God help me, and I know I'll be flamed.....

[Aviation Pro]

...but Arnold Schwarzenneger is really impressing me and would make a helluva a Democrat. Yes, I know he's the Gropinator, yes, I know he sort of slid into the governership, but he has learned to work with the opposition and he is showing real leadership in the face of this horrendous natural disaster in California. (Unlike the frat-boy shithead in the WH).

I think I can cut him some slack.

[aquart]

1. Yeah, he sure had the state well-prepared.

[Aviation Pro]

7. There was no way to predict the amount of fuel available for the fires...

....or the strength of the Santa Ana winds, or the fact that the fucking asshole in the WH has shipped the National Guard, for his amusement, to Iraq were all working against preparedness.

I truly believe that if Schwarzenneger and Jerkoff were to meet in private only one man would leave the room.

[aquart]

51. Uh, yeah, there was.

Climate change warnings specifically stated that the conditions would become more extreme. They didn't pay attention and they didn't prepare.

[stanwyck]

78. Huge manpower shortage

The fires are hopelessly out of control because of the lack of manpower to contain the fires. America's infrastructure, the welfare of our people, have been sacrificed by Republicans who preach lower taxes, pay homage only to big business, and continually shortchange our safety.
Schwarzeneger got into office through a dirty deal made with the Enron cabal. Watch "The Smartest Guys in the Room" to find out how early this setup was planned. He's Hollywood fiction. He's as fake as Dubya. Right now he's playing the part of governor. And you've bought into the facade. You're impressed with his warrior governor act. Nevermind that he's been derelict of his responsibilities. Quit being so star struck and realize that he failed.

[Mountainman]

2. the real time repukes have disowned him.

[bliss_eternal]

3. Why would you be flamed for expressing an opinion?

You're entitled to it.

However, you may feel differently about him if you live in CA and have been affected by any of his "work." (i.e. GLBT community and his refusal to review marriage equality based on prior votes on issue, nurses, teachers, firefighters, etc.)

[AlCzervik]

5. as a California resident---what you said, i second that.

[bliss_eternal]

10. I could have said more...

:hi:
...about the fact that he's been "particularly visible" in Malibu where many of his "celebrity friends" reside, but was trying to be nice. ;)

[Irishonly]

71. I Will Third It

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. As a resident of the state you are correct

but so far, regarding THIS EMERGENCY, he is doing a good job

[bliss_eternal]

26. I won't classify or assign a judgement...

...of his "performance" during this--as to whether he's doing a "good or bad" job.
From where I sit, he's doing his job--nothing more or less.

It's a relative comfort that he's visible and saying and doing the appropriate things--that he isn't mia (as some others were during Katrina).

[mike_c]

4. no flames from me-- I keep thinking "what would Gray Davis do...."

eom

[bliss_eternal]

8. What he did prior to the fires a few years ago...

...he requested govt. funds to clear brush seen as potential fire hazard and was denied by bushco. Fires ensued, in the same month and almost the same week as these. :(

He tried, it wasn't his fault that bushco turned him down when he made the effort to fund having the brush cleared.

[mike_c]

11. ok, but it was a rhetorical question....

Davis was pretty ineffectual, whatever the reasons. That was my point.

[bliss_eternal]

15. You're entitled to feel that way.

I choose to see that CA is a difficult state to govern. We have a great many issues that some other states just don't possess. Much of what has been said about Davis being "ineffectual" are lies from the right (Orange County republicans) that were hell bent on getting a republican in that seat.

I feel he did his best under difficult circumstances. He was far from perfect, and yes he had many shortcomings. But he didn't:

1. Steal from our schools
2. Villify nurses, teachers and firefighters
3. Make sexist bigoted statements behind closed doors
or
4. Praise people that are nothing more than racist cold-blooded murderers(the mexican border minutemen).

[Igel]

9. Ouch.

From what I remember, it's considered bad form to bury the bar.

