Governor Rino has star power for some in the GOP, but he holds no influence over conservative Republican's. He's a social liberal. His liberal agenda for California is the antithesis of the conservative movement and the base of the GOP.
Arnold is not a "social liberal".
He's what I would consider a social moderate.
A social moderate tolerates the gay pride parade. A social liberal joins in.
I'm proud of my governor.
I would respectfully suggest that it doesn't matter that Ah-Nold has no influence over conservative Republicans. I diubt very seriesly that conservative Republicans will do anything other than strongly support Bush-Cheney and defeat Kerry and the 'Rats.
What DOES matter is that Ah-Nold can help bring in voters for Bush-Cheney that aren't conservative Republicans.
It is critical to win, but we need to give Dubya a mandate and also add more Senators. Ah-Nold will cause many people to watch the convention and will be able to make it easier for many fence-sitters to vote R instead of D. I also very strongly believe that he will "pump up" the convention and the delegates.
He should be Keynote Speaker.
The domestic battleground in the next four years will center on the Courts, especially SCOTUS. Dubya must win, or we're screwed. We also need more Senators, or we can't break the filibusters. Ah-Nold, McCain, Giuliani, Zell Miller, Ed Koch, even Joe Lieberman -- I want to try and get everyone we can to back Dubya and win in November. We can't afford to have Kerry losing the War on Terror and nominating kangaroos to SCOTUS. WE MUST WIN!!
Bush already has the base sewn up. Arnold will appeal to more moderate Republicans and, most importantly, swing voters. In fact, that's exactly how he won here in mostly Democrat California.
Have Arnold speak!
.....but he holds no influence over conservative Republican's......
There's much more than conservative Republicans. A less than pure as the driven snow conservative delivering an oratorical masterpiece with an Austriam accent can be exceedingly powerful.
Arnold offers a solution. He offers hope. He offers reality beyond everyday drudgery. He can paint blue sky and sunshine over the gloom and cloudy week that will be the Rat convention.
The people in the middle don't have the intellectual capacity to be conservative, all they want is to feel good. perhaps that is Arnold'd task and destiny.