Political Frenzy

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California met with Rudy Giuliani, former New York Mayor and presidential hopeful to discuss the crime problem in Los Angeles, sometimes called the “Gang Capital of America”. Governor Schwarzenegger has not openly endorsed any candidate, and has said that he will be meeting with many candidates in the upcoming months to the primaries.

Many dismiss Schwarzenegger as a former body-builder and actor who won the California election simply due to his celebrity. However, many do not realize the real political experience he held before his term as governor.

During the presidency of George H. W. Bush, Schwarzenegger was Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which involved lobbying for better fitness and health education programs in every state. Between 1990 and 1993, Schwarzenegger spent his own personal money going from state to state to meet with every Governor to discuss their state’s education plans.

In 2002 he served in a very similar capacity as Chairman for the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He successfully drafted the After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002, which passed and enabled government funding of after-school programs in the state to keep youths out of gangs - the very problem he is still tackling.

Schwarzenegger has been active in American politics for years. He recounts his first encounter with the American political system in an interview on MSNBC in 2002:

Well, I think because a lot of people don’t know why I’m a Republican, I came first of all from a socialistic country which is Austria and when I came over here in 1968 with the presidential elections coming up in November, I came over in October, I heard a lot of the press conferences from both of the candidates Humphrey and Nixon, and Humphrey was talking about more government is the solution, protectionism, and everything he said about government involvement sounded to me more like Social Democratic Party of Austrian socialism.

The power Schwarzenegger now wields in the Republican Party and the national political arena is surprising, and he is gaining respect.

Rudy Giuliani would certainly gain a boost from an endorsement from Schwarzenegger, especially considering their main shared interest - the crime rates of the United States, or more specifically of their respective regions. Since the advent of the war on terror, major interest in the domestic problems of the United States has diminished. The crimes more people talk about these days are the white-collar crimes such as Enron, and the cloud of controversy surrounding Haliburton.

It is this reporter’s opinion that Giuliani, known for his tackling of New York’s crime problem, would make a powerful alliance with Schwarzenegger, as their combined political weight could lead to some major changes on this subject. That is if Schwarzenegger decides to back Giuliani.

Although, even if Schwarzenegger doesn’t officially back him for the presidential candidacy, and if Giuliani isn’t nominated or elected, the two could do some wonderful work lobbying for reform in the crime prevention system, as former President Jimmy Carter did for the housing crisis, or Bill Clinton is now doing for dietary reforms.

United States, Republican Party, Rudy Giuliani, 2008 Presidential Race, Schwarzenegger, Crime