Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t lie. He was back.
The former Mr. Universe, star of “Conan the Barbarian,” “The Terminator” and devout Republican swept on stage and whipped the crowd into a cheering frenzy.
And this was before he even started speaking.
If anyone in the audience doubted Schwarzenegger was an action star who wouldn’t have anything real to say, they may have been surprised.
Schwarzenegger spoke on major issues, including the Special Olympics, after-school programs and taking pride in being an American. He started off by speaking about the business conference itself.
“We have the most extraordinary speakers. So many political leaders, business leaders, sports leaders and others that are extraordinary, so I actually could feel a little bit intimidated speaking after all these guys.
“But then I say to myself, `Hey, who of these guys ever had 22-inch biceps, or who made it in the Guinness Book of World Records twice, once for having the best developed body, and another one for having the worst American accent?'”
Schwarzenegger spoke of growing up in post-World War II Austria, watching American movies and dreaming of coming here.
“(I said) I got to be a part of this country. This is the greatest place, I want to be there.”
Now having lived here for 33 years, he spoke of some of the things he has been wrong about.
“I thought that if you were rich and famous it was greatness. I said to myself, `Hey, if you got the cars, the chicks, and the money, you’ve made it, you’re home free.’ ”
His opinion changed after he was introduced to working with mentally handicapped children in a weight- lifting program at the University of Wisconsin. One child overcame his fear and flourished. This caused Schwarzenegger to experience a change in attitude that led him to help the Special Olympics.
“I couldn’t understand why I was so happy about that because it was a real eye-opener for me when I saw that kid go from terror to to full self-confidence in just one short session.”
He became a Republican after hearing President Nixon speak of less government, lower taxes and international trade. He joked about his political differences with his Democrat wife, Maria Shriver.
“Now, I can already hear some people saying, `Well wait a minute, maybe Arnold’s not a Republican anymore, maybe he’s moving toward the left.’ … Imagine sleeping every night with a Democrat, what that is like?”
However, he believes in time of need, there shouldn’t be a battle between the two parties.
“I was dead wrong to see things as them vs. us or us vs. them. After the tragedy in New York ,the political parties came together. It is extraordinary how this country has come together to help, that we (should) continue to do that in the future.”