Score another one for the Family Values Party.

[Grace62]

I'm a little surprised that you thought I meant some legal or constitutional right when I said "he had no right to do that."
To me that phrase in this context implies only the decency or moral nature of the behavior and the harm it can do to another, not anything of a legal nature.

[rjmacs]

Grace62 wrote:
I'm a little surprised that you thought I meant some legal or constitutional right when I said "he had no right to do that."
To me that phrase in this context implies only the decency or moral nature of the behavior and the harm it can do to another, not anything of a legal nature.

Ah. I guess, over here, i've gotten used to 'rights' being constitutional ones. Whoops!

I have a suspicion that Arnold responded with this information not entirely voluntarily. My hunch is that the press got wind of the story and made it clear that they were going to print it. Arnold was given a chance to comment, so he released the statement referenced above rather than say nothing. Clearly the press also contacted (but has declined to identify) the former staffer. I suppose he could have remained completely silent on the matter, although i'm not sure whether that strategy would be sustainable in the given media environment. No matter the case, the woman here clearly deserves consideration and respect.

[Grace62]

See I wish I didn't know about this because now I'm forced to gossip about it!:burnout:


I was thinking that same thing...I wonder if Maria and/or her divorce attorneys pressured him into making this public, it's hardly a benefit to him. It's been my experience that the injured party in a divorce, high profile or not, wants to make it known that they are not the cause of the breakup and the resulting destruction of the family and pain to the children.
The woman and her family are just collateral damage it would seem.
And given all the details about her in the press, it won't be hard for people to figure out who she is.
Can I just say it seems really odd to have an affair and a child with your employer and then keep working IN THEIR HOUSE for 10 years? Like see the wife and the kids every day??

[$tevie]

I am curious about how this will affect plans for "The Governator" comic books, animated series, movie, video game, etc. If Pee Wee Herman can get kicked off the air for inappropriate behavior in a movie theatre, what about THIS?

[rankandfile]

Let's not forget that Arnold would not have become governor but for Enron's defrauding California and creating a budget crisis which led to the recall of Gray Davis. Sound familiar?

[Grace62]

rankandfile wrote:
Let's not forget that Arnold would not have become governor but for Enron's defrauding California and creating a budget crisis which led to the recall of Gray Davis. Sound familiar?

Not to mention significant help from his wife and her political connections. He could not have become governor without her, plus she gave up a promising media career to be the dutiful political wife.

[Gutenberg]

$tevie wrote:
I'd rather have a rabid press than an unchecked whisper campaign.

Unfortunately at the moment we have both.

[beagledave]

$tevie wrote:
I am curious about how this will affect plans for "The Governator" comic books, animated series, movie, video game, etc. If Pee Wee Herman can get kicked off the air for inappropriate behavior in a movie theatre, what about THIS?

Cheating on your wife, while disgusting, is in a different category than indecent exposure and possession of kiddie porn

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/ce...ul-reubens

[PeterB]

I understand most of the concerns here, and I do think public figures do have a certain amount of right to privacy ... but to me, the defining line is whether what they do in their personal lives impacts on their ability to do the job. If a politician screws around, it's none of my business unless it prevents him/her from doing what they need to do. I do NOT expect a politician to act as a moral compass or figurehead, in any way, shape, or form. I DO expect them to do their job (governing, the day-to-day business of running a state or country, etc.). But then, I guess I'm more French in that sense.

[rjmacs]

Grace62 wrote:
Can I just say it seems really odd to have an affair and a child with your employer and then keep working IN THEIR HOUSE for 10 years? Like see the wife and the kids every day??

Well, we don't know the circumstances of the 'affair.' Sometimes people make mistakes with serious consequences. For all we know, the 'affair' may have been very short-lived, and not something that the employee wanted to lose her career over. By her own words, she wanted to put in her 20 years and retire. Confronting Arnold on the matter publicly would have carried all kinds of consequences (some of which are coming to pass now) that she may have wanted to avoid. It seems odd to some, but people make choices for their own reasons...and since it's none of my business, i don't really need to know why.