by governator
Tuesday, Jul. 20, 2004 at 1:06 PM
Some California legislators are angry with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after he referred to them as "girlie-men" during a speech on Saturday.
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The movie star-turned-politican used the term to describe opposition Democrats he said who are too weak to stand up to unions and trial lawyers demanding changes in the governor's state budget proposal.
The phrase comes from an old television comedy routine where two Schwarzengger-like bodybuilders use it to mock those who lack their bulging muscles.
Several Democratic lawmakers say the remark was insulting to women and homosexuals. State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez said the comment was "beneath the governor."
But a Schwarzenegger spokesman says the comment was the governor's way of saying that legislators are "wimps" (weaklings) by giving into special interest groups.
VOA News
19 Jul 2004
Some information for this report provided by AP.
www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=F92248FC-5207-4380-A...