Professor Amy Cabrera Rasmussen’s political science 100 classroom discussion about “why you should care about politics” ended prematurely Tuesday morning due to a surprise visit from political guest Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The university heard Monday night of the governor’s possible arrival and only knew for sure early Tuesday morning that Schwarzenegger was coming to speak.
When the celebrity governor eventually came, he entered the room to considerable clapping and cheering. A sea of cell phones taking snapshots of the governor filled the air while the press also shot the event and the TV cameras went rolling.
Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander introduced the governor, who spoke for under an hour to the packed College of Business Administration Building Room 140A about the importance of obtaining an education and having a goal.
“You have to have a vision of where you want to go,” Schwarzenegger said. “This is a stepping stone to getting there.”
He brought some humor to his speech as he explained how he tried “getting 22-inch biceps” during his body building days and how acting in movies were his main goals before politics. He did not, however, omit his most famous cinematic line.
“I’ll be back,” Schwarzenegger said.
With that said, he told students how they should figure out what to do in the future and that going to school is beneficial to learning.
He also discussed his self-history as an immigrant from Austria, being a first generation college student in his family, his experience as a Santa Monica City College student, his bodybuilding career and, of course, his acting career.
But he said his interest in politics started with his father-in-law, Sargent Shriver, who said, “An honorable profession is in politics, to be a public servant.”
After his speech, the floor was open for students to comment or ask questions to the governor. One student asked him about his possible appearance in “Terminator 4.” Another student stated that the movie “The Running Man” was his favorite movie.
Some students asked about the governor’s ideas and reactions concerning the recent immigration bills and high school immigration protest walkouts. He said the borders should be secure and that he plans to find out “in a decent way” what to do about the illegal immigrants currently living in the country.
“The United States should be able to hire legally even from outside the country,” Schwarzenegger said. Additionally, he stated how the high school walkouts were “ways of communicating” but that they did not help them. Instead, he said it would have been better for the students to stay in school and obtain an education like what Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa advised.
After the question and answer session, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a few autographs for students at the front of the room and then exited the CBA Building.
One protestor named Todd Warden was present at the event. Warden wore a Schwarzenegger mask and banner that read “True Liar.” He identified himself with the California Democratic Party and as a CSULB alumnus. He said he was discontent with what has happened with the university tuition raises under the Schwarzenegger administration.
“I can’t stand how many times [Schwarzenegger] has raised the tuition of the little students here,” Warden said with a fake Schwarzenegger accent. “They will be so angry, and if they know how much it costs them now than before he was in office, they will get him out of office, you know.”
This is the second time Gov. Schwarzenegger has made an appearance at CSULB during an election campaign. The would-be governor’s first visit on Sept. 4, 2003 was made famous nationwide because while he was leaving, an egg was thrown from the crowd and hit Schwarzenegger’s shoulder.
Apparently unperturbed by the splatter of egg yolk, he continued on and joked, “Where’s the bacon?”