Watching former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger take on President Trump, I find myself wishing he were governor again.
That’s not a feeling that most Californians have. Polls show they like him, but didn’t like the job he did in office. But could California have any better figure to lead the fight against Trump?
Schwarzenegger, using social media, goes at Trump far more effectively than any other California elected official. It helps that he shares Trump’s celebrity, and strong support with men. It also helps that Schwarzenegger is a Republican.
That allows him to write things like the following, in response to the Trump administration’s efforts to take away the waiver that allows California to set its own rules on gas mileage:
“I am sick and tired of these fake conservatives who believe in states’ rights to make their own policies — as long as state policy is to pollute more.”
Jerry Brown has countered Trump as well, but without such force. He only gets worked up on environmental or climate change issues. Brown has not been so outraged or forceful in countering Trump’s attacks on immigrants or health care.
Of course, Brown has more to do than Schwarzenegger. Any governor does. Perhaps Brown’s successor, likely Gavin Newsom, can appoint Schwarzenegger as his Minister of American Affairs and send the movie star governor to the Capitol to kick some ass.