Schwarzenegger Stoops to New Lows in Ohio

It would have been utterly pathetic were it not for the urgency of the moment: with less than four days to go in one of the most significant elections in modern human history, there was California's Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the campaign trail in Ohio, pandering for John McCain and Sarah Palin in the heart of working-class America.

With his faux tan and Hollywood crafted persona, Schwarzenegger took a series of cheap shots at Democratic nominee Barack Obama, the type of low oratorical blows that he would never have the temerity to utter here in California--and only a week after declaring in a CNN interview that "I don't believe in personal attacks. I personally don't think that the people are interested [in] that..."

So much for the Governator's integrity.

Unable to prevent a Republican landslide for Obama in the Golden State (I'm predicting that Obama-Biden wins in California by nearly 25 points), Schwarzenegger took to the campaign trail on behalf of the McCain-Palin ticket in Columbus, where he stages an annual body-building expo.

"John McCain," Schwarzenegger declared, "has served his country longer in a POW camp than his opponent has served in the United State Senate." It was a remarkably insensitive and chilling reference to "camps" coming from someone whose own father voluntarily joined a paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party as it launched its genocide against Jews in Europe. Not to mention his own blank political resume when he first ran for governor six years ago.

But Schwarzenegger did not stop there. Unable to curtail either his macho or Aryan tendencies, he declared: "I want to invite Senator Obama [to Columbus], because he needs to do something about those skinny legs. I'm going to make him do some squats. And then we're going to make him do some biceps curls to beef up those scrawny little arms."

"If only we could do something about putting some meat on his ideas," Schwarzenegger declared, apparently forgetting his own nose-diving approval ratings here in California, which are rivaling the likes of George Bush. With little more than two years left to go in his failed governorship, he's already viewed as a lame duck by most political players in Sacramento.

Of course, one never knows how much stock to put in anything Schwarzenegger has to say. When he doesn't have a script in front of him, he's often all over the map. Verbatim transcriptions of his remarks reveal the linguistic capacity of someone who has difficulty comprehending anything but the most simplistic political formulations.

"I left Europe four decades ago because socialism has killed opportunities there," Schwarzenegger said. ". . . Now Sen. Obama says he wants to pursue the same 'spread the wealth' ideas that Europe had decades ago."

Are we really supposed to be taking this guy seriously? Little more than a week ago, a persistent Campbell Brown on CNN asked him about Sarah Palin. He described her as a "great choice," then conceded that she wasn't yet qualified to serve as president.

Then he equivocated yet again. Schwarzenegger declared, "Do you have the will to educate yourself? Do you have the will to get up to speed? Are you a sponge that absorbs information very quickly? That's the kind of person [Palin] is. That's what she would do if she becomes vice president."

Of course, Palin's mantra of "Drill, Baby, Drill," doesn't particularly resonate with Schwarzenegger's California constituency, and Brown tried to pin him down on the issue. Schwarzenegger simply refused to answer her question about this critical policy difference between himself and the McCain-Palin ticket. "The important thing is that McCain has a great portfolio of different energy sources and different solutions to the problem we're facing today," he declared, a flat-out lie about McCain's clearly stated support for off-shore oil drilling.

Back in Ohio, Schwarzenegger didn't have to worry about offending Californians. "If Sen. Obama had taken all of that money he has spent on TV ads, he could have bailed out the banks, paid off everyone's mortgages and saved taxpayers a ton of money," Schwarzenegger, well, lied again. "I think there will be a backlash against all of this lopsided spending. I think Americans on Tuesday will say our democracy is not for sale."

Say what? Schwarzenegger has used his celebrity to rake in more than $130 million in campaign contributions since his first gubernatorial bid six-plus years ago. He's also accepted several hundreds of thousands of dollar from corporate cronies who have sponsored trips and conferences overseas.

Moreover, in his current campaign for a ballot initiative to take the power to craft legislative districts away from state lawmakers (Prop. 11), Schwarzenegger has outspent his opponents by a ratio of 10-to-1. His hypocrisy apparently knows no bounds.

And come the national election results on Tuesday, we'll see who needs to be doing his squats and curls. The Governator's political muscle is looking awfully flabby these days.

Comments

[jakfirat]

Thank you for this detailed and thoughtful piece. I am a Californian and thought that Arnold would quietly sit on the sidelines for the last part of this campaign so I've been fuming the past couple of days watching this terrible theater of his. He had his moments, early on, when it seemed like he might actually want to be an effective agent of change in California and now he's lost it all. Similar to John McCain, one can only assume that this is his true self coming out in the end.

[SeanGardner]

Arnold's jabs were truly comical, yet utterly sophomic.

But I'll tell you this, it won't be funny if Schwarzegger tries to challenge Sen. Barabara Bozer in 2010 for her U.S. Seate Seat (as he is rumored to do). Every single Obama donor who believes in his policies, and in him, will join his impending call for Boxer's re-election by donating to her campaign

So if he is stupid enough to challenge Boxer, the only thing funny in that race will be his double digit loss in that race.

