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?
Thanks for the positive spirit. I wish we could just poll FR and ask people who they want to win, instead of who they think they have to support. This campaign is just getting started! And besides, if you took a poll of us McClintock supporters, you'd find all kinds of Californians. I've argued with everyone on this addressee list except RR about something or another and I think McClintock is a great candidate.
For one thing, McClintock is respected as being confident in his convictions. He will stick to what he believes when others would waver in fear. And he knows our state. We really need to get simple here, that's been the problem all along! Complicated politics are only necessary if one has no faith in the American dream.
I think the machinery is underestimating how deep the desire for cutting budgets and getting back to the basics is in California. I think there's a traditional kind of Bear Flag Revolt patriotism afoot, as well. McClintock has the real goods there.
I've been an Arnold Schwarzenegger film fan since I can remember. (I think the cartoonish and simple "Conan philosophy" is oustanding!) I also like his dedication and drive. But I think Arnold could learn something about being a loyal Californian from Tom McClintock. We should all admit that we like Tom and see what the results are! Because I think most people on FR do. Wouldn't it be interesting to the voters of California to learn that about us?
It is 'settled law' I (at least so you claim) only because people are dumb or immoral enough to give political support to politicians similiar to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
No, it is settled law because jurists unanimously agree that it is. It is settled law because it is supported by 30 years of ruling after ruling that all reinforce each other, solidifying it in a web of case law. The longer it stands and the more supporting rulings, the more hardened it becomes. Justices are loathe to overturn established precident. It is all but impossible for it to be successfully overturned by now.
It's time to come to grips with the harsh reality of it.
You do know that politicians choose judges, right?
Yes, I am aware that politicians choose judges. Are you aware that the California Supreme Court cannot overturn the US Supreme Court?
By the way, if it is so 'settled', why are the Democrats beside themselves over judicial appointments?
Because it is a red herring. They just don't like judges that they can't buy off.
I agree in our unalienable right to keep and bear arms, but I also support wait periods, background checks and forbidding the sale of machine guns. I am with you on "gun control" having become un-Constitutionally restrictive in many areas and believe every citizen should be allowed to own guns if they have no criminal record.
If Schwarzenegger does want to restrict gun ownership even further, can you tell me in what manner he proposes to do that? And as for how I can "support such a politician", I don't define Republicans by just a small selection of issues out of the hundreds addressed by the GOP platform. I also believe in long-term political strategy and conservatives consistently putting forward the MOST right-wing candidate that a given population is ready to elect. Whether we like it or not, the Democrats, Greens, progressives, socialists, communists, and anarchists all have the right to vote. Lower the high numbers of those voters in California through educating the public and we can slowly pull the state further to the right :-) In the meantime, we have to allow candidates that appeal to the center in order to make any conservative progress at all.
Complete and utter b*******. You wouldn't know anyway. You don't live here. That's my point. You are entitled to your opinion but your opinion is flat out wrong.
I'm crushed. But, I'd support Arnold anyhow....the only somewhat alternative that can WIN.
a) an Arnold groupie/campaign worker
b)a minion of Bush/Parsky/Rove who are bent on destroying this state
c)another poster who decided to take a second screenname to harass McClintock supporters
d)all of the above
I'm not buying the schtick about thinking long and hard and choosing Arnold. We don't know a damn thing about his platform which Riordan is deciding at the moment. Thus far, no sale.
McClintock kicked a** as usual on Greta tonight.
This election is just getting started. It is not over by any stretch. Arnold's "base" is hardly reliable. A good percentage is star struck and will be lucky to figure out how to register to vote let alone find their polling place and vote. Second, Arnie's numbers can only go down once thinking voters realize he is all style and no substance. The one-liners and media manipulation are getting old already.
Current stats put Dems at 45% of registered voters and Republicans at 35% of registered voters. That does not factor in rampant voter fraud estimated between 5-30% in all areas of the state and closes that 10% gap an unknown amount. We cannot do anything about that in this election, let alone know whether anyone will ever do anything about it, but Republicans are more reliable voters than Dems.
The Dems are worked up because 58 days just isn't enough time to energize the fraud base. That takes time and money. As for the Arnold groupies, since you all insist McClintock doesn't have a chance and will be no factor in this race, why are you all working so frantically to destroy him?
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