The California Legislature full with Girlie Men

ArmorPierce · Post by **ArmorPierce** » 2004-07-19 06:16am

Gov. Criticizes Legislators as 'Girlie Men'

Sun Jul 18, 7:55 AM ET Add Top Stories - Los Angeles Times to My Yahoo!

By Peter Nicholas Times Staff Writer

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.

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Slideshow: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Using tough rhetoric that borrowed from his days as a bodybuilder and actor, the governor said state lawmakers are telling "lies" and are "back to their old habits" after a post-recall burst of bipartisan collaboration.

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rally in the food court of the Ontario Mills shopping center, are "part of a bureaucracy that is out of shape, that is out of date, that is out of touch and that is definitely out of control in Sacramento."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."

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.

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."

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.

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.

Frustrated by the stalemate over his budget, Schwarzenegger has been using a series of weekend public appearances to drum up calls to lawmakers demanding completion of the budget. He plans to continue his campaign today at a shopping mall in Stockton.

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!"

Missing from his speeches are the once routine praise for Nuñez's negotiating skills, or Burton's arch humor.

"I'm trying to streamline the budget — make it leaner and more accountable," the governor said. "But these legislators are playing games right now in Sacramento. We want action, not games. We want action, not dialogue. We want action, not the promises. We want action and not the lies that are up there in Sacramento."

His habit had been to cite the Legislature's improving — if still weak — job approval rating to demonstrate voter appreciation for the new direction in Sacramento and to encourage bipartisan cooperation.

But on Saturday he invoked the numbers to belittle a Legislature he once described as his "partner."

"Their approval rating is in the 30s," he said. "My approval rating is in the 70s, because the people know why I am there. They are the obstructionists up there right now. They are stopping the budget. I am representing you, and the people know they are representing the special interests rather than the public interest."

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."

Lawmakers and others called upon the governor to apologize.

"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).

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."

Story Here

Son of the Suns · Post by **Son of the Suns** » 2004-07-19 06:30am

I don't care what anyone says, this is some funny shit. No way he's leaving office if he keeps this up. I especially love the last remark, poor woman is pissed that Maria doesn't have the governator by the balls like Hillary had Clinton.

Edit: Stickified, this is commedy gold, and everyone needs a laugh.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-07-19 06:42am

The fact that he can say this in California of all places with impunity amuses the shit out of me.

*braces self for inevitable constitutional ammendment to allow an immigrant President.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2004-07-19 06:59am

As a true "girlie man" I can say I found this pretty damn funny.

Arnold for World President!

ArmorPierce · Post by **ArmorPierce** » 2004-07-19 07:46am

Col. Crackpot wrote:The fact that he can say this in California of all places with impunity amuses the shit out of me.

*braces self for inevitable constitutional ammendment to allow an immigrant President.

Amusingly enough, in Demolition Man with Sylvester Stallone made in 1993, Arnold Schwarzenegger was so popular that they made an amendment to allow him to become president even though he wasn't born in the United States.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-07-19 07:54am

I really like Arnold, but I don't know anything about the politics. But just from reading that article most of his opponents seem like a bunch of wankers.

Jesus, why can't you yanks have this guy as your President? That would be cool.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-07-19 08:26am

As a staunch Dem, I should be embarassed to say this but...Arnold is absolutely A-number-1 hands down my Favorite politician. On the Today show today, it was reported that he will *not* apologize for calling the legislature Girlie men. That was just an excellent fucking start to my day. What a tone-setter!

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-07-19 08:30am

Whilst I don't quite understand the politics behind it, this is one of the best political stories I've read in a long time.

Arnie for President!

Marksist · Post by **Marksist** » 2004-07-19 12:58pm

Chardok wrote:As a staunch Dem, I should be embarassed to say this but...Arnold is absolutely A-number-1 hands down my Favorite politician.

Ahhh you shouldn't feel too bad. I'm a staunch Dem too, but, I also think Arnold is a pretty cool politician. From what I've seen (Californians correct me if I'm wrong) Arnold is a pretty moderate Republican a la John McCain. And, what I think is cool about Arnold is that he seems to do what he feels best even if it goes against most of his party, as opposed to a lot of politicians who just suckle at the teat of their party.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-07-19 01:04pm

MAN his critics are retarded.

"Girlie-men" doesn't even denigrate women, since it specifically applies to YOUNG GIRLS. While there is overlap, girl =/= woman.

