When I was a boy, the Soviets occupied part of Austria. I saw their tanks in the streets. I saw communism with my own eyes. I remember the fear when we had to cross into the Soviet sector. We were told, "Don't look the soldiers in the eye. Look straight
ahead." It was a common belief that Soviet soldiers could take a man out of his own car and ship him off to the Soviet Union as slave labor. I remember how scared I was that they would pull my father or my uncle out of the car & I'd never see him again.
Source: 2004 Republican Convention Speech
Aug 31, 2004
Schwarzenegger wins with 48%; Bustamante 32%; McClintock 13%
I came over here with absolutely nothing. And California has given me absolutely everything. And today, California has given me the greatest gift of all. You've given me your trust by voting for me.
We have tough choices ahead. The first choice that we
must make is the one that will determine our success. Shall we rebuild our state together? Or shall we fight amongst ourselves, to create even deeper division & fail the people of California? Well, let me tell you something, the answer is clear, for the
people to win, politics as usual must lose.
I will reach out to Republicans, to Democrats and independents, to those who supported the recall and those who did not, those who supported me today and those who did not. I want to reach out to everybody,
to young and old, rich and poor, people of all religions, all colors and all nationalities. I want to be the governor for the people. I want to represent everybody.I believe in the people of California, and I know that together we can do great things.
Source: Campaign victory Speech on Jay Leno Show
Oct 8, 2003
California government is failing the people
When I first came to California 35 years ago, California was a place of dreams. This great state said to the people everywhere: Come here, work hard, play by the rules, and your dreams can come true.
But today, the dream - and the optimism that California represented to this nation and the world - has been shattered. I believe we can restore that optimism and the dreams that were once fulfilled here.
Our people are good people-they work hard, they pay their taxes, they raise their families, and they're doing everything they can to provide their children with the tools to succeed. We have everything we need here in California-except leadership.
California government is failing the people. The state government is not providing the leadership necessary to put people first-to put their hopes and dreams ahead of the special interests that have entrenched themselves in Sacramento.
Source: Campaign website, JoinArnold.com
Aug 29, 2003
Needs no money; so will represent ordinary citizens
The Republican actor's campaign theme has been sounding in $1 million worth of 60-second television spots since Wednesday: Because he doesn't need money from anyone, he will represent ordinary people, not the special interests.
Source: Boston Globe, p. A16, column 6
Aug 24, 2003
Needs no money; so will represent ordinary citizens
The Republican actor's campaign theme has been sounding in $1 million worth of 60-second television spots since Wednesday:
Because he doesn't need money from anyone, he will represent ordinary people, not the special interests.
Source: Boston Globe, p. A16, column 6
Aug 24, 2003
It is time to return California to the people
California's political history and traditions were laid down nearly ninety years ago by the progressive reforms of Hiram Johnson.
The principles were clear: bipartisanship was cherished, progress was prized over politics and the will of the people was paramount. It was upon these principles that our state was built.
In July 1990, following news reports that his father was a Nazi, Arnold Schwarzenegger approached his friends at the Simon Wiesenthal Center and asked that they find the truth. "I don't know much about my father's past. I don't know if it's good or bad
and I'd like you to find out," the founder of the Wiesenthal Center recalled Schwarzenegger's telling him. The Wiesenthal Center , named after the famed Nazi hunter, had the resources to conduct such a probe.
Source: Link
Aug 18, 2003
Campaigned for George Bush Senior in 1988
By 1988 he was campaigning aggressively for George Bush [Sr.], telling crowds that Michael Dukakis would be the real Terminator if he ever made it to Washington. A grateful Bush later made Schwarzenegger
the chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a position that gave Arnold the power to talk to school groups about fitness and conduct push-up drills for Colin Powell on the White House lawn.
Source: Time magazine cover story
Aug 18, 2003
Clinton impeachment was a waste of time and energy
In 1999 Schwarzenegger told George magazine of his bitterness about the frenzy over Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton and the waste of time and energy it represented. "That was another thing I will never forgive the Republican party for,"
he said. "I was ashamed to call myself a Republican during that period." But Arnold may identify with Clinton for a different reasons: Schwarzenegger was accused the star of repeatedly groping female interviewers -claims that Schwarzenegger denies.
Source: Time magazine cover story
Aug 18, 2003
Individualism is incompatible with socialism
"I come from Austria, a socialist country. There you can hear 18-year- olds talking about their pension....
Individualism is incompatible with socialism. I felt I had to come to America where the government wasn't always breathing down your neck or standing on your shoes."
Source: Grassroots website, www.ArnoldGovernor.net, FAQ
Aug 17, 2003
Keep opportunities like he had
"I've seen firsthand coming here with empty pockets but full of dreams, full of desire, full of will to succeed, but with the opportunities that I had, I could make it.
This is why we have to get back and bring California back to where it once was."
Source: Grassroots website, www.ArnoldGovernor.net, FAQ
Aug 17, 2003
Investigated his father's past; uncovered that he was a Nazi
In July 1990, following news reports that his father was a Nazi, Arnold Schwarzenegger approached his friends at the Simon Wiesenthal Center and asked that they find the truth. "I don't know much about my father's past. I don't know if it's good or bad
and I'd like you to find out," the founder of the Wiesenthal Center recalled Schwarzenegger's telling him. The Wiesenthal Center , named after the famed Nazi hunter, had the resources to conduct such a probe.
By 1988 he was campaigning aggressively for George Bush [Sr.], telling crowds that Michael Dukakis would be the real Terminator if he ever made it to Washington. A grateful Bush later made Schwarzenegger
the chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a position that gave Arnold the power to talk to school groups about fitness and conduct push-up drills for Colin Powell on the White House lawn.
Source: Time magazine cover story
Aug 14, 2003
Member of the Republican Main Street Partnership .
Schwarzenegger is a member the Republican Main Street Partnership:
The Republican Main Street Partnership was founded in 1998 to promote thoughtful leadership in the Republican Party, to serve as a voice for centrist Republicans and to partner with individuals, organizations and institutions that share centrist values.
The Partnership pursues public policies that reflect a limited, but responsible role for government and that are designed to achieve fiscal responsibility, economic growth, improvements in the human condition and a nation that is globally competitive and secure. Partnership members include individuals who are interested in moderate Republican policies, focusing on governance and on finding common sense solutions to national problems.
The Republican Main Street Partnership is an organization of party members and public officials committed to building America's principled but pragmatic center within the Republican Party and throughout the nation. The Partnership contributes to the nation's governance through developing and promoting creative public policies for implementation at appropriate levels of government.
