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Revision as of 19:16, 3 April 2006 by 143.254.192.244 (talk) (→Personal background)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 38 Governor of California | |
| In office November 17, 2003 – present | |
| Lieutenant | Cruz Bustamante |
| Preceded by | Gray Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 400px July 30, 1947 Thal bei Graz, Steiermark, Austria |
| Died | 400px |
| Resting place | 400px |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Maria Shriver |
| Parent |
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| Profession | Body Builder, Actor, Politician |
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, Golden Globe award winning actor, and Republican politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California.
He was elected on October 7, 2003 in the 2003 California recall, which removed the sitting governor, Gray Davis, from office. Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis' term, which lasts until January 8, 2007. On September 16, 2005 he officially announced that he will seek re-election to a full term in California's 2006 gubernatorial election.
Nicknamed "The Austrian Oak" in his body-building days, and more recently "The Governator" (a portmanteau of the words "Governor" and "Terminator", after the film role), Schwarzenegger as a young man gained widespread attention as a highly successful bodybuilder, and later gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film star. Some of his most famous films include The Terminator, Predator, True Lies, Kindergarten Cop, Total Recall, and his Hollywood breakthrough film Conan the Barbarian.
Personal background
In the spring of 2005, polls began showing Schwarzenegger's approval ratings had dropped to between 40-49%. (See , , , .)
On June 13, 2005, Schwarzenegger called a statewide special election for November 8, 2005, to vote on a series of reform measures he initially proposed in his 2005 State of the State address. A non-partisan Field poll released a week later showed his support had dropped to 37%, one of the lowest approval ratings for any California governor and barely above the support of recalled former Governor, Gray Davis (see ).
Schwarzenegger's spokesman responded that Schwarzenegger had not yet had enough time to explain his proposals to voters. The Legislature also shared low approval ratings, with just 24% of voters saying they approve of the job lawmakers have been doing. That represents a drop of 10% since February. The governor has responded that the poll sends a "very clear message to us. They are saying they want us to work together." He has also responded "I know popularity goes up and down... as soon as you start making decisions and strong decisions, sometimes they're not popular decisions" (see ).
Republicans have claimed that the drop in popularity was due to a multi-million dollar ad campaign by various groups such as unions for nurses, police and firefighters, who opposed his plans for the state pension and his administration's lawsuit to delay implementation of a nurse-to-patient staffing ratio plan. In late June 2005, another non-partisan Field Poll had similar numbers as the earlier one, finding that 57% of California voters are not inclined to elect Schwarzenegger to a second term as Governor in 2006 (see , ).
When asked about the lessons of the poll, Schwarzenegger has responded "People make mistakes sometimes, and I think that we learn. These are very clear messages that we must work together, and so I am looking forward to that."
To some degree, Governor Schwarzenegger's unpopularity has had to do with his confrontations with three popular labor groups: nurses, teachers, and firefighters. Some unions and activists reacted with anger (see , , , ), and others with humor (, , ).
Summer 2005
Accusation of conflict of interest
While governor, Schwarzenegger continued to hold a position of executive editor of two American Media magazines. He announced in March 2004 that his $250,000 a year salary would be donated to charity. Schwarzenegger has an extensive history with the magazines and was frequently their star in his body-building days. As executive editor, he produces monthly columns based on his body-building history.
Schwarzenegger drew fire when a second contract, a consulting position, was subsequently discovered in SEC filings, by the L.A. Times. This second contract would net him an estimated $8,000,000 (USD) over the next five years (see ). His consulting duties are not clear, except that the job allegedly "takes up little time".
The New York Times further reported (on July 15) that under the five-year November 2003 contract, signed two days before his inauguration as Governor, Oak Productions, Mr. Schwarzenegger's company, is to receive 1% of the net print advertising revenues of Weider Publications. But the payment must be at least $1,000,000 (USD) per year. Mr. Schwarzenegger has also been granted phantom equity, a way of sharing in the growth of the value of the company. The equity could become worth 1% of the company's value, which was stated at the time of the contract as $520,000,000 (USD)" (see ).
This contract was seen as a conflict of interest by critics, who note that the magazines receive much of their revenue from advertisements for dietary supplements, a government-regulated industry affected by Schwarzenegger's veto (September 2004) of a bill that would ban schools from accepting sponsorships from firms that make performance-enhancing dietary supplements. In Schwarzenegger's reason for his veto, he drew a distinction between performance-enhancing dietary supplements and steroid usage, which he says is what needs to be prevented in high school students (see ).
