Posted on 10/11/2005 8:57:18 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Sifting through hundreds of bills lawmakers sent to his desk at the end of the session, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger provided fresh evidence that he is a maverick who will never satisfy either the left or the right wings of California politics.
On labor, business and fiscal issues, the governor tilts right. On the environment, he leans left. On social issues, his instincts go left but are tempered by the legal and political realities he confronts. He is not so much a consistent centrist as a mix of conservative and liberal positions, an eclectic combination of views that makes him a bad fit for either the Republican or Democratic parties in this state, at least as they are currently defined by their elites.
The governor's straddle across California's ideological divide was most clear, perhaps, in his veto of AB 48, which sought to increase the state minimum wage by a dollar, to $7.75 per hour, and then tie the wage to inflation with future, automatic increases every January.
The bill, which would have given California the highest minimum wage in the nation, was strongly supported by organized labor and the Democrats in the Legislature. ... snip
Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill, offending labor supporters, but also broke from the business community by announcing that he would support an increase in the minimum wage. ... snip
The governor also split the difference on today's most explosive social issue: gay rights. He vetoed AB 849, which sought to legalize gay marriage in California in defiance of Proposition 22, the voter-approved ballot measure that banned same-sex marriages in 2000. Schwarzenegger suggested that gay rights advocates await rulings in the courts, where the proposition is being tested, or ask the voters to repeal the ban.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
In other words, he's all over the place, a hybrid politico.
I guess, if one doesn't like him, he's a flip-flopper, but if one does like him, he's an eclectic combination of views?
and in 2005 if you are a conservative-leaning person you realize that this is the best-case scenario in over-the-top-liberal California. Thank God some of our points of view are being respected and enacted.
I think it's actually the opposite, that he is (somewhat) socially conservative, but knows that's a hard sell here in California, so he tempers his positions toward the left.
In any case, though I guess I'm in the minority on FR, I like Ahnold. I think that at least you know where you stand with him, since he tends to say what he thinks and let the devil take the hindmost. And I hope he manages to get his redistricting proposition through! Goodness knows we need it.
Whenever I've heard him talk about issues he's always said this is what I did, and this is why I did it, it was the best decision I could make with the situation I had in front of me. He is a straight talker and they are few and far between. California would be foolish not to reelect him.
Course, I used to say that about George Bush too.
... but I thought "we" elected a Republican... or is that just part of that being 'bipartisan' thing we endure today? :-}
btw,, interesting profile page.
You must be a kinder gentler moderate/liberal... surviving here at FR this long. ;-)
PS.. I rescue cats too, or used to,, Good job!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.