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 ...
[believes in expanding such things as gay rights and expanding or mean thinning one’s promoting abortions should not be welcome in the Republican party period.]
Yes, but the GOP has and does all these foolish things and so again I say, it is time for a new conservative party for conservatives only that puts only proven conservative candidates at the head and let the rino GOP die out.
Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are speakers at the next CPAC, and both men are still supported by too many conservatives, even on conservative blogs such as FR. Now, how are even conservatives going to successfully change their ways for both the short-term and long-term, if they still continue to seriously support “fake” conservatives like Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee among many other RINOs at every political level?
“It’s a position that’s pitting some Republican moderates - including Schwarzenegger”
The man is NOT a moderate Republican or anything else, he may be even to the left of the man that he replaced. He is as liberal as they come on every important issue that has come up since he has been in office.
Nancy Johnson can go straight to you know where. She was worse than Shays.
Whitman can take ‘It’s My Party Too’ and stick it.
The New Majority did more to destroy than advance a conservative agenda since it’s inception in the late 90’s.
The RMSP is a front for moderates (and Mavericks) masquerading as Pubbies. aRnold is a moderate wuss.
Blame the backbone of the nation for the brain going soft.
Geeesh.
Good riddance to all of them.
LMAO! Lamar lost at least one vote by being a RINO. Collins and King at least have an excuse of being from less than GOP areas. TN increased it’s Republican vote share! And in 2006 their best candidate couldn’t beat a weak Lamar clone under the most favorable conditions.
More RINOs=more losing.
These are the people who do not fight on all fronts in conservatism. To them, conservatism is lower taxes, smaller government, and individual liberty. The last of these trumps any concerns which social conservatives have about abortion, gay “marriage”, and so on. They do not fight on the cultural front. I think this split has been going on since Regan left office, and over the past twenty years, we have seen the slow and haphazard retreat of the social conservative movement. Now, the economy pushed the election to the Democrats, and they set the agenda; those politicians in the Republican camp are willing to surrender on the social issues. Where does that leave us as social conservatives?
SAN FRANCISCO Dittos! I read the article this morning. Not worth reading or taking seriously. Let’s not react to this button-pushing.
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