[bliss_eternal]

20. This is what Grey Davis and Barbara Boxer did...

Published on Friday, October 31, 2003 by the San Francisco Chronicle

California Fires: Bush Ignored Fire Plea
Officials Warned of 'Tinder Box'

by Robert Salladay and Zachary Coile

SACRAMENTO -- California officials accused the Bush administration Thursday of ignoring urgent pleas months ago for emergency help to remove beetle-infested trees that experts warned could fuel a catastrophic Southern California fire.

The U.S. Senate passed controversial legislation Thursday allowing the thinning of forests across the West, and another debate erupted over whether dire warnings about a bark beetle infestation were ignored in Washington. In April, Gov. Gray Davis requested $430 million to remove unhealthy trees on 415, 000 acres of forest, but the request for emergency funds went unanswered until last week -- and then was denied.

"There was a reason the governor requested the declaration,'' said Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio. "And I'm sure there are a lot of families without homes that are disappointed it wasn't approved.''

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, speaking in the Senate during Thursday's debate on the "Healthy Forests'' bill, complained that President Bush had failed to act on the state's request for help and that now Californians were suffering.

"We named three of the four counties that are up in smoke, and we begged him to declare a disaster, we begged him,'' Boxer said before the bill passed 80-14. "We saw this coming a mile away.''



taken from:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1031-07.htm

******************************************************

Perhaps Arnie won a favor or two when he stumped for bush in Ohio prior to the '04 election, AFTER promising the constituents of this state that he would not. :(

[bananas]

36. k&r thanks. nt

[ellisonz]

77. You win!

:applause:

[proud patriot]

6. He's been vetoing some good stuff

pisses me off x(

[bliss_eternal]

13. You aren't the only one...

:hi::hug:

I share your anger and frustration with him.

His efforts of late allegedly suing bushco regarding fuel emissions is such a joke. How many of our "fuel emissions" come from the pos Hummers he helped put on the road to begin with? How does his little smoking tent affect the environment?

[bliss_eternal]

35. Recent vetoes by Arnie...

Vetoe of Data Security Bill:
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Friday vetoed a bill that would have forced retailers to foot more of the bill in cleaning up after customer data spills.

The bill was unanimously approved by the Assembly, with the state Senate passing it in a bipartisan 30-6 vote.

----------------------------------snip---------------------

excerpt from:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/10/schwarzenegger_vetoes_retail_d.html


Vetoe of Industrial Hemp Bill:
Governor Schwarzenegger Vetoes Industrial Hemp Bill

Bill would have followed North Dakota in permitting industrial hemp farming
VoteHemp.com, October 12, 2006
Straight to the Source

PRESS RELEASE
SACRAMENTO, CA ­ Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 684, The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act, yesterday evening, rejecting the will of the vast majority of Californians who supported the legislation. The landmark, bi-partisan legislation would have followed North Dakota in establishing guidelines for the farming of industrial hemp which is used in a wide variety of everyday consumer products, including food, body care, clothing, paper, and auto parts.

The new law would have established a five-year pilot project in four counties to allow farmers to legally supply numerous California manufacturers that currently must import hemp raw materials (including seed, oil and fiber) from Canada and elsewhere. The pilot would have given the hemp industry an opportunity to assess the crop's impact on the state economy and allowed law enforcement to measure any negative effects hemp farming might have had on their drug eradication efforts.

-----------------------------------snip-----------------------------

excerpt from:
http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/23874


Vetoes Democrats Health Care Overhaul Bill:
Schwarzenegger (R) on Friday vetoed a health care overhaul measure (AB 8) proposed by legislative Democrats, the Los Angeles Times reports (McGreevy, Los Angeles Times, 10/13). The legislation would have expanded health insurance to about four million of the more than 6.5 million state residents who lack coverage. Employers would have been required to contribute as much as 7.5% of their payroll to cover the cost of health insurance for employees or pay into a state pool that would provide coverage. The legislation would have not required all state residents to obtain health insurance (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 9/24).

In vetoing the measure, Schwarzenegger said, "This bill does not achieve coverage for all -- a critical step needed to reduce health care costs for everyone." He added that the bill "places an unreasonable financial burden on businesses" (Los Angeles Times, 10/13). In a statement, the governor said, "The time is now for all of us to return to the negotiating table, find middle ground and pass the comprehensive reforms we need to fix our broken health care system."

