• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

California Republicans rally around Schwarzenegger

Posted on: Saturday, 17 September 2005, 21:42 CDT

ANAHEIM, California (Reuters) - Despite his plummeting popularity with voters, California Republicans rallied around Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a party convention on Saturday and blamed his woes on a smear campaign by organized labor.

Schwarzenegger, who announced on Friday he would seek re-election in 2006, addressed a boisterous luncheon of more than 500 supporters who frequently interrupted his 22-minute speech with applause and chants of "Four more years."

Schwarzenegger's next big political fight comes in November, when he has called a special election on initiatives on redistricting, the budget and extending teachers' probation period to five years from two.

"It's hard to change a system that doesn't want to be changed," he said about his difficulties this year. "I know, I've taken the blows and I'm bloodied but unbowed."

The former Hollywood star signaled anti-union rhetoric would be a key theme in this fall's campaign by backing Proposition 75, which seeks to give union members a say in whether union dues are used for political lobbying.

"Big government unions should not use members' funds as a personal kitty," Schwarzenegger said. "Union bosses have too much power over members' paychecks and too much power over our state."

Supporters echoed the theme, with John Madriz of the California Republican National Hispanic Assembly saying, "Union leaders have lost touch with their own membership and are trying to blame the governor for everything."

A coalition of union groups including teachers, nurses and firefighters have waged a publicity campaign this year hoping to weaken Schwarzenegger's ability to promote his ballot agenda.

Lou Paulson, president of the California Professional Firefighters, condemned Schwarzenegger's endorsement of Proposition 75 as part of a master anti-union plan.

"We, the firefighters, teachers, nurses, police have worked to protect our communities, schools, and health care from the governor and his bad ideas," he said in a statement. "Prop. 75 was designed and financed by the governor's political team and corporate special interests to silence our voices and make it easier for him and his big business pals to harm education, health care and public safety."

Source: REUTERS

More News in this Category