Warren Beatty: Terminate Arnold's 'fascist' policies

Warren Beatty (warrenbeatty.com)

Actor Warren Beatty, showing further signs of political aspirations, ripped fellow Hollywood celebrity and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, accusing him of imposing "fascist" policies on the state.

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Schwarzenegger governs "by show, by spin, by cosmetics and photos ops" as he carries out the will of the Bush administration on California, Beatty charged, according to the Associated Press.

Beatty, a Democrat and possible challenger to Schwarzenegger next year, spoke Thursday night at a convention of the California Nurses Association, one of the governor's fiercest critics.

Beatty indicated he hadn't ruled out a run but emphasized will he will speak out regardless of his decision.

"I believe if a private citizen is able to affect public opinion in a constructive way he doesn't have to be an elected public servant to perform a public service," Beatty said.

The actor mocked Schwarzenegger, a former body builder, saying Schwarzenegger had taught him years ago to "to do 15 repetitions rather than 10 because you get a better look that way."

But Beatty focused on criticism of Schwarzenegger's Nov. 8 special election featuring "year of reform" ballot initiatives, which would curb the power of the Democrat-controlled legislature and public employee unions.

The governor's spokeswoman Margita Thompson said, according to the AP, "we don't care that much about Warren Beatty, and based on his ticket sales from the past generation, I doubt anyone else does either."

Two days prior to the dinner, Schwarzenegger called similar attacks by Beatty "silly" and suggested the actor was jealous of his success in politics.

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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (courtesy: Sacramento Bee)

This week, commenting on one of the ballot initiatives, Schwarzenegger said he would "kill" anyone who would take one of his daughters to have an abortion without notifying him.

"I have a daughter," Schwarzenegger said in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. "I wouldn't want to have someone take my daughter to a hospital for an abortion or something and not tell me. I would kill him if they do that."

The Republican governor, who has two teenage daughters and two preteen sons, was responding Tuesday to Proposition 73, an initiative that would make most abortions for minors illegal without prior notification of the girls' parents or guardians.

Earlier this month, Schwarzenegger, citing a 2000 ballot measure supporting traditional marriage, promised to veto the first state legislation approving same-sex marriage.

Beatty urged the nurses – who frequently interrupted with cheers of "Run, Warren Run!" and "Stop Arnold!" – to campaign against Schwarzenegger's "union busting" and "fascist" initiatives.

Beatty played a senator in the 1998 movie "Bulworth" and considered running for president six years ago.

But a June poll showed only 24 percent of Californians would be inclined to elect him governor. Fifty-three percent said they weren't inclined, and 23 percent had no opinion.

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