-
Arnold Schwarzenegger Watch: When The Governor is Down The Unions Kick Him
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, and National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue talk during a photo session before their meeting at the governor’s office in Santa Monica, Calif., Wednesday evening, Nov. 9, 2005. They and their staffs met to discuss professional football and the prospects of Southern California getting an NFL team.The Sacramento Bee has Union leaders want apology; governor silent after election defeat
Union leaders demanded an “apology to the people of California.” Democrats in the Legislature insisted he stop insulting them. Quit being a bully, they said at Capitol press conferences Wednesday, and finally work together on issues affecting people’s day-to-day lives. For his part, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger remained behind closed doors in Los Angeles, holding a private meeting with Paul Tagliabue, commissioner of the National Football League, about a possible franchise there.
“The business of government continues immediately,” said Rob Stutzman, Schwarzenegger’s communications director. “There is no pause and important work to be done and important cooperation as we forge into next year.”
Damn! The unions are really a “CLASS ACT” – just like Bulworth and his Ball Bening.
But one day after an embarassing special election defeat that U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein called “the most significant ‘no vote’ in modern political California history,” everyone around the Capitol seemed to be wondering: exactly what will Schwarzenegger do next?
Flap suggests he call his agent and book some movie deals.
AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Martin Ludlow, left, Patrick McOsker, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, center, and UTLA President A.J. Duffy raise their hands in victory Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005 in Los Angeles. The group was victorious in its opposition of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘year of reform’ propositions. All four ballot proposals in Tuesday’s special election failed. -
France Riot Watch: Send Immigrants Back to Country of Origin
The ASSociated Press has Far-Right Leader: Riots Only the Start
French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen claimed Wednesday his National Front party has been “submerged” with prospective members and supportive e-mail since rioting erupted in heavily immigrant communities near Paris.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Le Pen described the recent violence as “just the start” of conflicts caused by “massive immigration from countries of the Third World that is threatening not just France but the whole continent.”
Le Pen said people with immigrant backgrounds who commit crimes should be stripped of their French nationality and sent “back to their country of origin.”
Reminded that the vast majority of youths taking part in the arson and rioting are French, born in France to immigrant parents, he said: “What does that mean? Are they French because they have a French identity card?”
French nationality should be given only to those who ask for it and “who are worthy of it,” he said. “Those who got nationality automatically, who don’t consider themselves French and who even say publicly that they consider France their enemy should not be treated as French.”
Please don’t tell Bush……… another Guest Worker program in the making.
-
California Special Election 2005: The Fat Lady Has Sung on Schwarzenegger’s Governorship
Todd Warden of Fullerton, California demonstrates in the street near the polling place where California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger voted in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles November 8, 2005.Everyone has an opinion as to last night’s debacle of the California Special Election 2005.
Flap has some of the better pieces below:
Hugh Hewitt has Dear Governor:
Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee has A setback, yes – but Schwarzenegger must redouble reform effort
Ken Masugi at Local Liberty Blog, Post-Mortem or Pre-Mortem? UPDATED X2
Dan Schnur of the Flashreport.com, GOVERNOR, YOU WIN CALIFORNIA BY BEING…YOU!
Dan Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee has Public says no thanks to Schwarzenegger’s ideas
Interesting reading and please read them all.
So, has the Fat Lady Sung on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Governorship?
You betcha.
The Governator had a win-win situation even in the defeat of all of his reform measures and he still LOST.
Why?
He lost touch with the average California voter.
Can he regain his popularity and win re-relection anyway?
NOPE!
Two quotes aptly apply here:
As Nixon often remarked: You can’t win with just the conservatives, but you cannot win without them.
Arnold will never have the full support of California conservatives. He is not a conservative – plain and simple. Even Orange County did NOT turn out for him last night.
John Burton put the same thought slightly differently.
“Once people start not liking you in politics or show biz, then forget it,” Burton said. “It happened to Gray Davis. The day they wrote checks for the recall, he was f—ed .”
With all
of the protests
of the missteps
of the misquotes and poor quotes (Kick THEIR Butts, indeed)
of the leftie appointments to California government
of the unanswered televison ads directly attacking you
of the staged media events (instead of live debates) because your consultants though you were an empty suit
of the rich movie star luxuries
of the unsupportive wife and her family
of the perceived Conflicts of Interests in business dealings and fundraising…..
for these and more…….
Arnold, you should seek out some film deals and let the California Republican Party recruit another candidate for California Governor in 2006.
-
France Riot Watch: France Invokes Emergency Powers
A man looks at vehicles that were set ablaze in Outreau, northern France.Reuters has France invokes emergency powers
France imposed emergency measures on Wednesday in 38 suburbs, towns and cities including Paris and police said a wave of riots was waning despite a 13th straight night of firebombs and torched cars.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin published a decree invoking a 50-year-old law that gives regional government officials the power to impose nightly curfews against the rioters, mainly protesting against unemployment and racism.
