[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Derek Cressman

On August 6, 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger stunned the world by declaring his candidacy to become California’s governor during a conversation with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. The announcement was surprising not only for its unusual setting, but because even Schwarzenegger’s closest political advisors expected Arnold to announce that night that he would not run.

Schwarzenegger further excited his audience by proclaiming that he, unlike Gray Davis, would be free from entanglements with Sacramento special interests: “As you know, I don’t need to take any money from anybody. I have plenty of money myself. I will make decisions for the people.”

Arnold’s campaign staff, who had not prepared him for this statement, quickly qualified the promise to mean that Schwarzenegger would in fact be raising money for his campaign, just not from special interests. One of Schwarzenegger’s most powerful campaign ads decried the current system of political fundraising: “Special interests have a stranglehold on Sacramento. … Here’s how it works. Money goes in—favors go out. The people lose. We need to send a message. Game over.”

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Arnold circa 2003, cutting up the state's credit card.

Four years later, Arnold just pushed forward a new budget which puts even more money on our plastic. The only thing he is cutting is aid to the poor, elderly and disabled. The credit card lives on. Walters in the SacBee:

Schwarzenegger and his budget director, Mike Genest, acknowledged that the budget has a $1.5 billion operating deficit -- but that also assumed that the Legislature would go along with $5.4 billion in revenue and spending "solutions" that legislative leaders have denounced. Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill said even those numbers are too optimistic, that the shortfall is actually another $1.7 billion because of overly rosy revenue and spending estimates.

It is not just about the legislature going along with Arnold's sell off of the state's assets. There are real legal issues to be sorted out. The LAO indicates that some of what Arnold wants to do, particularly with transportation funds may be illegal. He is counting on that money to make his figures add up. That accounts for a portion of the difference between the Administration's figures and the LAO's.

read more

by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey [courtesy of Calitics: Soapblox California - Front Page]

Crossposted at DailyKos

Friends,

Over four years ago President Bush misled our country into a bloody and costly occupation of Iraq.  Four years later, you have the power to end it.

by Sheri Divers [courtesy of Blog for America]

From Robert Greenwald at Brave New Films:

On May 1st 2003, President George Bush announced that major combat operations in Iraq had ended while standing underneath a banner that read MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.  Now, four years later, we know that the mission has not been accomplished and that the fighting in Iraq continues daily.   

Spoken word artist Steven Connell whose work has been seen in feature films and on HBO, Showtime and MTV, performs a piece he has written about what the announcement meant and what has (and hasn’t) been accomplished in the past four years. 

Just three days before this video and website was to go online, an American soldier serving in Afghanistan wrote an op-ed piece which has since stirred up a national debate.  The soldier questioned why we do not lower the flag to half mast when a soldier dies at war.  We at Brave New Foundation were so inspired by his question, and were so unanimously on one side of the debate, that we decided to begin a petition to amend the US Flag Code.

After watching this mesmerizing piece, which reminds us of the power and importance of words, you will have a chance to create your own banner regarding Mission Accomplished and to sign a petition to honor the fallen troops.  Please click on the link below: 

http://tellusthemission.org