Schwarzenegger: "Why should I listen to losers?"

The Republican governor's office scrambled Thursday to explain that his remark was directed at the Democratic idea of raising taxes, not at Democrats as a group.p>

Both legislative leaders -- incoming Senate President Don Perata, D-Oakland, and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles -- seemed to accept that explanation and declined to comment.

But outgoing Senate leader John Burton of San Francisco said the governor's taunt was not constructive for a relationship with his successor.

``I'm sure it was a slip of the tongue, but I think Don is not the type of guy who is going to laugh off those off-the-cuff jabs,'' he said. ``Me, I just took Arnold as he was -- a guy who would forget to dip his tongue in his brain before he spoke.''

The governor's unscripted moment came at a press conference to introduce Tom Campbell as his new finance director. When asked whether he would consider budget-balancing proposals from Perata and other Democrats to increase taxes, Schwarzenegger said, ``Well, I mean, why would I listen to losers?''

Voters, he said, showed their distaste for tax increases by rejecting local ballot measures in Tuesday's election, even in the liberal-leaning Bay Area.

``Let me just make it simple to you, that they have lost every single ballot in the Bay Area, everything,'' he said. ``The Democrats and all of those things that have been proposed on tax increases have lost. And, so, therefore, why would we go and follow a losing formula?''

The governor's press secretary, Margita Thompson, quickly called reporters to clarify that Schwarzenegger meant ``the tax-increase initiatives, he didn't mean Senator Perata.''

A day earlier, standing at the same lectern at a post-election press conference in Sacramento, an expansive Schwarzenegger had said, ``Now it is the time where we work together.''

``We have to get together, because that's the best way to do it for the state of California, to approach things in a bipartisan way.''

Schwarzenegger's quip Thursday underscored what happens sometimes when the governor doesn't think through the implications of his comments, said Martin Kaplan of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication.

``It's the kind of Hollywood locker-room banter that doesn't often translate into a world of sensitive egos,'' he said. ``If what you're trying to do is portray yourself as bipartisan and beyond traditional politics, then it certainly doesn't score you points. So `A' for macho and comedy, and `F' for diplomacy.''

And the comments were not completely accurate. Voters, in fact approved some tax increases Tuesday. Although San Francisco voters turned down sales- and business-tax measures supported by Mayor Gavin Newsom, the overall response to tax proposals in the Bay Area and statewide was mixed.

Voters approved by 53 percent an additional 1 percent income tax on the wealthiest Californians to pay for mental health programs. Schwarzenegger considers this an exception, because he said people are more willing to tax a relatively small number of households with income over $1 million.

But voters up and down the state -- Contra Costa, Sacramento, Marin counties -- were also willing to pay more in sales tax to raise $30 billion for highway projects. In Alameda County, an area Perata represents, voters approved six different tax measures for schools, parking lots and parks.

The ``loser'' comment was reminiscent of Schwarzenegger's ``girly-men'' remark, which he used in July to pressure legislators to approve a state budget.

Sen. Sheila Kuehl of Los Angeles said she and fellow Democrats had gotten used to the governor calling for bipartisanship one day and ``bashing us'' the next.

Arnald is the loser!

PS--

If Arnold thinks he is in a movie, that mindset should be a requirement for all future CA Govs. He's doing a hell of a good job--much better than the former Democrat Gray "I'm not in a movie" Davis.

Montana wrote:

Arnald is the loser!

When and what did ahnold lose, montana?

Larry434 wrote:

Montana wrote:

Arnald is the loser!

When and what did ahnold lose, montana?

His brain. When he was born.