California: Imagine The Carnage If He Had Run As A Democrat

Tampa Tribune ^ | Oct 12, 2003 | DANIEL RUTH

[John Jorsett]

It was something of a stretch to believe Arnold Schwarzenegger, the coup-elect governor of Cahl-ee-fornia, was an admirer of Adolf Hitler.

Really now, Californians may be certifiably insane, but they're not nuts enough to turn out a stumblebum for an Oberfuehrer with abs of steel.

On the other hand, it would make more sense for Schwarzenegger to be a fan of Hitler's cinematic propagandist, the late filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. Couldn't the ``smoke and mirrors, shadows and lights'' illusionary march to Sacramento be described as a triumph of the shill?

Let's face it. Tuesday night's election results were more predictable than the outcome of ``Pumping Iron.'' One of the world's foremost action movie stars was running against a walking coma, a man who made ``The Blob'' look charismatic.

Schwarzenegger gets to take over a state best described as the fiscal equivalent of ``Weekend At Bernie's.'' This is considered a big victory? Isn't this sort of like getting elected mayor of Pompeii?

More likely, the hands-down winner Tuesday was none other than Bill Clinton.

And while we're at it, keep a close watch on those hands, too.

Salt Lick

Schwarzenegger's Republican Party just got into bed (bad word choice, perhaps) with a guy who has tried to grope more women than all the Marx Brothers in ``Cocoanuts,'' a guy who admitted to joining orgies and who generally conceded he was, well, a bigger pig when it came to the treatment of women than Larry Flynt.

And yet Republicans got more lathered up over the Fondlenator than Seabiscuit contemplating a salt lick, though this guy had less ideological fealty to the GOP than the Weather Underground.

Wherever he was Tuesday night, the Democratic Clinton had to look up from whatever cleavage he was perusing at the moment and exclaim: ``Thank you, Arnold. At last, I'm off the hook! Now, where was I? Oh, yes, have you ever read `Leaves of Grass,' my dear?''

Certainly since 1992, Republicans have been in a permanent faux dither, wringing their hands more often than an obsessive compulsive with a hygiene disorder, over every Clinton bimbo eruption. And there were more of them than Kilauea.

But it is kind of difficult to maintain the party's ``faith-based yada yada'' mantra, clucking all the way to the next Christian right fundraiser to chat up family values, when your candidate for governor of the largest state in the union is an admitted serial canoodler who has made more unwanted advances than the Luftwaffe over Poland.

Lounge Lizard

Sorry, that was an ill-timed ``lunatic-fringe crazed dictator'' reference.

At any rate, if anything underscored the cheesy hypocrisy of the nation's political process, it had to be the palm tree putsch of a duly elected governor who simply had the misfortune of being less beloved than Pol Pot meets the cigarette industry.

Really now, had Schwarzenegger run in the recall election as a Democrat, by the time Tuesday rolled around, the Republican assault would have wasted no time seizing upon the sexual harasser stuff - as well as the alleged long-ago remark commending Hitler.

Good grief, by Tuesday the body politic of California would have thought Hermann Goering, lounge lizard, was running for governor.

Please, name the last Republican to run for a major public office favoring gun control, gay marriage and choice on abortion while enjoying the support of the party up to, and including, the White House?

Schwarzenegger is more politically simpatico with Michael Moore than with many Republicans, and, oh, by the way, one of his closest economic advisers has been longtime Democratic Party contributor Warren Buffett.

At least that much was known about Schwarzenegger's views. Just what he would do to solve the state's economic woes was treated by the candidate as a bigger secret than the nuclear codes.

Jeepers, Schwarzenegger was afraid to debate Gray Davis. What would you call that? Conan the Runawayarian?

But in the end, all of that is so much blood and guts and body parts under the bridge. What matters is that the people of California have spoken, even if it is in Babelalien.

[cake_crumb]

The TAMPA TRIBUNE writing a hit piece on a newly elected California Republican governor?? The DNC is nervous.

[Support Free Republic]

CHEAP THRILLS - $1 (the first one's free!)
	If every FR member gave a buck a month, we wouldn't need fundraisers. Donate Here By Secure Server Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794 or you can use PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD- It is in the breaking news sidebar!

[Little Bill]

Is this guy for real?

[Skip Ripley]

Just one more soiled diaper from the DNC hamper...

[NittanyLion]

I suspect this article now holds the record for "Bad Metaphors in a Single Newspaper Column".

Yikes...

[Parley Baer]

Is this a for real newspaper??? Parley

[Lancey Howard]

Please, name the last Republican to run for a major public office favoring gun control, gay marriage and choice on abortion while enjoying the support of the party up to, and including, the White House?

Uh. Richard Riordan?

[STARWISE]

I live in his coverage area, and I've tried listening to his Sat. a.m. radio rant when I couldn't find any other show while driving but fishing or golf shows, but I just can't. He is SO leftist and SO tries to act with equanimity that it makes me nauseous. He's one of those guys .. you know the kind: they'll preface or veil their real point with a good-natured, relatively sanguine statement .. but he never fails to get to his real agenda with a bomb at the end. He is a pure, unadulterated libby. He HATES conservatives .. HATES Bush and his philosophy .. HATES Jeb Bush ... HATES pro-life issues .. down the line.

Caution: at least on his radio show, he could fool a lot of sheeple with his approach.

[Southack]

Hey Mr. Daniel Ruth...

Quick, name a single policy change that either Democrat (Cruz or Davis) said that they'd make if California would only leave them in charge.

Oh, you mean that they didn't offer even a single suggestion to get out of the mess that they oversaw being created?!

How odd that neither of them won, then...

[Sir Gawain]

Really now, had Schwarzenegger run in the recall election as a Democrat, by the time Tuesday rolled around, the Republican assault would have wasted no time seizing upon the sexual harasser stuff

Of course they would have. That's politics for you.

[bluefish]

Heh, that's what I was thinking. T'was a bit over the top. I suppose the effort exposes the real fear. Whenever a Dem gets scared, they can't control themselves and unleash an inappropriate amount of venom, vitriol or flat-out exaggeration or lies. Nevertheless, he did make some points that make one cringe.