-----------------------------------snip------------------------------------

excerpt from:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85615.php


California Gov. Schwarzenegger Vetoes Bill That Would Have Required Some Health Care Plans To Cover HPV Vaccination

Schwarzenegger (R) on Sunday vetoed a bill (AB 1429) that would have required every individual or group health care plan that covers cervical cancer treatment also to provide coverage for human papillomavirus vaccination, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (Young, AP/Contra Costa Times, 10/15). The California Legislature passed the bill last month.

The bill had stated that every health care plan that is issued, amended or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2008, and that includes coverage for treatment or surgery of cervical cancer also must cover HPV vaccination in compliance with the recommendations of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Health plans also would have been required to cover a Pap test, an FDA-approved HPV screening test and an FDA-approved cervical cancer screening test. The measure would have exempted specialized health care service plans from the requirement (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/18).

-----------------------------------snip-------------------------------

excerpt from:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85692.php


Vetoes Gay Marriage Bill AGAIN:

13th October 2007 11:30
PinkNews.co.uk writer

Action hero actor turned Republican Californian Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill allowing gay marriages for the second time in two years, saying voters and the state Supreme Court, not legislators, should decide the issue.

The Californian Senate had voted 22 to 15 to support the bill (AB43) by Assemblyman Mark Leno that would allow gay marriage based on a "a civil contract between two persons," that would allow religious institutions to refuse to officiate gay marriages.

The California Supreme Court will rule next year on whether a referendum in 2000 that banned gay marriage is in violation of the constitution.

------------------------snip------------------------------
excerpt from:
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5739.html

[bananas]

37. k&r thanks. nt

[parasim]

12. Why should you be flamed?

He's a politician working for the people he governs. He should be commended for that.

[Redstone]

14. I don't give a shit if he's Republican, Martian, whatever, he's been a good governor.

Redstone

[bliss_eternal]

16. I see you don't live in CA.

.

But thank you for sharing your opinion, based on what you "see" from another state and not as a resident. :)

[Redstone]

21. So, I'm not allowed to have an opinion about anything that happens in another state?

Jeez, I didn't know that. Sorry for intruding into your personal affairs.

Redstone

[bliss_eternal]

23. Did I say that...?

I don't see that I did.

I merely stated that your opinion is going to be based on different things than those that actually live here and are affected by what he does (and doesn't do).

I could assert an "opinion" on your governor--but given that I don't live where you do---it wouldn't be an "informed" opinion. Just an opinion--based on what one sees hears and reads about another state.

[Redstone]

25. And I would not question the validity of your opinion because you don't live here.

Redstone

[bliss_eternal]

27. Again...

...I don't see that I've questioned the validity of your statements. You're entitled to your opinion.

I'm entitled to view your opinion as just that, based on the fact that you don't reside in CA.

You're also entitled to feel whatever you do about my assertion on this issue. :)

[shanti]

44. sorry but

bliss_eternal is correct. you have to live under it to see it fully.

[bliss_eternal]

57. Hi shanti...

:hi: thank you.

I hope you and your loved ones are somewhere safe from this insanity.
:hug: Best to you.

[shanti]

80. back at ya!

:hi: yes, i'm in sacramento, so i'm safe, hope you are too! my extended family is in southern cal, but luckily, they're all in central OC, so they too are safe. thanks for asking! :hug:

[cboy4]

28. Redstone, that's not her point. Are you saying that

you follow California politics so closely that you can actually judge whether he's been a good governor?

I know about politics in some other states, but I don't think I could definitively say whether its governors are doing a "good job."

[bliss_eternal]

32. ....

:hug::hi:

Thank you, friend!

[cboy4]

33. ....

