SACREMENTO, Calif., March 21 (UPI) -- Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's no toady for conservative talking heads such as Rush Limbaugh.
Schwarzenegger appeared on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday where he was pressed about criticism he's been getting from the conservative right, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
"All irrelevant. Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant. I am not his servant," Schwarzenegger said, adding that he's "the people's servant."
Limbaugh retaliated on his radio show, charging that Schwarzenegger has sold out his Republican values after being unable to win over his constituents.
"If he had the leadership skills to articulate conservative principles and win over the public as (former President) Reagan did, then he would have stayed conservative," Limbaugh said. Schwarzenegger, he said, has not compromised on issues but capitulated to Democratic state lawmakers.
The governor has been frowned upon by some Republicans who see his support of stem-cell research, mandatory curbs on carbon dioxide emissions and universal healthcare as a betrayal of GOP values.
Aaron McLear, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger, said the governor's comments were "not an attack on Rush Limbaugh personally." Rather, he was saying that criticisms from the right is "irrelevant to what he's trying to accomplish here in California."
