How is he any worse a candidate that most guys? He’s a self-made man, smart, a family man, loves California. He seems honest and straightforward. There’s even the side benefit that he won’t be distracted by running for President someday. You could do a hell of a lot worse.
He isn’t a career politician, but quite frankly, I see no evidence that career politicians are any hot shakes.
Unfortunately, people love to make fun of his accent. I wonder if Arnold had been an asian immigrant would they mock him with “ah-so, me run for governor of Carifornia!” I doubt it.
Accent != Stupid. or accent <> stupid. Whatever language you’re using today.
I think Arnold is quite intelligent and could make a good governer. Then again, Bill Clinton is IMHO the most intelligent Preisdent of the 20th century and was IMHO the biggest let-down of a President in the same century.
So in other words we have an ex-jock who failed to drink his prize money and that makes him a financial whiz.
I hold by my statement. The guys has never had to deal with a real life problem in his entire life much less lead a HUGE organization through the biggest crisis it has ever faced.
Again, his only qualification for the job seems to be that he is famous.
Hmm, I know this is off topic, but just couldn’t let this slide. How is Bill Clinton “the biggest let-down”? The complaint in California is the 38 Billion dollars of red ink. Clinton created a budget surplus on his watch. The Republicans before and after him had budget deficits. Setting aside a sex scandal that Europeans wouldn’t have battened an eye at, Clinton’s intelligence was a boon to his presidency. Thus, Arnold’s intelligence or lack thereof is a definitely deciding factor for the voters.
Not quite, seems to me it’s more like “we have an ex-jock who failed to drink his prize money, wisely invested in some lucrative real estate deals, got a degree in business, and that makes him a financial whiz.”
Oh, and IIRC Schwarzenegger also was the main supporter of a California initiative last year to increase funding for after-school programs. So he’s not completely naive regarding political machinations…
Here’s a run down on the facts in the thread. He won money. He didn’t blow it. He bought land. He got a mail order degree. His muscles got famous. He decided to run for political office.
Or are you saying that a mail order BS degree qualifies him as an expert on governmental finance?’
I don’t see anything that he has ever done that in any way would prepare him for this job.
I think Gary Colman, who also has put his hat in the ring, is a better candidate. He at least has been running his own business for years.
And I like the “intimidate the economy” suggestion. I mean, we really did try to be reasonable with it. It just doesn’t work. The gloves are coming off now…
**Let me restate: He raised capital. He invested that capital wisely in an area notorious for monetary landmines. He sought to expand his understanding of the business world so he could make even better investing decisions.
Seriously, this is just academic snobbery. The question to ask is not “what institution did you go to,” but rather “what lessons did you learn from that institution?” Unlike a lot of guys who go the correspondence route, Arnie wasn’t looking to just get a piece of paper that would allow him to continue ascending some corporate ladder. He didn’t need that piece of paper. His career would have continued apace without it. He sought out the degree, not out of career necessity, but out of a genuine desire to learn. I don’t think it’s fair to poo-poo that accomplishment on such shortsighted grounds.**
No, but then most politicians do not have academic backgrounds that make them experts in governmental finance. That is why God created advisers. What you really want from a leader is not a hypertechnical grasp of every aspect of public policy, but rather good judgment in the people he chooses to surround himself with and the ability to see the “big picture” and make a decision accordingly.
**Let me restate: He raised capital. He invested that capital wisely in an area notorious for monetary landmines. He sought to expand his understanding of the business world so he could make even better investing decisions.
Seriously, this is just academic snobbery. The question to ask is not “what institution did you go to,” but rather “what lessons did you learn from that institution?” Unlike a lot of guys who go the correspondence route, Arnie wasn’t looking to just get a piece of paper that would allow him to continue ascending some corporate ladder. He didn’t need that piece of paper. His career would have continued apace without it. He sought out the degree, not out of career necessity, but out of a genuine desire to learn. I don’t think it’s fair to poo-poo that accomplishment on such shortsighted grounds.**
No, but then most politicians do not have academic backgrounds that make them experts in governmental finance. That is why God created advisers. What you really want from a leader is not a hypertechnical grasp of every aspect of public policy, but rather good judgment in the people he chooses to surround himself with and the ability to see the “big picture” and make a decision accordingly.
For the lurkers out there, UW-Superior is not the main UW campus. It’s a lil’ satellite campus with 2,800 students. (The main campus, in Madison, has 41,000 students.)
As for Arnie’s good judgement … well, he agreed to be in Batman and Robin. I think that’s really all that needs to be said.