Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was on the receiving end of Rep. Joe Wilson-treatment from a Democratic assemblyman last night at a Democratic Party fundraiser.Â
The governor was at an event in the same hotel in San Francisco when he decided to drop in on the fundraiser in an unplanned and unscheduled event. As the Governor stepped to the podium, San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano shouted, “You lie!” Ammiano, a liberal Democrat, told the press: “It’s not like you’re in a [legislative] chamber and you sit there and suffer. It’s our house, it’s our event. When he got up to the podium, it was totally inappropriate. He was booed and people walked out.â€
I’m no fan of the Governor nor Republicans, but Ammiano is out of line. If it was meant to be funny, I find no humor in the outburst and frankly think it displayed little class on the part of the assemblyman. Good luck trying to get the Governor to work out compromises for the budget that actually help Democrats in San Francisco, Assemblyman. Because unless you can deliver a solid Democratic majority for the Assembly and State Senate, we’re screwed.Â
If you want to put the Governor on the spot, it’s not all that hard to do. How about aksing basic questions. Why not ask him why he can’t control the conservative factions of his own party. Let’s elevate the discourse Assemblyman. And yes, you owe the Governor an apology.