The Girlie Man Rancor Continues

The SacBee has the latest on the Schwarzenegger flap: Politics -- Democrats condemn Schwarzenegger comment as sexist.

First, here's the initial quote:

"If they don't have the guts to come up here in front of you and say, 'I don't want to represent you, I want to represent those special interests, the unions, the trial lawyers ... if they don't have the guts, I call them girlie men,'" Schwarzenegger said to the cheering crowd at a mall food court in Ontario.

In other words, he called them wimps/spineless/gutless. Hardly the height of insult in a political climate in which former Vice Presidents toss around terms like "Brown Shirt."

And at least a news story finally refs the SNL source:

The governor lifted the term from a long-running "Saturday Night Live" skit in which two pompous, Schwarzenegger-worshipping weightlifters repeatedly use it to mock those who don't meet their standards of physical perfection.

And, of course, the victims of this joke appear to be legion:

Democrats said Schwarzenegger's remarks were insulting to women and gays and distracted from budget negotiations. State Sen. Sheila Kuehl said the governor had resorted to "blatant homophobia."

All I can say is that Ms. Kuehl may or may not be a girlie girl, she is clearly sense of humor deprived.