Yesterday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came out in support of state Proposition 71, a bond measure that would fund up to $3 billion for stem-cell research efforts here in California. Schwarzenegger has said he has always supported stem cell research, and also cited the fact that his father-in-law, Peace Corps founder Sargent Shriver, has Alzheimer's disease. Like a lot of California Dems, I am not happy with a lot of the things Ahnuld has done, but this comes out as a total shock. It would be one thing if only the Catholic Church and other pro-life groups were the only ones against Prop. 71, but the California Republican Party is on the record against it, citing not only the moral reasons but also the state budget crunch. I guess Arnold meant it when he said he was going to be independent-minded and not beholden to interests... uh, some of the time at least. But going against one part of the party platform? This is a new high (or low, depending on your POV) for him.
Good on him. Hope the measure actually has meaning. On the side note, what's the overall impression of his tenure so far?
Uh I would say that generally he has been what I expected. Sticking to GOP principles fiscally, but pretty middle of the road in terms of social issues. The Dems who control both houses of the CA Legislature have pretty much fought with him every step of the way. They locked horns on the most recent state budget, and the final version (which, as per usual, passed several weeks after the start of the new fiscal year) did not completely please either side. While I personally don't like his seeming over-reliance on public appearances and the fact that he is rolling in other people's dough for his re-election campaign (when he campaigned on not being beholden to special interests), I would say he's not as bad as I thought he would be. He has a better understanding of issues than I gave him credit for in last year's recall. But then again, other than the fact that his Hollywood background makes him the most recognizable governor, he hasn't done a lot to distinguish himself so far.