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President and Governor Strengthen Relationship
New York Times ^ | 10/26/7 | SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Posted on 10/25/2007 7:24:08 PM PDT by SmithL

ESCONDIDO, Calif., Oct. 25 — One is the most powerful Republican in the country. The other is among the most popular. But it took an inferno in Southern California to thaw the ice between President Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It is no secret in California or Washington that the two have never been buddy-buddy, dating back to when Mr. Schwarzenegger was a top fitness adviser to Mr. Bush’s father. Mr. Bush thought little of Mr. Schwarzenegger’s first bid for governor and did not endorse him.

Mr. Schwarzenegger has taken jabs at the president on such issues as climate change, stem cell research and Republican fund-raising. Though he campaigned for Mr. Bush’s re-election in 2004 in the important swing state of Ohio, Mr. Schwarzenegger snubbed Mr. Bush last year, refusing to appear with him at the Reagan Presidential Library.

“Not hanging-out pals,” Mr. Schwarzenegger once said, describing their relationship.

But they have, for the moment, become political allies. With wildfires blazing across the southern part of the California, Mr. Bush made a quick visit here Thursday, viewing the scarred landscape by helicopter, delivering a pep talk to emergency responders and promising Californians, “We’re not going to forget you in Washington, D.C.”

Mr. Schwarzenegger was there every step of the way, from the moment Mr. Bush stepped off Air Force One, where they clapped one another on the shoulder like football teammates, through the canyon neighborhood of Rancho Bernardo, where they picked their way through charred ruins. There, they stood on a hillside, Mr. Bush’s arm draped around a woman whose home had been leveled, and lavished each another with praise.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: arnieforprez; bashthegoodguys; bush; californiaburning; doomandgloom; hysteria; presidentbush; schwarzenegger; wildfires

1 posted on 10/25/2007 7:24:08 PM PDT by SmithL
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To: SmithL

If they could both leave office in January 2009, it’d be fine by me.. ;-)


2 posted on 10/25/2007 7:31:05 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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To: SmithL

The girly-man of politics and faux-conservative have struck up a friendship.

Who would have guessed?


3 posted on 10/25/2007 7:33:45 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
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To: SoConPubbie
What they both did in the PR game today, strengthened our Party nationally and embarrassed both boxer and the dim LT. Governor badly... something we can use as much of as we can muster... but please... carry on.

LLS

4 posted on 10/25/2007 7:38:21 PM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Support America, Kill terrorists, Destroy dims!)
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To: NormsRevenge

Well not quite. Actually, Arnold is the only guy who can take out Boxer. Waffling sometimes or not, that is worth my vote. Boxer is part of the Anti-Christ world system.LOL


5 posted on 10/25/2007 7:49:06 PM PDT by phillyfanatic
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To: phillyfanatic

Are you registered as a Republican in California today? just curious.

not much of a choice or difference if they both take ya over the cliff, jmo.


6 posted on 10/25/2007 7:51:36 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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To: NormsRevenge

“If they could both leave office in January 2009, it’d be fine by me.. ;-)”

On the contrary, if two Republicans can play nice together and make the lefties out to be whack jobs, maybe some Congressman from California can win the primary there.

Duncan Hunter to the green room please.


7 posted on 10/25/2007 8:17:59 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz
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To: EQAndyBuzz

if two Republicans can play nice together and make the lefties out to be whack jobs

..

That would take one heck of a PR effort... and ‘playing nice’ is only gonna work until the President is out of earshot with this loon of a leftie. he isn’t the solution, he is part of the problem. jmo.


8 posted on 10/25/2007 8:22:05 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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To: EQAndyBuzz

and you really think the Gub would endorse Duncan? lolol


9 posted on 10/25/2007 8:22:38 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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To: SmithL

On this issue it was inevitable that they would find common ground. I don’t know if anyone heard the clip of Arnold going off on a reporter who was trying to get him to “Do a Blanco” but Arnold was not about to start whining and blaming the feds.

Ethics aside, to blame the administration would be to label himself incompetent and helpless and he has hardly been that. Furthermore, as the article makes plain, the best way of getting aid bucks out of the feds is to make nice with them. Politics 101?

Even Skeletor can’t order him to cut his own throat.


10 posted on 10/25/2007 8:26:03 PM PDT by sinanju
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To: NormsRevenge

The Arnie for Prez fan club is rekindling.

I saw talking heads rah-rah-ing for him because he looked so “presidential” and saying we should do away with the citizenship reqmt.

Arnold in the Senate? God help us!

Send him back to Austria.


11 posted on 10/25/2007 8:28:11 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: SmithL

Why am I not surprised?


12 posted on 10/25/2007 8:34:23 PM PDT by BnBlFlag (Deo Vindice/Semper Fidelis "Ya gotta saddle up your boys; Ya gotta draw a hard line")
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To: SmithL

I really liked that all-star press conference yesterday. Arnold had all the top officials lined up, singing each other’s praises in a show of professional collegiality.

I also heard Lt. Governor Garamendi praising the FEMA response and wondered how long it will be before he will be able to sit comfortably after whatever going-over Arnold must have given him in his “smoking-tent.”


13 posted on 10/25/2007 8:35:40 PM PDT by sinanju
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To: calcowgirl
Send him back to Austria.

Yes, after all, he hired all those Blackwater people and they started the fires...

14 posted on 10/25/2007 8:38:32 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
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To: NormsRevenge

“and you really think the Gub would endorse Duncan? lolol”

No I don’t. I think the people of California will after learning what a bunch of lunatics were saying on the 5 o’clock news about this fire.

Moderates are starting to wake up.


