The purple line is my cut at the new Sierra Republic
Posted on 01/17/2007 10:05:19 AM PST by ElkGroveDan
A lame-duck governor morphs into a Bill Clinton-Phil Angelides composite on policy and rhetoric.
“That depends what the definition of ‘is’ is.”
— Soon-to-be-disbarred William Clinton, speaking to the Lewinsky grand jury and showing that weasels know well how to use weasel words.
Of the many indignities Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has inflicted of late on common sense and fundamental Republican principals, his support for the long-held socialist dream of state-run health insurance is perhaps the worst. As if his support for this deformed monster of public policy weren’t enough, he adds the insult of hiding behind weasel words as shamelessly, and ham-handedly, as Bill Clinton, insisting that what clearly are taxes are not.
His insistance that a levy based on a percent of income — applied to doctors and hospitals in his proposed health policy plan — is not a tax (who knew that every April 15 we paid an “income fee”?) presumes that most California Republicans are idiots or English-as-a-second-language students or that they don’t pay attention to what’s going on in Sacramento.
As George Skelton pointed out in the Los Angeles Times, you don’t have to use the Wayback Machine to visit the mists of ancient history to discover when the governor believed exactly the opposite of what he is now saying. In fact you only have to go back a few months to his re-election campaign.
Phil Angelides, the corpse that masqueraded as Democrat nominee for governor, had proposed a mandatory, state-run health insurance plan that in many important respects is identical to what Schwarzenegger is trying to force upon Californians. Way back when, back in the day when the governor needed Republican votes, he had no trouble calling what was plainly a tax increase a tax increase. In fact he was positively alarmed at the prospect.
These taxes, he said, “would drive California’s economy backward.” But apparently only Angelides mandatory health insurance tax increases would do that. According to the governor, his mandatory health insurance tax increases are vital to moving the state forward — toward a post-partisan nirvana.
But wait — there’s more! Speaking to the Republican state convention last September he specifically attacked the Angelides health insurance proposal as part of an overall Angelides message of “more taxes.” He followed that up with this rhetorical red meat: “We say no to more taxes. No to more government spending. No to more government control.”
One wonders whom he meant by “we,” a group clearly no longer including himself. His first two speeches of 2007 — his inaugural and state of the state — became an orgy of calls for more taxes, more government spending, more government control.
Regarding taxes, the governor has two reasons to do his version of spinning the meaning of “is.” One: his “no new taxes” pledge is about the last tether he has to any even vaguely Republican idea or philosophical point. Another is that legislation involving taxes requires two-thirds support in the Legislature. That means it won’t pass without GOP votes, giving Republicans some bargaining power.
On point one, he’s apparently been feeling heat from his recent abandonment of GOP ideas and philosophy and doesn’t want to inflame that wound at the moment. (His gratuitous state of the state slap at President Bush on global warming raised Republican hackles. A sure sign Schwarzenegger thought fence mending was in order was his subsequent transparently self-serving declaration that he supported President Bush’s “troop surge” in Iraq.)
Gee swell governor. That and $1.50 will get us a small coffee at Starbucks. I await release to the media of the transcripts of the calls to your pals Sen.s Feinstein and Boxer urging them to vote for the additional troops. Fact is your comment cost you nothing and will have no effect. But your “post-partisan” march in lockstep with Democrats toward more state control in every aspect of our lives will sap our freedoms for years to come. Somehow that just doesn’t seem like a fair trade.
On the second point, empowering legislative Republicans would appear to be precisely what this governor wants not to do. Having Republican ideas as a serious part of discussions puts the kibosh on deals he can make with Democrats. Having tasted Schwarzenegger “bipartisanship” last year (a freeze-out of Republicans and their ideas), Democrats have no intention of giving back ground they rightfully consider conceded to them already.
The governor can insist that the sun rises in the west. It does not. He can insist that levies based on a percentage of income are not taxes. They are. Baloney is baloney, no matter what the meaning of “is” is.
I just went back and read the article for comprehension, rather than speed. This Arnold Schwartzenegger quotation from that CA Republican CONvention should be shoved up his and every diehard supporter's differential repeatedly until it is remembered by rote repetition!!!
I mean over and over like someone repeated that he's a "girlyman" on this thread!!!
Can we get our hands on a video tape of this adamant quotation???
Wouldn't a tape of this quotation make a marvelous YouTube videoclip? I sure think this needs to be found an stored in a safe place for the up-coming Recall campaign in 25 months, or less!!!
It can only be that I am more reasonable than the rest of you...
Now study this MASSIVE juxtaposition!!!
“We say no to more taxes. No to more government spending. No to more government control.”
Now! Somebody tell me precisely how much time passed between these two dicotimus and fallatious statements in major speeches... We are dealing with one of the greatest decievers of our time, people!!!
One wonders whom he meant by “we,” a group clearly no longer including himself. His first two speeches of 2007 — his inaugural and state of the state — became an orgy of calls for more taxes, more government spending, more government control.
[ccg... now ducking for cover....]
Yes. That must be it! (slaps forehead!) :-)
Well it just proves you're a leader! Way out there in front of us all, leading the way out of the wilderness of the new liberal leftist Republican Governor who's misguiding all of CA!!! (just don't forget to look back every once-in-a-while to make sure we're still followin you. We're all a pretty independent bunch of conservative thinkers, ya know)
Well ya see, I ain't go no use at all for either Governors or Judges who look for now-a-day answers way back in time, before the scientific method was even heard of, before gravity was discovered, before the dark ages occurred and even before Christ, all the way to the Roman Emporer Justianian, or even before that to ancient Greece to come up with these ignorant jewels!!!
No money. Just Beer. Unfortunately, it's Austrian. ;-)
--
Hey, When in Rome, party like the Romans. ;-)
Not in front perhaps, but not all that far behind either...
Remember, we are the modern equivalent of the ancient city states of Athens and Sparta and Arnie just wants to use the power of Sparta to encourage the free market to overthrow the old order?
--
methinks his knowledge of history is a bit thin,, even Kirk Douglas and the Spartans fell short on the field of battle if I recall my movie history much less real history correctly.
Well, I don't remember my ancient history, but some of the stuff on the net is enlightening. By the way, those phrases on using the power of Sparta were direct quotes from his State of the State address ;-)
http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw4athensspartap2dz.htm
Athens, with its free speaking democracy, allied with many smaller city-states to form a powerful rule. Sparta, with its strong military, conquered many lands and forced them into submission.
Well, I guess we could all be advancing abreast!!!
Of course then, we'd all hafta start wearing brazziers, right? (snort!)
I like it! I love it!! I want somemore of it!!!
One might consider taking one or two liberal districts into the fold just so that we could torture them the way they have tortured us for years...might be fun.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.