Schwarzenegger Interview Explains California’s Decline

Commentary Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term years in office, 2003–11, remains one of the most consequential for California since 1991. That was the year Republican Gov. George Deukmejian left office and was replaced by moderate Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who promptly increased taxes and went to war with the conservatives in his party over those tax increases, badly wounding the party. As I wrote in The Epoch Times in August, “The Media Is Helping Schwarzenegger Rewrite His Governorship” as he celebrated 20 years since his election in 2003, he avoided needed reforms, increased taxes, and like Mr. Wilson went to war with his fellow Republicans. In a new, extensive interview in Cigar Aficionado, Mr. Schwarzenegger talks with worshipful editor Marvin R. Shanken as they smoke 30-year-old Punch Churchills from communist Cuba, which are illegal in the United States. The former governor laments not being able to run for president, because he was born in Austria. And he talks a bit about national and foreign policy. But I’ll just cover his California comments....