Stop Arnold Weblog

Tragic Consequences of Supplements

A Petaluma couple whose son tragically killed himself after using muscle-building  supplements have filed a complaint against Schwarzenegger charging that he hid income from supplement manufacturers.

For those who haven't read the magazines Schwarzenegger was executive editor of, they clearly get right to the point of pushing illegal steroids.  There are multiple advertisements for products like www.legalanabolicsteroids.com.  Schwarzenegger has a responsibility to take a stand against these products--and to let California know who else is paying him off.

Most corrupt Governor in America, indeed.

Carla Marinucci writes about it in the SF Chronicle.

"Clean Beaches and Clean Politics for Everyone"

Surf shop owner Donna Frye has the best campaign slogan in years and now she's in the runoff to be San Diego's next mayor.  John Maurelius wrote the story for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Schwarzenegger: Unelectable at Any Speed

Thanks to Daily Kos for this.

"Arnold Schwarzenegger, now exposed as the most corrupt sitting governor in the United States, will never win another election."
--Lawrence O'Donnell, making his prediction at the end of The McLaughlin Group.

The Special Election’s On! (for now.)

Schwarzenegger says he’s not canceling the special election despite all his team's mistakes.  Will he blink? Can he blink?  Should he?  It's a lose-lose for him.

Nancy Vogel and Peter Nicholas report in the LA Times:

"I will continue moving forward exactly as I have been," Schwarzenegger said at an event in the Capitol that encouraged children to eat healthy foods. "We need reform."

Read the whole story here

The Redistricting Measure’s On! (for now.)

A judge has temporarily stayed the order to remove Prop. 77, the redistricting measure, from the ballot.  It will probably remain off the ballot ultimately, but we'll have to see.

The Sacramento Bee covers the story.

Wasn’t This What He Promised In the First Place?

Schwarzenegger got elected saying he’d be bi-partisan.  Then he governed as one of the most partisan Governors in state history, and the people of the state got fed up with him.  Now he’s back to being bi-partisan?  David Drucker in the LA Daily News reports it’s so:

"We are moving forward with our agenda, just in case there is any confusion out there or questions about that," Schwarzenegger said. "I will work very hard to come up with a bipartisan solution, and to do that together, Democrats and Republicans alike, because that's when we are the most successful. I'm not going to give up on that."

Here's the link.

The Recall is Eating Its Young

Republican analyst Tony Quinn is criticizing Scharzenegger for hiring the keystone kops to run his Governorship.  Maybe this is why we don’t usually have bodybuilders in positions of responsibility?  Tony’s angry:

“Is it any wonder this hackneyed special election has all but destroyed Schwarzenegger's standing with the voters? He is facing virtually sure defeat this November with his few remaining ballot measures, and even if he runs for re-election in 2006, it is doubtful he can win. The governor should fire his political team.”

Read it all here.

Clean Money Worked in Arizona and Maine. How about LA?

The LA city council is considering a proposal to allow public financing of elections.  Under the idea, candidates would have to raise far less money—and be open to less influence from their contributors.

Read Steve Hymon's report in the LA Times.

NO Special Election?

Political circles are abuzz with the possibility that Schwarzenegger just might have to cancel Novemeber’s special election.  Since he announced it, two of his signature issues have been knocked off the ballot and it is now impossible to justify spending $80 million on an unnecessary special election.  Gary Delsohn in today’s Sacramento Bee writes:

“Although the discussion was described as hypothetical, political experts said trying to get out of the election might be Schwarzenegger's best option after weeks of missteps and setbacks. "He's to the point now where he has to get out from under this special," said Tony Quinn, a Sacramento political analyst and former Republican legislative staffer. "He is going to get his clock cleaned if we go to a ballot in November.”

Read the whole story here.

Laura Kurtzman and Kate Folmar in the San Jose Mercury News finds even more Republican and Democrat analysts to say that holding this special election will hurt Schwarzenegger more than canceling it.  Read their story here.

Drug Companies Push Sham Reform

Michael Hilzik in the LA Times reports that Ohio has instituted a similar prescription drug proposal to the one being pushed here in California—and it’s not working well for consumers.  Hilzik argues the drug companies are really spending $50 million to avoid giving consumers the right to sue.  He says:

“Since Jan. 11, when the program was launched, {an

Ohio

official} says, its clients have received about $1 million in prescription discounts. Only about $87,000 of that has been covered by negotiated rebates from manufacturers, however. "We were hoping for something better," she says. The companies use the rebates to promote their low-selling drugs, so the price breaks on widely used products — those where the need for a break is great — often aren't very significant”

Here's the rest.