15 posted on 10/25/2007 8:39:21 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz
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To: EQAndyBuzz

I think the people of California will after learning what a bunch of lunatics were saying on the 5 o’clock news about this fire.

Moderates are starting to wake up.

I flirt with that idea occasionally... that folks like the ‘moderate’ and indies will wake up... so egregious will the behaviour of the left be perceived. but then considering the educational institutions that produced a lot of them, I am the one who wakes up, as do many here, to bear witness to a continued slide downhill as a state and a nation.. and the great many who don’t seem to care, no matter how passionate the proof or solid the evidence that the path we are on only leads to ruin.


16 posted on 10/25/2007 9:10:27 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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To: La Enchiladita
Yes, after all, he hired all those Blackwater people and they started the fires...

Huh?

He did a decent job with the fires. But I take offense to the folks trying to tout him as a great Republican Senator--the Senate being a place where he can take his whacked out Kennedy agenda and continue on with the Schwarzen-bulldozer, advancing leftist policies while calling it "post partisanship" and destroying the Republican Party at the same time. I can't imagine that you are actually happy about the condition of this state--our fiscal affairs are much worse than before he came in office despite an economic boom. He has championed Al Gore and the UN's environmental policies along with leading the charge into the economically destructive Global Warming regulation. His socialist land-use crowd is the death knell of private property rights. He's appointed leftists to high posts and judgships. He has accepted almost every whacked out piece of legislation advancing the homosexual agenda. Our deficits have grown while doubling the debt. (Do I really need to go on?).

As to the fire, there is much debate on who did what, right and wrong, during these fires. Now is not the time for that. Once the ashes are washed away, and the barrage of photo-ops and press conferences subside, I suspect we will find that government did many things right, some wrong, and lots of things to improve upon. That is to be expected in any catastrophe. Overall, California will come out looking pretty good. Your Blackwater comment is insulting--I made no allegations of any kind about Blackwater or the fires.

17 posted on 10/25/2007 9:37:20 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: calcowgirl

One thing at a time. Right now, Arnie’s doing a great job as our Governor in this crisis.

I’m not the one debating “blame,” I’m not into it. But I think it’s unproductive to say “Send him back to Austria” at this point. There’s no reason at all for that. He’s proud to be an American, and you’d also have to find a replacement for him.

I don’t believe much, if anything, has been done wrong re the response to the fires, so there’s no debate in my mind.


18 posted on 10/25/2007 9:51:59 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
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To: La Enchiladita
I’m not the one debating “blame,” I’m not into it.

Nor am I. But you attacked me anyway with your Blackwater comment.

But I think it’s unproductive to say “Send him back to Austria” at this point. There’s no reason at all for that. He’s proud to be an American, and you’d also have to find a replacement for him.

My suggestion was that he go back to Austria as opposed to having him be a California Senator or President of the United States. I see the latter two as a great threat.

I don’t believe much, if anything, has been done wrong re the response to the fires, so there’s no debate in my mind.

There have been many articles and statements made. We'll leave that for a later time.

19 posted on 10/25/2007 10:16:16 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: NormsRevenge

I know where you are coming from. At times I feel the same way. However, I now believe that the left have fallen into the abyss and only an MSM that has openly come out to support them are fighting desperately to hold the party together.

Then I see their falling advertising dollars and viewership and I feel happy.


20 posted on 10/26/2007 5:27:11 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz
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To: NormsRevenge

Yep one the few left my friend. My wife and two daughters too. We have one guy that we can support: Dana Rohrbacher. That is about it. I go with the Pubs in all the offices because the Dems now outpoll us by almost 2-1. The Leg. is so weird, so homosexual friendly , so tax crazy, so pro-illegal immigrant that one wonders just what Third World nation we are living in!


21 posted on 10/26/2007 8:23:52 AM PDT by phillyfanatic
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To: EQAndyBuzz; phillyfanatic

Strange things can happen, it is those who are faithful who more oft than not are rewarded in the end.

The bottom will drop out of the Golden Goo$e egg basket soon enough here. It’s inevitable. That alone may change quite a few folks voting tendencies. (OK, a guy can still dream) But Hey.. I don’t particularly feel like returning to my home state either. Minnesota is one of the most social welfare driven states in the country.

It’s not a pretty sight in either case, but still both were and are still great places to grow up and raise families and definitely worth fighting for.


22 posted on 10/26/2007 7:19:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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To: NormsRevenge

Very good points. Yet even Minn. has Tim and sometimes Norm, when he isn’t trying to act as a moderate or something. Even NJ,. the most corrupt state in the Union has S. Jersey where some Pubs live. Ca. has SD and Orange Co. where some Pubs reign. But, over all, every candidate faces a national electorate and only by stringing some 273-4 electoral votes in some configuration where the Leftists can be defeated. Now it appears that the race is down to Mitt and Rudy so we shall see.


23 posted on 10/27/2007 1:20:43 PM PDT by phillyfanatic
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To: phillyfanatic

The clock is ticking, it’s a long way to November ‘08..

Here’s to a Dark Horse with a flourish to the finish line.

There are more Republicans then ever, if they would re-register and be enticed to sign on the GOp haywagon ‘cuz it’s a lot less likely to get ya in the back in the end.

Unfortunately, like it or not, the GOp needs a new set of bearings on the old wheels, not sure either Mitt or Rudy will deliver as promised anymore than mccain or even FRed, for that matter. I guess that makes me cynical ,, at least of what the party has to offer as it is today.. I would prefer it worked as hard to elect conservatives as it has moderates the last years, but that’s just me. oh well, party on! ;-) ...


24 posted on 10/27/2007 6:06:12 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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