santa Fe, N.M.
Now... how do you spin something like "MEET... FOR SEVERAL HOURS" into saying he "did not participate in any of the meetings" and only "showed up for dinner one night." That kind of claim is a Clinton play-book LIE, playing fast and loose with the facts and using careful language to make FALSE implications.
You’re calling me a liar? Do you ever read the News, Newzjunkey?
The New Mexico conference you refer to was in 2004. The one that is being discussed was July 2005 in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico. There were 2 all-day meetings (Thurs/Fri) with an inaugural event and dinner on Thursday night. Arnold attended the evening activities and did not attend the meetings Thursday or Friday. You didn’t even read the links I provided, or certainly weren’t able to comprehend them.
Forgive me if I didn’t provide Kellynla a link to every story on the subject from which I concluded his actions of that day. Kellynla knows my research. Apparently you would rather try to smear other freepers and accuse them of lying, while providing your own spin, than check the facts yourself.
Now, do I fault him for not attending? No! Do I fault him for touting the conference implying that he participated? YES! Talk about Clinton Play-Book LIES!
("I just recently came from a border Governor's conference in Mexico, and all of the Governors got together that are on the borders, and we talked about that. And we came up with a resolution about all working together to create more security on the border, and protect the borders and all that. So it's been a major issue, but they have an even bigger problem than we have. ")
Here are some excerpts. Perhaps this will help you. [Emphasis added]
CA: Governor may get cold reception in Mexico (Border Governors Conference)(snip)
Schwarzenegger plans to attend a hearing on military base closures tomorrow in Los Angeles, and then travel by private jet to Torreon.
Making a brief appearance at the two-day conference, he will attend a private dinner banquet with governors from both countries and then immediately fly back back to California tomorrow night.
Governor plans fast visit to Mexico
A one-day trip to border governors conference will include no public events.(snip)
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, slammed in the Mexican news media from the time he announced his candidacy, is planning his first trip to Mexico since becoming governor. He travels to the state of Coahuila on Thursday night for a private dinner with border governors.
He'll attend no public events, according to his press office, and will only meet in private for several hours [i.e., for dinner] with Mexican and U.S. governors participating in the 23rd annual Border Governors Conference.
U.S. border governors stay away from Mexico meeting
(snip)
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the inaugural dinner and went home after a few hours. Only Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico attended the full event.
Gov. Pays Quick Visit to Mexico
Schwarzenegger meets governors from both sides of the border, then departs. Critics say he sought to avoid protests on immigration stance.On his first visit to this nation since taking office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger received a warm reception Thursday from fellow governors at a border conference, but largely avoided a swarm of media eager to question him about his stances on illegal immigration.
The brief stop in many ways contrasted with the governor's trips to Japan and the Middle East, where he was often greeted by adoring crowds, had high-profile meetings with heads of state and was, in general, more solicitous of the media.
In a tightly controlled visit to this sweltering desert city about 450 miles southeast of El Paso, the governor attended the formal, inaugural event and then had a dinner with governors at an undisclosed location before, according to his schedule, flying back to California in a private jet.
His presence, even for a few hours, was viewed as a positive step by some political observers and Mexican politicians. At the inaugural event, hundreds of Mexican government officials gave Schwarzenegger a loud round of applause when he was introduced.
That's very good to hear.
That kind of claim is a Clinton play-book LIE, playing fast and loose with the facts and using careful language to make FALSE implications.
Normally, one would think an embarrassment like this would teach you something. The problem is, this isn't the first time you've shot off your mouth without getting your facts straight. The least you should do is to ask for confirmation of another freeper before accusing dishonesty.
Maybe this time you'll learn? Next time, I'll flag the mods. I've bookmarked this one as an example.
Good suggestion. I think HH reads these.
BUMP
Socialist!!!
Since getting into office, all Arnold has done is appoint liberals to positions that they are not qualified to hold, increase our debt, increase the rate of increase of our debt, and claim the entire Sierra Nevada for Kofi Anan.
Even more reason to encourage and applaud every step in the right direction.
From my lofty conservative perch here in Colorado, I'd say Arnold has already failed. The Govinator has exacerbated problem after problem. That's what happens when you elect a liberal RINO to public office. More spending, more borrowing and in the end, higher taxes to support the nanny socialist state. You voted for it. Enjoy what you got.
So far, there are no such steps to applaud; his net effect is demonstratively negative, and the best we get from him is wheel spinning.
I like his blaming the congress for the increase in spending, like he had nothing to do with it.
There's no dishonor in being defeated, only in being defeatist.
Is that why the left hates him so much?
I don't know that the left hates him. They should love him; he is a fascist just like most of them. He will soon appoint a fascist to the California Supreme Court, and tell us that he has made the 'right' choice, as usual.
We'll see.
FOG724 pointed out Arnold's Socialist thinking and you think people should "encourage and applaud"?
No, I didn't know that is what you meant. Thank you for clarifying.
And we should do what when he "takes a step in the left direction"?
There's the rub, for sure.
It's like raising children, dogs, or spouses.
Encourage the right.
Expose and discourage the rest.
Recognize and praise every molecule of progress.
And never give up.
Thanks! That confirms the soundness of my judgement of him, in addition to being a so-so 2nd ratee radio talk host!!! (maybe even 3rd, or 45th rate)
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