Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947 in Thal, Styria, Austria) is an Austrian-American actor, Republican politician, bodybuilder, and businessman, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. He was elected on October 7, 2003 in a special recall election which removed sitting Governor Gray Davis from office. Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003 to serve the remainder of Davis' term, which lasts until January 2007.

Political career

Political affiliation

Schwarzenegger is a Republican, unusual among the often heavily Democratic Hollywood community. He describes himself as fiscally conservative and socially moderate. Schwarzenegger backed Republican President Ronald Reagan, whose footsteps he's following—movie star turned politician—while Reagan was in office, and campaigned for George H.W. Bush in 1988. However, he chastised fellow Republicans during the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998. Sensing an opportunity to affect the outcome of the 2004 Presidential race, Schwarzenegger campaigned in Ohio for Republican George W. Bush in the closing days of the campaign.

Related Topics:
Republican - Democratic - Hollywood - Ronald Reagan - George H.W. Bush - 1988 - Bill Clinton - 1998 - 2004 Presidential race - Ohio - George W. Bush

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In an interview on October 29, 2002, with MSNBC's Chris Matthews at Chapman University, Schwarzenegger explained why he is a Republican:

Related Topics:
October 29 - 2002 - MSNBC - Chris Matthews - Chapman University

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:"Well, I think because a lot of people don't know why I'm a Republican, I came first of all from a socialistic country which is Austria and when I came over here in 1968 with the presidential elections coming up in November, I came over in October, I heard a lot of the press conferences from both of the candidates Humphrey and Nixon, and Humphrey was talking about more government is the solution, protectionism, and everything he said about government involvement sounded to me more like Austrian socialism.

Related Topics:
1968 - Presidential elections - Humphrey - Nixon - Austrian socialism

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:Then when I heard Nixon talk about it, he said open up the borders, the consumers should be represented there ultimately and strengthen the military and get the government off our backs. I said to myself, what is this guy's party affiliation? I didn't know anything at that point. So I asked my friend, what is Nixon? He's a Republican. And I said, I am a Republican. That's how I became a Republican."

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It had been known since the 1990s that Schwarzenegger was interested in public office; this was jokingly referenced in the 1993 Sylvester Stallone film, Demolition Man, where a future America passed a constitutional amendment to allow naturalized Americans like Schwarzenegger to become President, and that film has reference to a "Schwarzenegger Presidential Library"."

Related Topics:
1990s - 1993 - Sylvester Stallone - Demolition Man - Naturalized - President

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Regarding a run for public office, in 1999, he told Talk magazine that "I think about it many times." He said, "The possibility is there because I feel it inside. I feel there are a lot of people standing still and not doing enough. And there's a vacuum."

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Venturing into politics

Schwarzenegger was appointed Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in the administration of George H. W. Bush from 1990 to 1993. During that time, Schwarzenegger traveled across the U.S. promoting physical fitness to kids and lobbying all 50 governors in support of school fitness programs. "He would hit sometimes two or three governors in a day in his own airplane, at his own expense, somewhere around $4,000 an hour," said George Otott, his chief of staff at the time. "When he walked in, it wasn't about the governor, it was about Arnold," said Otott, a retired Marine. "He has what we in the military call a command presence. He becomes the number one attention-getter."

Related Topics:
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports - George H. W. Bush - 1990 - 1993 - Command presence

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He later served as Chairman for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Governor Pete Wilson.

Related Topics:
Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports - Pete Wilson

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Schwarzenegger scored his first real political success on November 5, 2002 when Californians approved his personally crafted and sponsored Proposition 49, the "After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002", an initiative to make state grants available for after-school programs.

Related Topics:
November 5 - 2002 - California - Proposition 49

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2003 California recall

For years, Schwarzenegger had discussed with friends, potential donors, advisors and political allies a possible run for high political office; on April 10, 2003, for example, he met with Republican political operative Karl Rove to discuss a future campaign. In the months leading to the 2003 California recall, Schwarzenegger was widely rumored to be considering a run at becoming Governor of California. In the July 2003 issue of Esquire magazine, he said, "Yes, I would love to be governor of California ... If the state needs me, and if there's no one I think is better, then I will run." When a petition to recall Democratic governor Gray Davis qualified for the ballot on July 24, Schwarzenegger left many wondering whether he would jump into the contest. Schwarzenegger was just wrapping up a promotional tour for Terminator 3 and said he would announce his decision on whether to run on August 6 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Related Topics:
Karl Rove - 2003 California recall - Governor of California - July - 2003 - Esquire - Democratic - Gray Davis - July 24 - August 6 - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

