Schwarzenegger deems Limbaugh ‘irrelevant’
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh “irrelevant” in an interview that aired Tuesday, prompting the conservative Republican icon to accuse the governor of selling out his principles.
The Republican governor angered conservatives earlier this year when he proposed a $12 billion health care plan that requires doctors, hospitals and some small employers to pay into a state fund for the uninsured.
In an interview with NBC’s “Today” show that aired Tuesday and was taped earlier at the Stanford Mansion, Schwarzenegger was asked how he felt about those Republicans, including Limbaugh, who say he is only pretending to be a Republican.
“All irrelevant,” Schwarzenegger said. “Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant. I’m not his servant. I am the people’s servant of California. What they call me, if it’s a Democrat or a Republican or in the center or I changed or this or that, that’s not my bottom line. This is for them to talk about.”
Limbaugh used the comments to tee off on Schwarzenegger during his morning radio show Tuesday. The talk-show host also posted a graphic of an altered Schwarzenegger movie poster, changing the words “Total Recall” to “Total Sellout.”
“Now here’s the truth of the matter,” Limbaugh said Tuesday, according to a transcript of his show. “Arnold Schwarzenegger has done the typical sellout move. He has sold out, and there are too many conservatives selling out these days.”
The talk-show host interspersed his criticisms with niceties, calling Schwarzenegger “an engaging, friendly, nice guy” and “a good guy, but he’s not a conservative.”
Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said the governor was not bashing Limbaugh or his listeners.
“It was in no means an individual criticism of Rush Limbaugh,” McLear said. “It was not a criticism of folks who listen to Rush Limbaugh. It was simply answering a question. These types of criticism don’t have any bearing on what he knows to be the right course of action for California.”
Schwarzenegger in his inaugural address said he hoped to usher in an era of “post-partisanship,” in which Democrats and Republicans focus on working together rather than remaining loyal to their parties.
The governor last year signed bills to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut prescription drug prices and increase the minimum wage, all without support from Republicans in the Legislature.
But the governor’s health care plan drew the harshest criticism this year, as some Republican lawmakers charged that Schwarzenegger’s proposal reneges on a campaign promise not to raise taxes.