Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Governor of California From: November 17, 2003 - Present | |||
| Predecessor | Gray Davis | ||
| Successor | Incumbent (no successor) | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Republican | ||
| Spouse(s) | Maria Shriver | ||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (b. Austria 1947) is an American actor, politician, bodybuilder, and businessman, who has served as the 38th Governor of California since 2003.
Recall Election
After sitting Governor Gray Davis mismanaged electric power deregulation and instituted a new registration tax by executive order, infuriated citizens initiated a petition to place a measure on the ballot to remove him from office. Despite Democratic predictions that the petition would fail, it was delivered to then Secretary of State Kevin Shelley with more than the required number of signatures. In accordance with the law, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante became Acting Governor and called a special election for October 7, 2003.
The election was the first in United States history. Approximately 180 citizens, from all walks of life, declared candidacy. Schwarzenegger was rumored to be considering a run for office, which was confirmed on an appearance on the NBC TV Tonight Show. Schwarzenegger easily defeated Cruz Bustamante in the election.
After the election was over, Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis' term. After going through a period of sagging in the polls, Schwarzenegger did a strong turn around and was then reelected by a landslide on November 7, 2006, in California's 2006 gubernatorial election to serve a full term as governor by defeating Democrat Phil Angelides, who was at that time the California State Treasurer.
Political views
Despite being a Republican, he holds some liberal views. He is a supporter of gun control and environmentalism. He is a staunch supporter of a law that mandates the use of Californian taxpayer money to fund stem cell research - which is the cloning and killing of human embryos for experimentation and is pro-choice. Arnold officially approved an assisted suicide measure allowing nurses to sedate, dehydrate and starve depressed or confused individuals they consider to be "terminally ill." [1] (Compare euthanasia.) Governor Schwarzenegger also campaigned against the famous California Proposition 8. He is also married to Maria Shriver, a famous journalist who is a member of the historically liberal Kennedy family. Because of these and other policies he is often referred to as a "RINO," a "Republican in Name Only" by many conservative Republicans. Other sources have labeled him a "California Republican," meaning that his political policies are conservative but his views on civil liberties lean to the liberal side, reflecting the general attitude of most Californians.
External Links
References
- ↑ California approves nurse-assisted suicide Worldnetdaily, October 02, 2008
