If at some point I'm persuaded otherwise, I'll apologize.
Posted on 08/12/2003 9:52:14 AM PDT by DrMartinVonNostrand
I have slowly come to the conclusion that California needs Arnold. Republicans need Arnold, and above all, California Republicans need Arnold.
I had been leaning towards McClintock, and I must admit, I made that decision before Arnold threw his hat into the ring. I welcomed the move when he did, but I still had reservations. I had gotten pretty excited over McClintock's vision, particularly his desire to void the Davis energy contracts and his general desire to stick it to the Democrats. I was also justifiably concerned at first about Arnold's talk of handing the treasury over to "the children".
But one has to be able to discern politics from policy. Everyone who wants to win elective office has to pay lipservice to "the children". It is the national passtime of politicians. I think when Arnold says "the children should have the first call of state Treasury" it is followed by an unspoken qualifier of "before illegal immigrants, welfare recipients, and special interests." He is simply putting forth his priorities, and they lay in stark contrast to Gray Davis and Cruz Bustamante's. He is quite savvy, so he isn't going to come out and say it in those words. He knows highlighting what is his priorities gets much better press than highlighting what isn't. He wants to reassure the soccer moms who have been frightened by Davis' threats of cutting funding to schools that he will be looking elsewhere to cut.
Arnold is very mindful of the hurdles he faces by running as a Republican in such a liberal state, so he will take extra measures to make traditional Democratic voters feel comfortable voting for him. It is what he has to do right now if he wants to win, and it seems to be working brilliantly.
Some conservatives will argue against Schwarzenegger because he opposed the impeachment of Bill Clinton. But Arnold understood the articles of impeachment that were brought were a pretty weak justification. Right or wrong, they were too easily construed as a right-wing lynching. He recognized it as too divisive and knew it could only further poison the political atmosphere and ultimately damage the Republican party.
Perhaps if Ken Starr had the convictions to pursue the serious matters of Whitewater, Chinagate, Filegate, or the murder of Vincent Foster, then Arnold would have seen it differently, just as the rest of America would have. But clearly Starr had no will to do so. It's hard to understand why, but perhaps he didn't want to expose that level of corruption in the highest office out of the long-term best interest of the American political system. Exposing Clinton's ties to the Dixieland mafia and Red China could have brought the entire government to its knees. It would have been a short-term victory for Republicans, but just as Nixon understood when he covered for Kennedy and Johnson over the Pentagon Papers, the long-term damage to the nation as a whole would have been far too great. Anyways, had Clinton actually been removed from office as a lame duck on those flimsy charges, we would have a President Gore in office right now. Arnold knew, just as everyone else did, that this was not going to happen considering it required a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Surely he understood that impeachment was a lose-lose proposition for Republicans so it was a mistake to go down that road. It was important for him to remain above it all for the sake of his own political future.
Some will argue that what we need right now is someone sort of financial wizard to fix the budget, and Arnold just doesn't qualify. But the truth is we really only need someone who can admit that Gray Davis has made some huge mistakes. Anyone but Gray Davis will do.
I hate to admit it, but the whole budget crisis is being about as overplayed for political reasons as the federal deficit in the '90s was (and is again). When it comes down to brass tacks, I think even the Democrats will bite the bullet and fix it. Yes, I know you're cringing, I am too, but it's the truth. The issue here isn't that the Democrats are incapable or even unwilling to fixing the budget. It's merely about how they want to fix it: the usual liberal approach of skyrocketing taxes. Either way, California isn't going to drop into the ocean or become a third world nation.
As far as Arnold not being a "social conservative", neither am I, and neither is California. A social conservative is not going to win a statewide election here for a long time to come. I fit in more along the lines of a fiscal conservative, just as Arnold is, and a "Constitutional conservative" with libertarian tendencies. Piety is not a prerequisite for my support, and too much of it may even lose it. I don't begrudge anyone their religious beliefs, but I do belive strongly in Jefferson's "wall of seperation between church and state". I also believe in strict interpritation of the First Ammendment, and that freedom of religion also entails freedom from religion. I realize those of you in the religious-right do not agree because this doesn't reinforce your personal religious beliefs, but not everything should be about our own personal whims and narrow agendas. Defending our own freedom as individuals must always be a higher objective. Otherwise it may be you they come for next. The Constitution protects everyone, or it protects no one. I think there are a lot of people on both extremes who forget that sometimes.