California voters will not forget his "stooopidity" in Ohio.

[schatsie]

You forget Bush, there is nobody who is worse than Bush and 17% of the electorate voted for him...People do like the republican mantra, lower taxes...Doesn't matter that they increase the deficits and push the debt onto our children....

[GBGB]

Referring to 17% of the electorate voting for Bush is pretty useless since it applies to all candidates. Kerry got even less than 17%. What did Gore get? 18%-19%? Yet I assume that you think that Gore should have been President.
I do agree with you that increasing the deficits is a horrible idea. But that should not be the fault of lowering taxes. If government spending wasn't so out of control (and I blame both the Democrats and the Republicans for that) then we could have low taxes without running deficits. Unfortunately, neither Obama or McCain are talking seriously about balancing the budget, let alone paying down the debt

[SantaFeStars]

He ascended to the governor's office via the Kennedy name!

[Wigelah]

He's going to be in BIG trouble when he gets home. The little missus will be none to happy with his performance.

[deliriousgod]

Yoh! Arnie! President Obama is built for stamina and long-distance, not explosive posturing!

[LipMyStockings]

Oh Arnold, is every day a Tabula rasa to you?
All I'll say is, come 2010 it's "Hasta La Vista... Baybee" to you.
I cringe as i read back on that last sentence, but it had to be done.
I apologise to anyone offended by my bad attempt at humour.
Ah well

[Unwired]

Remember, Arnold used to pal around with Kurt Waldheim too. Associations are important, aren't they!

[bngood40]

Arnold Schwarzneggers condemnation of Barack Obama is ironic since California is suffering its worst deficit spending in history. When will the people of this nation learn that the Republican conservatives do not know how to govern and do not know anything about a sound economy. I am going to bombard all of the Democratic senators and representatives with ideas and information concerning the rescue of our economy but only after George W. Bush is out of office. My landline phone has a base rate so it will be the same cost if I send 1 or 100. You wont believe my idea about saving Social Security and it isn't going to cost the taxpayer one cent but it will produce enough revenue to raise all Social Security checks above the poverty line. The one benefit of my idea to save Social Security is that it will produce enough revenue that there will be money for the next 100 years which should give us enough time to create private savings accounts and wean us away from Social Security.

[LarBear]

NATIONAL DEBT BY PRESIDENT:

http://zfacts.com/p/318.html

Soared under Reagan/ Bush 1,
Lowered under Clinton
Soared under Bush 2

Reagan - Bush1 - Bush2 - McCain = cut Taxes to Wealthy Contributors and Spend- Spend - Spend on the Nations Credit Card...

If under Democrat Taxes were raised to pay for Infrastructure, etc, at least it was pay as you go...

However, the Obama Plan of giving Tax Breaks to the Middle Class and most small Businesses to re-invigorate the Nation, makes far more sense... WE the People buy Corporate, and Small Business, Products.... That is common sense...

[avicenna]

The elucidating point to Arny's chest thumping exercise shines from the opening paragraph of this eloquent piece of Terminator angst: " ...of the most significant elections in modern human history...." Looking at Arny and McCain up there - I didn't see any sign of modern humans.

[krocklin]

Why is it that all stories about Schwarznegger don't mention that he was first elected because of a recall campaign financed by a rightwing Republican? And that the reason for Gray Davis's defeat was because of Enron - a pro-Republican and corrupt organization that placed Bush in the governorship of Texas. They single-handedly and illegally engineered the financial collapse in California that allowed Arnold to run in the first place, and for which Davis was unfairly blamed.
Before that Davis rescued the California economy and was a competent and popular governor.
Another tragedy that befell an ignorant electorate.

[DavidFarmer]

here here.

It was one of the worst chapters in our state government's history. And we are still paying the price.

Is it too early to start looking ahead to 2010? Who are we going to have replace the Governator? AND let us never forget 2006! We cannot have any repeats of that.

[naschkatze]

Well I certainly hope Obama does not give the least bit of consideration to Schwartzenegger for an across-the-aisle appointment in spite of his Kennedy relations. Maybe Ahnold is popping off because he already has been told there is nothing for him.

[blueollie]

Obama just lost the Steroid Abuser demographic. :)

[bungalow]

As a Californian, I am extremely offended by this kind of talk from the action hero who somehow ascended to the governor's office--but not before calling opponents "girly men." At least he didn't do that--yet.

What's astonishing is the difference in class shown by Arnold and his wife, Maria Shriver. She was eloquent when she endorsed Obama here just before the primary, and respectful to her husband at the same time. She even made kind comments about Sarah Palin on CNN a couple days ago. The completely mannequin-looking former steroid popper ought not be making fun of a real man.

[lennix]

schwarzenegger another that time has come to wave bye bye

[fem56]

I even voted for this guy. Next time we will insist on Maria Shriver. Come to think about it why isn't this great lady not on the stump. She should be doing a follow up to anything her husband does,--and his kids too. He is definitely not ready to be VP and he is much more ready than Palin having governed a big state for a bunch of years that isn't rolling in dough.