California Nurses Plan to Turn Tide Against Schwarzenegger

by Paul Hogarth, 2006-09-26

Approximately 30 activists from the California Nurses Association gathered in front of the Fairmont Hotel yesterday to protest a $25,000-a-plate fundraiser that Arnold Schwarzenegger was holding inside for his re-election campaign. Waving signs in support of Proposition 89 (the Clean Money Initiative that will provide public financing for California campaigns), the protesters vowed to challenge Arnold every step of the way as he shatters all campaign fundraising records. Over the next two weeks, the Nurses will target Schwarzenegger at ten sites throughout California (most in the Los Angeles area) as part of their “Hounding Arnold” tour.

Hounding Arnold is something that the Nurses know how to do well. In fact, the C.N.A. deserve credit for deconstructing the façade of Arnold’s popularity when nobody dared challenge his celebrity cult status. Throughout 2004 and 2005, they effectively chased him throughout the state, exposing the Governor’s right-wing economic agenda for what it really was. They obviously got under his skin, as it drove Arnold to brag that he was “kicking their butts.” That line helped turn the tide against Schwarzenegger, leading to a humiliating defeat for his agenda in last November’s special election.

One year later, the political landscape has dramatically changed. Schwarzenegger has re-invented himself as a “moderate,” and mainstream reporters (many of whom were always more interested in getting his autograph than asking tough questions) have been sold – hook, line and sinker. He brought in a Democratic lesbian from the Davis Administration as his new chief of staff. In a carefully timed media announcement, he let it be known that Maria never approved of calling last year’s special election. He has signed a minimum wage increase, and tomorrow is scheduled to sign landmark legislation that will make California a leader in the fight to stop global warming. All of this, ironically, while he has hired Matthew Dowd (George Bush’s campaign strategist) and Steve Schmidt (Dick Cheney’s lawyer) to run his re-election campaign.

The Nurses hope to bring Arnold’s Extreme Make-Over to a grinding halt. “The month of October is the chance for [Schwarzenegger’s Democratic opponent] Phil Angelides to change the narrative, and he can do it,” said Shum Preston of the Nurses’ Association. “While Arnold has made some feints towards the center, it hasn’t altered his fundamental character – which is an insatiable fundraiser. Our goal is to create a tsunami of public opinion against Schwarzenegger.”

Schwarzenegger has made some progressive moves this year, but only when he felt it was necessary to get himself re-elected. He will sign the global warming legislation tomorrow, but after he first threatened to gut its protections and finally capitulated to Democrats in the legislature when a poll showed that Californians supported it by a 2-1 margin. He signed the minimum wage increase, but only after two prior vetoes that delayed a long-overdue raise for California’s poorest workers. For every Democratic-led bill that Schwarzenegger will sign this week before the deadline, expect the Governor’s office (and his publicly funded website) to issue a glowing press release that gives him credit for the initiative – and claims that Schwarzenegger has been a “leader” when he has simply followed and co-opted the Democratic agenda.

When it comes to taxes, Schwarzenegger’s views are indistinguishable from the most right-wing Republicans in the legislature – namely, no tax increases whatsoever in any way, shape or form. But the state is broke, and if we’re ever going to address any serious problems in our state, some form of tax increase is inevitable. Bond measures can bring much-needed revenue, but unlike taxes they need to be paid off in the future – mortgaging our debts on the backs of future Californians. Meanwhile, Phil Angelides has been brutally attacked as another Walter Mondale because he simply dares to state the obvious – the top 1% aren’t paying their fair share, and it’s time that we ask them to step up to the plate.

The entire tenant agenda in Sacramento is at a stand-still until we get a new Governor. Arnold Schwarzenegger owns rental property in Santa Monica, and he has proven to be extremely hostile to tenants’ rights. Mark Leno’s bill that would discourage Ellis Act speculation (by restricting it to property owners who have had their property for at least five years) died last year in committee because too many conservative Democrats were unwilling to support something that would inevitably get the Governor’s veto. Arnold still hasn’t indicated whether he will sign the bill to extend “no-fault” eviction notices from 30 to 60 days – a modest piece of legislation that was law for three years with little trouble.

Environmental issues? Last I checked, Arnold still hasn’t sold his Hummers – and he opposes Proposition 87, a tax on oil companies that would bring $4 billion towards renewable energy programs. Education?? Arnold raised UC fees to the point that California no longer has a public higher education system any more. Gay rights?? Last I checked, Arnold vetoed same-sex marriage, says he would have vetoed California’s landmark domestic partnership laws, and recently vetoed legislation that simply prohibited the use of homophobic language in public school textbooks (California law already has such a provision for racist and sexist language.)

Political observers can criticize Phil Angelides all they want for running a lackluster campaign – but we can’t ignore the fact that he was written off as a hopeless cause the day after he won the primary. In what can only be described as a “ murder-suicide” pact, Angelides and his primary opponent, Steve Westly, savaged each other on television airwaves in a brutal campaign that turned everyone off. Totally ignored is the fact that Angelides would be the most progressive governor that California has seen since at least Pat Brown, especially when you compare him with other Democrats who have served or run for governor (think: Gray Davis or Cruz Bustamante.)

In a year when Republicans are expected to get slaughtered across the country, media pundits have already pronounced Schwarzenegger’ s re-election a done deal. Thank God the Nurses haven’t given up hope.