Daniel Weintraub: Don't bet on Arnold Schwarzenegger to fail now

SACBEE ^ | 10/09/03 | Daniel Weintraub

[Pikamax]

Daniel Weintraub: Don't bet on Arnold Schwarzenegger to fail now By Daniel Weintraub -- Bee Columnist Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Thursday, October 9, 2003 For all his bravado and bluster, and even with his convincing victory on Tuesday, Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't going to get very far as the state's chief executive unless he can persuade the Legislature to pass his program, or, as Gov. Gray Davis once put it, implement his vision. But the doubters should proceed with caution. California's new governor is a man who has succeeded at virtually everything he has done in life, against great odds. Don't look for him to fail now.

[Fred]

see post 16

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

< White, as well as other members (and Pete himself) of Wilson's staff are all on Arnold's advisory team

Believe me, I know.

and they've already said that they will put into ballot initiatives whatever the Legislature obstructs.

Well, that sounds good, but will it happen? Better yet, will it work like it did on Prop 54?

Considering that more than 55% of California's voters just said that they want something besides politics as usual, the Legislature will ignore, fight, or obstruct Arnold at their peril.

There sure is alot of belief that Arnold is going to be this hard core conservative using the bully pulpit to slash spending. Some might call that a tiny bit wishful thinking. After all, if he couldn't talk about what exactly he was going to cut in the campaign, he certainly can't when he's not up for election.

What's worse is that he is a great compromiser, he wants to be loved. He is going to be extending alot of olive branches to the Demos. The first Bush did that in order to get what he wanted. Congress both applauded him for going along with their tax increase, and crucified him for breaking his pledge.

I wish Republicans would finally wake up to this reality. You do not get along with Democrates. You don't "sit down and work things out." They truely are evil---you defeat them, end of story.

They can be civil like Art Torres was during the coverage and talk a great game about working together..but here's a newsflash, they have no honor! It may be a surprise to most of their voters that their words and actions don't match, who will see it very differently from what you eventually will about what (R)nold does, and what the Legislature made him do when they completely and utterly out flank him, but nobody ever said life is "fair"

[Southack]

Again, it doesn't matter if the Democrats choose to obstruct Arnold at every turn because THEY WILL LOSE when White and Wilson advise Arnold to put his agenda onto the ballot (ala Prop 13) for a direct appeal to voters...completely bypassing the Legislature if necessary.

Thus, the Democrats obstruct Arnold at their own peril of future irrelevancy.

To quote President Bush: "Bring it on!"

[NYCVirago]

Sheila Keuhl...is she the one who played Thelma on "Dobie Gillis"?

Yes, she is. Of course, she thinks having actors run for office is a bad thing, if they are Republican.

[NYCVirago]

Correction -- she was Zelda on "Dobie Gillis".

[My2Cents]

Sheila Keuhl...is she the one who played Thelma on "Dobie Gillis"?

The same. Of course, that was back when she was straight.

[EllaMinnow]

Oh, she was once straight?

[My2Cents]

Oh, she was once straight?

When she was born.

[EllaMinnow]

I've always been short, with dark hair and dimples. When I was really young, my older brothers would torment me by telling me that I would look like Zelda when I grew up.

I wanted to look like Tuesday Weld.

[Democratshavenobrains]

Dobie, you numbskull. Gilligan must have been giving you some bad weed.

[Saundra Duffy]

The gov elect just appointed WILLIE BROWN to serve on the transition team. God help us all. (I call Willie Brown "Bill Clinton's shoe shiner.)

[Revolting cat!]

He'll go there and quote these RATS lines from his movies until they behave:

"You wanna know the truth?! You can't handle the TRUTH!"

"Go ahead, make my day!"

and

"You talkin' to me?!"

And in the end, if it all doesn't work out, he'll just say:

"Forget it Marge, it's Chinatown!"

... and walk away.

[Princeliberty]

Absolutely it can be done. Just cut the endless
pounds of fat in the budget.

I just would not bet on Arnold pushing real spending
cuts as the budget remedy.

He is surrounded by tax and spend advisers.
Further, he is an egomaniac and egomaniacs in
power like to expand government since they view
it an extension of themselves and this feeds their
ego while cutting government would be like humbling
themselves.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

[State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Democrat from Santa Monica...said..."this guy has no idea how to run the state."]

Earth to Sen Kuehl: In case you failed to notice, two-thirds of the electorate just gave your party's "professional leadership" the thumbs down. LOL! What maroons!

[Some Democrats, she said, might not bother showing up for his first State-of-the-State speech.}

That's a great start. I wish they would follow through by not showing up for work for the next two years! Give Arnold and the Republicans a chance to straighten out the horrific mess the Democrat Party has created.

[Redwood71]

"Democrats are street fighters, because to them, this is about power. They don't give a damn about the people. That's where Arnold has it all wrong."

---

I think Arnold has it right. He is also a street fighter and knows where to hit. I would find it very amusing if every time one of the rats, or a group of same, decides to screw a program that will help the state, Arnie goes on live television and starts naming names. Rats don't like being singled out or grouped into taxpayer killers. They run like cockroaches after the light goes on. Arnie is not a politician. He is not expected to fight by the Queensbury rules. The rats are not in Kansas any more Toto.

[dennisw]

What California really has to do is look at the 75% of the budget that is supposedly untouchable social welfare programs. I don't live there so I can only guess that such crap as medical, housing subsidies, environmental stuff, school subsidies, state pensions are in this untouchable zone.

The 'cRAT strategy is to obligate state spending ahead of time at high levels (can you say socialism?) by locking in allegedly inviolable programs. I say it's time to violate them.

[Carry_Okie]

He is also a street fighter and knows where to hit.

Yeah, but who is he hitting?

Arnold's Transition team [Willie Brown, Tammy Bruce, Susan Estrich, Bill Simon, Matt Fong...]

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

["What's this guy got to say to us about the state of the state?" Kuehl asked. "Nothing."]

Well, for starters, you FC, he is a taxpaying citizen of the state, AND the governor elect, with a team of experts at his side to repair the damaged that YOU caused to our beloved state. These arrogant jerks must be removed as soon as possible. If it were up to me, well, what I would like to say simply cannot be said...

[Carry_Okie]

And now for another winning appointment.

[91B]

State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Democrat from Santa Monica and a candidate to replace John Burton as Senate leader next year, was contemptuous toward the new governor. She said it will be the Senate's job to "save the state ... from ignorance" and added that "this guy has no idea how to run the state." Some Democrats, she said, might not bother showing up for his first State-of-the-State speech.

"What's this guy got to say to us about the state of the state?" Kuehl asked. "Nothing."

She sounds scared to me. She knows that the state is in a lot of trouble and that her party cannot escape the blame that it deserves for it. She saw the peasants rise up in revolt on recall day, and it scared her.