Supporters point out that he did sign into law a bill that prohibited companies from selling the supplements to minors. Following the accusation, Schwarzenegger responded he would end the contracts with the magazines.
In August 2005, the Washington Post reported that American Media had paid former TV actress Gigi Goyette, $20,000 (USD) to keep silent about a seven-year extramarital affair Schwarzenegger had with her beginning in 1975, when Goyette was 16 years old (see ).
Since the age of consent in California is 18 years, Schwarzenegger may have committed statutory rape. In addition, American Media's knowledge of the Goyette affair put it in a position of being able to blackmail Schwarzenegger, providing further reason for Schwarzenegger to align his interests with theirs.
Also in August, the Los Angeles Times reported that five non-profit organizations had collected $3,000,000 (USD), chiefly from large businesses, in order to help defray Schwarzenegger's personal and political expenses, including the rent on the $6,000-a-month hotel suite that Schwarzenegger uses when in Sacramento (see ).
The governor's spokesman subsequently reported that Schwarzenegger had directed the disclosure of the contributors to the "residence fund" (see ).
Autumn (Fall) 2005
On September 29, 2005, Schwarzenegger vetoed the California gay marriage bill after it had passed both houses of the legislature (see , ).
He stated that he vetoed the bill because he felt that it was in opposition to the will of the voters as expressed by Proposition 22, that had passed in 2000 with 61.4% of the vote. Proposition 22 stated that only marriages between a man and a woman would be recognized in the state of California.
On September 16, 2005, Schwarzenegger announced that he would seek a second term as governor. Despite his initially high approval ratings, a Field Poll conducted the week before indicated that only 36% of California voters were inclined to reelect him.
Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 469 (Bowen) on October 7, 2005. It would have required people circulating petitions to say whether the signature gatherers are volunteers or are being paid to collect signatures.
Running up to the November special election, Schwarzenegger campaigned heavily throughout the state for his slate of propositions. Through an organization called "Join Arnold", tens of millions of dollars were funneled into the state, mostly from corporate interests, to fund the campaign. Schwarzenegger even reportedly spent 7,000,000 (USD) of his own money. Schwarzenegger characterized the four propositions as being key to his reform agenda.
State unions and other groups opposed to the measures spent large sums of money opposing Schwarzenegger. Total spending by both sides leading up to the election was estimated at $300,000,000 (USD).
Schwarzenegger made personal appearances at numerous so-called "town hall meeting" events throughout the state to promote the measures. In reality these events were highly choreographed, and typically featured Hollywood-style set lighting and coordinated electronic displays. A group of four or so "ordinary citizens", pre-selected by local Republican operatives, would appear on stage with Schwarzenegger to ask him questions at the appropriate time. The time and location of these events would not be released to the public until two hours in advance, to limit the time anti-Schwarzenegger forces had to organize protests.
In the November 8, 2005 special election, California voters dealt a devastating blow to Schwarzenegger by soundly rejecting all four ballot initiatives that Schwarzenegger had proposed to reform the state government. All propositions were defeated by a margin of at least 7 percentage points. The two propositions most key to Schwarzenegger's agenda, propositions 76 and 77, were defeated by 24 and 19 points respectively.
The defeat left Schwarzenegger significantly weakened politically, depriving him of the one source of leverage he had against the Democratic legislature. Some opponents took to calling him "the One-terminator", a play on his popular role as "the Terminator" in films, implying that his chances of winning re-election had been diminished.
In the aftermath of the election, Schwarzenegger has moved back to the center. He has hired a former aide of Gray Davis as his chief of staff, and is working with California State Senate Majority Leader, Don Perata, for development of a bond, estimated in the billions of dollars, to accelerate construction of infrastructure such as freeways and waterworks.
