GOP has star-power dilemma: How will party use Schwarzenegger? [Kerry vs. Arnold?]

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | June 19, 2004 | Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

[RonDog]

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GOP has star-power dilemma
How will party use Schwarzenegger?
- Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Friday, June 18, 2004

With less than three months to go before the Republican National Convention in New York City, a prime-time cliffhanger is in the works over whether the Bush camp will use it or lose it -- the megawatt influence and star power of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Among the most sensitive issues is whether Schwarzenegger, a GOP marquee name, will be given a prized prime-time speaking spot at the party's presidential convention August 30-Sept. 2 at Madison Square Garden.

On the pro side: As the party's star actor, Schwarzenegger would get worldwide attention, and -- to the delight of networks -- draw millions of potential viewers to the now scripted-for-television political convention.

On the con side: The White House worries about lavishing too much attention on one Republican elected official who has shown an uncanny ability to upstage the party's star, Bush himself. A prominent role for Schwarzenegger also could anger the Republican right wing, which opposes his social views on such issues as abortion and same-sex marriage.

Ken Mehlman, campaign manager for Bush-Cheney '04, in an interview with The Chronicle, made no commitment on the specific role the Bush team expects the California governor to play, saying only that Schwarzenegger "is one of the great leaders of our party.''

Asked about talk that the White House is worried Schwarzenegger might outshine Bush at the convention, Mehlman downplayed the matter, suggesting that Schwarzenegger is one of many stars in the GOP...

[counterpunch]

I'm sorry that your vote for McClintock wasn't sufficient enough to split the Republican vote and elect Bustamante.
Better luck next time electing a Democrat.

[BunnySlippers]

Tom McClintock was DOA. There is no way that McClintock could have won ... Arnold won in a landslide. And here's the kicker: Arnold really is the way the party is going. Like it or not, it's a fact.

[counterpunch]

Well maybe the winner would first have to have my agenda?
If Arnold doesn't represent a good deal of your agenda, then you're not a Republican.
If Bustamante is more your cup of tea, then you may be on the wrong forum...

[Samwise]

Ahem, Arnold can wind me up anytime. ;^)

[VRWCwoman]

How about forgetting him? Schwarzenegger's stance on all social issues would only hurt Bush throughout the South and the Mountain States.

[Reagan Man]

JimRob supported Tom McClintock from the get-go. Only to sell out at the last minute. That's not something to be proud of.

"McClintock sounds like he's the man who can get the job done."

33 posted on 08/19/2003 10:38:31 PM MDT by Jim RobinsonCalifornia Needs Conservatism (by Rush Limbaugh)

"... the sooner Simon and Arnold will fold up their foundering campaigns and endorse the best conservative for the job. McClintock."

104 posted on 08/19/2003 11:39:54 PM MDT by Jim RobinsonCalifornia Needs Conservatism (by Rush Limbaugh)

"Well, I'm sadly disappointed that so many people have taken it upon themselves to attack McClintock so viciously. McClintock is a fine conservative with a great record and does not deserve this abuse. I can understand that people don't think he can beat Arnold due to his money, fame, name recognition and backing by Wilson and other big name Republicans, etc, but this does not mean McClintock should have his name and reputation dragged through the mud. Whatever happens this election, we will still need conservatives like McClintock in California. Wish we had more like him."

176 posted on 09/29/2003 3:01 PM PDT by Jim Robinson

[b9]

LOL! tick-tock...brrrrrRING!!!

[Howlin]

From Hugh Hewitt:

Throughout the summer and fall of 2002, I lectured moderate and liberal Republicans and independents in California, and across the country, to put aside differences with candidates they thought too conservative and support the GOP nominees. Sometimes that meant supporting conservatives like Simon, or U.S. Senate candidates like John Thune, Norm Coleman or Jim Talent.

My point always was – and remains – that the Republican Party is the party of national security and national prosperity, and that the Democratic Party has become a captive of narrow and greedy special interests camouflaged behind class-warfare rhetoric.

You can't always get a moderate nominee, I told these centrist voters, but they needed to clearly think through which party was better positioned to govern well – and vote accordingly.

Now, a center-right Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is campaigning for the governorship in California, and many of you have declared for Tom McClintock no matter how unlikely his victory becomes. You already know he cannot win, and his poll numbers and fund-raising receipts show this.

Bill Simon's supporters also know this, but it's the McClintock voters who seem determined to take the house down with them since their man cannot win. My mail is full of angry denunciations of my sell-out status because of my endorsement of Arnold, and comment threads at FreeRepublic.com and elsewhere fairly vibrate with indignant polemics about the RINOs behind Arnold.

