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After what I just read, he is beyond saving. He needs to move to Europe-Franc or Germany would be fine.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/08/08/MN175872.DTL

Folks, you gotta read it to believe it. Enjoy:
Schwarzenegger's GOP rivals quitting
ON THE ISSUES: Views of actor-candidate not easy to put in usual categories
Robert Salladay, Chronicle Political Writer
Friday, August 8, 2003
©2003 San Francisco Chronicle | Feedback

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/08/08/MN175872.DTL

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor known for his monosyllabic catch phrases in the "Terminator" movies, recently mused in the Financial Times of London: "I am more comfortable with an Adam Smith philosophy than with Keynesian theory."

As Schwarzenegger dives into California politics, comments like this may help voters who are wondering just exactly what the Austrian-born actor and bodybuilder believes. Political observers are rushing to figure him out, as Democrats question his ability to grasp complicated subjects like the state budget.

Schwarzenegger, who keeps a bust of Ronald Reagan in his office, has been described as a "compassionate libertarian," a Republican moderate outside the usual mold of GOP candidates in California. Although never elected to public office, Schwarzenegger has amassed a large body of speeches and interviews that support this perception.

But there are gaps in the record. He is widely viewed as supporting abortion rights, for example, but there are no public comments from Schwarzenegger detailing his position on parental consent, late-term procedures or the public financing of abortion. It's difficult to find a single quote from him even saying he's pro-choice.

For voters seeking to understand how Schwarzenegger would govern California,

political analysts say the best example may be former Gov. Pete Wilson, who is supporting the actor, and even Gov. Gray Davis during his first term, when he tried to skip across the political spectrum and angered many liberal Democrats.

"It's like going through a buffet line where you find all sorts of things, on the left and the right, that you can chose from," said Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, who advised Schwarzenegger in 2001 and analyzed his public positions.

"Reporters are going to try very hard to put him in a box, but I don't think there is a box that would fit Arnold," said Whalen. "He said something very interesting to me once: 'You have to understand I am internally conflicted. I have an Austrian upbringing, but an adult life in California.' "

Schwarzenegger offers an array of seeming contradictions on policy issues that could confuse Republican voters, particularly conservatives, who are considered the most enthusiastic recall voters.

Schwarzenegger says he believes in less government spending, and yet he was author of a successful 2002 ballot measure that mandates $400 million in taxpayer spending on after-school programs. He is a follower of free- enterprise economist Milton Friedman, even taping an introduction to Friedman's 10-part TV series, "Free to Choose."

On the environment, Schwarzenegger already is getting criticized for driving enormous gas-guzzling SUVs such as the Hummer. He believes in "reasonable" environmental regulations, according to some records, but he declined to answer a question Thursday about his environmental positions, waving it off with: "I will fight for the environment. Nothing to worry about."

On gay rights, Schwarzenegger supposedly is supportive of adoptions by same- sex couples, another issue conservatives may find distasteful. He's been particularly outspoken about homosexuality, telling Cosmopolitan magazine: "I have no sexual standards in my head that say this is good or this is bad. 'Homosexual' -- that only means to me that he enjoys sex with a man and I enjoy sex with a woman. It's all legitimate to me."

"If you go back and watch 'Pumping Iron,' this is not a member of the religious right," said Democratic consultant Patrick Reddy, who has written about the actor for the National Review. "He's never preached on those issues. He's a businessman. He preaches the gospel of self-fulfillment, working hard, pumping iron, looking good."

MOVIE VIOLENCE
Polls show most Californians believe in strong gun-control laws, but Schwarzenegger is known mainly for his violent movies, which have included nearly 300 killings. In the past decade, as he began considering a career in politics, he said, he tried scaling back violent themes -- including forcing the removal of weapons from dolls promoting the movie "Last Action Hero."

Even though his newest movie, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," is just as violent as his 1980s action flicks, he is considered supportive of assault weapons laws. Schwarzenegger says he believes voters should be able to separate the two.

"I don't run around every day with a gun in my hand," he told Berkeley- based Youth Radio last year. "So I want kids to understand the difference; one is make-believe like we do in the movies. But in reality I'm for gun control. I'm a peace-loving guy."

Democrats now are questioning whether Schwarzenegger has the ability to dig deeper than cliches on important policy issues, as Sen. Dianne Feinstein characterized it Thursday. If elected governor, Schwarzenegger would have to consider about 3,000 bills a year on a range of issues, from workers' compensation to mental health to public contracts.

After announcing his candidacy, he mentioned a few government spending programs but didn't offer a payment method amid a state budget deficit expected to be at least $10 billion next year. The actor said he wanted more books in schools and "affordable day care. We want to make sure the older folks have their care that they need. That everything has to be provided for the people."

Although he promised later to offer a detailed budget plan, Schwarzenegger said the state needs leadership more than anything else. He ridiculed Davis' 1998 campaign claim that he was the best-trained governor in California history, saying that experience ruined the state.

But policy details can matter. In his first public comments as a candidate Wednesday night, Schwarzenegger said "the junk bond ratings that we're getting,

it is disastrous." In fact, although California's bond ratings have been downgraded by Wall Street, the state's credit rating is not at junk-bond status.

AUSTRIAN 'FARM BOY'
It's clear Schwarzenegger is a careful student of politics in general, infusing his speeches and interviews with stories about his Austrian upbringing and the transformation he made from a "farm boy" from Thal, Austria,

to an American success.

In a speech last year, Schwarzenegger said his first exposure to politics was the U.S. presidential campaign in 1968, the year he arrived in America. He had a friend translate the speeches of Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey and Republican Richard Nixon.

Humphrey talked about protectionism and more government planning, the actor said, which "sounded a lot like socialism in Austria." Nixon talked about "less government, lower taxes, the free market, international trade and a strong military."

"After the translator finished, I realized: Yes! I am a Republican," Schwarzenegger said. "I pretty much thought it was as simple as the movies: The Republicans were the good guys, and the Democrats were the bad guys."

Schwarzenegger said he later starting touring the county for the Special Olympics and "learned how America really worked. And what I realized was this: both parties had good ideas. So it's dead wrong to see things only as us versus them."

He rattled off some general policy positions, including lower taxes and less government spending. Government should provide a "fair start and fair competition. It shouldn't rig outcomes," which could be interpreted as support for limited affirmative action programs or opposition to it.

Not surprisingly, Schwarzenegger's views on gay rights and his appearance in violent movies have angered conservatives in California. The recall election is allowing the actor to completely bypass the traditional party apparatus of nominating candidates and go directly to the voter.

Some conservatives lashed out quickly Thursday. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, said the actor "would be a darker villain than any he has faced in his movies. . . . It's hard to imagine a worse governor than Gray Davis, but Mr. Schwarzenegger would be it."