:hug: :hi:

[bananas]

39. k&r thanks. nt

[Capn Sunshine]

54. You don't live here, and your judgement is based on MSM feelgood articles

Believe be, he's a PAWN for the neocons. Don't forget that. This is a variation on the theme

[bananas]

41. He's been a royal fucking pain in the ass

"we the people" have managed to turn him around somewhat,
but it has been a royal fucking pain in the ass.

[shanti]

43. ok, redstone

this is where we part ways....i live here, he SUCKS.

[Retrograde]

69. I'd say he's progressed to "adequate"

He's learned to listen a bit, and has only po'd about a quarter of the state, but he's got the "showing up at disasters" part of the job down.

IMHO, the best thing he's done on the job was have the state fund mass transit in the Bay Area the day after a tanker truck crash destroyed the major route between San Francisco and the rest of the continent. Whether it was his own idea or not I don't know, but it got done.

[bliss_eternal]

75. lol.

Glad to hear he did that for San Francisco. Sounds like a good thing.

:thumbsup:

[Telly Savalas]

17. For that post you shall be nailed to the Tree of Woe

where you can contemplate the Riddle of Steel.

[Aviation Pro]

19. Yeah, but he came back to kick....

...Thulsa Doom's ass. That vulture didn't fare very well either.

[Telly Savalas]

24. Touché

[Booster]

18. Arnold was humbled mightily by that stupid special election he

insisted on. His tone changed after that.

[bliss_eternal]

I hear this a lot.

...but I don't see it this way.

I agree that he may have been knocked down a peg or two, but I still see him as the same jerk he's always been.

[NuttyFluffers]

46. thanks for being atop this thread. he's been a bad governor.

but he's a media darling, so the only press you'll see will only be good. it's a quick detector for me to find out who's truly tuned in to politics in my state by listening whether someone likes him or not. the oblivious like him, and there's a reason why: he's had far more good press than bad and a whole hell of a lot of media silence, too. if people paid even the most remote attention they'd see he's not acting in next to anyone's best interest, though. i know he's already directly hurt me and mine in terms of health, student costs, etc. he's been a shit governor but he kept the DMV from charging you $50 more a year, my hero... :sarcasm:

[bliss_eternal]

52. Thank you for the reminder....

...of that $50 DMV fee all the repbulicans were whining about. I'd almost forgotten that was part of why they wanted to get rid of Davis.

:(

[SammyWinstonJack]

76. Was'nt that auto registration tax for first responders, firefighters, EMTs etc?

So by saving $50 more a year, he denied the very funds these firefighters, etc. needed to fight the wildfires currently ravaging MY home state, right? Heckuvajob, arnie. :mad:

[porphyrian]

29. He is married to a Democrat. - n/t

[WinkyDink]

48. He is married to a Kennedy/Shriver. "Democrat" is between her and her UNKNOWN vote.

[porphyrian]

50. I think it's a law that Kennedy/Shrivers vote Democratic. In New England, anyway, maybe not CA. -n/t

[bliss_eternal]

61. How does marrying a democrat...

...negate what he's actually done in office as governor?

I'm sorry, but I'm not at all comfortable with using a woman's political status to elevate and/or excuse what he's done. :(

[porphyrian]

63. You said "negate," I didn't. I was offering a possible explanation...

...for the OP's finding Schwartenblahblah less reprehensible. Another explanation might be the ingestion of a bunch of chocolate before posting.

[Name removed]

65. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tabasco]

30. What about that Enron deal?

How's that workin' out?

[bananas]

40. k&r thanks. nt

[Swede]

31. No flames,but.....

I want your clothes, boots and your motorcycle.

[Aviation Pro]

34. You didn't say please....

....

[CreekDog]

38. Davis did well during the fires too and he was governor unelect by then

[shanti]

42. oh god

NOW i know how he got elected!! :puke: get your head out of your ass!

[tiptoe]

45. $9 Billion slack? Anyone in contact with Enron's Ken Lay in 2001 re CA's Energy Crisis...

...and who undermines a California Lt Gov lawsuit to recover the FERC-admitted stolen goods (an FERC with two of three commissioners appointed on recommendation by Ken Lay)...and who does so in his very FIRST WEEK of office as a NEOPHYTE politician...as PREDICTED by Greg Palast...

