Call me a flabby-armed girly man.
Call me kooky.
Call me naive.
Call me a puddin? head — call me what you will, but, were I living in California and had to vote for governor, I’d cast my vote for ye-old muscle head, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Go ahead. Yuck it up, if you must. But, damn it, there’s an element of the proverbial American dream embodied by the actor. I like that. I like the idea of hard work paying off once in a while. We are told as kids (at least I was) that if we work hard, stayed focused and got up every time we were knocked on our butts, we would be okay — if not better.
Even if American-born kids and their parents don’t believe that anymore, kids and folks from the rest of the world still do. America is the land of dreams. America is the place millions have risked their lives to come to. They believed in, believe in, the promise of America. That promise isn’t of free eats, fast women and cradle to grave care, but rather the chance to succeed and the chance for a better life for themselves and their family.
Think about it: besides those escaping prosecution, taxation or whacked out political or religious views, the number of Americans fleeing our land to another for a ‘better life? is miniscule. How many people do you personally know that have left the United States for a ‘better life?? Now, how many do you know came to the United States in search of something better? How many of your parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors or business acquaintances were born in another country?
It doesn’t matter if your politics are left, right or down the middle — your life is better here. (Would you rather be a feminist in Saudi Arabia or America? Would you rather be a minority in America or Liberia? Wanna be a capitalist in France?) That’s why our last action hero, Arnold, is here and not his fatherland of Austria or any other nation on Earth.
He came here with a dream, worked and played hard; made millions and married a member of American royalty, in Maria Kennedy Shriver. To me, that’s making good on the American promise and living the American dream. Can he run a state that size of smaller nations? Can any one man or woman? I think the better question should be, ‘Could he do any worse??
Does any one person ‘run? a state or nation? Or, is a governor or, president for that matter, helped out by lots of smart folks — folks who are special in their fields of expertise?
Can Arnold ‘clean house? as he keeps on repeating? That depends on your definition of ‘house.? If you think he is going to get rid of years and years worth of rottenness that is the entire state of politics, then the answer is, no. There isn’t a Hoover big enough to suck up all the scum, nor a gun powerful enough to terminate, truly evil political vermin.
But, on the other hand, if ‘house? means that dwelling in Sacramento where the Gov lives, the answer is, ‘Yes, he can.?
Yes, he can surround himself with those willing to do the ‘peoples? work.? Yes, he can steer clear of special interests. Yes, he can keep his nose clean. Yes, he can look to the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of California in pursuing policy.
Yes, he can.
Yes, you can.
Yes, I can.
Hell, smut peddler Larry Flynt and aging porn star Mary Cary technically ‘can.? We all can, if we believe in the American dream.
Comments for the guy with fairy-dust in his eyes can be e-mailed to:dontrushmedon@aol.com