Arnie Nixes Gay Marriage

California's governor vetoes a bill supporting gay marriage

It took 20 months of wheedling and browbeating to get the California legislature to pass a pioneering bill authorizing gay marriage. But Arnold Schwarzenegger took less than 24 hours to decide to veto it. The reason? Pure politics, say both critics and supporters of the non-girlie-man Governor. "He didn't even let the bill get to his desk before announcing the veto," says Mark Leno, the openly gay state assemblyman who was the main backer. "He is pandering to the far right." Indeed, with the Governor's popularity rating down to 36% and Democrats alienated by his attacks on public-service unions, Schwarzenegger is...

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