The Last Action Hero Governor

Thoughts on the rise, and disastrous fall, of the Governator:

One man has the right to toast to a case of schadenfreude. California Congressman Tom McClintock, running against Schwarzenegger in the 2003 recall, warned voters before the election that Arnold was a liberal wolf in conservative sheep’s clothing. McClintock predicted that a Governor Schwarzenegger would be far and away from the second coming of Governor Ronald Reagan.

McClintock’s prophecy proved to be more true than even he most likely thought possible. To the shock and dismay of sensible government advocates around the state, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s leftist metamorphosis paved the way for California’s incredible decline. Like a script from the several horrible Terminator sequels, Governor Schwarzenegger started strong only to end up on DVD shortly thereafter.

And we get stuck with the residuals.

9 thoughts on “The Last Action Hero Governor”

  1. As others pointed out in the comments, the first action hero governor was Jesse Ventura*. It’s mildly amusing to watch the movie “Predator” and see two future governors in the cast.

    *What is it with the people of Minnesocold? They build a stadium with an inflatable roof and elect Jesse Ventura and Al Franken to high polical office. OK, given the vote fraud, Franken may not have actually been elected but they allowed it to happen.

  2. Ever watch Milton Friedman’s “Free to Choose” series? In the 90’s updated version, Schwarzenegger did an intro in which he spoke about the profound effect Friedman had on his economics, gave all sorts of love to laissez-faire, and talked about his personal relationship with the Friedmans.

    Where the hell did that Arnold go? Did he get sold down the river for the ‘pragmatic’ rationalizations of running for office?

  3. We elected Jesse because that year, the Repubs put up Norm Coleman, a recent liberal convert to the GOP, and Skip Humphrey, son of former VP Hubert Humphey, who thought high office was his birthright.

    Jesse was actually pretty good in his first 12-18 months as Gov, but then he got co-opted, seduced by fame, the Dark Side or whatever. Too bad!

  4. Sampson, staring the Governator. Co staring Maria Shriver Kennedy as Delila, and the California Public Employee Unions as the Philistine hordes.

    Still waiting on the final scene where temple falls crushing the villains.

  5. Well, I would have loved to have had McClintock as governor, and I think Schwarzenegger suffered from Obama Disease: he talked a good game, but he lacked the political infighting skills and hard practical experience to get anywhere against those entrenched bastards in Sacramento. But realistically, I think Darkstar is correct: no governor can, at this point, succeed against the power structure in Sacramento.

    Given that the legislature generally does reflect the wishes of the people, there is, therefore, no solution whatsoever. California will simply have to implode and destroy itself, and then perhaps a better state can rise from the ashes. It’s New York City under David Dinkins all over again. People never learn except by experience.

  6. [[[California will simply have to implode and destroy itself, and then perhaps a better state can rise from the ashes.]]]

    That is how I see it which is one reason I moved to Nevada. The other was the high tax rate. I am saving enough monthly by no longer paying state income tax to cover most of my housing costs in Nevada.

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