Posted on 08/14/2003 8:39:48 AM PDT by ElkGroveDan
By Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Arnold Schwarzenegger has given Democrats thousands of dollars in political donations over the past two decades, including $1,000 to Massachusetts senator and liberal lightning rod Ted Kennedy.
At the same time, campaign reports show, the GOP actor and gubernatorial hopeful has been a lukewarm financial supporter of Republican candidates.
Ultimately, say political observers, Schwarzenegger's history of political giving indicates little beyond what already is known -- that he is a moderate Republican who married into the Democratic Kennedy clan via NBC news correspondent Maria Shriver.
But conservative activists argue the pattern underscores a questionable political allegiance.
"Certainly, he has not proven to be a dedicated Republican. Where is his loyalty going to be?" asked Celeste Greig, a longtime Republican activist from Northridge who is supporting Schwarzenegger's rival, Bill Simon.
According to Federal Election Commission reports, Schwarzenegger gave $7,500 to Democrats since 1980 -- all of them Kennedys -- and $12,500 to Republicans and GOP committees.
Schwarzenegger aides and supporters called the donations to Democrats a non-issue.
"It's blood. It's family. He wasn't supporting Democrats, he was supporting family," said Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora.
"The fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger passionately embraces Republican views on fiscal responsibility and economic growth is enough for me and enough for most Republicans," Dreier said.
Schwarzenegger spokesman Rob Stutzman called criticizing the actor for his Kennedy donations "foolish."
"It's just silly to suggest that Arnold Schwarzenegger can't be a good Republican while still supporting his family by marriage," he said.
Even some Democrats said they don't read much into the Kennedy donations. "He wants to stay married," said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.
But Sherman also slammed the campaign contributions as "thoughtless."
"I don't think he's thought about anything in politics," Sherman said. "These political contributions are thoughtless gestures because he doesn't vote."
Sherman was referring to a published report that Schwarzenegger may not have voted in as many as five of the last 11 statewide elections, although the candidate's staff questioned whether all of his absentee ballots were counted.
In addition to Ted Kennedy, Schwarzenegger gave about $3,500 over the years to his wife's cousins, former Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy and Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend; and $2,000 to his brother-in-law, Mark Shriver, who last year ran a losing congressional race.
Among Republicans, Schwarzenegger gave $1,000 to losing Senate candidate Bruce Herschensohn in 1992; $1,000 to former Gov. Pete Wilson; and $1,000 to also-ran Senate candidate Ed Zschau. The rest of his GOP giving went to either state or national party committees.
Maria Shriver, meanwhile, has donated $2,000 to Mark Shriver; $4,000 to her cousin, Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy; $2,500 to Joe Kennedy; $1,000 to Townsend; and $3,000 to Ted Kennedy over the past two decades.
Schwarzenegger also has given a total of $3,000 in local races to Democratic Mayor James Hahn and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.
In addition, he gave Republican Richard Riordan $50,000 to help the former Los Angeles mayor in his run for governor last year. Riordan himself ran into trouble during that race for having donated to Democrats like Sen. Dianne Feinstein and even Gov. Gray Davis.
California political analysts said they doubt Schwarzenegger will face the same problem.
For one thing, analysts said, Republican anger over bipartisan campaign donations would be more likely to boil over in a closed party primary. For another, they said, Republicans who are bothered by Schwarzenegger's Kennedy ties will probably vote for conservatives like Simon or state Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, anyway out of ideological reasons.
Said Dan Schnur, a longtime California campaign strategist now working for Schwarzenegger rival Peter Ueberroth, "Dick Riordan hadn't married into Gray Davis' family. I think Republican voters will see the difference."
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Lisa Friedman can be reached at (202) 662-8731 and lisa.friedman@langnews.com.
Yes, his/her position is he is too conservative for Davis/Bustamante, too liberal for Simon/McClintock, and must be defeated at all costs. That means a Democrat remains in office because there is no other Republican who can win. Going negative against Arnold will guarantee a Democrat victory if Arnold loses.
"In liberalizing the Republican Party, liberals have two parties to do their bidding. What they do from without -- pressuring Republicans to compromise their principles -- Schwarzenegger can do from within." --- George Neumayr
Keep Bashing the consevatives, PhiKapMom. It is you who is in bed with liberals.
