"Same Shit, Different Day" Thoughts on the Cali Recall Election

[Say_What]

<clips>

Despite efforts by the media to crown him King Arnold the First, it's not over till its over. He has been losing ground since the latest revelations about his admiration for Hitler and his sexual abuses toward women have begun to reach public notice these past days. Today's last minute news reports say that Schwarzenegger has announced he'll discuss the sexual battery allegations AFTER the votes are collected in the election. Why's he holding back?

And while it may not seem of great interest to readers outside the California, the goal of electing Arnold Schwarzenegger is certainly high on the agenda of the Bush administration. The right has shown a greater skill than the left, with all but one of the other candidates on the right withdrawing from the race in obeisance to the media-generated juggernaut in favor of the Terminator.

With voter participation in the US at record lows in recent years, this election has generated more interest than we've previously seen. Much of this is being built by the capitalist media who have made out like bandits selling all of the vicious, hateful political advertising this campaign has generated for them. At the same time, they want a broad public participation in the elections to provide legitimacy for the cutbacks which both the Democrats and the Republicans intend to continue, regardless of who is finally the winner of the recall.

Using this reactionary millionaire's image in the world via his movies to mobilize support for the hard rightist agenda has been a clever move, but we don't know yet if it will finally do the trick. We may not know tomorrow and who knows what the prospects might be, yet another replay of the Florida 2000 election but on a bigger and more grotesque scale? Don't forget this man who uses his image and accent supports the racist English-only movement, backed the racist anti-immigrant Prop. 187.

http://www.counterpunch.com/lippman10072003.html