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Arnie envy

13 comments on Arnie envy

bildarnie.jpgArnie envy
: The German tabloid Bild [via Generation Next] has severe case of Teutonic jealousy over the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This Page 1 reads:

Schwarzenegger’s Triumph

DO WE ALSO

NEED ONE

LIKE THIS?

– Instead of blabla, he speaks clarity!

– He has a strong will!

– America believes in him!

That iron will thing gives me the heeby-jeebies, eh?

But the story is even more amazing. Second paragraph (and if I mistranslate any of this, one of my more multilingual friends will help me out, I’m sure):

First thought: For God’s sake, not another wandering Austrian. The other one caused enough problems.

German understatement? German irony?

The paper says that the Federal Republic, though only 50 years old, has grown “senile.” What they need, it says, it someone with unconventional thinking, independence, American courage, and the power of vision.

Wow. Who’d have thought these days that the Germans like us, they really like us? Electing a landsman apparently helps.

The story says that in the postwar years, the German government was a “repair shop,” but that’s not what’s needed now. Now they need vision and strength for “we are in the worst crisis of the post-war period.”

But instead, Bild says, Germany is stuck with its “pale faces and blabla” and every attempt at renewal is suffocated. “We suffer under too many badly functioning functionaries.”

Well, it’s clear: Caleeforneea should annex Germany: Lebensraum in reverse.

13 responses to “Arnie envy”

  1. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    The excerpt from the second paragraph is actually: ‘Not another Austrian immigrant. The last one caused enough problems.’
    Bild has been on an anti-Schr

  2. Camilo Avatar
    Camilo

    Are you actually suggesting that a recently elected Austrian leader, with a mediocre career in Arts, starts wooing Germany with his ideals? Or that same said leader annex a problem-ridden country, one that refused to participate in the last war and has been beaten consistently at the previous ones?
    As Santayana would say: History, reloaded.

  3. IceCold Avatar
    IceCold

    At this year’s Davos conference, when asked about Rummy’s “Old Europe” comment (which was then fairly recent), the French finance minister reportedly said — to a shocked room full of sophisticated, nuanced, multilateral swells — that he rather agreed with some of the implications of the term “old” Europe, that France needed some new life and energy in its economic affairs.
    It’s probably predictable that Germany and other parts of Europe would in the post-war era err on the side of stability and safety, given the, uh, “experiences” of the 20th Century. But the sclerosis and stasis that can accompany such stability are hard to avoid. The appeal of Arnold as a grass-roots rebel (whatever its merits) makes sense in this context.
    I thought I also read somewhere that Arnold was partly inspired to leave Austria for the US by hearing, at something like age 17, his friends talking about their retirement plans and concerns. Could be apocryphal, but it points to an underlying reality.

  4. Paladin Avatar
    Paladin

    Too funny!

  5. Hans Franz Avatar
    Hans Franz

    California Uber Alles!
    When do we march on those Oregonian weenies?

  6. rick mcginnis Avatar
    rick mcginnis

    Camilo –
    I’m not so sure about calling Ahnuld’s career “mediocre”. Okay, perhaps it’s not “quality” in the sense that Film Comment magazine might endorse, but it’s a bit of a stretch to compare (as I think you are) a starving watercolourist with one of the biggest action movie stars in Hollywood history.
    Frankly, this whole Arnold = Hitler thing got tired weeks ago.

  7. xian Avatar
    xian

    It could be seen as a sign of healed national relations that we could elect a German-accented Austrian to the prefecture of our largest province, but – speaking from California – it does give my gut the willies.
    Easy populism and charisma, plus a fiery will to “sweep things clean” and shake things up. Sounds great, right?
    With Orren Hatch working on the presidency thing it gets a little creepier, but it may yet be the price of seeing a moderate Republican leader in my lifetime.
    Liberal Californians (myself included) will probably hate him like we hated Reagan, and fail to realize that he is the most liberal Republican governor the state has had since the 1950s, just as cross-eyed conservatives in the ’90s failed to realize that they were enjoying the most conservative Democratic presidency since John F. Kennedy or perhaps Wilson.
    I’ve often thought that Bill Clinton would be a good candidate to run the EU or even come in as secretary general at the UN to put in place that new world order with blue helmets and black helicopters so eagerly feared by our militia brethren, but imagine a worldwide election for President of Earth between Slick Willie and der Gröpenführer!

  8. Jackie D Avatar
    Jackie D

    “Instead of blabla, he speaks clarity!” is funny. Is Puce writing headlines for Bild?

  9. bordbuch Avatar
    bordbuch

    Bild, sadly enough, is the largest newspaper in Germany and a powerful opinion leader and consistently campaigns against Schr

  10. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    In semi-related news, it was announced today that an American investor is buying 20% of Axel Springer Verlag, which publishes Bild (and is the largest newspaper publisher in Europe).
    “Deutsche Bank has taken first steps to dispose fully of its 30.2 percent stake in the Axel Springer Verlag, Europe’s largest newspaper publishing group, led by German mass circulation Bild. It announced on Thursday that it had sold a 19.4 percent stake to the U.S. investment group Hellman & Friedman for EUR350 million, or $413 million….
    “Hellman & Friedman, which specializes in investments in the media sector, has the option to increase its stake-holding in the Springer publishing house. But the San Francisco- based investment group intends to keep its share below 25 percent, Helman manager Patrick Healy told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

  11. Laura in DC Avatar
    Laura in DC

    What’s pretty ironic is that the recall provision was put into place to serve as essentially a citizens’ impeachment tool, to be used against public officials accused of corruption or criminal wrongdoing. Yet Californians have used it to recall a governor who has been accused of no such thing and replace him with a man who may be guilty of criminal wrongdoing. Go figure.

  12. John Irving Avatar
    John Irving

    Interesting observation Laura, please back it up with the portion of California’s recall laws that states it is only a citizens’ impeachment tool, to be used against public officials accused of corruption or criminal wrongdoing. I’m under the impression that they need only a certain pecentage of the voters of the most recent election to sign a petition stating they wish a recall.
    Then consider that Gray Davis got elected under essentially false pretenses (waiting until after the election to reveal just how bad the budget was). Not to mention, anyone may be guilty of a crime, but most of them aren’t, and it appears Governor Schwarzenegger is merely facing the typical rounds of Democratic mudslinging, as predicted going into the race.

  13. Owen Avatar
    Owen

    I agree. “Mudslinging” is just part of the political three-ring circus. Should we expect anything less?