WASHINGTON – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday came to the aid of six Republican lawmakers who ran afoul of the state Republican Party for backing a budget with tax increases, calling them "great heroes" who put people before politics.
"I think that they've done a terrific job and they should pay very little attention to what the party says," the Republican governor told reporters in Washington. "Because remember what I said, what is good for the party is not good for the people and what is good for the people is not good for the party."
On Sunday, Republican Party delegates passed a resolution to deny funding for campaign mailers for the six lawmakers.
Asked to respond to the resolution, Schwarzenegger said: "First of all, I would not be too concerned about that if I would be those candidates because the Republican Party has no money anyway. That is No. 1. No. 2, I think that those six that have come in and voted for the budget are great public servants because they have done in the end what was best for the people of California and what was best for the state rather than what was best for their party ideology. So they are in my opinion great heroes, and I will always support them."
GOP Sens. Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria, Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield and Dave Cogdill of Modesto voted for the budget plan that was signed by Schwarzenegger on Friday. It was also backed by Assembly Republicans Mike Villines of Clovis, Roger Niello of Fair Oaks and Anthony Adams of Hesperia.
Schwarzenegger made his remarks as he wrapped up a three-day visit to Washington, where he attended the winter meetings of the National Governors Association. He skipped his party's state convention in Sacramento, where he came under repeated fire from party members.
In Washington, he has been at odds with some of his fellow GOP governors who oppose the $787 billion stimulus plan signed into law last week.
Schwarzenegger said again he'd be happy to accept any stimulus money from any state that wants to turn it down. But he said Republicans and Democrats alike in Washington should now be focusing on people, not politics.
"There's always time next year to talk about politics," Schwarzenegger said, adding that "there is no room" for political feuding with the nation facing a severe economic crisis.
"Just like when you have a basketball team, the whole team works together to win," he said. "And America is the same thing: The whole team has to work together in order to win and bring the economy back and bring stability to the financial market amongst the banks and so on. And mostly to get the confidence of the people back because so much of it is psychological. And the only way we can do that is if Democrats and Republicans work together."
Call Rob Hotakainen, McClatchy Washington Bureau, (202) 383-0009.
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