There are corporate vice presidents who get subjected to a longer vetting process than that.
Calling the revelations about Arnold Schwarzenegger "last-minute dirty politics" is bullshit. Arnold's strategy has been to keep the press at bay (he's been one of the least-accessible candidates for CA governor ever), use his star power to get the easy TV coverage (controlled photo ops at campaign-chosen locations and situations), avoid unscripted debates, and take advantage of the short run-up to the election to keep the press one step behind his seriously spotty past.
Let's say Arnold is elected. And THEN we find out new, horrible stuff about him--such as what really went on in that room with Ken Lay, or what his plans really are for tough decisions about the budget (he's keeping these plans a secret).
Well, guess what? Recall Arnold!
Isn't this the same logic used to recall Davis? Well, no. It's actually much stronger logic.
Davis: We had literally decades to investigate this frequent candidate for (and holder of) statewide public office, including runs for governor in conventional elections.
Schwarzenegger: As opposed to decades, we had two months to investigate this guy as a candidate for office. Before August, he hadn't run for so much as dogcatcher, as the cliche goes.
If we find out anything new about him after October 7, there will be far more reason to recall him than there was to recall Davis. We can honestly say that we didn't know what we were getting into.
Because we don't.
[Cross-posted to Brian Flemming's Weblog.]
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Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
...meeting with Ken Lay at the height of the California energy crisis is a bit like meeting with Osama bin Laden the afternoon of 9-11.
Only if you accept the ridiculous notion that Enron or Ken Lay is somehow the mastermind behind California's energy woes. The California legislature bears 98% of the blame for California's energy problem, the remaining 2% to be split any number of ways. Profiting after the fact is hardly the same as causing something, and I seem to remember California walking away from promises to pay, too.
This is, of course, slightly off-topic.
2 - Scarlett_16
He doesn't remember the meeting? This is strikingly similar to the response a former California governor gave when asked about Iran/Contra.
Arnold Schwarzenegger ----> Get the latest groping news