Schwarzenegger vs. Palin: Arnold has no credibility

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, from the COP15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen, Governor Schwarzenegger took a swipe at Governor Palin. He was asked about her editorial published in the Washington Post last week. He replied:

“You have to ask: what was she trying to accomplish? Is she really interested in this subject or is she interested in her career and in winning the nomination? You have to take all these things with a grain of salt.”

Tack on "mind reader" to Arnie's long list professional talents...

Not only is that conjecture on his part, it's also a convenient way to avoid the subject matter and deal with what she said. Arnold deflects the debate, as is common with the global warming faithful and turns it into a 'what's Palin going to do next' moment.

Then he goes on to say:

"We in California have proven it over and over that you can protect the economy, and you can protect the environment." ...

"I don't think you have to choose. I think it is nonsense talk to say let's talk first about the economy."

Either Arnold needs advisors that don't lie to him or he has a serious literacy issue. The last time I checked, the statewide California unemployment rate was at 12.3 percent. With the highest rated area, a town about forty minutes east of where I'm sitting, called El Centro at 22.6 percent.

"Nonsense" he says...

Governor Palin hit back in a statement released from her Facebook page:

"Why is Governor Schwarzenegger pushing for the same sorts of policies in Copenhagen that have helped drive his state into record deficits and unemployment? Perhaps he will recall that I live in our nation’s only Arctic state and that I was among the first governors to create a sub-cabinet to deal specifically with climate change. While I and all Alaskans witness the impacts of changes in weather patterns firsthand, I have repeatedly said that we can’t primarily blame man’s activities for those changes. And while I did look for practical responses to those changes, what I didn’t do was hamstring Alaska’s job creators with burdensome regulations so that I could act “greener than thou” when talking to reporters."

As a Californian who happens to believe that we are in a current trend of "global cooling" (and yes, lefties that also is a "change" in climate) and also someone forced to live under the green foot of my state government, I got a little more joy from that post than some.

She correctly points out the economic mess California is in and accurately points to one of the main culprits. Arnold keeps talking about these "green jobs" (sounds familiar) but when you look at the numbers I posted above, the small number of positions that open up in the market aren't enough to even put a small dent into those figures.

When my car can run off of algae, we may see a boost in the green economy. Until then, realize what makes an economy work and what doesn't. Like new regulations and laws for instance... Those are instant job killers. If you mandate small businesses that are already stretched too thin, they will lay off workers. They don't have a choice. In business, you do whatever it takes to make it to the next month.

Now, to the "why" in Governor Palin's statement.

I remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger spent his time trying to convince American's that they should buy a Hummer. Well those days are long gone and a new Climate Crusader has emerged in place of that carbon spewing truck peddler.

Schwarzenegger is now one of the most outspoken global warming alarmists in public office today. He has dramatically steered this state toward more "green" centered policies, programs, and worst of all, mandates. So did he have an epiphany? Did his wife's family convince him over turkey dinner during the holidays?

Probably not, but I believe Robert Kennedy, his wife's cousin, has everything to do with Arnold's conduct in regards to environmental policies.

Robert Kennedy is not only the governor's relative but he is also one of Arnold's closest advisors, even if he does serve in an unofficial capacity. The two of them can be seen at various press announcements and environmental meetings talking about their great plans to reconstruct California into a "green economy."

There's just one problem with that... A slight conflict of interest arises when one looks over the contracts and plans Californians will be forking money over for in these deals. Robert Kennedy is a Venture Partner and Senior Advisor for a company called VantagePoint Venture Partners. VantagePoint has a multimillion-dollar stake in a company called BrightSource, who produces solar technology. BrightSource has lobbied to build a massive energy project in the Mojave Desert. The project would provide power to 142,000 homes and cost about $2 billion. BrightsSource hopes to build three solar-powered plants situated on land near the Nevada-California borders. As Schwarzenegger told a joint conference of Mexican and U.S. governors, “They’re going to blanket the world with solar panels.”

Last year Governor Schwarzenegger also announced a plan to build a massive electric vehicle grid that would cover most of California. At the press conference in San Francisco, Robert Kennedy said “Creating an energy-independent economy is our generation's moon-shot.” Whatever "moon-shot" means, I don't know but I don't like it. He also said “For too long we've believed that economy and environment stood at odds with each other. By coming together in this time of turmoil to build a clean transportation infrastructure, this generation will fuel the economic and environmental prosperity of generations to come.” Given the fact that Robert attended that conference as a representative of VantagePoint, you better believe they are looking to rake in millions from the deal.

In fact, there is an overwhelming amount of information out there that points to Governor Schwarzenegger's real motives in pushing a "green" economy. It's all about money and it has little to do with the environment. As is usually the case when it comes to the big names in the Climate Change "movement." Just do a quick search into Al Gore's finances to see how philanthropic that guy really is. I'll go out on a limb here and call the man a profiteer.

As far as Governor Palin's motives behind publishing words of warning and giving Obama advice (good advice) on environmental matters... She's trying to help the country. Nothing else. She has no financial ties or personal ties to an industry that stands to heavily profit from the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit. In fact, I've done a lot of research into Governor Palin's background and connections... I've linked her up to the Rotary Club and the NRA. That's it.

By the way, for any of you that still think Arnold resides on the right, politically speaking. The left-wing Annenberg Foundation, helped cover the bill for his trip to Copenhagen through a California State Protocol Foundation grant. I wonder if Robert made the journey too???

Update: A poll out today shows Californian's aren't big fans of Arnold's "green economy." From the L.A. Times: "Schwarzenegger approval rating hits new low." He has a 27% approval rating, down from a poor showing in October of 34%.

*Meanwhile, Sarah Palin's numbers have gone up 4 points since then.