It also doesn't strike me as being a gay-bashing term, since I've never heard it in connection with anyone being gay before. It just strikes me as being hilarious. Some of these people in the legislature need to get smacked around and insulted, and Arnold's the perfect guy to do it.

BTW, I have a confession to make: I was wrong about Schwarzy. When the recall elections came up, I was opposed to the recall because I felt it set a bad precedent. However, since the recall I've been proven totally wrong. It was CLEARLY the best thing for California, and Arnold is doing MUCH better than I think any of the other candidates (including Davis) had any right to expect to do themselves.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-07-19 01:30pm

Marksist wrote: Ahhh you shouldn't feel too bad. I'm a staunch Dem too, but, I also think Arnold is a pretty cool politician. From what I've seen (Californians correct me if I'm wrong) Arnold is a pretty moderate Republican a la John McCain. And, what I think is cool about Arnold is that he seems to do what he feels best even if it goes against most of his party, as opposed to a lot of politicians who just suckle at the teat of their party.

Arnold is indeed a moderate Republican who has liberal stances on many social issues such as gay marriage, abortion and drug enforcement. I may be a Democrat but I am fully capable of voting for a Republican as long as he/she is not a religious freak and is socially liberal.

Since I am a resident of California, I have to say that Arnold may be the best thing that has happened to my state in years. Gray Davis was a ridiculously corrupt politician (the best thing you could say about him was that he was good at raising money) and Arnold has been able to generate tremendous support for his policies despite a mostly Democratic legislature. He has already performed tremendous feats and is extremely popular with the voters, so I do indeed hope that he is given the opportunity to run for President. He has the ability to unite this country in a way we've never seen and institute real change to our rapidly degenerating political process.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-07-19 01:51pm

From Quickstart...whatever that is, I googled several times and got many hits on "Arnold president legislation amdendment" all seeming to quote the same few things. Orrin Hatch is particularly eloquent in this when he states:

Orrin...errm...orinn...ermmm...yeah, Senator Hatch wrote:"This restriction has become an anachronism that is decidedly un-American," the Utah Republican said.

Have to say I agree. Especially given the reasons for the restriction in the first placed. It is quite archaic. I should note also that I got hits from several moronic hate sites with article titles like "A Wetback for president?" Positively sickening. Oddly, legislation like this really seems more democratic than republican, doesn't it? Yet most of it's support appears to come from the right...funny...

The California governorship which catapulted former actor Ronald Reagan to the White House could one day do the same thing for Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger -- if Congress agrees to amend a constitutional native-born requisite for presidents.

The US Constitution says the president and vice-president must be US-born and have resided on US territory for at least 14 years prior to taking office.

That law would bar Schwarzenegger, born in Graz, Austria, from the presidency.

But legislation before both houses of Congress would allow a naturalized American to assume highest US office.

The US Senate bill would allow foreign-born American who has been a citizen for at least 20 years to be president. The House of Representatives bill sets the threshold at 35 years.

However, the procedure for amending the constitution is long and complex.

Two-thirds of both houses of Congress must approve an amendment, which then must get the support of at least 38 of the 50 state legislatures before taking effect.

"Our citizens should have every opportunity to choose their leaders free of unreasonable limitations," said Senator Orrin Hatch, who proposed the Senate bill last July, in remarks made on the chamber floor.

Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pointed out that no similar birth-place restriction applies to other government offices, including the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, or the presidents own cabinet.

"Ours is a nation of immigrants. The history of the United States is replete with scores of great and patriotic Americans whose dedication to this country is beyond reproach, but who happen to have been born outside of her borders," he said.

Moves to allow naturalized Americans to vie for the White House have been in the works for years, but will likely receive a new push with the election of Schwarzenegger, said University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato.

"It's been percolating for years as (Henry) Kissinger, then (Madeleine) Albright, came through," he said referring to two former secretaries of state, born respectively in Germany and (the then) Czechoslovakia.

"There is no doubt that some Republicans will begin to push again for that Constitutional Amendment," Sabato said, noting that one current rising Democratic star, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm -- whose name is often mentioned as a future presidential candidate -- was born in Canada, and therefore could also stand to benefit from a change in the law.

Two Republican members of Bush's cabinet -- Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez -- are also foreign-born.

The legislation in the House was co-sponsored in March by a half-dozen lawmakers including California representative Darrell Issa, the Republican who spent 1.7 million dollars to bankroll the recall petition drive and briefly considered running for governor himself.

