California is in the midst of a heated budget battle. The main combatants are the governor and Democratic members of the California Assembly. Over the weekend, Governor Schwarzenegger spoke out about his opponents. The governator questioned his opponents courage and called them "Girlie Men" for not coming clean with the public about how beholden they are to special interest groups.
The Democrats were outraged. They called the remarks insensitive and homophobic. I gotta tell you, I think this is great. Lighten up, Dems. First of all, calling someone a girl is a time-honored American tradition. Who hasn't called their friend "Sally" after watching them leave a birdie putt short? Second of all, this isn't a homophobic comment. The phrase "Girlie Men" gained national prominence due to a Saturday Night Live skit that was actually a spoof of Schwarzenegger.
Despite the outrage coming from Democrats in the Assembly, my guess is that most Californians are not going to be upset by Schwarzenegger's comments. After all, Schwarzenegger based his entire campaign for governor on lines from his movies. People love this tough guy stuff. To quote a wise man I spoke to this afternoon, "They knew he was the Terminator when they picked him up."
My only complaint with this whole episode is that Schwarzenegger didn't save this "Girlie Men" line for when he takes the stage at the GOP convention in August.
