2008 Woodie Awards
What's Wrong with the Republican?
Schwarzenegger Articulates Problems with Party Priorities
By Andrew Aschenbrenner
9/17/07 - Opinion
Arnold Schwarzenegger came to this country from Austria in the seventies. He was a bodybuilder, winning Mr. Universe multiple times. Now, he is married to Maria Shriver, a member of the well-known liberal Kennedy family, and he is the Republican governor of California, the largest state by population in the United States.
California is a state that has voted a Democrat for President of the United States in every election since 1988. It is also a state with two Democratic US Senators, a Democratic majority in the State House and State Assembly and San Francisco, a city where just 11% of registered voters identify Republican.
But Schwarzenegger is a moderate Republican, someone seen by independents and Democrats as sensible and also as someone electable in California. He beat Democrat Phil Angelides for reelection in a landslide in 2006 because of wide independent support.
It seems ironic that Schwarzenegger, whose accent is often made fun of, would be the one to articulate problems with his own party, but he has shown himself to be a forceful and smart politician, and he did just that at the California Republican Party State Convention on September 7th.
Schwarzenegger's speech is especially notable because the media has highlighted recent political disarray, particularly among Republicans. In recent years, led by President George W. Bush, the "Grand Old Party" has taken the unfortunate road of control, deny, and stand fast.
This has meant distrust and misuse of power, and in the Bush administration's case, inability to admit fault. Now, we have a man who some have seen as the future of the Republican party (think Ronald Reagan but not born in America) preaching about core values in a speech bound to be disliked by the Right wing of his party.
If you ask me, this is just what the Republicans need. Someone talking seriously about reforming the image of the party, and focusing on core issues like limited taxes and small government, not on unimportant and divisive issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.
California is a state that has voted a Democrat for President of the United States in every election since 1988. It is also a state with two Democratic US Senators, a Democratic majority in the State House and State Assembly and San Francisco, a city where just 11% of registered voters identify Republican.
But Schwarzenegger is a moderate Republican, someone seen by independents and Democrats as sensible and also as someone electable in California. He beat Democrat Phil Angelides for reelection in a landslide in 2006 because of wide independent support.
It seems ironic that Schwarzenegger, whose accent is often made fun of, would be the one to articulate problems with his own party, but he has shown himself to be a forceful and smart politician, and he did just that at the California Republican Party State Convention on September 7th.
Schwarzenegger's speech is especially notable because the media has highlighted recent political disarray, particularly among Republicans. In recent years, led by President George W. Bush, the "Grand Old Party" has taken the unfortunate road of control, deny, and stand fast.
This has meant distrust and misuse of power, and in the Bush administration's case, inability to admit fault. Now, we have a man who some have seen as the future of the Republican party (think Ronald Reagan but not born in America) preaching about core values in a speech bound to be disliked by the Right wing of his party.
If you ask me, this is just what the Republicans need. Someone talking seriously about reforming the image of the party, and focusing on core issues like limited taxes and small government, not on unimportant and divisive issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.
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