terminator 4: taking on the establishment
by Paige Cram
Published: January 23, 2008
“We are a forward-looking people, and we must have a forward-looking government.” - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
When I was growing up, Arnold Schwarzenegger was synonymous with Terminator, and the worst thing you could call someone was a “girly man” (GHER-lee Mon). Even his less-than-blockbuster hits like “Kindergarten Cop” and “Twins” highlighted his ability to, well, kick the crap out of people. Kids wore aviators and ran around faking his Austrian accent saying, “Eye’ll be bock.” He was a muscle-T wearing hero that stood up for what was right and was never caught without his weapon.
Well, you can take the man out of the action role, but you can’t take the action role out of the man.
These days, Governor Schwarzenegger is fighting a different sort of battle but his tactics are still very much the same. He stands firmly opposite most of his fellow Republicans, including President Bush, on issues such as stem cell research, health insurance and most recently, the environment.
Joel Fox, a former advisor to the governor, told CNN that Schwarzenegger’s “got a pretty strong personality… and wants to get things done. If the federal government is [an] obstacle, then he’ll run that tank he has over it.”
Unfortunately for the federal government, that metaphorical tank is headed right for them in the more literal form of a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency. Just before Christmas, Schwarzenegger boldly announced that the state of California will sue the EPA over its denial of a more aggressive, and probably more effective, plan to cut emissions and increase fuel efficiency. At least sixteen other states had agreed to sign on to the California plan as well.
But the EPA, which has apparently forgotten what its initials stand for, has denied California’s request to pursue this course of action. Backed by President Bush himself, their stance is that a unified, national strategy will be more effective in the long run.
In other words, they’ll be in trouble with the oil companies and auto-makers if they actually start trying to combat global warming. It’s nice to know that the EPA truly has the best interests of the environment at heart.
The Terminator, on the other hand, is ready for those green house gases - and he’ll go it alone if he has to. Because it would be a shame to let all that action go to waste. So he’s aiming for the federal government instead because it’s a particular obstacle he’s not willing to tolerate. He’s always had a flair for the dramatic, and some would call this latest stunt not only a waste of money and time, but also a desperate gag for attention. But Schwarzenegger has said in the past that “political courage is not political suicide,” and I applaud him for being the only politician to truly believe that.
Sure, maybe it’s easy to stand up for yourself when you are 6′2″ and 200 lbs, but it’s great to finally see someone who is a real leader, someone we can all look up to, someone whose beliefs and actions aren’t dictated by party lines. He plans to move us forward at any cost, and he’s not afraid to leave the President behind.
Hasta la vista, baby.
Perhaps if more of our elected officials took their lead from him, we wouldn’t be in such a mess. I’ll be the first to admit that I thought it was a joke when Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor. But it seems that a little muscle was just what the political scene needed to get things rolling. He may not win his lawsuit and he may not get his way, but he certainly has everyone’s attention and his point is loud and clear: the current administration is made up of girly-men and Arnold intends to show them how to get things done.
Boys and girls, dust off your aviators. The Terminator is back.
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