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	Home Talk Live Lori Contests Nutrition Homegrown Training Galleries Muscle Scoop Die Welt About Us More Articles: The King "Ironman Show" Not Just For men Anymore Blueprint for Success Three Dimensional Women The European Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (EBFF) Ms.I.O.Union? Realities Of Competitions Guilt by Association Weider Introduces Bodybuilding to China		page 2   The King by Teagan Clive Ironman Magazine Wednesday, August 6, 2003 Nobody goes on The Tonight Show to say they’re not going to run for governor. So I wasn’t surprised when Arnold--on Hiroshima Day—dropped a bomb of his own: he was going to run after all. Although he’s been talking about running for governor since 1991, Arnold kept his intentions to enter the controversial recall election to himself. Not even his top advisors knew what he’d do. But I knew. I met Arnold in 1984, about the same time he started wearing that generic blue blazer after his workouts. I saw him as a modern urban gladiator who had strong opinions about almost everything. Impressed with his natural sense of leadership, I immediately began calling him "The King". Arnold’s good friend and political mentor, former mayor of Los Angeles, Richard Riordan, was hit hard by the news. According to the L.A. Weekly, Arnold had promised him over dinner the Sunday before that he’d stay out of the race. Assured that he would have Arnold’s endorsement, Riordan prepared to run; but after learning of Arnold’s candidacy, he immediately retreated, sportingly endorsing Arnold on the way out. Hours later, Darrel Issa, the man responsible for organizing the recall against Governor Gray Davis, tearfully announced that he, too, was out of the race. Arnold’s behavior on the campaign trail is already emulating his competitive style in bodybuilding. Before the 1980 Mr. Olympia, he lulled his competition into believing he wouldn’t enter. Then, seemingly at the last minute, he changed his mind. "I was one of his best friends, and he swore to me–swore to me--that he wouldn’t compete against me in that show," recalled Frank Zane, a former Mr. Olympia. "Suddenly, there he was in the lineup, standing right next to me." Arnold won handily. Despite Arnold’s fierce competitiveness, or perhaps because of it, Zane, who has a master’s degree in psychology, says Arnold will probably make "a good governor". Arnold’s opponent’s in this contest would be at home in a circus: there’s "fat man" Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, diminuitive actor Gary Coleman, Arianna Huffington, the lady who was a beard (for her bisexual politico ex-hubby), Michael Huffington, scarlet-haired comedian Gallagher, wheel-chair bound porn publisher Larry Flynt, Angelyne, the billboard bimbo of L.A. and sex star Mary Carey, who says she’ll have dinner with you for $5,000 as of today, none of whom stand a chance against The King. To stand a chance, one must first win a fistful of pro bodybuilding titles, marry the equivalent of American royalty, and then become the highest paid action actor in the world. Thursday, August 7, 2003 Arnold’s worst flaw is his lust for attention; without constant attention, he’d probably shrivel up and die. Why, he can’t even train without chatting with others in the gym! "You don’t pay enough attention to me," he said to me one day out of the blue, a few years ago. (Had I known, I would’ve cut my conversation with Magic Johnson much shorter.) Once, when we were both in Rome working in films, he insisted I meet him at an outdoor café. By the time I got there, a flash mob had assembled, with Arnold in the eye of it. Drinks were on the house, and when he left--after everyone had gotten him to sign a napkin--he often walked out backwards, waving to those still seated, milking the moment. Because we sense he needs us—whether it’s to tell him how good he looks in a Speedo, how terrific he was in Terminator 3, or what a lovely governor he’s going to make—we’re attracted to him. His need reflects our own, and that makes him irresistible. This morning, Arnold went to the County Registrar’s office to submit the 65 signatures and $3500 that will put his name on the ballot. If he seemed too casually dressed last night with Jay Leno (for whom he wore a black jacket, white shirt and a ring the size of a piece of sushi that some say made him look like a pimp), here, he looks every bit the statesman, even wearing a can’t-miss red tie. For him, this is a sure sign of surrender to traditional respectability. The documents filed, the candidate stepped out into the 100-degree heat and greeted a thousand well-wishers who gathered to watch him pump hands. I think about the germs out there and the effect all this hand-shaking might have on his newly repaired shoulder, a surgery he confided was the most painful he’s ever endured. By the time he’s finished this "outdoor work", he looks parched and his face is a deep bronze. Now all The King needs is votes—as few as15% could cinch the governorship for him. Assuming that more than half of the ballots read "yes" on the recall, and his name recognition holds strong on Octorber 7, he will win this contest, too. Monday, August 11, 2003 Arnold’s gone. He flew to New York to promote The Inner City Games in Harlem, a charity he’s been supporting for many years, along with The Special Olympics. If he thought he’d get a reprieve from the press here, he was wrong; the press in NYC act like cockroaches on a Danish. But maybe he didn’t want a reprieve. He calmly announces his boundaries to them, refusing to discuss anything but the need to make sports available in every neighborhood. Ignoring Arnold’s restrictions, a man with a microphone shoves up to ask if he thinks it’s "appropriate" for him to be running for governor without a plan in place. When Arnold bluntly dismisses the question—saying something to the effect of "I don’t want to answer that right now"—his response gets national attention. "Do you think he might actually take a swing at one of these reporters?" asks a talk show host, hopefully. Later in the day, Arnold humbled himself and forgave himself his trespasses. He said that the pot smoking witnessed in documentary "Pumping Iron" and his past steroid use were evidence that he’s "only human". Like others, I’m curious about other low-down dirty laundry that Arnold supposedly owns, the mud that’s scheduled to be slung at him. Plenty of anecdotes are in circulation, of course, as everyone’s got an Arnold story to tell. Usually, such stories describe some gross insensitivity. I put a call to a man who describes himself as Arnold’s "worst enemy", who, just a month ago, vowed to stop Arnold in his tracks should he decide to run for office. So where’s the dirt, pal? Turns out, he was bluffing. Seems he just liked my company. Listen, if anyone has any dirt, it should be me. I was one of the only female guests invited to attend the King’s bachelor party. I don’t like parties, but I went to this one because the host promised it would be a bunch of guys having a private meal and some laughs at an Italian restaurant. Trust me, the event was so tame—it could’ve been a baby shower.