Arnold Meets the Press

Welcome to a new feature on Suitably Flip. Our erudite readership has made it clear that, while they appreciate acerbic sociopolitical commentary, they would occasionally like to see "less words, more pitchurs".

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Enjoy!

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This morning, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will sit down with Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press to discuss "a variety of key California and U.S. issues."

The Governator has taken a lot of flak lately - from the left, which doesn't trust him because... well, because the left is physiologically incapable of trusting a Republican; and from the right because of certain peculiar moves, including expansive (and expensive) public works programs, support for a minimum wage hike, and the appointment of a slew of Democrats to the state bench and even to the role of his chief of staff.

A bid to rescind the state GOP's endorsement for Arnold's re-election was put down on Saturday, but is nonetheless indicative of a fragmented Republican landscape in the Golden State, some of the blame for which may belong squarely in the Governor's mansion.

One of Schwarzenegger's longest suits is his telecharm, so the timing of today's appearance could be shrewdly artful, particularly if he's got any new and substantive themes around which to rally a conservative electorate that has lately found itself uneasily fractured not only in California, but nationwide.