In today's LA Times and NY Times:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites) mocked his opponents in the California Legislature on Saturday as "girlie men," and called upon voters to "terminate" them at the polls in November if they don't pass his $103-billion budget.
This is not happening. I must have read this in The Onion. Or maybe this was a skit on Saturday Night Live.
The governor used the "girlie men" reference twice in a 16-minute speech aimed at pressuring the Legislature to pass his budget, now 17 days late. The remarks were apparently references to an old "Saturday Night Live" skit parodying Schwarzenegger. Comedians Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon played "pumped-up" bodybuilders with Austrian accents who dismissed anyone without a muscled torso as a "girlie man."
Wait a second. This really IS a skit from Saturday Night Live. An actor is playing the Governor of California. AGAIN.
The governor's pugnacious turn raised objections Saturday, with the "girlie man" reference becoming the focus. "It's really painful to hear the governor resort to such blatant homophobia," said Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), chairwoman of the Senate's Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee. "It's an old-fashioned way of talking about gay men as to indicate they're not as strong. So that part is really painful. And I have to say it's really surprising. It's like he can't get his way so he resorts to some kind of name-calling." Kuehl, along with Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), belongs to the Legislature's five-member Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus. "This type of third-grade insult only clarifies that the governor has lost his balance and is seemingly unable to stay focused on the issues of the budget to date," Leno said. "By playing to certain voters' discomfort with gender and sexuality, the governor has exposed himself to be a divider, not a uniter." In reply, Rob Stutzman, the governor's communications director, said, "We're not going to respond to anyone looking to get their name in the paper."
What a good point! Those silly gay rights organization executive directors - they just want to get their names in the PAPER! You can see why the Governor of California, a former bodybuilder and movie star and known sexual harasser who insightfully responded to multiple sexual harassment allegations by saying that he regretted things he had said on "rowdy" movie sets and declaring that he now wanted (perhaps in penance?) to "win it for the women," would DEFEND the fact that he made fun of gay men in public!
Rob Stutzman, Mr. Schwarzenegger's spokesman, said the phrase was not intended to question the virility or sexual orientation of Democratic legislative leaders, who include some women. The governor was expressing his frustration with his opponents' refusal to pass his version of the budget, Mr. Stutzman said. "It's his way of saying they're wimps, they're giving in to the special interests," he said.
It's really nice to know the Governor doesn't question the virility of the legislators. Not even the women legislators (?). And he certain doesn't question their sexual orientation; it would have been TERRIBLE for him to cast aspersions on their sexual orientation! That's not what he meant at all!
Though the four leaders in the Senate and Assembly are men, women head some of the Legislature's most influential committees, ranging from Appropriations to Energy. The California Legislative Women's Caucus website lists 33 members — more than one-fourth of the Legislature.
Oh, so Arnold just had his facts wrong here! He called the legislator girlie men without even remembering that a fourth of them are WOMEN! You can't call somebody a girlie man if they're a WOMAN! They're not girlie men! BROADS, Arnold, BROADS! Haven't you learned English by now?
Democratic lawmakers, gay and lesbian advocates and feminist groups bristled over the governor's comments, which were greeted with sustained applause by hundreds of people who were invited to the rally through automated phone calls put out by Schwarzenegger's camp.
That crowd sure knew a good political leader when they saw it. That's why they thought to themselves, "The Arnold we know and love is back!" Or, "Now THIS is why we elected a bodybuilder movie star as our Governor!" Or, "I'm so glad Arnold's running the state instead of that sissy Gray Davis!" Or, "It sure is wonderful to have a Governor who has the balls to call his opponents girlie men!
Lawmakers and others called upon the governor to apologize. Senate President Pro Tem John Burton (D-San Francisco) said he was "nonplused" by Schwarzenegger's comment. "I don't know what the definition of 'girlie man' is. As opposed to his being a he-man?" Burton asked. "I can't think of a way to have the he-man and the girlie men join hands around the Capitol and sing 'Kum Ba Ya.' " Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) said, "Those are the kinds of statements that ought not to come out of the mouth" of the governor. "He says he's going to 'terminate' members in November? I really don't know what he means by that. That's not funny any more," Nuñez said.
