I haven’t been particularly worked up about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ridiculous criticisms of California Democrats — in which he called them “girlie men” — because like so much of California’s politics, it seems too absurd to be bothered.
Yes, the phrase comes from a Saturday Night Live skit that, ironically, parodies bodybuilders like Schwarzenegger. Did the governor use the phrase to offend gays and women? Probably not. Is it irritating that the chief executive of the nation’s largest state has to rely on tired clichés from his entertainment career to score political points? Overwhelmingly so.
But let’s put the comment in context. The governor is frustrated because there’s an impasse over the state budget. Since Democrats aren’t going along with Schwarzenegger’s cuts, he’s calling them school-yard names.
Two points come to mind in response. First, as a matter of substance, Schwarzenegger is hardly in a position to blame the Dems.
[T]he governor has shown little more courage than the Democrats in facing down the interest groups whose demands have left the state bankrupt in all but name. Sure, he has lit into the public-service unions. That would be pretty muscular if Schwarzenegger was a Democrat. For a Republican it is less impressive, especially because Schwarzenegger himself capitulated to the state prison guards union. In weeks of negotiation over bloated salaries and unlimited sick time, the governor got none of the concessions he promised.
If we’re measuring the actions of politicians on the macho-meter, the governor’s opponents have showed more guts than he has. Schwarzenegger’s “girlie men” talk is an attempt to intimidate them — not with his brute strength, of course, but with his easy popularity. The Democrats are resisting. The proud owner of that easy popularity could use it to tell the citizens uncomfortable truths about who is to blame for the state’s fiscal condition. It’s those same citizens, too often unwilling to pay for good roads, clean water, superior schools, all the stuff that made California great. But he won’t do that. Too chicken?
Second, if Schwarzenegger believes lawmakers who can’t come to an agreement and pass a budget are “girlie men,” then is it now acceptable to apply the phrase to Republican lawmakers in DC who are just as irresponsible?