Arnold Schwarzenegger on the issues

Associated Press ^ | 8/27/03

[Tancredo Fan]

Arnold Schwarzenegger on the issues

The Associated Press - 8/27/03

Arnold Schwarzenegger gave his most detailed comments to date on a range of social and policy issues Wednesday when he appeared on the Sean Hannity and Larry Elder syndicated talk-radio programs. Here are some of the positions he staked out:

ABORTION

_Told Hannity he is "pro-choice" but opposes the late-stage procedures described as "partial-birth" abortions. Asked whether he is in favor of parental notification when minors seek abortions, he replied, "I am. But in some cases when there is abuse in the family or problems in the family, then the courts should decide."

GAY MARRIAGE

_Said he did not support gay marriage but "I do support domestic partnerships." He said marriage should be between a man and a woman.

GUNS

_Said he supports a ban on assault weapons, trigger locks under some circumstances and the Brady Bill, which requires background checks on gun purchasers. "I feel that it's important to have, and also I would like to close the loophole of the gun shows," he said, referring to a legal provision that allows unchecked sales at gun shows. But he added, "I think that people should have the right to bear arms."

PRAYER IN SCHOOLS

_"I believe in prayer in school and I think it should be up to the schools, you know, what religion they belong and what direction they want to go," he said.

OFFSHORE DRILLING

_Said companies should not be permitted to drill for oil off California's coast. "I think that we should stop the oil drilling and I think that our state government and federal government should negotiate to buy back the leases," he said.

SCHOOL VOUCHERS

_Indicated support for some form of vouchers. "With No Child Left Behind Act that President Bush has put forward you have a chance that if your school has failed that you can go and take your child to another school," he said. "I believe in that. I think it gives us choices, gives the parents choices, which is extremely important."

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

_Said he had not yet taken a position on affirmative action or on Proposition 54, the initiative that will appear on the recall ballot and would ban the state from collecting most racial data.

DRUG LEGALIZATION

_Said drug legalization was "a bad idea" but he supported legalized medicinal marijuana.

IMMIGRATION

_Indicated support for allowing undocumented immigrants already in the country to remain here, but a spokesman said later he was not specifically proposing an amnesty program.

_Said he opposed legislation to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, but that services for illegal immigrants was a complicated issue that was mostly up to the federal government.

_Said Proposition 187, the 1994 measure that denied many services to illegal immigrants, was "history" because it has been largely voided by the courts. He supported the proposition at the time voters approved it. "Now we have to move forward with the whole thing and to look at it, what we're going to do with all the people that are undocumented immigrants here in this state. What should we do? Should we have them to stay here, which I think is the right way to do, but how do you then include them in our society, how do you make it official, how do you make it legal?" he said. He added he would try to team up with other states with large immigrant populations and lobby the federal government to address the issue.

TAXES

_Refused to take a pledge not to raise taxes, but pledged to raise them only if there was a state emergency.

Published: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 18:09 PDT

[Tempest]

I often like to cook food just so I can throw it out. That's why I support Tom McNader.

[Rockitz]

Illegal immigration is destroying this state. Arnold will do nothing to change that.

That's how I'm reading it. Ughhh! I really enjoyed living here too, but I'm going to have to let the rest of you hold the bag since I'm not going to pay my own way along with 50 others. $7.4B for educating children of illegal immigrants nationwide and maybe another 10-15 times that much for free health care in our nation's emergency rooms.

The only way to save California is with a VAT (value added tax) on everything in concert with elimination of state income tax. It is unfortunately the only way to close the "cash compensation" loophole that the illegals now enjoy.

[Tempest]

The McClintock camp is closing in on the fervered shrill pitch level that Bustamante has prescribed.

I actually think that they're a bit mor fanatical than a iMac fan.

[patriciaruth]

Yes, Lieberman is a DINO. He would be a lot happier if he was a Republican.

I wonder if he'll jump the Democrat ship eventually, or just secretly vote for George W. Bush rather than Dean in 2004.

[dennisw]

I hate to tell you this, but this is a very different California than Reagan or Deukmejian lived in........


I don't have to live there to know it. Schwatzenegger is your lifeline. GRAB IT! Vote McClintock and you are rolling the dice

[Tempest]

You know what's sad. Davis and the rest of left used these same "true right" fanatics as a bunch of tools in 2002 to push Riordan out and Simon in.

And the same team of leftist are manipulating these sheep once more to oust Schwarzenegger so that they can run against that old nag McNader.

[elbucko]

The only way to save California is with a VAT (value added tax) on everything in concert with elimination of state income tax.

If you believe that, it shows that you have not spent much time in England. I have and noticed how regressive and job killing the VAT is. Try again.

[Sir Valentino]

Screw RINOs. If this place is going to go to hell, then let's get it over with. That's why I would support Bustamante if McClintock were to exit the race.

You're *ALWAYS* saying RINO this and RINO that... but the *TRUE* RINOs are traitors like you who would sooner vote for Bustamante than a *REPUBLICAN* like Schwarzenegger!

If you *SAY* you're a Republican, but you *VOTE* for a Democrat, you're a RINO... or even a Democrat!

It's people like you who got Hillary Clinton *ELECTED* senator... and will probably end up putting her back in the *WHITE HOUSE* in 2005!

[Tamzee]

That's why I would support Bustamante if McClintock were to exit the race.

The real definition of a RINO.

[William Tell]

dennisw said: "Vote for Busty via voting for McClintock and feel really great and self righteous about yourself but that's not what I would do if I owned property in California and lived worked and breathed in California."