Having spent a half-dozen years in the Reagan administration and a dozen years defending conservative positions in the media, I find such charges amusing, not troubling, but the point is not what I think or do, but what you think and do.

You are preparing to try and elect Cruz Bustamante governor of California. You are every bit the supporter of Cruz as is the most loyal union poll worker or plaintiffs' lawyer. If you succeed, the continued collapse of the California economy under the weight of special interests will be your doing as much as it is the work of the Indian Tribes funding Cruz. Why do you think those tribes are said to be funding an independent campaign on Tom's behalf anyway?

Why do you think California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres is out and about talking up Tom as the "real conservative" in the race? The tribes and Art are playing you for suckers. They are stoking your anger at the prospect of a center-right governor as opposed to a movement conservative governor.

The question is: Will you be had? Will the matchstick men of modern politics, the Clinton gang, buy and sell you like penny stocks?


http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34189

[onyx]

Thanks for the ping, RonDog.

What do we have here? A repeat of the pre-election Arnold bashing by the same 'out of state' folks?

Governor Arnold's popularity remains at 67%.
He will be a key note speaker for POTUS
during the convention, and Arnold just may
hold enough sway to help deliver CA to GWB come November.

[Reagan Man]

The last Gallup poll right before the recall election showed McClintock beatin Bustamonte, 54% to 36%. I don't call that DOA.

>>>And here's the kicker: Arnold really is the way the party is going. Like it or not, it's a fact.

If the GOP goes liberal and stops being the party of Lincoln and Reagan, it will cease to be the dominate political party in America. So far, there's no evidence of that happening. And I wouldn't use Kalifornia as a standard for the future of the GOP.

[Cinnamon Girl]

REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER GOVERNOR REPUBLICAN SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN SCHWARZENEGGER GOVERNOR REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER...

[Tamzee]

the last Gallup poll released before the recall election, McClintock was beating Bustamonte something like 54%-36%.

Intellectually dishonest, par for the course for the Arnold bashers. Reagan Man knows very well that Davis/Bustamante/Clintons/liberal media never campaigned against McClintock and tried to push his numbers up higher for him at every opportunity. Had McClintock ever been considered a serious contender they would have hammered him and thus the recall into dust.

Even with liberal help McClintock made a poor showing... Field Poll as of October 3.

Schwarzenegger - 36%
Bustamante ------ 26%
McClintock ----- 16%

Yes on Recall -- 57%
No on Recall --- 39%

Field Poll Results Oct 3, 2003

[Miss Marple]

Found that poll yet?

[Ethrane]

WRT spending, do not forget that Bush43 is fighting a war right now, which costs boo-koo bucks.

The Republican Convention will not be held for the purpose of solidifying the conservative right vote...it will be about attracting the swing vote.

Ah-nold will help in this regard.

[asmith92008]

I fear that the Gropernator could be the Republican Clinton. He had (has?) the same women problems, including the attacks on his accusers (his campaign falsely accused an accuser of being a convicted prostitute and druggie). Also, though the media took his "I admire Hitler" talk wrong in accusing him of anti-Semitism (he is very well known and respected about his work with Simon Wiesenthal), he did say he admired Hitler's ability to gain power. Someone who seeks power for powers sake is someone to keep an eye on.

Hopefully I'm wrong and hopefully he is the great American success story looking to give back to his adopted homeland. So far he killed the car tax and the illegal drivers license bill. Hopefully, he'll get the state back on track and be content to go back to being Citizen Arnold.

[onyx]

REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER GOVERNOR REPUBLICAN SCHWARZENEGGER REPUBLICAN SCHWARZENEGGER GOVERNOR REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER

DITTO!

[Tamzee]

Don't even bother with these folks ... They're still trying to sabotage Schwarzenegger long after McClintock lost. It's a pissing contest among the purists to see who can despise Schwarzenegger the most. Some Reagan fans learned nothing from him at all and don't care about actually impacting policy as long as those pretty right-wing flags are fluttering as they careen down the canyon.

Per James Baker... Reagan knew it was better to get 80 percent of what he wanted rather that "go over the cliff with flags flying."

[Tamzee]

Still hard at work trying to keep the "conservatives" from sabotaging a Republican Governor, I see... as if you don't have enough to do battling the left LOL

[FairOpinion]

It was either Arnold or Bustamante.

And Arnold is doing pretty darn well, accomplishing what he was elected to do: shape up CA.

[counterpunch]

This isn't about Reagan or Bush or the Congress, of course.
This is about you, a self-proclaimed disciple of Reagan, breaking his own 11th Commandment and speaking ill of fellow Republican Governor Schwarzenegger.