Contributors
Matthew N. Klink - Contributor

Matthew N. Klink is a writer and political consultant who works for Republican candidates at the federal, state and local level. He can be reached at matt@klinkcampaigns.com. [go to Klink index]

Schwarzenegger's Right
Legislature’s Democrats are “Girlie Men.”
[Matthew N. Klink] 7/20/04

“If they don’t have the guts to come up here in front of you and say, ‘I don’t want to represent you, I want to represent those special interests, the unions, the trial layers’…if they don’t have the guts, I call them girlie men.”

With five words, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger summed up the Democratic establishment – men and women alike – in the California State Legislature. In a speech late last week about mounting frustration for a state budget that is perpetually late and actually moving further and further away from a solution, Gov. Schwarzenegger called Democrats “girlie men.”

Now, these remarks are not the most intellectual comments out there, but this is Sacramento budget politics – where rational argument and common sense decision-making go out the window. So for Schwarzenegger to utter the “girlie men” comment, he effectively summed up the California Democratic Party in general and issue specific terms.

In general, the California Democratic Party goes to extreme lengths to segment society based on any number of factors, including race, sexual orientation or membership in a group or organization, to name just a few. People aren’t Californians or Americans; instead, they are hyphenated Californians or Americans first and foremost.

If you’re a white male and a Democrat, you must openly express guilt for decades of repression of all of the above-mentioned hyphenated groups. To further omplicate matters, if you’re white, a male and not well versed in Democratic groupthink, and if you don’t have this guilt, you must be a bigot, a racist, a homophobe or, at best, a non-thinking caveman.

Hmmmm. There’s food for thought.

To address Schwarzenegger’s “girlie man” comments in the context of which they were spoken, the Governor hit the nail on the head for years of Democratic budgetary myopia and spending excess. Just as when October rolls around, it’s safe to assume that the New York Yankees will be in the World Series, so, too is it safe to assume that Sacramento Democrats will always be late with the budget. Therefore, as the old saying goes for the Dems, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” Welcome “girlie men” one and all.

Now, if Republicans were called a “girlie man,” they might well react with shock and shame, and would do something about it. They wouldn’t, however, feebly react by calling the remark sexist and homophobic – but that’s because they're not “girlie men” Democrats. Can’t you just see Sacramento Democrats last weekend saying, “Quick, somebody call the Lambda Legal Defense Fund, organize a protest and arrange a sit-in! We’ll show the governor who is boss.” It’s almost laughable if it weren’t so utterly pathetic.

Schwarzenegger’s comments will throw the Democratic establishment into a weeklong tizzy (not meant in any racially or sexually derogatory way), where this “controversy” will consume their decision-making process and stifle what little desire these legislators have to actually solve California’s budget problems. That's because, in a state Democratic Party devoid of any real solutions to California’s problems except to spend more and raise taxes on the rich (we’re all "rich," by the way), left-wing Democrats are like Pavlov’s dog. They’ll quickly resort to playing the racist and sexist card.

It’s time for Schwarzenegger to get tough on the do-nothing Democrats. They will never change. Arnold must immediately launch hard-hitting campaigns against any and all marginal Democrats in both the Assembly and the State Senate. His popularity trumps all issues and personalities in the state. Arnold must take his case more aggressively to the people. We need more free thinkers in Sacramento – people who have held real jobs, paid taxes and understand what budgeting really entails. And, most importantly, know how to meet deadlines.

Now is the time for bold ideas, common sense decision-making and aggressive action by California’s most popular elected official. Governor Schwarzenegger has the tools at his disposal to swing close elections and enact change in Sacramento – change that will make the Golden State golden once more.

Accordingly, Schwarzenegger should act on his promise to draft- up an initiative making the Legislature part time. Clearly, the Legislature has too many responsibilities on its collective plate. Making the Legislature part time would limit the number of issues they could discuss, vote on and, ultimately, approve – and hopefully limit the harm that these “representatives” do average Californians.

California needs new legislators who want to do less, do it well and accomplish it in a timely fashion. The forces of the status quo – Democrats in the Legislature and their liberal special interests – will fight this much-needed change at every step of the way because it threatens their meal ticket.

Ultimately, all Californians will be better off with a few less “girlie men” making fewer decisions in Sacramento. CRO

copyright 2004 Matthew N. Klink

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