Governor makes time for big donors

NEW YORK - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had a long list of elected officials to recognize as he began his remarks Thursday to the California delegation of the Republican National Convention.
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"I want to thank also Allan Zaremberg ... he's one of the sponsors of this event," Schwarzenegger said. "He's contributed some great money; he's been a great friend. So let's give him a big hand."
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But Zaremberg, for instance, is president of the California Chamber of Commerce, a group with much at stake in many of the bills Schwarzenegger will sign or veto. The chamber, which broke a 112-year tradition of not endorsing candidates for statewide office when it backed Schwarzenegger in last year's recall campaign, also helped him out this week by picking up a portion of the tab for convention parties, including Thursday's gathering.

"I have nothing against them sponsoring this event," Schwarzenegger told reporters later. "I've nothing against them contributing money. What I am against and what I campaigned for is that special interests should not have an influence on our Capitol and that they should not buy their way in. You can accept money, but don't return favors for them. Don't have someone say, 'Look I gave you this amount of money, there's a bill coming up, you've got to help me.' Those are the things I'm against."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/ca/story/10610723p-11529434c.html

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