Like Barack Obama, Gov. Schwarzenegger offers small town "insight"

Small-town folks just aren't getting much respect these days from some big-time politicians.

Indeed, the phenomenon has become bipartisan -- add California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, to the list that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama started when he famously opined that those living in lesser populated areas often "cling" to guns, God and other matters out of bitterness over their economic plight.

Obama made his comments at a private event in San Francisco; Schwarzenegger was less discreet, holding forth during an appearance Wednesday at a conference in Beverly Hills (a gathering hosted by billionaire Michael Milken, whose post-prison endeavors include running an economic think tank).

As detailed by the Sacramento Bee, Schwarzenegger was reflecting on how international travel broadens one's horizons. To drive his point home, he said:

"I always encourage the legislators in Sacramento (to take foreign trips), because some of them come from those little towns. You know what I'm saying? They come from those little towns and they don't have that vision yet of an airport.

"Or of a highway that maybe has 10 lanes or of putting a highway on top of a highway. They look at you and they say, 'Well, we don't have that in my town. What are you talking about?' So they are kind of shocked when you say certain things."

The Bee story reported that his comments sparked laughter and applause from his cosmopolitan crowd.

It also ...

provoked a rebuke from a lawmaker contacted by the newspaper, state Sen. Dean Florez of the small Central Valley community of Shafter.

Asked Florez (tongue firmly planted in cheek, we presume), "Does the governor think that I just normally fly up on 'crop dusters' to Sacramento field by field?"

And as word spread of Schwarzenegger's remarks, they spurred an indignant e-mail sent to the media by Karen England, executive director of the Capitol Resource Institute (a Sacramento-based group that, according to its website, serves as "watchdog for family values.")

"Most Californians are from small towns, and those citizens are hard working Americans with traditional values," England wrote. "For the governor of California to ridicule legislators, and their constituents, is disgusting."

She added: "These unbelievable comments are further proof that Arnold Schwarzenegger is completely out of touch with our state and is an elitist."

Perhaps he'll want to consult Obama on damage control (his wife, Maria Shriver, can put the two together).

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Bloomberg News

Comments

[Avi Logane]

And exactly how big was the small town in Austria that produced this big-shot politician?

[Knowitall]

This story is ridiculous.

[Mary]

Hey I am from a small town, I have watched complete industries disappear because the monkeys in press want to focus on gotcha politics. When the next trade deal comes that affect American jobs, they punt. The media is as ignorant as most Americans and the free traritors like the Clintons Bushes that have sold this country down the river.

You want to do something useful with your time, how about visiting the food pantrys in this country, start taking care of the 200,000 veterans who are homeless and start asking why this countrys leaders are money grubbing greed mongers. Why dont you ask Hillary Clinton and Bill what they are going to do with the 800,000 dollar check they got from the Colombians in pushing their free trade garbage down workers throats, or why dont you ask why the media is so focused on trivial ineuendo and worthless reporting. Its take a little effort to report facts, start by looking at who is for Americas workers, there is only one man on that ticket today and its Barak Obama.
Enough of this nonsense

[Gerald Wilcox]

May 6, 2008

How many times have you heard Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praise California Veterans? He always says something like, “These people who serve their Country are the true heroes. They should be respected for the sacrifices they have made, and their needs should always be taken care of.”

The truth is, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t give a damn about California Veterans! If you are a California Veteran, and you ask the Governor for assistance, after a couple of months you will receive a letter from him, stating he is always more than willing to assist Veterans in any problems they might have. Then he will tell you to wait forty-five days, and if you have not received the assistance promised, to re-submit the request. After the forty-five days have elapsed, and you re-submit your request, he will send you on a “run around” of many people who claim they will help, but are actually are stonewalling you until you have given up. If you do not give up and you again ask the Governor for assistance, you receive another letter stating he will always assist Veterans, but could you send him more information that will help him in assisting you. So you send him the information requested. After a month has gone by, then he will tell you that he will assist you, in a couple of weeks. During this time, the Governor has Susan Kennedy destroy the information that he requested from you, and then instructs his staff to “forget” about the information and the Veteran, if they would like to keep their jobs. If the Veteran says anything about Susan Kennedy destroying the information, the Veteran will find himself in Sacramento County Jail, on trumped up charges. You will be completely innocent of any crime, yet you are in jail. Sounds a lot like Nazi Germany, doesn’t it? No this is not Nazi Germany, this is California 2008 where if you are a Veteran, you don’t even have the rights afforded by the common citizen. In California, Veterans do not even rate as second class citizens.

So the next time you hear Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger refers to California Veterans as heroes, what he really means is “zeros”, not even worth his time to acknowledge that you are even a citizen of California, let alone actually assisting you like he claims that he will. The Veterans of California, after serving their Country, are repaid by having the very rights that they fought for, denied by a Governor who cares more about his wealthy contributors, than he does the Veterans of California.

Gerald Wilcox, Veteran USAF