DESERVES NO "SLACK" !!! Ahnuld Sch*zenegger's nothing but a crook.

Wait, he is something other than a crook. He's also anti-democracy, to the degree he supports tools and methods of election fraud:

The neophyte's other apparent working-order from the GOP was to recertify fraudulent electronic "voting machines"...and he did so through his SoS appointee MacPherson, thankfully defeated last November by Debra Bowen, who has since DE-certified these and other manufacturers' machines. (Now, the GOP focuses on splitting the Electoral College vote of California: Does Sch*zenegger support the goal?)

The only Democrats who benefit from disenfranchisement and suppression of voters (because their very existence and "influence" arguably could have derived from the effects on election results due to the exclusion of millions of democratic voters, going on for decades now) would be those who are members of the DLC. If Sch*zenegger were to "become a democrat", he'd be DLC.

Sch*zenegger's "fire-fighting" efforts don't measure up to the social and monetary damage he's caused Californians (who've borrowed $11B against the General Fund's $91B to offset the "Energy Crisis" losses that Sch*zenegger had a hand in with Lay).

[WinkyDink]

47. He'll be one when he becomes one. (P.S. Is "flamed" the best choice of words here?!)

[piesRsquare]

49. Please see the thread I just posted

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2113810

And a quick reminder, ladies and gentlemen...

Schwarzenegger's policies stripped California cities and towns of necessary funding for police, EMS and FIRE SERVICES. It's because of Ahnuld that not enough firefighters were available at the very beginning!

I'm not sure people realize how bad it is: At least SEVENTEEN STATIONS are completely empty. And all the firefighters that are down in SoCal right now are all SoCal is going to get; resources have been stretched to the absolute maximum throughout the state. There simply isn't anything left.

Fires have been burning out of control since Saturday morning, 10/20 and it took Schwarzenegger until Monday, 10/22 to declare an emergency.

Fuck him. The whole thing is a show. His little "speech" today was a joke. He's an actor who is acting. He wants to be president someday, so he's trying to look impressive. This is a "man" who has said he admires Adolf Hitler, who participated in gang-rapes of women in the locker room when he was a body builder, and who forced California to spend $80 million on a special election in 2005, which, among other things included Prop 76:

"Proposition 76 gives the governor broad new powers to cut funding to schools and vital services, including police, fire protection, and health care, said the alliance in a fact sheet. By destabilizing funding for local government, Proposition 76 could mean fewer police on the streets and fewer firefighters able to respond to emergencies."

http://media.www.californiaaggie.com/media/storage/paper981/news/2005/10/13/FrontPage/California.Awaits.Nov.8.Special.Election-1321329.shtml

He didn't "see the light" after that failed special election. He's a power-hungry asshole like the rest of the Republicans, who really likes Bush. Don't fall for the acting!

[rinsd]

53. Sorry Ahnuld is practicing Rudy politics. On the scene and making speeches....

...but when push came to shove in the running of government we were unprepared for this. Just 4 years after previously devastating fires.

[bliss_eternal]

56. Agreed.

Perhaps we would have more preparation (four years later), and money to handle the issue had there not been an expensive recall election AND Arnold's ridiculous special election (that went down in flames). I'm sitting here watching the reports thinking of all the recall election money that could have gone to saving some lives in this mess. :grr::mad:

The state's republicans claimed a recall election was a "necessity" because Grey Davis was so horrible and CA was in debt. :eyes: Yet they spent MORE money to seat their political puppet in office. Who consequently declared war on CA's civil service workers (teachers, firefighters, police officers and nurses). The irony was the shock of the republican civil servants that helped to vote him in.

[stanwyck]

79. Totally agree. We have some starstruck DUers

who are impressed by his Terminator speeches. The bottom line is that the lack of manpower to fight the fires is a disgrace. I wonder if the people whose homes have been destroyed are as impressed by Arnold's tough talk. Doubtful.

