California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Considered Leaving the Republican Party
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger,right, huddles with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist as President Barack Obama addressed the National Governors Association regarding the economic stimulus package, Monday, Feb. 23, 2009, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington
A few months ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger and a few close associates discussed whether he should leave the Republican Party, according to two people familiar with the conversation. His friend Mike Bloomberg, the New York mayor, had become an independent. Maybe Schwarzenegger should, too. But the governor and his people quickly concluded that Californians already saw him as independent of the Republican Party. So what would be the point of a switch? (A spokesman for the governor declined comment.)
To people outside the state, Schwarzenegger’s recent battles with Republican legislators over a budget and his criticism of GOP governors and Congressmen for their opposition to President Obama’s stimulus package might sound jarring. Schwarzenegger once was “Conan the Republican†(the first President Bush’s nickname for him), a politician who declared in his 2004 convention speech, “I’m proud to belong to the party of Abraham Lincoln, the party of Teddy Roosevelt, the party of Ronald Reagan and the party of George W. Bush.†Now he is on ABC News saying that “it doesn’t really mater if you’re a Republican or a Democrat.â€
Arnold has the ego of a movie star celeb and has a crying need to be popular. Popularity has served him well in bodybuilding and movies. In politics – not so much
Making difficult decisions as California Governor has placed Arnold in a situation he abhors – making some voters dislike him. Thus, he doesn’t make any decisions unless pressed and then the Republican Party be damned. IT is all about Arnold.
Flap hopes the California GOP has learned a lesson. You can take a popular figure from Hollywood and make him governor. But, if he does not have the requisite skill set to actually govern, then you have a problem.
Technorati Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Republican Party
3 Comments
Cathy York
Don’t let the screen door hit you on the butt on your way out, Arnold.
Michael Ejercito
He managed to piss off his own party without doing anything unethical.
Richard Slater
No more termination of robots for Arnold after he went into politics