Arnold: The Governator

Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Governator

Movie Stars have a long history of getting involved in politics.  Usually it is in the form of support for their favorite candidate.  Others, like Clint Eastwood and Ronald Reagan, have held public office.  None, however, have ever received as much media coverage as Arnold Schwarzenegger has in his bid to be the governor of California. You can't pick up a newspaper or watch a news show without hearing about this former body builder's run for office.

It is no wonder though. Arnold is one of the most famous movie stars in the world. His films are almost always action driven, so they translate easily in foreign languages. How much dialogue does Arnold actually have as the Terminator? To have such a big name enter into the political arena is indeed news worthy. Arnold is running as a Republican, although he married into the most celebrated Democrat American family. His wife, Maria Shriver is a cousin to the Kennedy clan. She has taken a leave of absence from her news casting job as to avoid any appearance of impropriety reporting on her husband's campaign.

It will be interesting to see how Arnold will do on election day. His high profile career is certainly giving his campaign truck loads of publicity. If people vote on name recognition alone he will win in a landslide. If people vote based on what he stand for, then it is anyone's guess if he will win or not.

Although he is a Republican, Arnold leans to the left on some basic issues. He is for some gun control. He is pro choice. He supports gay rights.  Some Democrats may look at that and think he is fairly liberal and vote for him. Others may see him as a sheep in wolfs clothing. Perhaps, some may think he is just saying what he thinks he needs to say to get elected. Still other Democrats may vote against him simply because he is Republican, no matter how he stands on the issues.

Republicans may simply vote for him because he is a Republican. Even if they do not care for his liberal leaning, they may vote for him simply to carry California in next years Presidential election. Other Republicans may not vote for him. They may see him as a wolf in sheep's clothing. He claims to be Republican, yet he leans to the left in many ways.

This election is very fascinating. I do not live in California and am not eligible to vote there. Even so, I hope Arnold wins. Not because I necessarily care about his concerns. I just want him in office so politics may actually be entertaining. I love watching Jesse Ventura speak. He never sounds like a politician. That is to say that he actually answers the question asked. Arnold will likely have a similar approach.

Reagan was friends with Frank Sinatra. Bush senior is friends with George Straight.  Clinton's biggest supporter was Barbra Streisand. The current Bush follows baseball.  With Arnold we have all of this wrapped up in a complete package of politician/entertainer.

Arnold couldn't do any worse than Davis. I mean that guy took one of the richest states in the union and drove it into the ground. And even if Arnold does a worse job, at least we get to see a really successful guy
squirm. There is always some satisfaction in that.