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In the days and even hours leading up to the show's taping, political experts and insiders concluded that Schwarzenegger was leaning against running in California's October 7 recall election. Even his closest advisors said he was probably not going to run. Rumors leading up to the announcement said that his wife, Maria Shriver, a Kennedy family Democrat, was against his running, and he wanted her approval in order to run. When announcing his candidacy on the Tonight Show, he joked, "It's the most difficult I've made in my entire life, except the one I made in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax." Ultimately, Shriver said she would support Schwarzenegger no matter what he chose, so he decided to run. Schwarzenegger told Leno, "The politicians are fiddling, fumbling and failing. The man that is failing the people more than anyone is Gray Davis. He is failing them terribly, and this is why he needs to be recalled and this is why I am going to run for governor."

Related Topics:
October 7 - Maria Shriver - The Tonight Show - 1978 - Gray Davis

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As a candidate in the recall election, Schwarzenegger had the most name recognition in a crowded field of candidates, but he had never held public office and his political views were unknown to most Californians. His candidacy was immediate national and international news, with media outlets dubbing him the "Governator" (referring to The Terminator movies, see above) and "The Running Man" (the name of another of his movies), and calling the recall election "Total Recall" (ditto) and "Terminator 4: Rise of the Candidate" (referring to his movie '). Schwarzenegger was quick to make use of his well-known one-liners, promising to "pump up Sacramento" (the state capital) and tell Gray Davis "hasta la vista." At the end of his first press conference, he told the audience "I'll be back." Schwarzenegger looked to follow in the footsteps of former California governor and one-time movie star Ronald Reagan. However, due to his status as a naturalized citizen, he would not be eligible to seek the Presidency unless the Constitution were to be amended (as proposed in 2000 by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), and in July 2003 (the Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment) by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)). Among his campaign team were actor Rob Lowe, billionaire Warren Buffett, and former Nixon and Reagan aide George Shultz.

Related Topics:
The Terminator - Sacramento - Press conference - Ronald Reagan - Naturalize - Presidency - Constitution - 2000 - Congressman - Barney Frank - D - MA - July 2003 - Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment - Senator - Orrin Hatch - R - UT - Rob Lowe - Warren Buffett - George Shultz

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During the campaign, allegations of sexual and personal misconduct were raised against Schwarzenegger (see Gropegate). Within the last five days before the election, news reports appeared in the Los Angeles Times recounting allegations of sexual misconduct from several individual women, sixteen of whom eventually came forward with their personal stories. Chronologically, they ranged from Elaine Stockton, who claimed that Schwarzenegger groped her breast at a Gold's Gym in 1975 (she was 19 at the time), to a 51-year-old woman who said that he pinned her to his chest and spanked her shortly after she met him in connection with production of his film, "The Sixth Day," in 2000. Schwarzenegger admitted that he has "behaved badly sometimes" and apologized, but also stated that "a lot of (what) you see in the stories is not true". This came after a magazine interview from the same era (1975) surfaced in which Schwarzenegger discussed attending sexual orgies and indulging in drugs like marijuana and cocaine. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/10/03/state1434EDT0082.DTL http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/arnoldinter1.html http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-women2oct02,1,4493659,print.story

Related Topics:
Gropegate - Los Angeles Times - Gold's Gym - 1975 - 2000 - Marijuana - Cocaine

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Allegations printed on the front page of The Los Angeles Times, based on selective quotation, were also made that he at one time admired Adolf Hitler and had praised him as a great propagandist. However the full text of the statement from which the quotation was taken significantly reduces the credibility of the allegations. Although Schwarzenegger's father was in fact a member of the Nazi party, Schwarzenegger has been a strong supporter of various Jewish groups, and has denounced the principles of the fascist German regime, saying "I have always despised everything that Hitler stands for."

Related Topics:
The Los Angeles Times - Adolf Hitler - Nazi - Jew

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March 1992 Spy Magazine article mentions a story confirmed by "a businessman and longtime friend of Schwarzenegger's" -- that in the '70s Arnold "enjoyed playing and giving away records of Hitler's speeches."http://www.s-t.com/daily/12-96/12-25-96/c06ae100.htm Arnold supported the campaign of Kurt Waldheim Former UN chief and a former Austrian politician who was found guilty of war crimes and participating in Nazi activities during World War II. Schwarzenegger's name remained on Waldheim's campaign posters, even after allegations of Waldheim's war crimes were brought to light. Waldheim was also invited to Arnold's wedding with Maria Shriver.http://arnoldexposed.com/arnold.htm#nazi.

