By John Seiler

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the hypocrite who keeps on entertaining. He jet-sets around the globe celebrating AB 32, which he signed into law and will cut greenhouse gas emissions in California 25 percent by 2020. Yet he tools around in giant, gas guzzling Mercedes and Bentleys (seen in the picture at right) and lives in a massive compound in Malibu.

He thinks his new “autobiography,” with the unimaginative title of “Total Recall” and actually written by Peter Petre, will enhance his image. But nothing can wipe away his disastrous governorship that wrecked California; nor his betrayal of his wife, Maria, in an adulterous affair with the family maid. No wonder that, after just two months, his book is way down the list on Amazon at No. 631 best-selling.

Yet here’s what he just told the Wall Street Journal in an interview:

“If we want to advance our core beliefs in infrastructure investment, smaller government, and supporting businesses, the only path forward is to include new ideas and re-open the Big Tent to independents and women and minorities. … We have always been a party of big ideas to move the country forward, and that is what we must communicate now.”

But he did the opposite! His massive, record $13 billion tax increase of 2009 not only destroyed the state’s economy, it destroyed the careers of an up-and-coming Latino Republican, Sen. Abel Maldonado.

I met with Maldonado in the mid-1990s when he came to see the Register editorial board. He was a rising star, a moderate-right Republican and small businessman with some good ideas.

In 2014, he would have been a top contender for the Republican nominee for governor.

Seduced and betrayed

Then Maldonado was seduced by Arnold into providing the crucial vote in the Senate for the tax increase. For his perfidy toward taxpayers, Maldonado was appointed lieutenant governor by Arnold. And as part of the deal for Maldonado’s sellout vote, Arnold put on the ballot Proposition 14, the Top Two election system. It was supposed to benefit “moderates” like Maldonado by insulating them from the rage of anti-tax Republicans.

It didn’t work. In 2010, Maldonado lost a bid to be re-elected lieutenant governor. Even though 2010 was a stellar year for Republicans nationally, as they swept back into control of the U.S. House of Representatives, it was a disaster for the California GOP.

Using advertising language, Arnold talks about improving the Republican “brand.” But it was he who, during seven years of attacking California, sullied the GOP brand here for decades.

In 2012, Maldonado used the Top Two system to become one of the two candidates running for  the 24th Congressional District from California. Under the old system, he likely would have lost the Republican primary to Tea Party candidate Chris Mitchum, the son of the late actor Robert Mitchum.

But under the Top Two system, Maldo grabbed one of the slots and faced off against Rep. Lois Capps, a Democrat. (Mitchum finished third.)

Maldonado still lost, 55-45 percent. So his sellout of taxpayers gained him nothing. After being wiped out, he told the San Luis Obispo Tribune, “I’m barely on first base….I was not raised to give up. Public service is in my blood, public service is in my heart, and I love my country…. I don’t think Washington was ready for me this [political] cycle.”

Tax tables turned

It’s ironic that this tax-raiser’s own tax problems did him in. The Tribune reported:

“Maldonado’s family operation in Santa Maria is involved in a $470,000 dispute with the IRS, which is being fought out in U.S. Tax Court. The family farm also is disputing an IRS claim that it underpaid taxes by more than $3.6 million between 2006 and 2008.

“Capps made hay with the dispute, alluding to it repeatedly in her political advertisements.”

If Maldonado had sided with taxpayers in 2009, in 2012 he could have made himself out to be an anti-tax hero who was being assaulted by vengeful revenuers. But he couldn’t do that because the IRS was doing to him what he did to California taxpayers at the state level.

In his interview, Arnold continued:

“We need to focus on expanding the tent instead of shrinking it. We need to find ways to include instead of exclude. The party has tried to move to the right, and now we can see that the action and the votes are more in the center. We need to be a party of what we are for rather than what we are against.”

But by destroying Maldonado’s career, Arnold “excluded” a promising young, moderate Latino from politics. Arnold not only did not “expand” the tent, he burned it down.

And when Arnold says, “We need to be a party of what we are for,” we know what that is: taxes, taxes and more taxes; and massive new regulations, like AB 32, that kill jobs and businesses.

The California GOP would best be advised to listen closely to the advice Arnold gives — and do the opposite.

By John Seiler

California Republicans are gathering this weekend for their convention in Burbank. For inspiration, they should look to what is happening in neighboring states.

Two years ago, Republicans nominated for governor Susana Martinez in New Mexico and Brian Sandoval in New Mexico. Both favored cutting government and reducing taxes. Both won.

