Arnold Schwarzenegger:
In Exchange for Gray Davis, California Got a Musclebound Version of Him

Oct 20, 2003

Californians booted Gray Davis out because he gave away tax dollars to the big energy companies and then said that he had no choice but to slash education and health care spending, as well as lay off over 17,000 state employees. So now they have Arnold Schwarzenegger who says very little, but by what he says makes it clear he will continue to attack the programs working people need.

In fact, all the recall election did was replace a Democrat, who serves the interests of the big corporations and the bosses, with a Republican, who does the same.

AFL-CIO officials helped pave the way for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maybe they didn’t campaign for him. They didn’t even want him. But by being the most loyal supporters of Gray Davis, they gave people no other choice.

Instead of proposing to working people to fight against the attacks Gray Davis carried out, they counseled workers to vote for him. For what? So he could attack again? Instead of exposing Schwarzenegger for what he is–that is, the very same as Davis–the AFL-CIO officials effectively helped Schwarzenegger look like the only alternative.

Working people cannot afford to keep on waiting for a savior. We have to fight to defend ourselves, for what is rightfully ours. We have to fight to stop the layoffs, stop the cutbacks and tax increases. We have to fight to put our needs first, instead of those of the wealthy and the fat cats, the friends of Arnold and Gray.

It’s futile to vote for either Republicans or Democrats, two parties that both represent the ruling class. We need to start figuring out how to build up our own party–a party that represents our interests and that breaks through the bosses’ and politicians’ wall of lies.