You complain that McClintock is unelectable because many people won't vote for him.

You fail to observe that, if Arnold loses, it will be because he is unelectable because some people won't vote for him.

I live, breathe, and used to work in Kalifornia. I have taken an early retirement which cuts my income in half. I would gladly part with my property in Kalifornia for similar property in a free state.

Those who embrace Arnold have abandoned me to a future of more infringements of my right to keep and bear arms.

Kalifornia's bankruptcy is what it deserves. The red ink is going to flow soon and flow heavily. I have challenged many people to describe the chaos and how it would affect them if either Davis or Busty is governor. I have heard nothing to convince me that the "crisis" is one to be avoided.

The bankruptcy of socialism is best demonstrated by the collapse of socialist governments. Allowing Arnold's "socialism lite" only postpones the day of reckoning.

[elbucko]

against that old nag McNader.

You must be one of those seminar posters like Rome2000. You both use the immature "McNader" insult. Tends to make me question your intelligence and sanity.

[Princeliberty]

I don't hear any big talk about cutting government.

In fact he said in his first speech he wanted to
bring back business to pay for the social programs.

He is a liberal democrat pretending to be
a moderate Republican.

[Al Simmons]

Totally agree. I winced at some of his answers, wanting him to take amore firm or less equivocating position - BUT - was impressed by his willingness to "talk turkey".

I left Texas a year ago, left behind Rick Perry and a GOP legislature, only to witness CA's GOP buck the trend and go down IN FLAMES up and down the ballot.

The Terminator is our best hope to start taking back this once great state.

Think of it this way, my fellow right-wing Bible-thumping radical right-wingers (tongue planted firmly in cheek as I consider the above description a compliment, not a slander):

Would you rather take a shot in the gut (vote Arnold), or would you rather commit suicide (vote for Bustamante/McClintock).

Self-preservation is the name of the game. We're not in Texas anymore, Toto.

Think about it folks.

Cordially,

Al

[sruleoflaw]

Lay off McClintock. What has Arnold done for the taxpayers of California? LET ME HELP YOU. ARNOLD IS A RINO, a Nelson Rockefeller Republican. This is the 1960's all over again -- and Goldwater, and Reagan, will win YET. Arnold is a left-winger surrounded by TAX HIKERS. Wait till he hikes your taxes Sunsong. I'll happily laugh at you.

[Al Simmons]

Dude, you NEED to move to SOUTH TEXAS (San Antonio area). A little hotter and the fire ants/mosquitos are an annoyance in the summer, but cheap (cheapest gas of any large city), cheap housing, warm people, lots of real estate and things to do.

Think of it this way: you'll be able to buy twice the house without financing just on your CA home appreciation.

Al (Hoping to go back to God's land once the spouse finally retires from the military).

[Rockitz]

If you believe that, it shows that you have not spent much time in England. I have and noticed how regressive and job killing the VAT is.

That's only because it goes through the sticky fingers of the British government. I'm not sure it would be any better here, but it's the only way to collect anything from these people. I want illegals to think good and hard about coming to this country with the increased cost of living associated with a VAT. Then maybe they'll stay home.

What do you propose? Nothing. I thought so. Go take your pill now.

[jocon307]

"Hey Cali! He may be RINO but this is as good as it gets. This is the best you deserve at this point in time. If you want to elect a Ronald Reagan type than build for it. But like I said, Arnold is the best man who is electable."

I think this is correct. I heard him on Hannity myself, and his answers to bullet point questions (which from Sean is a gift to begin with) were direct and to the point, and more topics were covered that were given here.

I cannot say they were nuanced, but he did not sound like a "buffalo shuffle" idiot or bs artist.

I would vote for him, he's against partial birth abortion, he distinguishes medical marijuanna from drug legalization, he is not an idiot and I think he is very serious about being governor and is reaching for the main chance. It would be ridiculously foolish to run this race on a campaign to end illegal immigration, ,or a re-run of prop 187 or anything else. It is the dem. gov't of cali that's ruining it, not the illegals. You all haven't been invaded by mexicans over the last 4 years (maybe the last 40, but that is another story), you've been plunged into a crisis by a corrupt, entirely self-interested, inept governor. Cruz Bustamante is not the answer, he is part (probably a very small part, in fact) of the problem.

Arnold can beat the dem, McClintock for all his non-disputed virtues cannot.

[William Tell]

Al Simmons said: "Dude, you NEED to move to SOUTH TEXAS (San Antonio area). "

I am working on Mrs. Tell. We will visit that very area before the first snow falls or in the spring. The "hill country" attracted my attention as the area perhaps most like the hilly, northern Kalifornia area where we live.

I will probably have to come up with a "transition" plan that allows us to test the waters without making a commitment to give up our home in the People's Republic of Kalifornia.

Annual rainfall maps of Texas are fascinating because the lines are all basically vertical, with less than 10 inches in west Texas and increasing rainfall as one moves east into areas with as much as 50-60 inches.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Would you rather take a shot in the gut (vote Arnold), or would you rather commit suicide (vote for Bustamante/McClintock).

Well put. McClintock would be my first choice, but he is not going to be elected and anyone with two brain cells knows it. This IS California we are talking about !!!

We can recover from a shot in the gut, but a Bustamante will be even worse than a Dufus.

We Californians are sinking by the minute and we better grab a life preserver and pray instead of taking on more water for the sake of "proving something".

Sometimes we don't get all that we want, but that shouldn't mean we turn down a helping hand because it isn't pure enough.