smokerblog

Maybe Arnold is a Democrat

David Brooks (yes, a conservative editor at the NYT!) has an interesting article in this week's Sunday magazine analyzing the shifting philosophy of the Republican party. As the two parties move closer to each other on fiscal policy, the old small vs. big government dichotomy is harder to maintain. It's one of the reasons why you see moderate Republicans play such a prominent role during the convention as the party tries to appeal to a broader base.

So since Arnold Schwarzenegger is being touted as the future of the party, I thought I'd read the transcript of his speech to see what he brings to the table. As I've said, he's made a lot of assertions that play well in a speech, but I think many of his assertions are just wrong. Here's the meat of the speech:

My fellow immigrants, my fellow Americans how do you know if you are a Republican? I'll tell you how.

If you believe that government should be accountable to the people, not the people to the government...then you are a Republican!

I'm not sure what this means, or why this is strictly a Republican trait. Surely any politician is accountable to the people who elect them. Whose interests would they serve otherwise?

If you believe a person should be treated as an individual, not as a member of an interest group... then you are a Republican!

Interest groups, interest groups, hmmmmm, what's Arnold talking about?

If you believe your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does... then you are a Republican!

Tell that to your grandchildren who will be paying back the massive deficit racked up by George Bush and the Republican Congress.

If you believe our educational system should be held accountable for the progress of our children ... then you are a Republican!

Hey, this is a good point. It would be nice though, if George Bush were interested in funding the program he championed in the 2000 campaign.

If you believe this country, not the United Nations, is the best hope of democracy in the world ... then you are a Republican!

Another good distcinction. Let's tell our soldiers and the parents of soldiers that the US will be solely responsible for bringing democracy to the entire world. I guess that means we will have to take on the nation building process in these fledgling democracies as well.

And, ladies and gentlemen ...if you believe we must be fierce and relentless and terminate terrorism ... then you are a Republican!

I'm not sure how this is strictly a Republican issue, especially while terrorism proliferates while we divert resources to Iraq.

There is another way you can tell you're a Republican. You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people ...and faith in the U.S. economy. To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: Don't be economic girlie men!

Okay, that was funny.

The U.S. economy remains the envy of the world. We have the highest economic growth of any of the world's major industrialized nations. Don't you remember the pessimism of twenty years ago when the critics said Japan and Germany were overtaking the U.S.? Ridiculous!

Now they say India and China are overtaking us. Don't you believe it! We may hit a few BUMPS -- but America always moves ahead! That's what Americans do!

Arnold, you should have just stuck with the joke. Okay, so let's not worry about the anemic job growth, the ballooning deficit, or the effects of the tax burden and job outsourcing on the middle class. This is just a bump! Just be optimistic and all will be well!

I don't know, maybe Arnold should listen to his wife more.