Last week, Texas Republicans nominated Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate. He also favors cutting government and reducing taxes. He’s a favorite to beat the Democratic nominee, Paul Sadler, in November.

Contrast that with the two Republican Latinos on the California statewide ballot in 2010. Abel Maldonado, the sitting lieutenant governor, was wiped out by Democrat Gavin Newsom. And Mike Villines was defeated for insurance commissioner by an outright socialist, Dave Jones (who’s sending the California insurance industry to his locker).

Both Maldonado and Villines started out with promising careers. Then they sold out to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the record $13 billion tax increase of 2009. Maldonado’s reward from Arnold was an appointment as lieutenant governor, then the passage of the Top Two system for elections, which supposedly favored “moderates” like him. Thanks to Top Two, Maldo now is facing incumbent Democrat Lois Capps in the 25th U.S. Congressional District. He likely will lose. So all the selling out to Arnold will have meant nothing.

Of course, the pundits and Arnold keep saying “moderates” like Maldo and Villines are the key to attracting Latinos to vote Republican. Then why is the opposite tactic — running conservatives — working in neighboring states?

Cruz control

Cruz’s case is instructive. The typically clueless GOP establishment opposed him. Reported FoxNews, “Gov. Rick Perry and much of the rest of the Republican establishment lined up to endorse [primary opponent David] Dewhurst for their party’s nomination….”

According to Lubbock Online, Dewhurst, the sitting lieutenant governor, “also had a $200 million personal fortune he could dip into and did, loaning his Senate campaign at least $24.5 million.” Dewhurst outspent Cruz by three-to-one. So Dewhurst was a typical moneybags moderate the Republican establishment adores, like Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina in California, or Mitt Romney for president.

But Cruz was strongly supported by the Lone Star State’s Tea Party activists. Lubbock Online wrote, “Cruz has a fiery stage presence that made Tea Party supporters across the state swoon, and received millions from national, conservative organizations which targeted Dewhurst as too moderate.”

Cruz also was backed by my favorite, Sarah Palin. On this video of her post-election comments, Palin points out that Dewhurst spent his money on the usual losing Republican consultants. But Cruz listened to the people.

According to critics, the Tea Party is supposed to be a bunch of cracker racists who hate Latinos and blacks. But in Texas, the Tea Partiers provide the electricity that put the candidate on Cruz control.

In other words, Cruz is an anti-Maldonado and anti-Villines. Of course, if Cruz gets elected, we’ll have to wait to see what he actually does in office. But his political stances certainly are what’s needed, and what voters crave to endorse.

Even the liberal Atlantic magazine has noticed how Cruz exemplifies how Tea Party candidates are winning:

“Time and again, the Tea Party has been declared moribund, splintered, and ineffective. And time and again, it has pulled off surprising upsets. The insurgent conservative moment won a significant victory Tuesday in Texas, where attorney Ted Cruz scored a stunning 13-point win over David Dewhurst in a Republican primary for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. The margin of victory exceeded even recent polls that showed Cruz leading by around 10 points.”

Moderation

Yet in California, “moderation” still is supposed to sell. George Skelton, the Los Angeles Times columnist celebrated for his 50 years of reporting on the state, recently attacked state Republicans for not supporting moderates, but instead continuing to support such things as the “no tax” pledge. Basically, Skelton and others think Republicans in California would win more offices if they just embraced Democratic policies. The opposite is true.

If Republicans in California have any sense, they’ll cultivate young Latinos who are conservative or libertarian — favoring cuts in budgets and taxes. They’ll get candidates who can give a good speech, fire up a crowd. And they’ll run these candidates for local offices to get some experience, and to see which is best. Then run them statewide.

By the way, did you know that, although Latinos are a majority of the Democratic Party in California, in 2010 not a single Latino was nominated for a statewide office by the Donkey Party? Same thing this year, with Sen. Dianne Feinstein running for re-election. The Democratic Party still is ruled by three septuagenarian Anglos, Gov. Jerry Brown, Sen. Barbara Boxer and Feinstein.

With the Democrats running everything in the state, they’re going to get blamed as the state crashes into the Pacific Ocean. So…get ready.

There’s opportunity there for Republicans — if they can seize it.

One good result from the election. Traitorous tax increasers Abel Maldonado and Mike Villines lost their statewide races, respectively for lieutenant governor and insurance commissioner.

Both Republicans betrayed the taxpayers they had pledged to protect when they signed a pact with the Devil — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger — in Feb. 2009, providing the key votes that passed the record state tax increases.

Good riddance.

Nov. 3, 2010, 12:30 am