Arnold To Rush: "We Don't Have A Fight"
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made nice with Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday, calling in to his radio program a day after he dismissed the conservative host as "irrelevant."
Limbaugh, who a day earlier had accused the governor of abandoning the conservative cause, treated Schwarzenegger cordially. But he pressed him on recent political moves, such as his $12 billion universal health care proposal, that have angered conservatives.
The two had a back-and-forth discussion over extending health care to illegal immigrants and whether the money to pay for the governor's health plan amounted to new taxes or fees.
Limbaugh said the compromises Schwarzenegger said were necessary "to get things done" were a capitulation to liberals.
"We are still compromising our ideology," Limbaugh said. "They are not. And this is what people are upset about."Photos: The Famous & Their Feuds
But Limbaugh sounded pleased when Schwarzenegger eased out of the interview, saying he wanted to smoke more cigars with him.
"You and I, we're going to have a good time again in our next smoke out," Schwarzenegger said. "We'll smoke a stogie together, and we will talk about this from here to eternity. The key thing is that people should know that you and I, we don't have a fight."
Schwarzenegger embraced a more centrist agenda after voters rebuked his attempt in 2005 to limit the power of public employee unions. His recent policy moves, to curb the greenhouse gases associated with global warming, raise the minimum wage and extend health care to all Californians, have angered many conservatives, including Limbaugh.
In an interview aired Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show, Schwarzenegger said Limbaugh's views were irrelevant to his work in California.
"All irrelevant. Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant. I am not his servant," Schwarzenegger said tersely.
Limbaugh responded on the air Tuesday by saying, "If he had the leadership skills to articulate conservative principles and win over the public as (former President) Reagan did, then he would have stayed conservative."
Limbaugh put a mock poster on his Web site featuring Schwarzenegger's face and titled, "Total Sellout," a play on the film, "Total Recall."