The chattering classes are all atwitter because California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - frustrated with slatemated budget negotiations - labelled as "girlie men" the state's special-interest-beholden Democratic legislators.

As viewers of the old "Saturday Night Live" know, that's a reference to the popular "Hans und Franz" skit - based on Schwarzenegger himself - in which two faux Austrian macho body-builders preen and trade insults.

This was no casual slip of the tongue however, but part of a calculated direct appeal by Arnold to voters in swing districts where Democrats are considered vulnerable in the November elections. The Governator continued his offensive Sunday, a day after ruffling feathers with his "girlie men" remark. The Sacramento Bee reports today:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pressed ahead Sunday with another shopping mall attack but avoided repeating the reference. The Republican governor didn't soften his theme otherwise, nor shy away from plucking famous lines from his movies to thrill the crowd, as he urged thousands of fans jammed into a food court to unseat Democratic legislators in November if they do not agree to his version of a state spending plan, now 19 days late.

"I am going to make you officially right now the terminators," Schwarzenegger said. "If they do not pass my budget, on Nov. 2, I want you to go out there and go after those Democratic legislators. They are obstructionists. ... Go out there, vote them out of office, vote them out of office and we'll put new faces in there."
Sunday marked the third straight day that Schwarzenegger traveled to legislative districts where Democrats' grasp is considered vulnerable, to build public support for his budget plans.

On Saturday, he angered Democrats by calling them "girlie men" because "they don't have the guts" to admit they are allied with "the unions, the trial lawyers" in the budget debate. The "girlie men" reference was borrowed from an old "Saturday Night Live" sketch spoofing him.

On Sunday, Assembly Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield downplayed the comments.

"I think what the governor is saying is, you have to stand up to special interests. You cannot be wimps to special interests and you have to push back," he said. "The governor has a sense of humor and I think that's what he was doing."

Many at the Stockton rally said they came to see the governor for his movie-star fame, and brushed off the "girlie men" remark as lighthearted.

"I think it's funny," said Bruce Adams, 24, a political science student at California State University, Stanislaus. "There's too much political correctness in politics and sometimes you are going to offend people."

But Democrats still were not laughing at what they criticized Saturday as juvenile name-calling, offensive to women and gays.

"Certainly it's beneath this governor to be making such an outrageous and irresponsible, demeaning comment," Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, one of two lead Democrats negotiating the budget with Schwarzenegger, said Sunday.

Nunez offers a different reaction to the New York Times, including this:

"The truth is I don't feel bullied by this guy," Mr. Nuñez said. "I don't have any insecurities about myself. I don't take that stuff personally."

Now that's taking it like a man.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at July 19, 2004 08:07 AM

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