Related Topics:
Spy Magazine - Kurt Waldheim - UN - War crimes - Nazi - World War II - Maria Shriver

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These allegations were brought up mainly in the context of his campaign, but they continue to be occasionally used by some critics. Garry Trudeau, the cartoonist behind the comic strip Doonesbury, combined the allegations by nicknaming Schwarzenegger "Herr Gröpenführer" and depicting Schwarzenegger as a huge, groping hand in his artwork.

Related Topics:
Garry Trudeau - Cartoonist - Comic strip - Doonesbury

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On October 7, 2003, the 2003 California recall resulted in Governor Gray Davis being recalled with 55.4% of the Yes vote. Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California under the second question on the ballot with 48.6% of the vote, defeating Democrat Cruz Bustamante, fellow Republican Tom McClintock and others. In total, Arnold won the election by about 1.3 million votes.

Related Topics:
October 7 - 2003 - 2003 California recall - Gray Davis - Cruz Bustamante - Tom McClintock

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He was sworn into office on November 17, 2003. Schwarzenegger's inauguration was opened by Vanessa Lynn Williams, his co-star from Eraser, singing the National Anthem. His children joined others in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, then Maria Shriver spoke and held the Bible while Schwarzenegger was sworn into the office of Governor. He spoke briefly: "Today is a new day in California. I did not seek this office to do things the way they've always been done. What I care about is restoring your confidence in your government... This election was not about replacing one man. It was not replacing one party. It was about changing the entire political climate of our state."

Related Topics:
November 17 - 2003 - Vanessa Lynn Williams - Eraser - National Anthem - Pledge of Allegiance - Maria Shriver

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Governorship

In his first few hours in office Schwarzenegger fulfilled his campaign promise to repeal an unpopular 200% increase in vehicle license fees undertaken to fund the state's budget. The increase was a restoration to 1998 levels. On his first full day in office, Schwarzenegger proposed a three-point plan to address the budget woes. First, Schwarzenegger proposed floating $15 billion in bonds. Second, he urged voters to pass a constitutional amendment to limit state spending. Third, he sought an overhaul of workers' compensation. Schwarzenegger also called the state legislature into a special session and said that spending cuts would also be necessary. He initiated the cuts by agreeing to serve as governor with no salary, a savings of $175,000 per year.

Related Topics:
Bond - Constitutional amendment - Workers' compensation

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To fulfill the first two points, he urged California voters to pass Proposition 57 and Proposition 58 in the March 2, 2004 election, which authorized the sale of $15 billion in bonds and mandated balanced budgets, respectively. Despite initially tepid support from the public, the combination of heavy campaigning by Schwarzenegger, endorsements from a number of leading Democrats, and warnings about the dire consequences should the propositions fail to pass, led to overwhelming votes in favor of the two propositions. Prop. 57 passed with 63.3% of the votes in favor and Prop. 58 passed with 71.0% in favor. He accomplished the third point when he signed a workers' compensation reform bill on April 19, 2004. Schwarzenegger convinced the Democratic-controlled state legislature to approve the package by threatening to take the issue directly to state voters in a November ballot initiative if the legislature did not act.

Related Topics:
Proposition 57 - Proposition 58 - March 2 - 2004 - April 19 - November

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Schwarzenegger was later criticized for reneging on his campaign pledges not to take money from special interests and for failing to answer directly the sexual harassment allegations raised by the Los Angeles Times immediately preceding the recall election. However, Schwarzenegger made a point shortly after becoming governor of voluntarily attending a training course conducted by the state Attorney General's office on preventing sexual harassment (along with several members of his senior staff). Schwarzenegger continues to collect campaign contributions from private interestshttp://arnoldwatch.org/special_interests/index.html at a greater rate than any politician in California history, including Gray Davis, whom he criticized on that very issue http://www.nbc4.tv/politics/2385057/detail.html.

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In February 2004 when San Francisco city mayor Gavin Newsom ordered a change in the certificate application documents to allow for same-sex marriages, Governor Schwarzeggger opposed the move as being beyond the powers of the mayor, but also said that he supports gay rights and has expressed support for a law to grant civil unions to gay couples.

Related Topics:
February 2004 - San Francisco - Gavin Newsom - Same-sex - Gay rights - Civil unions

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Also in February 2004, he declined amnesty to convicted murderer Kevin Cooper who had asked him for clemency in his death penalty sentence. Nevertheless, Cooper's planned execution was stayed by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals pending a revisiting of evidence. Austrian Green Party spokesman Peter Pilz later called for Schwarzenegger to be stripped of his Austrian citizenship. Pilz claimed that Austrian law forbids any Austrian citizen from taking part in or ordering executions.

