California Crowd Hostile to Schwarzenegger's Wife

Reuters ^ | 09-08-03

[Brian S]

Mon September 8, 2003 09:03 PM ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A crowd at a mall in California's capital greeted Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife Maria Shriver with hostility on Monday as she made her first solo appearance in the unpredictable gubernatorial campaign.

The Austrian-born Republican actor has generated very positive reaction in public since he announced that he would run to replace Governor Gray Davis in an Oct. 7 recall election, with many clamoring for his autograph and a handshake.

Yet opponents of the recall, including union members, gathered outside a Sacramento Wal-Mart to shout, carry placards and otherwise express their opposition to the recall when Shriver appeared at a voter registration booth.

"She's over here promoting a company that's refusing to pay health care for its workers," said Bill Camp, executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council. "She should be ashamed. Her grandfather would be appalled."

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retail chain, has been the subject of numerous lawsuits in California, where gubernatorial candidate Cruz Bustamante recently attacked the company's labor practices.

Shriver, granddaughter of Joseph Kennedy and niece of President John F. Kennedy, is a member of the country's best-known Democratic family, but has backed her Republican husband's entry into politics.

"I think the more people that are involved in the political process, the better, even if it's picketing," she told a crush of reporters and onlookers before cutting her visit short. "I think that's what's great about this country."

Some in the crowd of several hundred did cheer her however as they carried signs that read "Join Arnold."

In the face of renewed focus on old Schwarzenegger interviews about his fast life as a bodybuilder in the 1970s, Shriver could help widen support for her husband. In her brief remarks, she spoke of the difficulty of maintaining a normal family life for their four children in such a campaign.

"My main focus is to keep my children's life normal, to get them into school. I started two kids in new schools, so that's important for me," said Shriver, who is a Democrat.

"I talk to them about volunteering and campaigns, and that's a great thing, and I taught them about having tolerance for people's different political opinions, not to ever get into an argument with somebody because people come from different places in their lives."

Gov. Davis' wife, Sharon, has actively campaigned for her husband in recent weeks, bringing a warmth and personal style to the campaign trial that even Davis' allies say he lacks.

[ambrose]

here's how AP covers the exact same story:

Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, campaigned at a voter-registration event in the Sacramento suburb of Natomas, but the event was overwhelmed by a dozen union members opposed to the recall.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/978481/posts

[ambrose]

Gov. Davis' wife, Sharon, has actively campaigned for her husband in recent weeks, bringing a warmth and personal style to the campaign trial that even Davis' allies say he lacks.

Perhaps it is time to Freep her as payback?

[steelie]

"Yet opponents of the recall, including union members, gathered outside a Sacramento Wal-Mart to shout, carry placards and otherwise express their opposition to the recall when Shriver appeared at a voter registration booth." "She's over here promoting a company that's refusing to pay health care for its workers," said Bill Camp, executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council. "She should be ashamed. Her grandfather would be appalled."

Liar ,Liar.(not you of course) There are bennies at WallMart; Just not the ones that SOCIALISTS want.

[Happy2BMe]

""My main focus is to keep my children's life normal, to get them into school. I started two kids in new schools, so that's important for me," said Shriver, who is a Democrat."

RuH RoH!

  ARNOLD A RINO?

[CARepubGal]

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! kennedy/Shrivers behaving stupidly (again) Bump! What is next? Cousin Patches (heh heh heh!)

[ladyinred]

This is almost too funny for words! Her uncle Jack wouldn't be appalled because he wasn't this new highjacked democrat, her grandpa could not have cared less if everyone had health care, and the fact that a Kennedy is being picketed by democrats, well, that is just outrageous!!!!! This just gets curiousier and curiousier!

[Malesherbes]

"Her grandfather would be appalled." !!! Joseph Kennedy was a cynical, unscrupulous lecher, who held Hitler in high regard.Nothing appalled him.

[Liz]

Patches on the campaign trail? Just what CA needs....another Dim loser.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

I had to read this twice to realize it was the idiot dems who were giving Shriver a hard time.

Gov. Davis' wife, Sharon...warmth and personal style.

She has the warmth of cold peas and the personal style of Ethel Mertz. (apologies to Fred)

[Fred Mertz]

The union thugs are desperate when they go after the wife.

Geez, I wish they'd go after mine so I could get some quiet time.

[DoctorZIn]

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[WorkingClassFilth]

"She's over here promoting a company that's refusing to pay health care for its workers," said Bill Camp, executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council. "She should be ashamed. Her grandfather would be appalled."

Huh?

The Nazi sympathizer, bootlegging, anti-Semetic Joe Kennedy would be appalled?

I don't get it.

[KellyAdmirer]

Why are they worried about what Joe Kennedy would think in the first place? Who remembers him anyway, and what do they think he was, some paragon of virtue just because he made a fortune shorting the market in 1929?

[MinuteGal]

Stupid and inexperienced campaign scheduling to have Maria do a photo-op anywhere near a Wal-Mart. Nothing for or against Wal-Mart here, just that the chain is perceived as controversial, involved in lots of labor problems, loved by many, despised by many.

Candidates' wives are well advised to appear at schools, day-care centers and other non-controversial places.

Didn't Arnold's advisors figure out the union thugs would dog and heckle her at this event to gain media attention?

Schedule her at a Michael's Crafts or a Dollar Store or sumpin'. The soccer moms shopping there would be in ecstasy.

Leni

[CARepubGal]

Like we don't have a surplus of Dim losers already? :-)

[WorkingClassFilth]

I would suppose the dummy was thinking of JFK and tied to invoke his memory like shaking holy water on a vampire. What's doubly funny is that Maria Shriver is a liberal Democrat. These fools need score cards to keep track of what dog is in the fight.

[annyokie]

No kidding. Who, other than a weinie, sends his wife out to shill for him?

[annyokie]

Oh, come on! If you can indict someone over their in-laws, we're all in trouble.

[superfluousdude]

Hell yeah! Let's freep her and the No-Recall HQ in Encino!!! I'm totally down.