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Schwarzenegger's Lost Year

The Austrian Oak is beaten by a bureaucracy he swore he'd change

A A A Comments (6) By TIM CAVANAUGH Wednesday, Dec 24 2008

Stutzman, who spent thousands of hours with the governor, says he “would not rule out a return to Hollywood.” For Arnold, he says, “Clint Eastwood is truly a hero ... who came up as a movie star playing violent caricatures, didn’t get any critical acclaim, had a career in politics, then came back and won Oscars — got acclaim from the industry for making great art.”

Another possibility is a run for L.A. mayor four years from now — a move that would massively disrupt any effort by Antonio Villaraigosa to anoint his own City Hall successor.

Kyle T. Webster

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But all these moves are well in the future, and marveling at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career isn’t as fun as it used to be. Most Californians are too preoccupied with rising taxes and “fees,” uncontrolled spending, lousy services, and broken state politics to care about a superman who turned out to be a flash in the pan.

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Michelle 01/01/2009 6:06:00 AM

He's destroying our schools. I wish he would resign!

marty 12/29/2008 11:44:00 AM

Wondering if the governator plans a return to the silver screen perhaps playing...a governor! California reputedly got its name from a centuries old Spanish novel about a fantasy island. Now there's a role for Arnie.

susan 12/28/2008 1:41:00 AM

The Republicans engineering an ouster of Gray Davis for not being able to balance the budget, but with a Democratic- controlled legislature and (equally to blame) a really right-wing ant-city/ reactionary Republican minorty, a liberal Republican like Arnold was doomed to "fail" from the start. When he tried to do the right thing, to limit spending/ tie it to income, HE was faced with a recall that forced him to play the game. The Dems won't stop spending on their special interest supporters like unions, which get raises and exhorbitant lifetime benefits even in the worst of times, knowing services will have to be cut, (like happened in our city), while Republicans try to steer everything toward their rural/ OC and other Republican-dominated areas, figuring "screw the cities, they don't vote for us anyway." If we had more people like Arnold -- socially moderate over issues like choice and Prop 8 (as in, I won't tell you what to do with your own body or how to live your life or who to marry, as long as it doesn't hurt me and my family and community), but fiscally conservative (as he WANTED to be) we'd be a whole lot better off. If you talk to most people, that's where the "silent majority" stands. But they're too busy working and paying their bills to make all the noise. It's the party-centric, polarized legislature and power brokers that are responsible for this mess.

A reader 12/26/2008 11:17:00 PM

Very disappointing article. I thought the Weekly might have a little more courage in taking on Arnold. But I guess in the last analysis you're into kissing the a**es of Hollywood royalty, too.

Jim Reilley 12/26/2008 10:21:00 PM

Unlike bodybuilding and acting where he legitimately paid his dues, learned the trade from the ground up and then achieved real success via hardwork, experience & sacrifice. Arnold, uneducated & never having held any government job, came to Sac and was unqualified and frankly too old and lazy to succeed. If you add up the amound of the VLF he cancelled to get elected in 2003 and multiply it times his years in office it equals our State debt. His repeal of the VLF, refusal to reinstate it, and inability to lead his own party on a budget solution are the reason CA is in the dumps. Fact dont lie, we are worse of than in 2003 & Arnold is a loser as Gov.

12/25/2008 10:37:00 PM

That things haven't changed only shows what self entitlement fools the California public is. Get some fiscal responsibility California. It's time to quit relying on government for all our daily needs and wants. Get off you lazy collective butts and earn your own way.