Schwarzenegger's Green Challenge

California Governor Says He'll Stick To Environmental Plans, Despite Economic Crisis

(CBS)  When the interview got going, Pelley asked about that morning's editorial in that most Republican of opinion pages, the Wall Street Journal.

Schwarzenegger had seen it.

"Savage. Savage. They said you were taxing and spending this beautiful state to ruin, to use their words. What do you think when you read that?" Pelley asked.

"I think this is part of the job, that you have people way on the left that will attack you for making cuts. You will have people way on the right that will attack you for your spending," the governor replied.

"If you read between the lines in the Wall Street Journal editorial, it's essentially asking, 'What kind of Republican are you?'" Pelley remarked.

"For me, the most important thing is, when I make a decision, is what is best for the people of California, and what is best for our economy, and what's best for the state, not what is best for my party. I'm not a party servant. I'm a public servant," Schwarzenegger said.

Schwarzenegger likes to call his way "post-partisan," and he just campaigned successfully through a controversial reform that makes traditionally Democratic or Republican legislative seats more competitive at election time.

But his approval rating has dropped from 60 percent two years ago to 40 percent now. Still, that's better than the legislature gets - 21 percent.

Running California means running the eighth largest economy in the world and with two years left as governor, Schwarzenegger will soon have to find an encore. Being born in Austria would seem to disqualify him from the next political step.

"Well, you're a man of no small ambition. If the Constitution was changed, you'd like to be president, wouldn't you?" Pelley asked.

"Yeah, absolutely," Schwarzenegger acknowledged. "I think that I am always a person that looks for the next big goal. And I love challenges. I always set goals that are so high, that are almost impossible to achieve. Because then, you're always hungry for climbing and climbing. Because it's always interesting. The climb is always interesting. When you get there you just have to pick another goal."

He's already won over the president-elect to his environmental goals. At Schwarzenegger’s environmental conference, Mr. Obama sent a video message endorsing the California plan and said under this administration, the US would adopt similar greenhouse gas reduction goals.

But now Schwarzenegger still has to head off that budget disaster - to find middle ground that no one else can see - and keep up the appearance that the climb is a joy. "People think show business was in Hollywood but I think Reagan was absolutely right, if he wouldn't have the training in acting this would have been a very difficult job and I think that's what it is, that's reality," Schwarzenegger said.

[katiell]

Can''t anybody see the writing on the wall? There is definitely something going on in the atmosphere. I can''t believe how stupid people are. We got a president leaving office who was in for 2 terms....that is just one example of stupidity. There is so much greed and me, me, me, now it is pathetic. There was pollution in Los Angeles back in the 60s when I lived there. Wake up idiots!! Kate

[pepperwood2]

What''s the Story Here? Kalifornia is going to run out of cash in two weeks.

Something''s rotten in Kalefornia? The richest of the rich with all this wealth and the Liberals are going to bankrupt the State. Why don''t these Elite who wanted Green just pay there fair share? Instead of getting in line for a Federal Bailout like all the Losing Corporations & Banks across this Country of ours. Where''s Al & Rosie with the big bucks?

Instead of becoming a part of the problem, come up with a real solution. After all aren''t these the people running the show out their as in Washington the world''s most intelligent.

I know, just spend spend spend get ourselves further in debt with no real means or help for the consumer to ever come out of it. Wonder which the NEXT State that has gone Greeen will come out pissing & moaning that they will be out of cash. They just don''t ever get it.

[noloyalisti]

Baaaaahhhhhhh

Posted by Cryos

Thanks for demonstrating for ALL of us to see, your complete ignorance of the facts and your stupidity by parroting the right wing propaganda of the corporations and talking heads like Sean Slannity. Good job, thanks for sharing.

[lovegetpeace]

RECALL ARNOLD!

[noloyalisti]

Let''s recall this Republicon SOB who supported Butch and McSame. This guy drove CA into the ground, part of the Con conspiracy to bankrupt the middle class.

[Mccarthyaw]

So, McCarthy51, you are calling Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever ignorant for his comment %u201CI am a skeptic%u2026Global warming has become a new religion.%u201D ignorant????

Posted by telloian at 04:53 PM : Dec 22, 2008

Yes, I am calling him ignorant. Too entrenched in his paradigm. There are a few respected scientists here and there that disagree. I know there is one at Harvard. But a large majority agree that climate change is occurring at a faster pace than seen before.

[s_libertas]

I''d be interested in seeing a cost/benefit analysis of the Governator''s plan to cut emissions. How much will it cost, and what amount of global warming will it prevent? I''ve never seen any such analysis of any global warming initiative. Other than "doing something", what actual benefit are we going to attain?

www.semperlibertas.com

[czervik7]

President Arnold,

Please accept our thanks for joining the Kyoto Climate Change Consortium. We really needed a big-pocket donor to keep our religion...er eh I mean...just cause alive.

We will need a check in the amount of $1,000,000,000,000.00 payable to the Gore/Soros Cap & Trade fund. The money will mainly be used for travel expenses by Al Gore to canvas the world and spew propoganda...eh...enlighten young children about the dangers of climate change.

While we realize that climate change has been happening for millions of years, your donation will help us sell the idea that somehow us humans have managed to have some meaningful affect in the past 50 years. Although we cannot even accurately predict the weather for more than 1 day in advance we must show that we can change it.

We must also figure out a way to say global warming has caused record-cold temperatures. If you have any ideas on this please let us know. You, after all, have figured out how to sell global warming economics to a state that is $40 billion in the hole. We need your marketing expertise.