Electoral history
- 2003 Recall Election for Governor
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), 49%
- Cruz Bustamante (D), 32%
- Tom McClintock (R), 13%
Miscellaneous
- On January 8, 2006, while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, with his son in the sidecar, another driver backed into the street he was riding on causing him and his son to collide with the car at a low speed. While his son and the other driver were unharmed, the govenor sustained a minor injury to his lip, forcing him to get 15 sutures. "No citations were issued" said officer Jason Lee, a police spokesman. Schwarzenegger, who famously rode motorcycles in the Terminator movies, has never actually obtained an M-1 or M-2 endorsement on his California driver's license that would allow him to legally ride one on the street. In December 2001, he broke six ribs and was hospitalized for four days after another motorcycle crash in L.A.
- In honor of its most famous son, Schwarzenegger's home town of Graz had named its soccer stadium after him. The Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium, now officially titled Stadion Graz-Liebenau, is the home of both Grazer AK and Sturm Graz. Following the Stanley Tookie Williams execution and after street protests in his home town, several local politicians began a campaign to remove Schwarzenegger's name from the stadium. Schwarzenegger responded, saying that "to spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenauer Stadium". Graz officials removed Schwarzenegger's name from the stadium in December 2005 (see ).
- In a satirical tribute to Schwarzenegger in 2002, Forum Stadtpark, a local cultural association, proposed plans to build a 25-metre (82 foot) tall Terminator statue in a park in central Graz. Schwarzenegger reportedly said he was flattered, but thought the money would be better spent on social projects and the Special Olympics (see ).
- In 2005 Peter Pilz from the Austrian Green Party in parliament demanded to revoke Schwarzenegger's Austrian citizenship. This demand was based on article 33 of the Austrian citizenship act that states: A citizen, who is in the public service of a foreign country, shall be deprived of his citizenship, if he heavily damages the reputation or the interests of the Austrian Republic (see ).
Pilz claimed that Schwarzenegger's actions in support of the death penalty (prohibited in Austria under Protocol 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights) had indeed done heavy damage to Austria's reputation. Schwarzenegger justified his actions by referring to the fact that his only duty as Governor of California was to prevent an error in the judicial system. "Schwarzenegger has a lot of muscles, but apparently not much heart," said Julien Dray, spokesman for the Socialist Party in France, where the death penalty was abolished in 1981.
- Schwarzenegger as president of the U.S. was jokingly referenced in the 1993 Sylvester Stallone film, Demolition Man, where a future America passed a constitutional amendment to allow naturalized Americans like Schwarzenegger to become President of the United States, and that film has reference to a "Schwarzenegger Presidential Library".
- Because Schwarzenegger opted in 1997 for a replacement heart valve made of his own transplanted tissue, medical experts predict he will require repeated heart valve replacement surgery in the next two to eight years (as his current valve degrades). Schwarzenegger apparently opted against a mechanical valve, the only permanent solution available at the time of his surgery, because it would have sharply limited his physical activity and capacity to exercise.
- He bought the first Hummer manufactured for civilian use in 1992, a model so large, 6,300 lb (2900 kg) and 7 feet (2.1 m) wide that it is classified as a large truck and U.S. fuel economy regulations do not apply to it. During the Gubernatorial Recall campaign he announced that he would convert one of his Hummers to burn hydrogen (see ). The conversion was reported to have cost about $21,000 (USD). After the election, he signed an executive order to jumpstart the building of hydrogen refueling plants called the "California Hydrogen Highway Network", and gained a DOE grant to help pay for its projected $91,000,000 (USD) cost (see ). California took delivery of the first H2H (Hydrogen Hummer) in October 2004 (see ).
- His fellow bodybuilder and actor, Sven-Ole Thorsen, has collaborated with him in 15 movies so far.
- He has appeared alongside his fellow actor from Around the World in 80 Days, Jackie Chan, in a government advert to combat piracy, (see ).
- Schwarzenegger's official height has usually been reported as 6'2", though some observers debit him two or three inches. While campaigning for George W. Bush in Ohio in 2004, he appeared only about an inch taller than the 5'11" President. Schwarzenegger's weight while competing was in the 245 pound range; currently, he carries about 210 pounds.
- In 1983 Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the promotional video "Carnival in Rio", which could be seen as advertising sex tourism in Brazil (see ).
- A good example of Schwarzenegger's comic timing and deadpan sense of humor would be an October 17, 1985 appearance on the American talk show Late Night with David Letterman to do publicity for his movie Commando. Letterman asked Schwarzenegger, "Isn't it a violent film?" Schwarzenegger responded (in his heavy Austrian accent), "It'sa action-packed."
