If You Made a Fuss About Clinton’s Penis….

Posted on October 2, 2003 in Gray Davis Recall

You must reject Arnold. The Los Angeles Times has investigated his treatment of women and found six who report sexual harassment. “When Maria was around, he was a gentleman,” one of the women told the Times. “When she wasn’t around, he was the opposite.” The Scharzenegger campaign denies the accounts as nothing but the fabrication of his Democratic opponents, but the Times tells a very different story:

The Times did not learn of any of the six women from Schwarzenegger’s rivals in the recall race. And none of the women approached the newspaper on her own. Reporters contacted them in the course of a seven-week examination of Schwarzenegger’s behavior toward women on and off the movie set.

Arnold has been caught in a major lie about his personal behavior. These incidents do not describe sexual acts between consenting adults. They are sexual harassment, forced sex. There are two reasons stemming from this which explain why Arnold should not be governor: first, they illustrate his persecution of women. Second, they illustrate that he is quite capable of being duplicitous, of covering vulgar and illegal behavior with sweet talk and “gentlemanly behavior” when Maria and the press aren’t around to catch him in the act.

This is worse, ever so much worse, than Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

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Update: Here are some quotes and links about Arnold’s attitudes towards women.

“When you see a blonde with great tits and a great ass, you say to
yourself, ‘Hey, she must be stupid or must have nothing else to offer’,
which maybe is the case many times.” — July, 2003 Esquire Magazine
Interview.

“Girls became sex objects. I saw the other bodybuilders using them in this
way and I thought it was all right…Whatever I thought might hold me
back, I avoided. I crossed girls off my list — except as tools for my
sexual needs.” 1977 Memoir, Arnold: the Education of a Bodybuilder

“As we were rehearsing, I saw this toilet bowl,” says Schwarzenegger, an
impish smile crossing his face. “How many times do you get away with
this–to take a woman, grab her upside down, and bury her face in a toilet
bowl? I wanted to have something floating in there,” he adds. Apparently,
he was vetoed. “They thought it was my typical Schwarzenegger overboard,”
he says. “The thing is, you can do it, because in the end, I didn’t do it
to a woman–she’s a machine! We could get away with it without being
crucified by who-knows-what group.” July 2003 Entertainment Weekly magazine story

Key articles to read and pass around:

• Schwarzenegger admits he’s groped — interesting because the first response of his campaign was to deny that he did anything! And he’s still hasn’t debated, hasn’t outlined a plan, hasn’t appointed any women advisers — maybe it is because Maria doesn’t trust him?
• Women say Schwarzenegger sexually molested them – the one that made Arnold cough up a confession
  
• Arnold the Barbarian – Premiere Magazine Story from 2002

• Protest says Schwarzenegger degrades women
  
• Fifty reasons not to vote for Schwarzenegger for Governor

Phrases such as “my typical Schwarzenegger overboard”, his depiction of “girls as sex objects”, the content of his movies (he did not merely act out the roles — he played a part in defining the plot) tell us that we are on the eve of electing a monster. Reports continue to pour in. Only Maria Shriver seems to be able to curb this monster’s appetites and only as long as she wears a skirt.

If Arnold is truly contrite about what he has done, he should announce his withdrawal from the campaign tomorrow. He should speak out against the recall and terminate his commercials. This man has much contrition and self-examination to make before he becomes anything like a fit candidate for the state’s highest office. He needs psychotherapy and a whole new crew of handlers who don’t just go along with his acts. This is not about consenting adults: this is Arnold callously groping women without their permission.

To the Angry White Guys out there: you may find this funny when it happens to a girl you don’t know, but how would you feel if it was your girlfriend, your wife, your sister, your mother? If the answer is “I wouldn’t care” then perhaps you deserve Arnold. (If you are the girlfriend or wife of an angry white guy who says this, find another man. I know a good divorce lawyer.) Otherwise, don’t vote for him. His apologies are coming all too late and they are politically motivated. All he cares about is winning the governorship. If he was truly sincere, he’d end his campaign today and let his endorsers — including car thief Darrel Issa — find someone else to champion.

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Finally, think about this quote from Pumping Iron and reflect on what I said earlier today about Arnold’s “message”:

“I was always dreaming about very powerful people–dictators and things like that.”

This is a dangerous man who has no idea what power in a democratic society means.