Schwarzenegger Keeps Bust of V.I. Lenin In Office

[David__77]

While it has been noted in media several time the Schwarzenegger keeps a bust of Ronald Reagan in his office, there is more to the story of his busts. He also has a bust of V.I. Lenin in his office. This is interesting, from an article from Variety on 5/5/03. :

"Then, of course, there's that bust of Lenin.

"Schwarzenegger's sprawling office within his company, Oak Prods., contains busts of Lenin, Reagan and John E Kennedy (whom Schwarzenegger admired, he says, even before marrying Maria Shriver, JFK's niece). A group of bodybuilders from St. Petersburg brought the 3-foot Lenin head into the U.S. after the Soviet Union dissolved and presented it to Schwarzenegger. The next year, they wanted to top themselves.

"'When they unveiled (a bust of) Stalin, I said no. I had to explain to them why,' he says. 'Lenin was not as evil. He was just in the right place at the right time. But Stalin was evil. He was a dictator beyond belief. There were questions of who was more evil, Hitler or him.'

For the record, there are no plans for a Saddam Hussein statue in the Oak offices. 'Saddam didn't start anything great,' he says. 'But Lenin started communism and the whole Karl Marx thing. He started something that lasted 70-something years.'"

[bluestateguy]

1. Hmmmmm...

Heaven help the liberal Democrat who did something like this, but I suspect a Republican would get a pass, because Republicans dislike for Communism is never questioned.

Then again, a Democrat with a confederate battle flag in his office might get a pass, while a Republican might not.

[tom_paine]

3. Norquist had a poster of Lenin as reported by David Brock

I believe him.

Not surprising. Totalitarians LOVE other totalitarians.

Totalitarians like Norquist must LOVE Lenin's collectivist evil because it was successful in promoting One-Party Uncahlleneged, Uncheck Endless Hegemony, which is EXACTLY what Grover and the rest of the Busheviks want.

So why wouldn't ol' Grover worship Lenin...the Busheviks are just like him (except for the particular ideology used as vessel for Totalitarianism, but that's a minor difference in the end)

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

2. The only people who believe communist propaganda are Republicans

n/t

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. What's Wrong With Having A Bust Of Lenin

He's not one of my political heroes but I wouldn't put him in the same class with Stalin or Hitler.


Lenin was a true believer in communism and didn't embrace it like a sociopath such as Stalin who used it to consolidate power.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

7. Lenin was an evil tyrant

The first thing the Leninists did when they got into power was bust unions and break strikes, exactly as the GOP would do. Why anyone would consider him to be a hero, I have no idea.

The Republicans are the only people I've ever met that actually believe the communists were pro-union and wanted a working class government and an economy in the hands of the workers.

Certainly in the same class as Stalin and Hitler. He also interestingly enough railed on against "liberals" and "left communism" - just like Republicans do today.

[Terwilliger]

4. busts of Lenin, Reagan, and Kennedy...why wasnt that in the subject?

[David__77]

8. well...

because it's the one that's surprising. Reagan... no surprise. Kennedy, who's related to his wife... no surprise. In any event, the article itself wasn't about these specifically, but rather his political views. I find it interesting that he'd have a Lenin bust, and make the bizarre claim that "Lenin started Marx." A historian, he is not.

I imagine that certain people to his right might find this fact interesting as well...

[Terwilliger]

10. his pro-choice stance might as well make him Che Guevara

George Bush and his ilk are Stalinists.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. Lenin was the first person to put Marxism into practice

though Marx said that a country would first have to go through the capitalist stage of production and Russia was still at the stage of feudalism.

Also, Lenin created the theory of praxis which was the practical application of Marxism.


That being said Marxist theorists will debate to the cows come home the thesis that Leninism was a bastardiztion of Marxism and not it's hybrid.

[CO Liberal]

6. Maybe He Thought It Was a Bust of John Lennon

:-)

[Cocoa]

9. Arnold played a commie in "Red Heat"

which incidentally is my answer to a question in the Lounge: what is the first movie you were angry you paid money to see?

[hippie_chic]

11. I can't seem to find...

The article you are quoting from.

Do you have a link to the original? :)

[David__77]

12. It's on Infotrac.

Password is required. But it is from the Vanity Fair of 5/5/03.

[Yupster]

14. Well at least Arnold

likes the Beatles. That makes me feel better about him.

[samsingh]

15. that's telling and creepy

does he admire Lenin and his policies?

[DemoTex]

16. Goff's Hamburgers (Lovers Lane) in Dallas has statue of Lenin.

http://www.savvycenter.com/explorer/roadside/lenin.htm

Owner Harvey Gough placed the statue at his establishment (facing west) in 1992 as a symbol of America's victory in the Cold War and as his dislike for communism.