Der Arnold's "environmentalism" pose

07 Oct, 2010 by CalWatchdog Staff

John Seiler:
Oct. 7, 2010

The key to understanding Der Arnold is that everything is a pose. From posing his steroid-pumped muscles before “bodybuilding” competitions to posing before a camera for an “action” movie to posing as a governor. Pose…pose…pose.

So, too, with his “environmentalism.” He’s posing before his peer group: rich leftists, from those in Hollywood and Silicon Valley in California to his Kennedy family back in exclusive, hyper-rich Martha’s Vineyard.

So he signed the jobs-killing AB 32 into law. And he opposes Prop. 23, which would suspend AB 32 until unemployment dropped to 5.5% for a year. Pose…pose…pose.

The proof always is before us. Consider this story:

A last-minute budget concession is heading to a struggling business founded by a political ally and generous campaign contributor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Pacific Ethanol, a firm founded by state Republican Party fixture Bill Jones, would be relieved of a requirement to meet strict environmental standards by a change quietly inserted into budget legislation Wednesday.

Jones is the former California secretary of state and was the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006. Jones and Schwarzenegger have endorsed each other’s campaigns over the years, and Jones has given nearly $70,000 to Schwarzenegger’s political committees, state records show.

In August, the Schwarzenegger administration promised millions in subsidies that helped rescue Pacific Ethanol from bankruptcy. Part of the deal was that the firm, which uses corn to make the gasoline additive ethanol, would significantly reduce its carbon footprint within four years.

But a last-minute change to the statute allows the carbon reduction requirement to expire in two years, essentially letting Pacific Ethanol, and three smaller firms that qualify for the subsidy, off the hook.

A real “environmentalist” wouldn’t make an exception for political cronies, but would insist that everyone follow the law.

For a poser like Der Arnold, the law doesn’t matter. Only posing.