- The 1987 film Predator is notable for the fact two of the actors in it, Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura, later became United States Governors. A third actor in the same film, Sonny Landham, later ran for the office of Governor of the state of Kentucky.
- Like most Austrians, Schwarzenegger is Roman Catholic.
- The name "Schwarzenegger" in German means, approximately, "Black Ploughman," or "Ploughman of the Black Earth." ("Schwarz" = "black", "Egge" = "plow" or "harrow")
Net worth
According to (), Schwarzenegger's net worth has been under-estimated by conservatively using the usual $100,000,000-$200,000,000 (USD) estimate.
However, over the years, he invested his bodybuilding and movie earnings in an array of stocks, bonds, privately controlled companies and real estate holdings in the US and worldwide, so his fortune is actually estimated at $800,000,000 (USD) (as per ), which would make him probably the fourth wealthiest celebrity in the entertainment industry, after Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, and probably David Bowie.
See also
External links
Official
- State of California - Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Arnold Schwarzenegger's Official Website (Non-Political)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger's Official Political Website
- Citizens to Save California, a broad-based committee supporting the reform agendas of Governor Schwarzenegger and others
Unofficial
- Arnold's Office Refuses to Comment
- Arnold Schwarzenegger at The Internet Movie Database
- Arnold Schwarzenegger - Timeline of his life
- Arnold Schwarzenegger on AskMen.com
- CommandoFans.com A website and message board dedicated to the Schwarzenegger film Commando.
- Arnold and the American dream (BBC News)
- Greg Palast Arnold Unplugged (exposé on the Schwarzenegger-Enron connection)
- Schwarzenegger.ca A bodybuilding forum, complete with a dedicated Arnold section
- Video: Arnold's victory speech (BBC News)
- ArnoldSPEAK: The Governator's Impact on Language
- Arnold Schwarzenegger news and related links
- Arnold Schwarzenegger: King of bodybuilding, movies, politics and media
- globalarnold.com (Global Arnold Schwarzenegger fan community)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor
- About.com's Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's Newest Democrat
- Anti-Schwarzenegger web site.
- Site dedicated to Arnold Schwarzenegger prank calls.
- Schwarzenegger's popularity in Pakistan
- Arnold Schwarzenegger Unofficial Blog for Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Arnold Exposed An unofficial website claiming to have evidence of Schwarzenegger's misconduct
References
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold: Developing a Mr Universe Physique, 1977
- ---- Interview in Oui magazine, August 1977
- ---- Excerpts from Time Out (London) interview, 1977
- ---- Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder, 1983, Simon & Schuster, Reprint edition, 1993, ISBN 06717974841983. autobiography
- ---- Arnold's Body Building for Men, Simon & Schuster, Reprint edition, 1984, ISBN 0671531638
- ---- The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, 1985, Fully Updated and Revised, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 0684857219
- Nigel Andrews, True Myths of Arnold Schwarzenegger : The Life and Times of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Pumping Iron to Governor of California, Bloomsbury USA, Revised edition, 2004, ISBN 1582344655
- Michael Blitz, Why Arnold Matters: The Rise of a Cultural Icon
- Karen Brandon, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- Colleen A. Sexton, Arnold Schwarzenegger (A&E Biography), Lerner Publications, 2004, ISBN 0822522233
- Susan Zannos, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Real-Life Reader Biography)
- Andy Borowitz, Governor Arnold : A Photodiary of His First 100 Days in Office, Simon & Schuster, 2004, ISBN 0743262662
- "Arnold Schwarzenegger - Hollywood Hero" DVD ~ Todd Baker
- "Pumping Iron" (25th Anniversary Special Edition) DVD ~ George Butler
- Arnold Schwarzenegger at IMDb
- Cinemovie.Info: Arnold Schwarzenegger
- 1947 births
- Actor-politicians
- American bodybuilders
- American entrepreneurs
- Austrian actors
- Austrian-Americans
- Batman actors
- Film actors
- Foreign-born US political figures
- Governors of California
- Foreign relations of Austria
- Kennedy family
- Living people
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- Pro-choice celebrities
- Pro-choice politicians
- Roman Catholic politicians
- Roman Catholic entertainers
- Terminator actors
- Worst Actor Razzie Nominee
- Worst Supporting Actor Razzie Nominee