Appearing on Real Time with Bill Maher, Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered a message about bridging America’s deep political divide. During the conversation, he urged leaders from both parties to focus less on partisanship and more on preserving democracy.
The former California governor, notably the last Republican elected statewide in the heavily Democratic state, framed his remarks around what he described as a practical roadmap for cooperation.
“I’m not a political hack. I don’t serve the party. I always serve the people,” Schwarzenegger said. “We cannot undo something and rip away the power that the people in California have and give it back to the politicians. We fou ght that for too long. Let us be a good example.”
From the outset, Schwarzenegger made it clear that his focus was not on scoring political points but on what he repeatedly called “saving democracy.”
“We’re talking here about saving democracy,” he said in the interview, before outlining what he dubbed the “Save Democracy Act.” It is a three-part proposal designed to appeal to both Republicans and Democrats.
His first suggestion was making Election Day a national holiday. “So that everyone has time to go out and go to the election,” he explained, drawing applause from the studio audience.
When Maher pointed out that Democrats support this while Republicans oppose it, Schwarzenegger pressed forward with his second point: fair redistricting.
“You have to have independent redistricting commission in each state all over the United States,” he said.
His third proposal was voter ID requirements. “So that when you go and vote, people should know that you are that person,” Schwarzenegger stated.
Schwarzenegger tied his ideas to his European upbringing, suggesting that some of these policies are standard practice abroad.
“I come from Europe. I’m giving you just ideas, not that I created these ideas , those are things that are happening in Europe and have happened for centuries,” he said.
Rather than framing politics as a zero-sum battle, Schwarzenegger argued for negotiation and performance. “If we take those three things, there’s something that the Republicans like, there’s something that the Democrats like. Get together and solve this problem,” he urged.
He even extended that logic to energy policy, suggesting Republicans could secure expanded nuclear power while Democrats advance renewable energy initiatives.
“And all of a sudden, we have 80 percent of energy, clean energy, in America,” he said.
Schwarzenegger closed his statement with a plea for civility in American politics. “We have to go talk to each other rather than hat ing each other,” he said. “Talk to each other because that’s what the people want, and that’s what the people need.”
