Posted on 01/05/2007 7:45:20 AM PST by SmithL
SACRAMENTO - When he is sworn in for a second term today, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will evangelize for "the party of California" -- a politics that values centrism, compromise and accomplishment over polarization, entrenchment and gridlock.
"We must think of ourselves as belonging not just to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, but to the Party of California," he will say, according to snippets of his prepared text released by aides. "Because California is a collective ideal worth preserving."
Saying that neither Democrats nor Republicans have a monopoly on good ideas, Schwarzenegger will stake his claim for the middle-ground between the parties.
"Centrist does not mean weak. It does not mean watered down or warmed over," he will say. "It means well-balanced and well-grounded. The American people are instinctively centrist -- so should be our government."
The 38th governor's successful re-election campaign hinged on his willingness to rethink the more conservative ideas he pushed in his failed 2005 special election. Thereafter, Schwarzenegger embraced many ideas that legislative Democrats had championed previously: raising the minimum wage, creating a drug discount plan for the poor and capping greenhouse gas emissions.
The governor hopes to build on that success over the next four years to provide health insurance to all children, expand health care access to the millions who lack it, reform the state's dysfunctional prison system and build new roads and water storage.
"Some pundits said that I won re-election because I co-opted the Democratic agenda," Schwarzenegger will say. "Some said that the Democratic Legislature, by working with me to increase the minimum wage or reform prescription drug costs, abandoned the Democratic nominee for governor. This is the kind of partisan thinking that frustrates the voters and diminishes our democracy. The people are disgusted with a mindset that would rather get nothing done than accomplish something through compromise. "
The speech will set "the rhetorical vision of his legacy" -- an attempt to restore faith in government, predicted Barbara O'Connor, a communications professor at California State University Sacramento.
"We cynically assume that there's an ulterior motive," to bipartisan talk from politicians, she said, "but the average person, when you talk to them in focus groups, wants to believe in government."
After being walloped in the recent Congressional elections, many Republicans are searching for ways to connect with voters beyond what worked in the past: exploiting wedge issues such as gay marriage or the war in Iraq for political gain.
Schwarzenegger may be more than happy to dispense advice. If his successes continue, the governor could take his message on the road to early presidential primary states, including Iowa and New Hampshire. But aides say he's focusing on the homefront first and foremost.
"Certainly the governor wants to have an impact on the national, and perhaps international, stage," said GOP strategist Kevin Spillane. "One has only to look at Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. He's always focused on tackling the next great challenge."
An environmentalist in a Republican party that is often viewed as hostile to science, Schwarzenegger is stressing a green theme at his inaugural celebration. The kickoff Thursday was an expo highlighting hybrid BMWs, organic produce and energy-efficient appliances.
On the mend after fracturing his right femur, the governor did not attend the open-to-the-public event, but first lady Maria Shriver assured guests that he would be in Sacramento today to take the oath of office.
Also on tap today are a luncheon for lawmakers and donors and a black-tie gala ball where Donna Summer and Paul Anka will perform. Those events and the swearing in at Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium are not open to the general public.
Schwarzenegger's swearing in is slated to begin at 11 a.m. today. It will be broadcast online at http://www.gov.ca.gov.
I'm sure Arnold would think of Reagan as an 'extremist'. So much for conservative principles. Arnold's more like another Kennedy.
Where is the barf alert for this statist commie rhetoric?
I think you need to brush up on your Hayek and Mises.
RINOld is such a buffoon...
another candidate for my 2007 Tagline Award. LOL
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Sadly, as you can see from the minimal responses on this thread, most FReepers don't seem to care about what Ahnold is doing in California. The policies of liberal Republicans like Ahnold and Rudy Giuliani are obviously just fine with the FReeper faithful.
People who calls themselves "centrists" are nothing more than dishonest liberals.
And, of course, next you will hear how important it is to vote for even for "moderate" RINOs.
Socialism is not Moderation. See also #4.
You call a 30% state budget hike in 3 years a compromise? For shame.
The TWirPinator strikes back, well sort of, nothing more than a closet socialist with a big Q factor. In his case, now we know what the Q also stands for as we look at his staff.
"California is a collective ideal worth preserving."=COMMONISM!!!
Excerpts from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's inaugural address:
AP
http://www.dailycomet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070105/APN/701054315
"Every day has been an adventure. As a matter of fact, my escapes have been more hair-raising than anything I did in the movies."
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"... The California historian Kevin Starr says that we must think of ourselves as belonging not just to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party but to the Party of California because California is a collective ideal worth preserving. The Party of California is beyond ideology and one to which all of us belong."
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"Some pundits said that I won re-election because I co-opted the Democratic agenda. Some said that the Democratic Legislature, by working with me to increase the minimum wage or reform prescription drug costs, abandoned the Democratic nominee for governor. This is the kind of partisan thinking that frustrates the voters and diminishes our democracy. The people are disgusted with a mindset that would rather get nothing done than accomplish something through compromise."
---
"We don't need Republican roads or Democratic roads. We need roads. We don't need Republican health care or Democratic health care. We need health care. We don't need Republican clean air or Democratic clean air. We all breathe the same air."
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"I believe we have the opportunity to move past partisanship ... to move past bipartisanship ... to post-partisanship. Post-partisanship is not simply Republicans and Democrats each bringing their proposals to the table and working out differences. Post-partisanship is Republicans and Democrats actively giving birth to new ideas together."
---
"Centrist does not mean weak. It does not mean watered down or warmed over. It means well-balanced and well-grounded. The American people are instinctively centrist, so should be our government."
Where is the Recall Petition? I'm ready to sign...
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