In the process, he's ignited a battle within his own party. Posted on 12/06/2008 10:06:48 PM PST by SmithL
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposed Proposition 8, has openly hoped that courts will now overturn it and has encouraged opponents to "never give up."
In the process, he's ignited a battle within his own party.
Christian conservatives are using him as a foil, to claim that they, not the Republican governor, represent the party base.
That Schwarzenegger is "condoning street protests and supporting judicial activist scams to overturn a popularly approved state constitutional amendment approaches advocacy of anarchy," said an action alert from the Family Research Council, which urges conservatives to contact Schwarzenegger's office.
With Republicans out of power in both houses of Congress and the White House, party faithful are focusing on the future of the GOP. It's a position that's pitting some Republican moderates - including Schwarzenegger - against social conservatives.
Some GOP leaders believe the social conservatives are holding the party back. Christie Whitman, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Bush, co-wrote a Washington Post opinion piece that said the party has been held "hostage" to social conservatives. She described Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's selection as Arizona Sen. John McCain's vice presidential candidate as a "cynical sop to social fundamentalists, reinforcing the impression that they control the party, with the party's consent."
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Rep. Peter King of New York - all moderate Republicans - each won re-election in a tough year. Each has said the party needed to broaden its base. All three are under attack for saying so.
..."Republicans are in this wilderness not because they spent the last six years embracing limited government and moral values, but because the two parties were almost indistinguishable,"..."The future of the GOP depends on strong leaders who will embrace a positive message
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
So CT Whitman says that the GOP has been held hostage to social conservatives and describes the selection of Sarah Palin as a ‘cynical sop to social fundamentalists,’ reinforcing the impression that they control the party, with the party’s consent. Folks, these are fighting words. the rebuilding of the GOP started with the Chambliss landslide victory, continued tonight with 2 upset results in Louisiana and will take on a new dimension if a conservative person is chosen as the new RNC (Republican National Committee). And Arnold S opposes Proposition 8; at least the moderates have declared their intentions.
Ahnold is not a “moderate Republican” - he is a borderline liberal dim. Spending has gone up 39% since he has been gov. The state has not got 39% better, it’s gotten worse by at least that percentage. Makes me wish I had voted No on the Recall and for McClintock in part B of that ballot.
This is only part of the full reason why I seriously don’t see the conservatives successfully rebounding until, at least, sixty years later, if ever! Unless there really are a majority of voters more than willing to vote for conservatives, at every political level, all over the U.S. for the long-term and all of the motives to successfully make such a move actually happen are fully implemented, then U.S. conservatism will always remain as a political minority throughout most of the U.S. This assiduous finger pointing and fighting among RINO’s and conservatives all over the country only assures that leftists dominate U.S. politics for the long-term! Leftists have dominated Massachusetts politics for more than five decades, and all non-leftists in Massachusetts remain clueless about what to do to seriously and successfully change the one-sided leftist political landscape of Massachusetts.
Agreed.
The governor with a hard-to-spell-name is no “moderate Republican”. He is not even a Republican...
BTW, does anyone have the FULL list of who is competing to become the leader of the RNC? I know about five of them, and there are, at least, ten competing for this position.
“Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Rep. Peter King of New York”
They should join the democraps, socialist, or communist party!
Yeah... but it was so much easier to just takeover the GOP and they can do even more for the liberal agenda that way.
Rep. Connie Morella of Louisiana, Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, Rep. Greg Ganske, Rep. Joe Schwarz, Gov.Craig Benson all moderate Republicans - each defeated by Democrats in an election year favorable to Republicans. Each has said the party needed to "reach out" to Democrats more. All five defeated after failing to distinguish themselves from their Democrat rival.
Schwarz was not defeated by a Democrat. He didn’t even make it out of the 06 primary.
And I didn't even bring up all the "electable moderates" that lost in Nov. 2006 and Nov. 2008, just the ones who lost when conditions were favorable to Republicans. Someone should explain to Christie Todd Whitless that the Republicans ran nothing but so-called social "moderates" (actually liberals) incumbants throughout New England, and they were wiped out. The only one to "win" recently out there was the CONSERVATIVE Republican Governor of Rhode Island.
I'd LOVE to see Whitless try and explain that one. Guess running to the left of the Dems on abortion on demand abd gay marriage doesn't make Republicans "electable" in New England.
She and her Main Street Garbage can shove it. Snowe and Collins were re-elected too, but that’s because the Maine dems are so far left they fell off the planet.
Broadening the base does not mean thinning one’s principles. A person who believes in expanding such things as gay rights and expanding or promoting abortions should not be welcome in the Republican party period. Also big spending amnesty Republicans should also find their way to the door. What we need to do is build a coalition of the majorities who clearly opposed things like gay marriage. We’d win California if we could garner as many votes as Prop 8 got. The problem is that the GOP seems to not understand how to speak strongly on the issue.
Dat's a whole bunch of dumb to fit in three sentences.
Morella was from Maryland and had her district gerrymandered out from under her. Van Hollen hung Tom Delay around her neck and she still came very close, losing a narrow race.
Tauzin retired voluntarily.
Ganske took on Harkin for the Senate and got whipped.
Schwarz lost in the primary. His conservative replacement will be unemployed in January.
Benson was tainted by scandal after scandal.
Also, Morella was a Dem running an an R. There was nothing “republican” about her.
In short, all of these "moderates" were patting themselves on the back for being "electable" and then went nowhere, seeing their seats taken over by someone else. Benson was a particularly bad case of buyer's remorse, he won the primary over more conservative opponents and was tossed from office a mere two years later -- the first incumbent NH Governor to be denied a second term in something like 70 years or so. And despite what Martial Monk claims, Benson lost because he was a dull, uninspiring candidate who didn't rally the party's base, and his loss set off a chain reaction that caused a massive implosion of the NH GOP, and within four years all the other "electable moderates" in the state (Jeb Bradley, Charlie Bass, etc.) had all lost their seats to Democrats.
Perhaps the RINO apologists here can explain how such "electable" RINOs who parrot Democrat talking points end up losing their jobs. Shouldn't Nancy Johnson and her ilk be immune from the wrath of those middle-of-the-road soccer mommies who are out to punish the evil scary conservatives?
The Arnold is not now nor has he ever been a Republican. What people call themselves is meaningless. It is what they do that matters.
Whitman is an embarrassment to the GOP and needs to change her affiliation to RAT elite.
[Republican moderates - including Schwarzenegger - against social conservatives.]
So true, and the liberals have taken the power positions in the GOP and RNC and try to relegate the position of conservative Christians to that of the base of the left wing marxist democrats which in turn causes the wiser conservatives to not vote for politicians who are liberal left minded. The RNC and GOP are populated with the liberal left radicals that destroyed the democrat party and they are not going to give up their positions of power for anybody as liberals love power and money and are worthless for the majority of Americans, like Arnold and so many others.
We need to have conservative political candidates and the pubs refuse to support them. It would be best if true conservatives supported true conservatives and just let the rino GOP die as it deserves.
I will not waste my precious blood won conservative vote on the rino politicians the rino GOP runs anymore. If they want to be friends of the left, so be it.
[...implemented, then U.S. conservatism will always remain as a political minority throughout most of the U.S.]
It is necessary that the conservatives of the now liberal GOP abandon the barrel of rotten apples the GOP has become as the GOP will continue further left as they follow the marxist left.
It is necessary that conservatives support only conservatives and not liberal rinos as this only continues the leftward trend of the GOP who has set their course in the same path the radical marxist left democrat party has.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.