Related Topics:
February 2004 - Amnesty - Kevin Cooper - Death penalty - Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals - Austrian Green Party - Peter Pilz - Citizenship - Execution

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The Governor has granted clemency or early release to quite a surprising number of convicted felons serving time in state prisons, leading some to believe that he is less "tough on crime" than his Democratic predecessor, who presided over numerous executions.

Related Topics:
Governor - Clemency - Convict - Felons - Time - State - Prison - Crime - Democrat - Executions

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Despite expectations that Schwarzenegger would be vulnerable to opposition critics once taking office, his early governorship showed some successes. He has dealt successfully with California politicians as diverse as John Burton on the left to Tom McClintock on the right. At the end of May, 2004 the Field poll put his popularity at 65%, the highest for a California governor in 45 years, including 41% of Democrats, party adherents of his opposition. By comparison, former United States President Ronald Reagan, known as "the Great Communicator," never hit 60% approval while serving as California governor.http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-lopez28may28,1,2650515.column?coll=la-news-politics-california In March, 2004 libertarian policy research foundation The Cato Institute rated him 1st in their fiscal policy report card of the nation's governors.

Related Topics:
John Burton - Tom McClintock - May - 2004 - United States President - Ronald Reagan - The Cato Institute

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In July 2004, however, Schwarzenegger and the state legislature deadlocked, failing to approve the state budget on time. Trying to rouse public support for his position, he compared lawmakers to kindergartners who need a "timeout," and in a rally of supporters called his budget opponents "girlie men" (a reference to a long-running Saturday Night Live skit parodying Schwarzenegger). He said about the legislators: "They 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. 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.' ... if they don?t have the guts, I call them girlie-men. They should get back to the table and they should finish the budget." The remark became national news and was not received well by his opponents, including gay advocacy and feminist groups who labeled it homophobic and sexist, in spite of his earlier support for gay rights (see the Gavin Newsom incident above), not to mention the legislators themselves. His supporters made "girly men" T-shirts and the Governor continued to use the term, including when he addressed the Republican National Convention, calling critics of the current U.S. economic situation "economic girlie men".

Related Topics:
July 2004 - Saturday Night Live - Gay - Republican National Convention

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Despite what some viewed as political snags during the summer, the Field polls released in August and October 2004 showed that Schwarzenegger's approval rating remained at 65%. Additionally, in October, for the first time in four years a plurality of Californians felt the state was "on the right track". When asked if they would support Schwarzenegger if he could run for president, 50% said they would oppose while only 26% said they would support the governor in a presidential bid. (Field poll (PDF))

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Spring 2005

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In the spring of 2005, polls began showing Schwarzenegger's approval ratings had dropped to between 40-49%.http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap7apr07,1,63188.column?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=3&cset=true

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http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=A367E183-FC31-4616-8669-4FD5D36181D4

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http://www.surveyusa.com/50governorsrated051005.htm

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=ac98Wx3eNeSw&refer=us

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On June 13, 2005, Schwarzenegger called a statewide special election for November 8, 2005, to vote on a series of reform measures he initially proposed in his 2005 State of the State address. A non-partisan Field poll released a week later showed his support had dropped to 37%, one of the lowest approval ratings for any California governor and barely above the support of recalled Gray Davis.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/06/21/state/n060039D76.DTL

Related Topics:
June 13 - 2005 - Statewide special election - November 8 - Gray Davis

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Schwarzenegger's spokesman responded that Schwarzenegger had not yet had enough time to explain his proposals to voters. The Legislature also shared low approval ratings, with just 24% of voters saying they approve of the job lawmakers have been doing. That represents a drop of 10% since February. The governor has responded that the poll sends a "very clear message to us. They are saying they want us to work together." He has also responded "I know popularity goes up and down... as soon as you start making decisions and strong decisions, sometimes they're not popular decisions."http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,159854,00.html(video, right side) Republicans have claimed that the drop in popularity was due to a multi-million dollar ad campaign by various groups such as unions for nurses, police and firefighters, who opposed his plans for the state pension and his administration's lawsuit to delay implementation of a nurse-to-patient staffing ratio plan.

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In late June 2005, another non-partisan Field Poll had similar numbers as the earlier one, finding that 57% of California voters are not inclined to elect Schwarzenegger to a second term as Governor in 2006. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050629/pl_nm/politics_fieldpoll_dc_3 http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050621/ts_alt_afp/uspolitics_050621195840

Related Topics:
June - 2005 - 2006

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When asked about the lessons of the poll, Schwarzenegger has responded "People make mistakes sometimes, and I think that we learn. These are very clear messages that we must work together, and so I am looking forward to that."

