Beatty Hits Schwarzenegger in the Gubernatorial Chops

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently came out in favor of an initiative that would mandate that parents must be notified before a daughter who is under the age of 18 can have an abortion.

Schwarzenegger also created a stir with his endorsement of Proposition 75, which would require public employee unions to get written permission from members before using dues for political activity.

And on another hot-button topic, the governor publicly praised the citizens' border patrol known as the Minutemen. He has already put in a request for more border guards from the federal government and announced plans to speed up construction of the final 3.5-mile section of a 14-mile border fence that runs through San Diego.

Schwarzenegger's positions have predictably upset left-of-center individuals and organizations.

Actor-director and longtime Democrat activist Warren Beatty has now entered the political picture.

Beatty is looking more and more like a candidate himself, speaking out against the governor and his policies.

Beatty's rhetoric has fueled speculation that he may turn the governor's race into a Hollywood bout.

While at an awards banquet in Beverly Hills last March and during a graduation speech at U.C. Berkeley last May, the star of "Shampoo," "Bugsy" and "Bulworth" fame launched some verbal missiles against Schwarzenegger.

Most recently, Beatty spoke at a nurses' convention and accused the governor of accomplishing "little or nothing in office." He also characterized Schwarzenegger's governorship as being full of "fake events, fake issues and fake crowds and backdrops."

Beatty referred to the ballot initiatives that the governor has endorsed as "union busting" and "fascist."

Democrats seem to be enthusiastic about the name recognition and telegenic qualities of Beatty, which stand in contrast to the more conventional images of other candidates in the running such as Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly.

The Left Coast Report would like to wish "Reds" Beatty lots of "Ishtar" success.