15 June 2005

Santa Monica Blues


Now this is an Ah-nold flick I'd really pay to see!
But I always did prefer his comedies.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's return to his alma mater turned
into an exercise in perseverance when virtually his
every word was accompanied by catcalls, howls and
piercing whistles from the crowd.

Schwarzenegger's face appeared to redden during his
15-minute commencement address Tuesday to 600
graduates at Santa Monica College, but he ignored the
shouting as he recalled his days as a student and, later,
his work as a bodybuilder and actor.

"Always go all out and overcome your fears,'' he told the
graduates. ``Work, work, work. Study, study, study.''

Inside the stadium, the drone from hundreds of rowdy
protesters threatened to drown out the governor's voice
at times. Many in the crowd erupted in boos when a police
officer pulled down a banner criticizing the estimated
$45 million cost of the Nov. 8 special election that
Schwarzenegger proposed Monday.

The governor is backing three ballot initiatives that
call for imposing a cap on state spending, stripping
lawmakers of the power to draw their own districts
and increasing the time it takes teachers to gain
tenure.


Gee. I can't imagine why he'd be unpopular in Santa Monica.


Digby explains it over at his blog.

Movie stars and fratboy heiresses are used to being
treated with deference and awe. They get all flustered
when people fail to worship at their feet. Here in
Soviet Monica, however, movie stars are a dime a
dozen. They don't turn heads. Rich Republican
phonies, however, get our attention.

And whoever told Schwarzenneger that it was a good
idea to say that teachers, nurses and firefighters were
sell-outs to big business must have been drunk. (Mike
Murphy, perhaps?) That kind of statement doesn't exactly
ring true, especially coming from multi-millionaire
Republican movie stars. He has managed to radicalize
the middle class.

Since Schwarzenneger wants to hold a special election
this fall come hell or high water, maybe we need to start
talking about making it a recall.


Another recall election? Cool!

I hope it has more porn stars this time.


UPDATE:
You can hear the Governator's whole speech here.
And Marc Cooper has more in LA Weekly.
It's pretty surreal.