A poll in Le Parisien newspaper showed 73 percent support for the measures, with 86 percent of those surveyed expressing outrage at violence which police said had destroyed another 617 vehicles overnight, about half the number of the night before.
“We are seeing a sharp drop in hostile acts,” the national police director, Michel Gaudin, told a news briefing.
The intense and sustained rioting may be on the wane but the structural societal and governmental problems will remain.
France will need to not simply ignore their immigrant Muslim communitites and must begin to assimilate them into their culture.
-
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bear Flag League, California, Politics, Proposition 73, Proposition 74, Proposition 75, Proposition 76, Proposition 77, Special Election 2005
California Special Election 2005: California Voters Just Say NO
Teamster member Noah Teegarden holds up a sign against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ballot measures during a get-out-the-vote drive at the local teamsters hall in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Nov. 7, 2005.The ASSociated Press has Voters Reject Schwarzenegger Initiatives.
In a stinging rebuke from voters who elected him two years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s efforts to reshape state government were rejected during a special election that darkened his prospects for a second term.
The Republican governor and former Hollywood actor, who likes to say he can sell anything, on Tuesday saw all four of his signature ballot proposals rejected.
The election pitted the once-dominant Republican governor against two of California’s powerhouse political forces — public employee unions and Democrats who control the Legislature.
The unions spent millions of dollars to beat Schwarzenegger’s propositions to limit the use of their member dues for political purposes, cap state spending, redraw legislative districts and restrict public school teacher tenure.
It was a sobering evening for a man once considered among the most popular politicians in America. The contest represented the biggest test yet of a faltering Schwarzenegger’s leadership.
Voters overwhelmingly defeated Proposition 76, the governor’s centerpiece proposal to slow the growth of state spending. Proposition 77, which would have redrawn legislative and congressional districts, was knocked down by a similar margin.
Failing by slimmer spreads were Proposition 74, a plan to make teachers work longer to achieve tenure, and Proposition 73, which would have restricted political spending by public employee unions.
Poll after poll showed it was an election that Californians didn’t want, with a total lineup of eight initiatives that didn’t connect with every day issues such as gas prices, housing costs and the war in
Iraq.Schwarzenegger’s conflict with the unions made him a target for teachers, nurses and firefighters. Their television advertising blitz helped push his popularity ratings to record lows.
Union leaders and Democrats who opposed the governor chanted “sweep, sweep” at their Sacramento victory party. “I’m very grateful to Arnold Schwarzenegger for really working people up,” said Deborah Burger, president of the California Nurses Association.
Well, the voters of California have spoken loud and clear.
STATUS QUO!
There will be many analyses of the special election campaign. And Flap will write and comment on them over the weeks ahead.
But, for sure the unmistaken message from California was the COMPLETE rejection of Schwarzenegger’s reform agenda.
Others may spin this defeat for the Governator and the California Recovery Team, but Schwarzenegger was BEATEN and TERMINATED.
If Flap was Arnold, after a nice relaxing trade mission to China, I would start entertaining movie deals.
More later…….
Technorati Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Recovery Team, California Special Election, Bear Flag League, Proposition 74, Proposition 75, Proposition 76, Proposition 77, Proposition 73, Proposition 78, Proposition 79, Proposition 80
Cross-posted to the Bear Flag League Special Election Page
-
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bear Flag League, California, Politics, Proposition 73, Proposition 74, Proposition 75, Proposition 76, Proposition 77, Proposition 78, Proposition 79, Proposition 80, Special Election 2005
California Special Election 2005: California to Arnold – Hasta La Vista Baby
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses invited guests at an election party in Beverly Hills. Official returns showed that California voters roundly rejected four crucial referendum measures on which Schwarzenegger had staked his political reputation.California Special Election Results with 99.5% of the precincts resporting:
State Ballot Measures
99.5% ( 17577 of 17657 ) precincts reporting as of Nov 9, 2005 at 3:57 am
Statewide Returns County Returns | County Status Propositions Yes Votes Pct. No Votes Pct.
73 N Minor's Pregnancy 3,117,521 47.5 3,445,617 52.5 Map
74 N Teacher Tenure 2,975,578 44.9 3,641,434 55.1 Map
75 N Public Union Dues 3,081,355 46.6 3,529,245 53.4 Map
76 N Spending/Funding 2,512,920 38.0 4,091,907 62.0 Map
77 N Redistricting 2,663,629 40.5 3,897,648 59.5 Map
78 N Rx Drug Discounts 2,706,996 41.5 3,802,493 58.5 Map
79 N Rx Drug Rebates 2,510,499 38.9 3,932,332 61.1 Map
80 N Electric Regulation 2,177,432 34.3 4,162,788 65.7 Map
Stay Tuned for analysis……..
And the beginning of California Election 2006………
-
Day By Day by Chris Muir
