Scenes From Schwarzenfornia

I spent some time over at Arnold's Santa Monica campaign HQ Saturday, to watch spokesman Sean Walsh perform the gruesome task of questioning the credibility of two gropees, evading several questions about whether Schwarzenegger would confirm or deny pawing women, and changing the subject to the Democrats' "coordinated smear campaign" and the L.A. Times' "irresponsible journalism."

The more entertaining action was taking place outside, where 10 or so pro-Arnold demonstrators shouted across 4th Street to five persistently angry protestors, who were holding signs saying such things as, "Hey Arnie -- This Jew Lives," while shouting "Sex Crime!" and "The Nazis are here!" and "Arnold gropes women!" At one point, an attractive young subcontinental-looking woman walked past the old screaming hippies. "Would you please grab her?" one pro-Arnold man pleaded. "She'd probably like it!"

Some pedestrians walking on the Schwarzenegger side hurled a few obscenities at the people holding "Join Arnold" posters. "Up yours!!" yelled one diminutive recall enthusiast, who couldn't have been older than 12. A middle-aged female reporter for Le Monde chewed the kid out for being "so rude." A European Arnold supporter standing next to the boy cried out, to no one in particular, "She's a socialist! She has no right to provoke!"

A soccer mom in an SUV waiting for the light to change gave the Arnold side a few choice words about groping. A Schwarzensupporter approached the open back-seat window, where an alarmed-looking eight-year-old girl sat. "It's better than having sex in the White House!" he bellowed at the child, before the window was rolled up.