I posted this in the behaving badly thread too, but it was too juicy. Needed it's own thread. Anybody still like this guy? XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU OCT 02, 2003 20:01:25 ET XXXXX CAMPAIGN BOMBSHELL: ARNOLD PRAISED HITLER IN BOOK PROPOSAL Am unearthed book proposal by Pumping Iron's director George Butler is set throw the California recall race in to new levels of complete chaos. The book proposal quotes Arnold Schwarzenegger naming monster Adolf Hitler as a hero! MORE ABC News, which broadcast the remarks on Thursday, said they were contained in an unpublished book proposal with quotes from what it calls a "verbatim transcript" of the interview. Asked about his heroes, the young Schwarzenegger, in 1975, was quoted as saying; "I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education, up to power. I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for what he did with it." The actor was quoted as saying he wished he could experience being .."like Hitler in the Nuremberg stadium and have all those people scream at you and just being total agreement whatever you say." Asked by ABC News to comment on the old remarks, Schwarzenegger said: "I cannot remember any of these. All I can tell you is that I despise everything Hitler stood for. I despise everything the Nazis stood for ... everything the Third Reich stood for." The author of the book proposal told ABCNEWS that the quotes needed to be seen in context of Schwarzenegger's admiration of powerful men. Developing... ----------------------------------------------
He didn't admire him for his actions in war, he admired him for his public speaking and how he built himself up - don't try to make something out of nothing.
Its too late to not make thinks out of nothing. This is politics son. Welcome to the NFL. By the way, who wouldnt admire Hitler? I sported that moustache throughout High School.
I suspect Batman knows that this is hollow; it's actually a psych study on societal conditioned responses though; if you say to someone, in conversation, something factual about Hitler, like " He was a veery effective public speaker." or " He was very charismatic." or " He re-built Germany from the lowest to the most powerful country in Europe in an incredible amount of time.", or as Arnie says, " He rose from obscurity to prominence based on nothing but his own effort and ability."...and you don't include an expected negative qualifier, people will almost always add that, as if it's necessary. As if we don't know Hitler was a negative figure. It's actually almost comical to watch filmed studies of it. That said, and while I am all for people outside the box broadening the politcal sphere, I am still puzzled about what Arnie brings in terms of qualifications for political office, aside from celebrity. Oh well, in California, that will probably be all he needs.
I'd agree with you guys, except for one thing. He apparently made these statements in response to a request to name his heroes. The article doesn't say he was asked what he thought of Hitler, but that he was asked to name heroes and named Hitler as one of them. I don't care if his life's goal was to be a good public speaker and Hitler was one of the best -- he ain't gonna get a single Jewish vote after naming Hitler as a hero. I'm much more troubled by the idea that any woman could vote for him, when he's apparently gone around grabbing t*** and ass without permission for 25 years, but I think this one's gonna hit him harder than that one (or the allegations that he made incredibly racist comments towards blacks).
yeah, that's a bit odd. Certainy there are remarkable aspects of Hitler which in and of themselves are worthy of admiration, but obviously the whole is just slightly less so, and there are probablyseveral better examples of those qualities he did posses which don't come with the evil aspects. Not, God knows, that I'm an Arnie apologist, but in that he was pretty young when he said this, it's just possible that he was going through an understandable phase of being sick and tired of having to apologize for being German, or admit that they were inherntly evil, or something like that, and this was just an overreaction to that. Again, that's no reason to vote for the guy...I don't see many, frankly...but it might explain an otherwise weird comment. Fpr the record the only positives to him as a candidate for me are that he's not from the Old Boys network, and that he's rich and famous enough that he won't have to compromise to get there. But aside from that...I just don't see it as anything more than our latest example of how far down the fame=merit path we've gone...
I doubt any reasonable person here would accuse me of observing sacred cows. I don't have any problem with saying Hitler was good at some things. Hell, even Bush is probably good at some things. Maybe barbecue or something. I don't know. But the hero thing, whether as reaction to his heritage, an attempt to be outrageous or whatever, is way over the limit and he should take a lot of crap for it. When Bill Maher got booted for saying the 9/11 hijackers were brave, that was a bull**** overreaction. They were brave and that was a fact. Just like Hitler was a self-made man, great orator is a fact. But Maher never went anywhere near calling the hijackers heroes and it would never enter his mind to do so. The fact that someone asked Arnold to name heroes and Hitler EVER came to mind for him should be enough to disqualify him from getting any substantial number of votes in California. I'm not saying it will be, but it should.
Good theory, except for the fact that Ah-nald is Austrian. But I agree with your point that of all the reasons not to vote for Arnold, this is pretty inconsequential.
Canadians are Americans I suppose, eh? My opinion on the article, the media always pulls things way out of perspective. Just because they quote him doesn't mean that's the exact question they asked. My opinion on the election, I hope Arnold doesn't win for the sake of California and other states in the future.
As far as anyone cares, yes. The more important thing is that Arnold was actually talking about little-known public speaker Johann C. Hitler in these comments.
Afraid his admiration of Hitler will lead to him to Blitzkreig Nevada and Arizona? (I'm sorry. I'm just in a mood tonight, for some reason).
Uh...part of my point ( as said'understandable') had to do with apologizing for being German while not being strictly German...but the point has been stretched so far thatit's probably relevant to point out that Hitler considered himself, along with all other Austrians, 'Germans'...a claim that I have never heard a Canadian of note...(although I have heard several Americans)...make. Myself I'm 2 in 1, so it's not really a big deal to me...
Having recently visited Austria, their great historical leaders are: Charles V (1500-1558) - ruled world's greatest empire (Austria, Germany, Holland, Southern France, Italy, Spain, North/South America, Mediterranean, African/Indian/SEAsian colonies, etc. etc.) ended Muslim/Turkish dominance of Mediterranean, violently suppressed Luther and Protestant reformation. Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736) - actually a French general who adopted the Austrian cause, devastated the Ottoman Turks again and again, participated in Blenheim, of MacBeth's signature fame Maria Theresa (1717-80) - great queen best known for longevity Kaunitz (1711-1794) and Metternich (1773-1859) - legendary statesmen in European history, arch-conservatives and upholder of the Old Order. Adolf Hitler - no intro needed Kurt Waldheim (1918–) - Austrian diplomat, secretary-general of the United Nations (1971–81) and president of Austria (1986–92) ---------------- And so there you have it. His choice of heroes as an Austrian are: a religious fanatic, a frenchman, a woman, 2 backroom wheeler-dealers, Hitler, and Kurt Waldheim, whose friendship the media has already told Arnold to renounce. One thing's for sure, it sucks to be Austrian child growing up.
