Pacific Views

GWB is like Gaius Caligula and Schwarzenegger is like Nero.

Nero was actually not insane, even if he was obsessed with athletics and drama, and fancied himself a genius in all the fields he undertook. Nero moved about with a large bevy of athletes and was involved in the violent clashes between rival sports teams (no, they weren't all gladiators; they had competitive team sports in the coloseum and Nero was the first emperor to become directly involved in these clashes.

Nero of course enjoyed intimidating people, which is fairly easy if you're the princeps. As his antics became tolerable (because he acted to please his "base") Nero took up the measure of villifying Christians and Jews (indeed, he was the first figure in history to actually preach anti-semitism as an ideology) since those were weak "out groups." After the fire which burned down swathes of Rome--touched off by one of his enormous parties--the first major persecutions began.

Caligula was, on the other hand, a clinically insane youth whose delusions (he thought he was Zeus) led him to seek one of the first revolutionary totalitarian states in history.

Bullying seems to be the spirit of the times. Bush has been pulling his reverse Robin Hood act for three years now, his invasion of Iraq is pure bully action, the Texas and Colorado redistricting acts are pure bully. Arnold is just another clone from the fascist tube, another "Boy from Brazil". His proposed course of action is pure bully. His power as governor (assuming he's elected today as the polls seem to indicate) is limited to enforcing the laws as passed by the Legislature, but he seems to think that he can just push eveyone in Sacramento out the door and put his own people in.

Suppose he does this in violation of the law. Who will stand up to him? No one. Certainly not the people, who are far more interested in who becomes dominant on "Survivor" than they are in participating in the government of their land.

If Arnold gets away with such a course of action, then we will have allowed the GOP to recreate Nazi Germany. The rest of the world will soon have no other course than to take us down.

"Bullying" captures the essence of the Schwarzenegger approach. Surrounded by rapturous fans, and playing Twisted Sister's "We're Not Going to Take It," Schwarzenegger promises to abolish the car tax entirely if elected. This despite the fact that California already has a stupendous deficit and has endured budget cuts of about 20% or so in recent months.

And speaking of which: I had forgotten about this USAF scandal involving sexual harassment. Bullies are surprisingly popular, I've noticed. I think most people have been victimized by bullies, but many respond by denial and self-blame.

I don't think the groping allegations are changing anybody's mind. How were you going to vote before the allegations? Did this change your mind? Probably not, from following your site. And the right-wingers are voting for McClintock anyways, so these allegations don't change their minds, either.

muckdog,

If the polls are anything to believe, the groping charges are changing peoples minds. Not everyone thinks having a brutish person become governor is a good thing. It is my contention that Arnold could not have won a fair election -- just like that fraud in the White House. There is lots of talk about democracy, but real democracy has been subverted to foist these characters upon us.

Democracy also means those elected listen to the people -- not a style that Bush or Arnold know at all. They are too above the rest of us and have no need to care about anything except themselves and their cronies.

What an insult to chimpanzees, comparing them to Arnold!

IIRC, male dolphins cooperatively "herd" female dolphins in ways that don't meet human social standards, either. Chimps and dolphins alike are just living in their evolutionary niches, displaying mostly built-in behavior. Humans, of course, have all the neural equipment they need to mitigate "instinctive" behavior and treat each other with respect and dignity... if they so choose. The chimps have an excuse. What's Arnold's excuse?

That he's a lost gorilla?

Forgot to mention - voting in my precinct here in California is significantly higher than in November 2002. Local commentary indicates that Hispanics are especially motivated to vote against Arnold, so maybe there is to be good news after all.

"That he's a lost gorilla?" - pessimist

:-)

As another weak-brained-actor-turned-governor-of-California was wont to say, "There you go again!"

"I'm not a crook!"