The best thing that could EVER happen is the defeat of Arnold. The party does not need more leftists to stall any more conservative agenda.
Of course he's not. He's got an (R) after his name. Other than your omission of "gun-grabbing" from the list, I can barely disagree with your description.
Ummmm, hellooooo, there is a difference between capitalism and money-making. We have thousands of leftist millionairheads and some leftist billionairheads. Capitalism is a philosophy. I do not respect and will not respect what passes for political "thinking" from Barbara Streisand, for example, who is a much more durable and much more talented performer than the droid ever will be. I won't be found taking her seriously in politics, though, and I won't be found taking Schwarzenkennedy seriously for much the same reasons.
Senators Mark Dayton of Minnesota, John Corzine of New Jersey, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, Bob Graham of Florida, Uncle Ted Kennedy and Ketchupboy Kerry (who got wealthy by marriage, the old-fashioned way), Dianne Feinstein of California all have gobs of money but I don't think that equates to public policy wisdom.
Schwarzenkennedy's rise to the top: Arrive in America as a teenager. Work really hard in the gym pumping iron and taking, ummmmm, "supplements." Become a top draw in the highly intellectual world of pumping iron. Show muscles to casting director, knowing that bodybulding is not a long term career. Make movies and get paid well. Hire people who are not thieves to invest your money in California real estate. Marry that Kennedy-Shriver girl. Get really rich by the passage of time as applied to real estate investments taken care of by pros. Get unearned reputation for financial genius without abandoning the idea that: "Government has to get everything for the people." Idea was in water system of Austria when he grew up there. Get recognized as genius for supporting baby-killing and lavender "marriage" and "adoption" thus satisfying PC lifestyle degenerates who want control of GOP.
A real genius that Schwarzenkennedy.
Yup, I have the cajones to say that because I am in touch with reality.
So far, we know that both men are pro-abortion, pro-gun control and moderates, at best, on gay marriage.
We hope that Schwarzenegger will govern as a libertarian and attempt to hold the line on new tax increases and regulations and make a real impact on workers' comp and electricity. Up until yesterday, I was hopeful of this. Than came the news of Warren Buffet! I am terrified to vote for him but if he acts even a little like a conservative, I am willing to support him as the "better" man for the job instead of Bustamante. Still, there needs to be more than an (R) next to the name to charge a Republican like me up!
I am willing to overlook all types of non-conservative positions. I supported Pete Wilson in the days he was governor. I support (big time!) George W. Bush right now. Schwarzenegger needs to prove he is more like Pataki and less like Bloomberg as Republicans go. I am unconvinced at the moment!
Agreed. Riordan is more liberal than Davis on most major issues. It's why he fell from 40 points up to 18 points down on election day. Arnold will do the same thing since turnout in this will be skewed heavily in favor of people who hate Davis (conservatives and Republicans).
Yeah, no one wants to hear or read anything negative about Arnold. We just throw the unpleasant news away.
WE LOST at the GOP convention. Let me give you another Ronaldus Magnus quote when his supporters forced spaghetti-spine Gerry the RINO Ford to invite Reagan onto the stage, Reagan said something else that you are naturally reluctant to quote: He told his very noisy and enthusiastic (even after he lost by 50 delegates) delegates and everyone else that they should go home and work for their gubernatorial candidates, their seantorial candidates, their Congressional candidates and their state legislative candidates and enjoy a big victory in November. He said nada about Ford and Dole and the message was accepted and acted on. After four years of Jimmuh Cahtuh, America did what every RINO assured us was absolutely impossible and elected Ronaldus Maximus in a landslide. Even Massachusetts voted for him twice (must have been during a brief Bircher period for Massachusetts or something) and he won only 49 states in 1984.
Under Reagan's masterful leadership in 1980, we turned the radical caucus of lifestyle left, antiwar, antiAmerican Demonrats into a scene reminiscent of the baptism scene in Godfather I.
Of course, the RINOs assured absolutely everyone that it was all impossible and would, up, as usual, sounding like a preview of Baghdad Bob: "Pay no attention to those tanks, Islamic brothers! There are NO Americans in our city. We have slaughtered them all." BTW, pro-abort, pro-homosexual Barry Goldwater actually made ads for Ford accusing Reagan of"extremism". Now where had we heard that before?
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