Latest Headlines on OCRegister.com
[x] Close
Orange Punch ~ Opinion blog maintained by editorial writers Alan Bock, Mark Landsbaum and Steven Greenhut
« Previous Post
Next Post »

Is this the original Gov. Arnold?

June 30th, 2009, 4:18 pm · 8 Comments · posted by Mark Landsbaum

Someone in the office recalled that in the beginning, even the esteemable Tom McClintock had some good things to say about Arnold Schwarzenegger. You know, back in the day. Back when he had just taken office and sounded a little like Milton Friedman, except with a deeper voice.

Well, we all know what happened next. The Terminator got spanked at the polling booth when his reform measures were shot down, largely due to goverment worker unions mounting expensive campaigns against them. Since then, the Guv’ has sounded more like Gray Davis.

But have you noticed lately? Is it deja vu all over again? Has Mr. Schwarzenegger relapsed?

“I will veto any majority vote tax increase bill that punishes taxpayers for Sacramento’s failure to live within its means,” Schwarzenegger said.

Wow. Sounds like vintage ‘03, hm?

And there’s this, which we’ll be applauding soon on the editorial page:

California public employee unions already reeling from pay cuts have been dealt a new blow by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – a push to lower pension and retiree health care benefits for state workers hired after today.

Schwarzenegger’s call for creation of a two-tier system of retiree benefits was part of a package of proposals submitted to Democratic leaders Saturday in tense negotiations over the state’s $24.3 billion shortfall.

Dare we say, “Wow” again? Maybe, just maybe, the governor will wind things up the way he began. What’s the likelihood of that?

RELATED POSTS: 

  • A Senate pro tem we can get behind
  • Taxing and spending your money and mine. Who decides?
  • New tax drum beat getting louder
  • Is there a melt-down in California’s future
  • Confused by Sacramento’s legi-speak?
    • Share this post:
    • E-mail this story to a friend!
    • Digg
    • del.icio.us
    • Facebook
    • Google
    • Fark
    • NewsVine
    • Slashdot
    • TwitThis
    ADVERTISEMENT

    You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

     8 Comments

    • ocobserver says:
      June 30, 2009 at 5:29 pm

      well, look at it this way. Arnold has tried to play to both sides of the aisle. Each time he got flogged. Now I think he realizes that he’s in a no-win situation as far as his future political career is concerned. When he sides with the people the powerful unions take him to the woodshed….publicly. When he sides with big money and the unions the budget goes to hades and the people hate him. So with a couple years left in his term I fugure he is so fed up that he’s going back to his roots. I think his political life is toast unless Obummer gives him a job. So he’s going to need a following when he restarts his movie career. As it stands now I wouldn’t see an Arnold movie if you paid for my ticket and supplied the popcorn. But if he goes ballistic on the unions and slaps down the tax-crazy dems he could change my attitude in a year or two without a doubt. He could leave Sacramento the people’s hero and build up his fan base. If I were him that’s what I would do. Arnold doesn’t need politics. It was only a detour that went bad. Be smart, Arnold. Take off the gloves and clean house. You got nothing to lose now anyway!

      • ssaworker says:
        July 2, 2009 at 5:45 am

        ocobserver,

        You have more faith in Arnie than I do. He doesn’t have to kiss the behinds of the unions, anymore, because he can’t run for President. But he’s doing his little bard nosed dance to get back in good with the GOP, so he can get some cushy job in one of the administrations. He’s a spineless joke. You watch, they will come to a “compromise” that does nothing to solve the problem, and he will sign off on it.

    • JohnnyVegas says:
      June 30, 2009 at 7:32 pm

      If Arnold were smart-and he is- he should refile all 4 of his ballot initatives that failed in 2005.

      He would win, and his legacy would be carved in stone.

    • JohnnyVegas says:
      June 30, 2009 at 7:34 pm

      As it stands now I wouldn’t see an Arnold movie if you paid for my ticket and supplied the popcorn.
      =========================

      If you paid to see “End of Days”, “The 6th Day” or “Collateral Damage” then they should PAY YOU to see anymore of Arnold’s movies…..!

    • ssaworker says:
      July 1, 2009 at 5:14 am

      The new pensions are long overdue, but let’s not call Arnie a reformer, yet, boys. He still worships the sacred cow of fatcat positions, appointees to useless boards and committees and other expensive management spending. He would rather push seniors into expensive nursing homes than keep home care, which will cost the state more.

      Arnold fails to realize that to really cut excess spending, you cannot start from the bottom up, you have to start from the top, down, and he’s not willing to anger his fatcat friends by slicing layers of bloated management, political appointees, perks and luxuries.

      No action, no hero. Just a guy who wants to make money on the book and lecture circuit, or get some kind of cushy job in the federal system when he’s out. Bah…too little, too late, Arnie.

      • ocobserver says:
        July 1, 2009 at 9:57 am

        ssaworker, give the big man a chance. Sure, it might be a head fake but maybe, just maybe, we’ll see the worm turn. He talking tough. That’s a start. Naturally over the years I have learned never to listen what they say, only to watch what they do. That’s where the rubber meets the road. Part of the problem is his wife, Maria. A staunch liberal. Teddy style. We know that she’s behind the curtains too pulling the gadgets and levers and creating a vast amount of steam. To think otherwise is totally naive. And it must be very entertaining for her to do so. She gives the orders and Arnie toes the line. Arnie has to take the heat. So the way I see it he would have to declare a mutiny on the homefront to put his words into motion. hmmm. Will he? I’m not convinced. Alot to risk personally, not just professionally. But give the big man a chance. Let’s see what he’s really made of.

    • JohnnyVegas says:
      July 1, 2009 at 12:38 pm

      Arnold fails to realize that to really cut excess spending, you cannot start from the bottom up, you have to start from the top, down,
      ====================

      agreed, 100%

    • Sid Vicious says:
      July 1, 2009 at 8:30 pm

      arnold is all about his popularity.
      thats it.

      thats why he talks like milton friedman to business groups.
      and goes back to sacramento and talks ‘post partisanship’ when he’s with democrats.
      and since the GOP has no power to speak of, he has yet to help a single member of his party campaign.
      but, he’s endorsed popular democrats in races they cant lose.

      wherever the appaluse is, he turns in that direction.

      its just like his body building and acting careers.

      he’s a man without an idealogical core. no set of beliefs.
      he lives for the affirmation of the audience.