Even though some will say for these various reasons that Schwarzenegger is not the ideal conservative candidate, it is important for everyone to be pragmatic and pick their battles wisely. Right now we should be looking at long-term goals. An expedient victory in the recall of a conservative candidate by a 20 percent plurality is going to be counterproductive in the long-term. What are you going to do when Bill Simon is elected and the drive to recall him begins October 8th and qualifies three weeks later?
Electing Arnold, who can come to office with a true mandate and bring California together, will pay off big in the perception wars. Conservatives will never get their agenda anywhere in California as long as it is taboo to even vote for Republicans here. The longer Democrats have a complete lock on the state, the further left we will drift. Even if Arnold can't change the course right away, he can at least slow the momentum.
Personally, my goal is the destruction of the Democratic party and the liberal agenda far more than it is advancing any conservative single-issue. I have far more hate for left-wing Democrats than I have love for right-wing Republicans. I would be happy simply with a return to sanity at this point.
You can't walk a mile until you take the first step. For right now we all need to be concentrating on the jouney one step at a time or we will never reach the final destination. You have to at least open the door, which is now closed and locked here. It seems like a lot of right-wingers around here would rather rant and rave and pound on the door in futility than grab it by the handle.
I think I've finally figured that one out. For the death-before-electibility crowd, it's not about advancing their cause on earth, it's about earning a place in heaven.
As for the rest of us, we have to make a decision: do we want a small victory, or a huge defeat?
The real fun hasn't even begun yet. Wait until nexts years GOP "platform" fight in regards to abortion. Ought to be a real neocon/paleocon doozy!
I understand that in California, the "right" to an abortion is written in the constitution and that no governor really has the power to overturn it by executive fiat. However, the office of Governor, as well as being an executive position, is also an educating position. We need to back a governor who will use the bully pulpit to influence pro-life thought in the state. Else, we will continually cede the pro-abortion argument to the left.
California is pro-abortion, in part, because of you "pragmatic" Republicans who keep arguing that we have pacify the left. And now, with a jewel of an opportunity to back a pro-lifer, Tom McClintock, you are squandering it on a RINO. I'm ashamed.
Let Arnold pave the way, and let the true conservatives follow in his wake. Steering the "ship of state" is a slow and steady process -- make dramatic moves now but see the results later.
-PJ
Arnold's candidacy has been in the collective concious since before the recall even started. There was even a cover story in Vanity Fair was a few months ago about Arnold being the next Governor of California. So it is really disingenuous to insinuate that he just popped up out of nowhere 2 weeks ago. Just as it is disingenuous to insinuate as I gave my very first thoughts to politics the day I joined this forum.
The whole reason why I am behind Arnold now is only in part due to his impressive popularity. The main reason is because he is the only Republican who will not do harm to Republicans by winning.
These ideas that Arnold may dilute the pool coming from the "true conservatives" is nonsense. I'd rather have "RINOs" voting for Republicans than have them as Democrats voting against them. Period. And besides, the religious-right could use a little counter-balance anyways.
Maybe then some of the electable candidates could make it out of the Republican primaries.
Totally Agree. The California GOP is starstruck over Arnold. Instead of doing the right thing and supporting a true Republican, one who can indeed beat Bustamonte, they are taking the easy way out. Going for the easy win. It's lazy, and its disgusting. I have never in my life been so ashamed to be a California Republican.
If at some point I'm persuaded otherwise, I'll apologize.
Oh please. Arnold is no Giuliani.
And before you scold me, remember that I'm the premier PC liberal pro-babykilling, gun banning, boot licking RINO on this board (who has been as enthusiastic about Arnold as anyone could be).
San Francisco and Los Angeles are Democrat strongholds. But the state really is 50/50. Remember, we had 8 years of Deukmajian and 8 years of Pete Wilson. Also we had 8 years of Ronald Reagan. (moment of silence). The Republicans can once again ascend to leadership of California, but not by alienating the base like the country-club-patrician-pragmatist Republicans are wont to do.
The big picture is the 2004 presidential election. A Republican Governor will be an asset.
Can you say SHRILLARY SHUT OUT....be still my heart
Its the BIG Picture here
Democrats 45%It's also worth mentioning that California Democrats are probably the most liberal Democrats west of the Mississippi;
Republicans 35%
Independents 15%
Other (Greens, Libertarians, etc) 5%
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