A different type of "fan" for Arnold

Mar 21, 2005

Protesters have been following California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wherever he goes – and not just in California.

At the upscale 21 Club in Manhattan, where Arnold was dining with big donors, a California firefighter confronted the "governator" about his plans to end the pensions of California state employees. Earlier, about 100 demonstrators had forced Arnold to enter the restaurant through a service door.

When Arnold arrived at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C. the next day for another reception with top donors, he was greeted by a crowd of protesters again. And, again, Hollywood's muscle man took a side entrance to the building.

Besides firemen, nurses make up a large part of the protesters. For good reason: last fall, Arnold suspended California's nurse-to-patient law which limits the number of patients that can be treated by one nurse.

The protesters' chants aren't falling on deaf ears. Many of the protesters in New York and Washington were joined by local nurses and firemen who said that if Arnold gets away with his attacks, their own states' governors will follow in his footsteps. A New York policeman who escorted the protesting firefighter out of 21 Club shook his hand and said, "Thanks for doing what you did."