[courtesy of Blog for America]

I have never been a big fan of Jay Leno and tend not to watch his show.  However, a few years ago I was flipping through the channels and stumbled upon a performance I would not expect to see on the Tonight Show.  Here is Bright Eyes performing "When the President Talks to God":

Danny
Communications Director

[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.”