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To some degree, Governor Schwarzenegger's unpopularity has to do with his confrontation of three popular labor groups: the nurses, the teachers, and the firefighters. Some unions and activists reacted with anger http://www.sfist.com/archives/2005/04/05/fk_arnold_nurses_firefighters_and_teachers_protest_the_governator.phphttp://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/12112103.htmhttp://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_192212252.htmlhttp://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/11964407.htm, and others with humorhttp://arnoldwatch.org/assets/governator_rap.mp3http://talent.pratt.edu/user/114/114_-711700702-main.jpg.

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Summer 2005

Accusation of conflict of interest

While governor, Schwarzenegger continued to hold a position of executive editor of two American Media magazines. He announced in March 2004 that his $250,000 a year salary would be donated to charity. Schwarzenegger has an extensive history with the magazines and was frequently their star in his body-building days. As executive editor, he produces monthly columns based on his body-building history.

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Schwarzenegger drew fire when a second contract, a consulting position, was subsequently discovered in SEC filings, by the L.A. Times. This second contract would net him an estimated $8 million over the next five years.http://www.latimes.com/features/health/nutrition/la-me-bill15jul15,1,6217015.story?coll=la-health-nutrition-news His consulting duties are not clear, except that the job "takes up little time."

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The New York Times further reported (on July 15) that under the five-year November 2003 contract, signed two days before his inauguration as Governor, "Oak Productions, Mr. Schwarzenegger's company, is to receive 1 percent of the net print advertising revenues of Weider Publications. But the payment must be at least $1 million a year. Mr. Schwarzenegger has also been granted 'phantom equity,' a way of sharing in the growth of the value of the company. The equity could become worth 1 percent of the company's value, which was stated at the time of the contract as $520 million."http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/national/15calif.html?ex=1279080000&en=d59de5489ea19d3b&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

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This contract was seen as a conflict of interest by critics, who note that the magazines receive much of their revenue from advertisements for dietary supplements, a government-regulated industry affected by Schwarzenegger's veto (September 2004) of a bill that would ban schools from accepting sponsorships from firms that make performance-enhancing dietary supplements. In Schwarzenegger's reason for his veto, he drew a distinction between performance-enhancing dietary supplements and steroid usage, which he says is what needs to be prevented in high school students.http://www.townhall.com/news/politics/200507/POL20050718a.shtml Supporters point out that he did sign into law a bill that prohibited companies from selling the supplements to minors. Following the accusation, Schwarzenegger responded he would end the contracts with the magazines.

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In August 2005, the Washington Post reported that American Media had paid former TV actress Gigi Goyette $20,000 to keep silent about a seven-year extramarital affair Schwarzenegger had with her beginning in 1975, when Goyette was 16 years old http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/12/AR2005081201651_pf.html. Since the age of consent in California is 18 years, Schwarzenegger may have committed statutory rape. In addition, American Media's knowledge of the Goyette affair put it in a position of being able to blackmail Schwarzenegger, providing further reason for Schwarzenegger to align his interests with theirs.

Related Topics:
August 2005 - Washington Post - Gigi Goyette - Age of consent - Statutory rape - Blackmail

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Also in August, the Los Angeles Times reported that five non-profit organizations had collected $3 million, chiefly from large businesses, in order to help defray Schwarzenegger's personal and political expenses, including the rent on the $6,000-a-month hotel suite that Schwarzenegger uses when in Sacramento.http://ktla.trb.com/news/local/la-me-nonprofits24aug24,0,3132004.story?coll=ktla-news-1 The governor's spokeman subsequently reported that Schwarzenegger had directed the disclosure of the contributors to the "residence fund".http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-funds29aug29,0,213871.story?coll=la-home-oped

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Fall 2005

On September 29, 2005, Schwarzenegger vetoed the California gay marriage bill that had passed both houses of the legislature. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46212http://www.southernvoice.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=2680 He stated that he vetoed the bill because he felt that it was in oppostion to the will of the voters as expressed by Proposition 22, that had passed in 2000 with 61.4% of the vote. This proposition stated that only marriages between a man and a woman would be recognized in the state of California.

Related Topics:
September 29 - 2005 - Proposition 22 - 2000

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In mid-September, Governor Schwarzenegger announced that he would seek a second term.

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Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 469 (Bowen) October 7. It would have require people circulating to say whether the signature gatherers are volunteers or are being paid to collect signatures.

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