Posted on 10/20/2005 6:30:17 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Miffed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will snub George W. Bush when the US president begins a visit to California amid a clash over fundraising for their Republican Party.
The movie-star state governor, a moderate in Bush's conservative party, late Wednesday expressed irritation that the president apparently ignored his plea to delay the fundraising trip and said he would not take the time to meet Bush.
The cash clash brings to the surface long-standing tensions between the two men as Schwarzenegger moves to raise crucial funds for himself ahead of a special election next month on which he has gambled his political reputation.
"We would have appreciated if he would have done his fundraising after the November 8 election, because you know we need now all the money in the world," Schwarzenegger told supporters at his campaign event.
"We want to make sure that we win, that we can have our TV spots out there on television, which is very important," he said of the pricy advertising campaigns that require massive funding.
The governor said he had turned down an invitation from Bush to join him at Friday's opening of a special pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to house the late Republican president's Air Force One jet.
Schwarzenegger, speaking late Wednesday in the city of Anaheim, southeast of Los Angeles, said he could not attend because he and his staff were "very busy in our campaigning up and down the state."
The governor, who put himself out to stump for Bush in the crucial swing state of Ohio ahead of last year's presidential election, however insisted he enjoyed a "good working relationship" with the president.
His spokeswoman Julie Soderlund declined to comment further on whether the governor was irritated.
But she did confirm that Schwarzenegger has no plans to meet with Bush. "He had a previous scheduled meeting that he could not miss," she said of the board meeting of Schwarzenegger's children's programme, After-School All-Stars.
Another gubernatorial spokesman, Rob Stutzman, however told The Los Angeles Times that while changing Bush's schedule was not easy, "we do think our concerns were voiced early enough that there could have been accommodation."
"We're disappointed they came in to raise money two and a half weeks before the election," Stutzman said bluntly.
Bush was due to arrive in Los Angeles later Thursday for a two-day visit that includes a fundraiser in Beverly Hills to be attended by 100 couples, at which the Republican National Committee is expected to raise one million dollars, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The "Terminator"-star governor and right-wing president rely on many of the same rich Californians for campaign funds and Schwarzenegger does not appreciate the competition at such a critical time, analysts said.
"Schwarzenegger is clearly annoyed as he asked that the president not come until after the election because he did not want to compete for cash," University of California political scientist Sherry Bebitch Jeffe said.
Schwarzenegger, who is campaigning for four ballot initiatives being but to the electorate on November 8 and whose approval ratings are at their lowest since he took power two years ago, has had trouble raising funds, she told AFP.
Although they represent the same political party, Schwarzenegger and Bush have always been ideologically worlds apart on social issues. While the governor broadly supports abortion rights, stem cell research and gay marriage, Bush strongly opposes them and made them issues of his reelection campaign.
But despite the fundamental differences, Schwarzenegger -- who needs the support of California's generally-liberal electorate to survive politically -- agreed to stump for Bush and to appear as a star act at last year's Republican convention in New York.
Yet, said Bebitch, the decision not to attend the event in honour of former California governor Reagan was a risky one for Schwarzenegger, who has modelled his political career on Reagan's.
"Missing a Republican fundraiser attended by Bush is one thing, but shunning a memorial to a former California governor and former president is another. I think there is an obligation on the part of a governor to honour Reagan at such an event," Bebitch said.
But she did confirm that Schwarzenegger has no plans to meet with Bush. "He had a previous scheduled meeting that he could not miss," she said of the board meeting of Schwarzenegger's children's programme, After-School All-Stars. ---
The After-School All-Stars?
I wonder if this is part of his Prop 49 initiative that won't get any finding until the state budget goes from deficit in the red to black?
"Missing a Republican fundraiser attended by Bush is one thing, but shunning a memorial to a former California governor and former president is another. I think there is an obligation on the part of a governor to honour Reagan at such an event," ...
Me too.
I'll be baaaaack...after my propositions pass.
For Real!!
From another article:
First of all, I think it's very important not to make a big deal out of it, because it's not," he (Schwarzenegger) said. "President Bush is always welcome to California. I've made it very clear that I have a great working releationship. They've been very helpful since I've come into office with health care, education, with the border situation, with all kinds of issues. I've talked to him many times, and that's the end of that."
Asked by a reporter about if the president was "dismissive" of his request to delay the fund-raiser, Schwarzenegger laughed.
"I love the way you dramatize things. `They are very dismissive of that.' Look, if you try to create a fight between Bush and me, it won't happen. Because we're all on the same side."
Bush Arrives In The Southland (Los Angeles)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506341/posts
Watch it, I'll sig SuSan Estrich on ya. ;-)
and to heck with the memory of Reagan, huh?
Pesky facts.
Oh come now...between he and Maria surely he has enough money to finance his campaign. Other Republicans aren't as rich and they need the money, too. Of course, liberals always spend other people's money rather than their own, and Aahnold seems to fit that mold.
Snubbing the President and head of your Party is a very bad move. There is zero upside.
No surprises here. Equal pillorying for both conservative scoundrel's but if Bush looks bad, all the better.
Show me a conservative news source to post an article from re: the visit or should we just ignore anything posted by the MSM and go merrily along like nothing or no one is to be offended?
A fate worse than a run in with BeBitch I'm sure.
hmmmm...Wonder if she's the BeBitch from the long line of BeBitch's at NOW?
Not to beat a dead horse to death but posting from AFP without a disclaimer is sort of like posting from DEBKA. Remember when?:)
Oh geez Louise.. I was gonna put AFP: in front of the title too, really, I was. lol
Where's my Reuters version? :-)
LOL
I like the part where they think Bush is right-wing.
I don't see any mention of association to
NOW in her bios.. she cut her teeth on California politics working for Jesse Unruh back in the 60s. She's been teaching in SoCal since then and does political "analysis" aka spin.
Gets 7500 a speech , well, asks for 7500 anyway. ;-)
I also enjoyed the remark, offered by a polysci prof from one of the UCs (and obviously a member of the governor's inner circle) that:
"Schwarzenegger is clearly annoyed"
I don't know who took greater liberty with reality; the liberal dingbat from UC or her French editors.
Heck it's only 1 million dollars,, lol
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