NYT: Donors' Influence on Schwarzenegger Is an Issue

[DeepModem Mom]

Donors' Influence on Schwarzenegger Is an Issue
By DEAN E. MURPHY

Published: March 7, 2005


....As governor for 16 months, Mr. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has made raising money from big corporations and wealthy businesspeople a mainstay in his drive for political change, which in California's unusual ballot-box approach to governing has focused on winning the backing of voters on measures relating to health care, government borrowing and crime.

Now as Mr. Schwarzenegger pursues his most aggressive program yet to overhaul California government - which he says needs to be rid of moneyed "special interests" that act as "ghostwriters" for lawmakers - some Democrats, independent watchdog groups and scholars are raising questions about the influence of money on Mr. Schwarzenegger himself....

***

Mr. Schwarzenegger's stated goal is to raise $50 million this year to ensure the proposals become law, more than double the $23 million he raised last year and about three times what he raised in 2003, when he was elected governor as Gray Davis was recalled. Invitations to events featuring Mr. Schwarzenegger across California in the coming weeks include a category for $100,000 donors.

"The amount of fund-raising is unprecedented," said Richard L. Hasen, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles who is an expert on the state's election and campaign finance laws. Professor Hasen described Mr. Schwarzenegger as "a poster child" for the need to impose limits on fund-raising by candidates for ballot measures, the main focus of Mr. Schwarzenegger's solicitations and a favorite policy tool of many California governors before him....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/07/national/07arnold.html?hp&ex=1110171600&en=a8c4bb778be74b70&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[w4rma]

1. Turning the tables on Schwarzenegger's red herring rhetoric? (nt)

[TheFarseer]

2. Didn't he campaign on

"I don't need anyone's money, I have my own money"

[Journeyman]

5. Yeah. That's been one of the big reasons his supporters. . .

have been so adamant for him: He can't be bought by 'special interests' cause he has his own money. As though no rich individual ever wanted to increase their wealth. And as though money would only be intended to buy the individual, and not the influence.

Maybe now, as these issues are being discussed in the news and among the people, an increasing number of Schwarzenegger's 'hopeful' supporters (those who truly hope he would prove to be 'different' from the norm) will begin to turn away from him and we'll see his popularity begin to wane.

[msongs]

3. He was anti "special interests" and is now worse than

grey davis the governor he ousted because davis was spending too much time raising special interest money!! I believe ahnuld has raised more money in a year + than davis did in 3. everything ahnold criticized davis for, ahnold is doing himself, as much if not more.

another repub hypocrite.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/liberaltshirts.htm

[Patchuli]

4. Hypocritical politicians

come in both parties. I think Ahnold needs to be curtailed some more
and maybe right the heck out of the Governor's seat. Can't we get a
decent governor??? I miss Wilson! For that matter, compared to *,
I miss Nixon!!

[jamesinca]

10. Phil Angelides

He is running on the Dem ticket for Governor. He will be speaking in Fresno on Thursday March 24 along with state Sen. Dean Florez 16th district at the local Jefferson-Jackson dinner. Send me a message and I will give you the details about time place and cost. Benefits the local Democratic party office and the Democratic Womens Club here in Fresno.

[Mark E. Smith]

6. Arnold is flat-out full of shit.

He's against special interests, yet has his ham hand out for every special interest dollar available. He's against steroid use, yet owes everything he has to the benefits he enjoyed from injecting massive amoiunts of the stuff. He stammers endlessly about fiscal responsibility, but keeps on borrowing billions of dollars.

Yep. Must be a Republican.

[The Zanti Regent]

7. Arnold is the 2nd biggest WHORE of all time

He repeatedly attacked Davis for raising money, yet Mr. Steroid Junky has raised more in a year than Davis did his entire lifetime.

This son of a Nazi commands Whore Wall Street to pay $500,000 fucking dollars for a single table at his fundraisers.

NOBODY has WHORED more than Mr Steroid Snorter EXCEPT for the ASSHOLE in the White House who killed my son, my only child.

FUCK YOU NAZI ARNOLD, YOU ARE GOING DOWN (just like you did before for your sponsors...)

[olddad56]

11. He is a knuckle dragging, Neanderthal,Nazi, Goon.

And the too many of the people of my home state are buying it without question. It makes sense to me that he would want to cut education. The kids turn into voters and the less educated they are, the easier they are to control.

[struggle4progress]

8. kick

[not fooled]

9. yeah, nothin' but * with muscles

the boobengrabber is trying to enact the compleat * agenda here in CA. Complete down to destroying pension programs for state employees, raising fees that hurt the middle and working classes, and refusing to do anything to make the wealthy pay their fair share. Any one who still supports this jerk is either idiotic or making $$ from its policies.:eyes:

An utter, total fraud. So much for those morans who bought into the fairy tales told during the campaign and put this ass into office. :grr: :grr: :grr:

[Autobot77]

12. Arnold Exposed

www.arnoldexposed.com

Heres a great site that exposes Herr Gropenfuhrers dirty history, including his Enron ties. Most people at DU probably know most of the info on the site, but its a great way to show people the truth about Ahnuld.