Thanks a bunch!

China

P.S. We''d join the accord but we just don''t have the money right now.

[dlaws99]

This bozo is arguably the worst governor in the history of the state going back to the Spanish land grant, so it only makes sense he''d want to be president...

[czervik7]

President Arnold,

Please accept our thanks for joining the Kyoto Climate Change Consortium. We really needed a big-pocket donor to keep our religion...er eh I mean...just cause alive.

We will need a check in the amount of $1,000,000,000,000.00 payable to the Gore/Soros Cap & Trade fund. The money will mainly be used for travel expenses by Al Gore to canvas the world and spew propoganda...eh...enlighten young children about the dangers of climate change.

While we realize that climate change has been happening for millions of years, your donation will help us sell the idea that somehow us humans have managed to have some meaningful affect in the past 50 years. Although we cannot even accurately predict the weather for more than 1 day in advance we must show that we can change it.

We must also figure out a way to say global warming has caused record-cold temperatures. If you have any ideas on this please let us know. You, after all, have figured out how to sell global warming economics to a state that is $40 billion in the hole. We need your marketing expertise.

Thanks a bunch!

China

P.S. We''d join the accord but we just don''t have the money right now.

[czervik7]

President Arnold,

Please accept our thanks for joining the Kyoto Climate Change Consortium. We really needed a big-pocket donor to keep our religion...er eh I mean...just cause alive.

We will need a check in the amount of $1,000,000,000,000.00 payable to the Gore/Soros Cap & Trade fund. The money will mainly be used for travel expenses by Al Gore to canvas the world and spew propoganda...eh...enlighten young children about the dangers of climate change.

While we realize that climate change has been happening for millions of years, your donation will help us sell the idea that somehow us humans have managed to have some meaningful affect in the past 50 years. Although we cannot even accurately predict the weather for more than 1 day in advance we must show that we can change it.

We must also figure out a way to say global warming has caused record-cold temperatures. If you have any ideas on this please let us know. You, after all, have figured out how to sell global warming economics to a state that is $40 billion in the hole. We need your marketing expertise.

Thanks a bunch!

China

P.S. We''d join the accord but we just don''t have the money right now.

[dlaws99]

In case it isn''t completely obvious to anyone, the global warming hoax is being used as the "scientific" foundation for inplementing the anti-capitalist socialist agenda. It''s the classic "big lie told long enough..."

[telloian]

So, McCarthy51, you are calling Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever ignorant for his comment %u201CI am a skeptic%u2026Global warming has become a new religion.%u201D ignorant????

[jimdrotto]

I agree with Cryos and RealScience. Also prescribed burns, which are controlled burns, would help limit the wildfires, but environmentalists won''t let departments of Natural Resources operate that way. Pay now or pay later when mankind interferes with nature.

[jpipk]

Arnie should re-register as a Democrat.
They''ll change the rules about where he was born like they did for the anointed one.
Or he could just get a birth certificate from Hawaii -- they don''t seem to care too much.
Wouldn''t that just be great! Swartzie the RINO following McLame the RINO.
Where does a conservative go to throw up?
Probably Chicago -- they like stuff like that there!

[bikerbill98-2009]

Arnie thinks it''s fun to solve the problems he and others created. Must be nice being able to laugh while the state is crumbling under the weight of the debt. Me thinks he''s used too man steroids over the years.

[petro49l]

California should control vehicle emissions to reduce pollution. Coal is a good idea when it is correctly extracted from the ground. The coal is then converted into gasoline for automobiles. Hydrogen is an abundant source of fuel. The technology is sophisticated, but it could be marketed in the United States to most drivers. California should also invest in preparedness for wild fires. Emergency vehicles, chemicals, tools, and forest breaks are effective strategies for stopping the flames.

[Mccarthyaw]

Watch the governors of Alaska, North Dakota, Louisiana, Mississippi, and a few others, if you really want to see effective state government in action.


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Posted by KatyfromTX at 03:41 PM : Dec 22, 2008

Rofl, Palin? Seriously? She is as inept as they come

[81w10]

Schwarzenegger for President? Hmmm

Built up his body but evidently didn''t concentrate much on building up his mind,

Spent years building personal wealth playing make-believe.

Managed to marry a Kennedy cousin, while maintaining that he was a Republican.

Cashed in on all his sterling qualifications (see above) to swoop in with celebrity name recognition to replace poor old Gray Davis, an equally stupid career political animal who may have actually been duped by ENRON as he claimed at the time. But, we all know Californians - celebrity will win out every time.

Schwarzenegger is probably sincere about his environmental opinions, but his ignorance is blatant. He probably believes his own hype about his leadership role in solving California''s problems, but again, his ignorance is blatant.

What we have in Schwarzeneggar is a super-sized ego. This is not a movie, Arnold. No movie script will turn up which can trump the Constitution. YOU CAN''T BE PRESIDENT of the USA, being Mr. Olympia, Mr. Maria Shriver, Mr. Governor notwithstanding.

Watch the governors of Alaska, North Dakota, Louisiana, Mississippi, and a few others, if you really want to see effective state government in action.

[Mccarthyaw]

Climate change (AKA global warming) is occuring. There is no real scientific debate over that. Even the most outspoken antagonists of climate change the last couple decades have come out and said that it is occuring. Those who say climate change is not occuring are ignorant.

The debate now is whether humans are partly responsible for the change. Yes, the earth goes through cyclic changes, but this change is occuring at a much more rapid pace this time around.

I see nothing but good that can come from switching to green technology anyways.