Hatch noted that at the time the Constitution was written, the US founding fathers were worried that a foreign power, such as Great Britain, could seize the government through the US electoral system, but argued that the constitutional clause had long since outlived its usefulness.

"This restriction has become an anachronism that is decidedly un-American," the Utah Republican said.

Schwarzenegger arrived in the United States as a 21-year-old in 1968 to pursue his vocation as a competitive bodybuilder, then launch a blazing acting career.

He became a permanent resident in 1974 and was naturalized a US citizen in 1983.

Representative Vic Snyder, one of the authors of the House legislation, said he was thinking of his niece --a teenager who was adopted from South Korea -- when he proposed law change.

"She's very much aware that she's not eligible to run for president," the Arkansas Democrat said, saying that she is unable to share in an essential part of the American mythos: that anyone can grow up to become president.

"I think all kids ought to have that dream," Snyder said.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-07-19 02:21pm

Wait, I have a question. What is the reasoning behind that restriction in the first place?

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-07-19 02:30pm

Xenophobe3691 wrote:Wait, I have a question. What is the reasoning behind that restriction in the first place?

so that non americans couldn't gain a foothold into the presidency and start making drastic policy changes that would unfairly favor other nations. the founders wanted the country to be ruled independent of foreign influence, iirc.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-07-19 02:45pm

Darth_Zod wrote:
Xenophobe3691 wrote:Wait, I have a question. What is the reasoning behind that restriction in the first place?
so that non americans couldn't gain a foothold into the presidency and start making drastic policy changes that would unfairly favor other nations. the founders wanted the country to be ruled independent of foreign influence, iirc.

Ah, thank you, it makes sense now

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2004-07-19 03:11pm

Darth_Zod wrote:
Xenophobe3691 wrote:Wait, I have a question. What is the reasoning behind that restriction in the first place?
so that non americans couldn't gain a foothold into the presidency and start making drastic policy changes that would unfairly favor other nations. the founders wanted the country to be ruled independent of foreign influence, iirc.

A point made especially important considering the large number of fairly unintegrated immigrants in the US at the time. There was a not unreasonable fear that ethnic ties could become more important than what was good for the US. Some thing that today isn't even vaguely an issue.

I personally would like to see the Constitution changed on that point.

PS: Jennifer Granholm is a Democratic rising star? Oh shit, we're in trouble now if that's so.

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2004-07-19 03:48pm

I want the governator to become the presidentator, or something, of finland.
and what a bunch of PC whiners.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-07-19 03:56pm

I would absolutely be in favor of such an amendment, at which time I'd definately vote Ahnold.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-07-19 04:01pm

But does he really want to continue in politics? I've heard rumors that he just wants to serve the one term.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-07-19 04:38pm

I think that, at first Maria didn't want him to run at all, then she said one term, and now I think she's been bitten by the bug.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-07-19 04:56pm

Joe wrote:But does he really want to continue in politics? I've heard rumors that he just wants to serve the one term.

Arnold doesn't strike me as the sort to do things halfway. Besides, him becoming President would be the ultimate cap on the great American success story.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2004-07-19 06:02pm

I don't know if Arnold would agree to running with an independent...but if he runs for president, Jesse Ventura for veep!

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-07-19 06:57pm

Have to say I agree. Especially given the reasons for the restriction in the first placed. It is quite archaic. I should note also that I got hits from several moronic hate sites with article titles like "A Wetback for president?" Positively sickening. Oddly, legislation like this really seems more democratic than republican, doesn't it? Yet most of it's support appears to come from the right...funny...

Maybe because the Republicans stand to gain more from it? Arnie has the potential to be an excellent Presidential candidate; the only problem he would have would be with the social conservatives, but he would own the swing voters, the business conservatives, and moderate Republicans.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2004-07-19 07:08pm

Joe wrote:
Have to say I agree. Especially given the reasons for the restriction in the first placed. It is quite archaic. I should note also that I got hits from several moronic hate sites with article titles like "A Wetback for president?" Positively sickening. Oddly, legislation like this really seems more democratic than republican, doesn't it? Yet most of it's support appears to come from the right...funny...
Maybe because the Republicans stand to gain more from it? Arnie has the potential to be an excellent Presidential candidate; the only problem he would have would be with the social conservatives, but he would own the swing voters, the business conservatives, and moderate Republicans.

Hell, he'd probably pull some of the Liberal vote, as long as he stood by some social liberal issues.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-07-19 07:19pm

The Terminator for Pres? If that ever happened I would be so exastic I might just wet myself in joy.