Ahnold talks big, but quietly retreats on proposals (he's a "Girly Man")

[Garbo 2004]

Gov. Making a Quiet Retreat
Schwarzenegger is publicly upbeat about his agenda, but political realities have tripped up his bold proposals for revamping government.
By Peter Nicholas and Robert Salladay
LA Times Staff Writers

April 10, 2005

SACRAMENTO — The broad policy changes that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled with a flourish in his State of the State speech in January have foundered amid a series of missteps, compromises and clashes with a well-organized opposition.

Portraying 2005 as the "year of reform," Schwarzenegger shocked the political establishment with a menu of far-reaching proposals: a new method of drawing legislative and congressional districts; spending restraints aimed at averting future deficits; an end to spiraling public pension costs; and better pay for the best teachers...

...One by one, however, his proposals have proved all but unsalable. "The whole special election … and direct democracy is looking more complicated to his people than maybe a few months ago," said Dave Gilliard, a Republican political consultant...

...But in quiet forums — closed-door meetings with opponents and private discussions between his aides and lawmakers — the governor has retreated from the ambitious government overhaul he outlined.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnold10apr10,0,5648939,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand

He's a pantywaist. Sorry, love the sound of that word, sexism and all.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. The reporter sounds surprised. But why? Why would anyone think

that an uneducated muscle builder idiot would be able to do anything but strike poses? His "celebrity" and the threatened "car tax" gave him a free pass with the voting moron public, he has absolutely no business being governor of anything.

[Garbo 2004]

3. Ahnie's really not an uneducated idiot. He's got a BA in business and

was quite coldly calculating in plotting his career path. (Including his marriage.) He's a businessman and a salesman. Worked for him in other fields and in gov't for a while. But reality appears to be settling in with some of his former supporters. They're not buying plans that hit their own pocketbook issues.

He's all about (and for) business but he and his team (a lot of Wilson people in his election campaign and administration) appear to have miscalculated how far his "celebrity image" would sell their agenda.

Hitting vital professions in the state's infrastructure like teachers, nurses, law enforcement and firefighters. In theory, nobody likes "public employees" so it probably seemed a safe move to go after their pensions. But, let's see when people have a fire emergency, are they going to call pampered millionaire actors who pretend to be heroes or the public employee firefighters in the local station who will for real go into burning buildings to rescue folks? Just one example.

[shanti]

4. so?

the chimp has a BA too! he's an idiot just like him. btw, you left out STATE EMPLOYEES, a common whipping boy for the public. they count too!

[Garbo 2004]

5. Yes, but as you say state employees are the pols' and public's

favorite whipping boys. People don't think about the functions served or services they receive or expect to receive, they only think of faceless bureaucrats living on the taxpayer's dime (like they think state employees don't pay taxes like everyone else). And I say that as a "faceless bureaucrat" myself (although not on the general fund/tax revenue dime).

But the attack on the pensions also hit the poster children (no offense intended) of public employees and that catches folks attention who otherwise would love to stick it to the state employees. Until they need or want state related services that is or they saw that their own pensions also were on the line.

And I'm no fan of Ahnie's but he isn't an idiot. Dismissing him as an "idiot" doesn't do justice to how truly awful he is.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. I agree, those who believe Arnie is an idiot

are under estimating him. Unlike bushie boy, he had no easy life, and is a self made man. that counts for something and shows a certain level of intelligence and understanding

What he may be is politically naive and he listens to the Wilsonites (this is the second Wilson administration)... and even that, we may be underestimating him