Why didn't I think of that? Sheesh, I'm so relieved the Democratic spin machine is sophisticated enough to come up with something this clever. His joke wasn't funny! It was confusing and unclear! It's shocking that he would make such a confusing, unclear, unfunny joke! Maybe this is an opportunity for John Kerry to define his message and help the American people get to know him. "The Governor of California may be a bodybuilder, but I'm a Vietnam veteran. Not only that, I'm being introduced at my party's convention by my Navy shipmates. And by a decorated Vietnam veteran who's also a quadriplegic! I have the tough resolve that's needed to serve as President. I like to go hunting, y'know. And I play hockey! I even wear all that macho hockey gear! Just look at my TV ads!"
Fabian Nuñez, the Democratic speaker of the Assembly, said that when he first heard of the governor's comment, he was incredulous. "The truth is I don't feel bullied by this guy," Mr. Nuñez said. "I don't have any insecurities about myself. I don't take that stuff personally."
Phew. Way to fire back there. It's great to know the Democratic leadership isn't at ALL insecure! Even though Arnold demeaned their manhood, they know in their heart of hearts that they're still just as MANLY as he is!
Legislators, he said at a rally in the food court of the Ontario Mills shopping center, are "part of a bureaucracy that is out of shape, that is out of date, that is out of touch and that is definitely out of control in Sacramento." Schwarzenegger added, "They cannot have the guts to come out there in front of you and say, 'I don't want to represent you. I want to represent those special interests: the unions, the trial lawyers'…. I call them girlie men. They should get back to the table, and they should finish the budget."
It's just appalling that the Democrats represent those evil trial lawyers, who bog down the American economy by suing corporations, and those corrupt union leaders who take money out of the pockets of hardworking Americans. We certainly wouldn't want a trial lawyer running things! Trial lawyers are, after all, rather fresh-faced! They're smooth talkers with the ladies! Their hair might even be blow-dried! No, no. Much better to elect a guy who finds public policy just as boring as most of us do. Maybe a businessman who ran every business he ever touched into the ground. Maybe someone who used his family connections to attain an almost entirely ceremonial elected office. Someone who can make the tough choices, who's shown the tough resolve again and again to not grant clemency to death row prisoners so that the state will go ahead and execute them. You can really see why the Democrats feel so uneasy that their candidate has thirty years of foreign policy experience, or that their VP candidate has practiced law. Try having someone with that resume create jobs, solve the health care crisis, and decide which countries we should attack and occupy!
"He should apologize and he should think twice before he speaks, and I would hope that his wife, Maria, would remind him of that," said Assemblywoman Sarah Reyes (D-Fresno).
Another sharp-tongued response from the Democrats. Somebody forgot to run the speech by his wife, Maria! After all, she's a woman! Hopefully he'll be more careful in the future to run things by his wife.
Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority, a national women's rights organization with an office in Beverly Hills, said, "Come on. Women are strong. And to denigrate half the human race is pretty sick. But that's what he's doing. He's trying to denigrate the males by denigrating females. But I would say it's an out-of-date comment and it should be, because it's so sexist."
It's nice to know see the president of Feminist Majority sticking to her message and focusing like a laser beam on the one issue that her organization cares about! After all, it's really up to the gay organizations to point out that this, like other antigay slurs, is associated with hate crimes against gay men! They represent gays, we represent women. That way EVERYONE has a political lobby standing up for them!
Having used his charisma and celebrity to build relationships with lawmakers over the last eight months, the governor is adopting a combative new tone. Schwarzenegger said he would strive to oust Democratic lawmakers who vote against his budget. "I want each and every one of you to go the polls on Nov. 2," he said Saturday. "That will be judgment day. I want you to go to the polls…. You are the terminators, yes!" Mr. Schwarzenegger has compared lawmakers to kindergartners who need a timeout and threatened to seek a constitutional amendment making the Legislature a part-time body. He is also appearing in the districts of vulnerable Democrats and promising to "terminate" those who stand in his way.
Wow, Arnold really knows how to articulate a vision of what California needs. Maybe he could be the prosecutor in Saddam Hussein's trial. Then he could say, "Hasta la vista, baby!" Or, if, let's say, his effort to capture Osama bin Laden by invading a sovereign nation and overthrowing its government had failed, he could tell Osama on TV, "I'll be back!" Maybe Bush should drop Dick Cheney and have this guy as his running mate. Yeah, that's it. He'll really connect with the American people if he dumps that guy that Americans perceive as a profane, rich, corrupt war profiteer in favor of Arnold Schwarzenegger. After all, the political segments on Fox News will be much more fun if they're peppered with references to 1980s action movies! I mean, we're familiar with those movies! Much better than all this talk about some country where everybody has some crazy name we can't pronounce!
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