The Republican effort to make Arnold Schwarzenegger
president of the United States has begun. California Congressman
Dana Rohrabacher introduced legislation to overturn the Constitutional
requirement that permits only persons born in the United States to
serve as president. Similar legislation was introduced in the Senate.
If the words “I, Arnold Schwarzenegger, do solemnly swear…” seem impossible,
think again. I recall saying of another actor turned governor of California, “Reagan
can’t get elected.” Ever since I was proven wrong in 1980 I have never
discounted the possibility of anybody becoming president - any white
person, that is.
Passage of a Constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote from
both the House and Senate. Both are controlled by the Republicans.
Three-quarters of the 50 state legislatures would then have
to ratify the amendment. It is fair to assume that the rest of the
country
is
as
addle brained as the Californians who made Arnold Schwarzenegger governor.
Schwarzenegger’s political ascent should leave no one in doubt that
he is capable of winning the presidency.
Republican evil doing and media bias against Democrats both played
a role in turning an actor into a governor. Darrell Issa, a millionaire
Republican Congressman, used his personal fortune to pay for a ballot
initiative recalling Democrat Gray Davis. Comedian Bill
Maher said of the recall, “No do-overs. Once you elect an official, unless
he runs off with public funds or gets caught with kiddie porn, you're
stuck with him.”
That line may have gotten laughs but the joke was on Issa when Republican
power brokers ordered him to step aside in favor of Schwarzenegger.
Karl Rove and his gang knew that America’s sick fascination with celebrities
made it more likely that an actor would defeat a politician. Issa took
a dive, and Arnold was in the race against Davis.
After Schwarzenegger announced his intention to run, on the Tonight
Show no less, stories known to a few became general public knowledge.
Fifteen women came forward to say that Schwarzenegger grabbed their
breasts or otherwise assaulted them. The Los Angeles Times did
great reporting on the story, only to become the victim of a Republican
boycott and smear campaign. The well documented stories didn’t keep
Arnie out of the Governor’s mansion.
Obviously there are millions of people who envied not only Schwarzenegger’s
film persona but his real life ability to have anyone bend to his twisted
will. Voters were not turned off by reports of a pervert in the governor’s
mansion. Indeed many were turned on.
Of course we can’t discuss Governor Gropinator without discussing
the pernicious effects of the corporate controlled, pro-Republican
media. Two black body builders, Robby Robinson and Rick Wayne, both
said that Schwarzenegger made racist comments
on a regular basis and expressed support for South African apartheid. "If
you give these blacks a country to run, they would run it down the
tubes," Arnold
opined. If you haven’t heard any of this before it is for a very simple
reason. The press chose not to tell you. Rick Wayne was interviewed
by ABC but the network never
broadcast the conversation.
Oprah Winfrey could have told you. In the midst of the raucous campaign
she interviewed Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver. If Oprah
was going to stick her nose into politics she should have at least
pretended to be a real journalist. She could have interviewed the other
candidates for governor, or at least asked Schwarzenegger to explain
the allegations of manhandling, racism and love of Hitler.
There was another strange omission from Ms. Winfrey’s interview. In
the days when Schwarzenegger had no idea he would be a politician he
told this tale in 1977 to Oui magazine.
The idea of a black woman magically appearing in the nude in the middle
of a gym is improbable. It isn’t clear if Schwarzenegger engaged
in gang rape of a black woman or if he just fantasized about it. It
is too bad that Oprah didn’t think it important enough to ask him.
If the groping allegations are any indication, it wouldn’t have mattered
if ABC or Oprah had done their job. The question then is not whether
enough Americans would want Schwarzenegger to be president, but whether
they want him enough to take the chance that any foreign born person
might occupy the oval office.
If state legislators around the country knew they were definitely
making Arnold commander in chief then the amendment would pass overwhelmingly.
The problem is that the amendment can’t be written with the name Schwarzenegger
on it. Once Pandora’s box is opened, it is opened to all, including
foreigners who aren’t white.
If Austria can be the birth place of an American president, so can
China, India or Mexico. In the absence of an intelligent electorate,
a fair media, and a competent Democratic party, fear of a brown or
yellow president is probably the only thing that will keep Arnold in
Sacramento and away from Washington. It is sad but true that only racism
will keep this racist from holding the highest office in the land.