[Capn Sunshine]

55. meanwhile, we suffer for lack of National Guard troops

Ten Years ago 20,000 National Guardsmen would have been mobilized to fight this.
Not only did they cut the money for fire suppression ( brush and dead wood clearing; it was always Federal purview because of the National Forests ( Or are they now "Homeland " Forests?) They fedralized all of our National Guard troops ( time of war, ya know) and send them on six combat rotations. BushCo has permanently screwed the National Guard. No one will join anymore.

We need tens of thousands of guard and he sends 1500?

Thanks, Arnie.

[bigwillq]

58. From what I've seen

At least he is involved and seems to be doing the best he could. Of course that is his job and he should be doing everything he is doing anyway. Wish I could say that about other elected officials though.

[mainer]

59. y'know, Arnold surprised me. He's been okay.

Can't believe I'd ever say this. But Maria assured us, back during the election, that she was married to the guy and she knew he was a good man.

I even think he wouldn't make a bad President, if it was Constitutionally allowed.

[bliss_eternal]

60. Pretty typical comments from the spouse of an elected official.

Would anyone expect her to say anything different? Would she seriously say,"...this man will destroy CA if you elect him"?
I doubt she would, even if she thought it.

She said several times prior to his election, that she married an actor because she thought that ensured her a life AWAY from the political arena. That says to me that she was disappointed that he ran.

President material. Yes of course. Must be the way he makes racial slurs about women, behind closed doors. Or the fact that he's sexually harassed women. Or the fact that he continues to block gay equality in our state. Or the way he vetoes bills that are good for "the people" if they would hurt corporations. Yes, all of those things make him a fine candidate for president. :sarcasm:

Not sure if you live here, (given you have no profile)so it's a mystery as to what you are basing your comments on.

[mainer]

73. Maria Shriver's more than just a spouse -- she's a kennedy

So I count her opinion as more than "just a political spouse."

Don't live in California, but I grew up there and my family's there. Yes, I know he's had some sexual hanky panky, but I couldn't care less about that. (Just as I didn't care when Clinton did it.)

[bliss_eternal]

74. He's the governor.

She is not. As such, I don't think it matters who he's married to. Kennedy or otherwise. Giving people credence based on who they are married to is ignoring the individual's actions and calls your ability to evaluate the individual into question. But you're entitled to your opinion.

Hanky panky? That's what you call his making sexist and racist statements about women? Sexual harassment of women BEFORE he entered the office of governor is not equivalent to the Clinton situation (who was president at the time of the affair).

Sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this short given your responses. I'm not interested in talking to anyone that would dismiss such blatant racism and sexism as "hanky panky".

Bye.

[devilgrrl]

62. I won't flame you but I wouldn't trust Schwartzenegger as far as I could spit.

:shrug:

[bliss_eternal]

64. Bet you can spit farther...

...than I trust him. ;)

[Stinky The Clown]

66. My brother, a lifelong uber liberal and San Diego resident thinks .....

..... Arnold is 'not that bad'. From him, that's high praise for **any** republican.

[bliss_eternal]

67. Hoping your brother is ok.

San Diego was hit hard by this.

[Stinky The Clown]

70. Thanks for the good wishes ....... I spoke to him yesterday morning ........

.... and he is between the fires .... well south of the north county fire and well north of the border fire. He's in Tierrasanta .... south of Miramar and west of the 15.

[Bucky]

68. Republicans are allowed to be sane at the state level

Even Bush as governor knew well enough to stay the hell out of the way while the big boys ran the state. It's when they get into federal office that they're such damned nuisenses.

[Kajsa]

72. I agree with you, Aviation Pro.

yeah I know we are going to read long lists
of every damn thing he has ever done wrong here.

He's no saint, he has made mistakes,( the special election
being one that bit him in the butt) but YES he
is trying to work with the Democrats and the hardball
Repubs in the State Senate have broken ranks with him
because of that. Remember when he told them to get
off their asses, bury their hatchets and pass the damn budget
on time? He was talking to the Repubs.

I'm cutting him some slack, too.

Remember who he's married to.
He listens to her, sometimes. ;-)