Arnold Talks Some Smack
Schwarzenegger and DeVito. Such an unlikely pair that pretending they were Twins was the central joke for a whole movie. But both have mad comedy skills that have only grown over the years. DeVito shows off his genius every week in It's Only Sunny In Philadelphia. Arnold, despite being at constant political war with his legislature, also finds ways to have a little fun.
Earlier this year, he gave a metal sculpture of bull testicles to California’s Senate leader, but now, it seems as if he’s carrying his often-crass sense of humor over to his veto messages.Before we get into the latest mischief, some background: Earlier this month, the Republican governor crashed a San Francisco Democratic Party fund-raiser, where he was booed by Democrats still upset at the spending cuts he pushed this year. One attendee, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, yelled “You lie!” at him, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Then, Ammiano, a former standup comedian who is famous in San Francisco for his championing of liberal causes and gay rights, walked out on the speech, shouting a vulgarity.
Schwarzenegger has said he was unfazed by the incident.
Four days later, Assembly Bill 1176, which just happened to be sponsored by Ammiano, reached his desk. The bill would have expanded the financing powers of the Port of San Francisco. The state legislature didn’t have a problem with it; it cleared the Senate 40-0 and the Assembly 78-0.
Nonetheless, the former tough-talking “Terminator” star vetoed the bill, sending along a message [highlighted above].
Hilarious. Ammiano is generally well-intentioned, but Arnold won this round.
[Also see the SF Bay Guardian's coverage; image via wwtdd.]