Terminator's Crass Humour Backfires As Candidates Debate (UK)

Independent (UK) ^ | 9-26-2003 | Andrew Gumbel

[blam]

Hey...I just post'em.

[corkoman]

The images and sound must get altered as it travels across the atlantic.

[perfect stranger]

What are "treminators"?

[Fred]

Sounds like Arnold style of politics is not real popular in the UK

[Rome2000]

Jayson Blair must have changed his name and moved to England.

[EggsAckley]

ping!

[Rome2000]

Mr Schwarzenegger, by contrast, sounded shallow and over-rehearsed,

Maybe to a Poofster like Andrew Gumbel.

[Tempest]

Yeah I supposed he of just rolled over for Arianna. . .


I'm glad that there was actually a debate going on last night. If a few over sensitive liberals got offended I don't really care. It was a lot better than that crap left wing interview process that was disguised as a debate the 1st time around.

[Leroy S. Mort]

[tsmith130]

Is there NOTHING to report on in England? The British media seems fixated on all things American. Sheesh!

[blam]

Schwarzenegger swaps insults in debate debut

By Oliver Poole in Los Angeles
(Filed: 26/09/2003)
The Telegraph (UK)

Arnold Schwarzenegger finally faced his political opponents on a public stage yesterday and found himself trading insults with a former London socialite turned Californian multi-millionairess.

In the only debate of his campaign for the governorship of California, the film star and former bodybuilder was subjected to a bruising assault from the other four leading candidates for his lack of grasp of policy detail and his political inexperience.

Much of the fire came from Arianna Huffington, a former president of the Cambridge Union who went on to marry and divorce an oil billionaire.

At one point Schwarzenegger interrupted her and Ms Huffington retorted: "This is the way you treat women, we know that." The remark was a reference to recent allegations that the film star treats women disrespectfully.

"I just realised I have the perfect part for you in Terminator 4," Schwarzenegger shot back, which Ms Huffington, standing as an independent candidate, later claimed referred to a scene in his current film Terminator 3, in which his character thrusts the head of a female robot into a lavatory.

But despite often talking in generalisations about the need for more jobs and a more beneficial business climate, Schwarzenegger did show he had a grasp of the main issues and was able to parry most of the barbs against him.

The other candidates present - Schwarzenegger's fellow Republican, Tom McClintock, the Democrat Cruz Bustamante, and Peter Camejo, a Green - did not emerge unscathed either.

Mr Bustamante, who is at present leading in the polls, was attacked for taking millions of dollars from Native American tribes that run casinos. Mr McClintock was told he had the facts backwards on the economy, and Schwarzenegger accused Miss Huffington of using loopholes to avoid paying income tax.

Schwarzenegger, who had been criticised for refusing to take part in three other debates, only agreed to appear as the questions were known in advance. His strategy has been to appear on the television shows of friends in the entertainment industry, where he can reach a large audience without being subjected to hostile questions.

With 12 days to polling day, Schwarzenegger has the support of 26 per cent of voters, trailing to Mr Bustamante's 28 per cent, with Mr McClintock on 14 per cent.

[mtbopfuyn]

Really? Though Tom was more informative, hasn't Arnold rose in the polls?

[Tempest]

"Mr Schwarzenegger, by contrast, sounded shallow and over-rehearsed"

Errrrr.... yeah that quip about Arrianna's taxes was obviously rehearsed. . . .

[pogo101]

First off, I concur (not agree!) that Arnold did just so-so in the debate, a B minus.

But how can this author say, on the one hand (and correctly), that Arianna was an obnoxious "kamikaze," interrupting everyone else all the time,

and, on the other hand,

assert that it wasn't proper for Arnold to tell her, implicitly, that she would be well-cast as a female Terminator? (perhaps, whose head deserved to be stuck in a toilet bowl?)

[Let's Roll]

and when he told her to try decaf ...

[Let's Roll]

and when he told her to try decaf ...

[AmericaUnited]

The proceedings may actually have helped Governor Davis defeat the recall altogether and keep his job.

Only some of the elite talking head numbskulls are saying this. Polls of the voters (whose opinion is the only one that really counts), are saying the debate helped Arnold and he won it.

[perfect stranger]

Thanks. I didn't read that one yet. {sarcasm off}

[South40]

I have to wnder...

Do the people in Britain really give a rat's behind what happens in California?

It must have been a slow news day; nothing to slam Tony Blair/Britain's involvement in the Iraq war.

[South40]

Great tagline!

-SoFo