Posted on 12/18/2004 12:56:18 PM PST by yonif
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested in a German newspaper interview, that the US Republican Party should move "a little to the left", a shift that he said would allow it to pick up new voters.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has taken an unorthodox approach since winning office last year - standing by a promise to toe a conservative line on fiscal matters while veering leftward on social issues such as gay rights and the environment.
In an interview with Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily, Schwarzenegger said: "The Republican Party currently covers only the spectrum from the right wing to the middle, and the Democratic Party covers the spectrum from the left to the middle."
"I would like the Republican Party to cross this line, move a little further left and place more weight on the centre," he was quoted as saying.
"This would immediately give the party 5 per cent more votes without it losing anything elsewhere."
Schwarzenegger was guarded on suggestions that he harbours presidential ambitions, saying only that a debate on whether the constitution should be amended to allow foreign-born citizens to run was "overdue".
Schwarzenegger became an American citizen in 1983, 15 years after he emigrated from Austria.
He has said he'd consider running for president if such an amendment passed, but has also taken pains to say it shouldn't be created specifically for him.
"I would like people to remember me as someone who raised standards, wherever I got involved," he was quoted as saying.
"I brought bodybuilding from nothing, I made the action film a genre, and the same goes for politics - I want to do things that no one believed possible. I would like to bring people together as governor."
Who is being fooled here? Schwarzenegger is farther to the left on fiscal issues than sociual issues.
I was looking in comparison to Democrat policies when they are in power. You are right that in this time period Bush is spending faster than Clinton. Maybe I could amend it and say that there are more differences when both the executive and legislative branches are occupied by the same party.
Apparently, Arnie has a very European way of looking at things. A wiser American politician would look at the situation of the country itself and ask what should be done, rather than procede from abstractions of questionable meaning like "left" and "right."
Hey NittanyLion, I'm a Penn State Alumnus. Did you go to Main campus?
I knew that Arnie wasn't rightwing, but he won, and breasts Bustamante didn't. His comments to the German newspaper have to be digested by Republicans nationwide, and BTW, I'm not for changing the Constitution.
Now I ask malcontent Californians on this thread who they would rather have as Governor, Arnold or Bustamante, and I state this as not being able to vote in California,
Arnie and Christie Witless....perfect together.
Why in the heck would the GOP ever consider preempting this shift with a move LEFT? The mere suggestion of it is asinine.
I liked The Terminator's speech at the RNC, but does he grasp the significance of 60,000,000+ voters for one candidate??
Readan brought them back from the depths before. Will they never learn?
The article doesn't say what Arnie means by left so it could mean anything. What is left on the environment? I'm sure he doesn't mean anti business, anti competition so what does he mean? If he's looking at gay marriages apparantly he didn't watch the last election returns on those props.
Karl Rove wanted Arnie as governor over gray davis about as much as Ted Kennedy wanted Ronald Reagan for prez.
Part of Karl Rove's original strategy was to show the country what a mess california was with dems in control, and use that to punish kerry, it also wouldn't hurt Bush to benefit from angry voters in california who were furious with davis.
However, arnie winning there, ended that whole thing mighty fast.
Them's fightin' words!
Sounds like a true conviction for what conservatism stands for!
Arnie, why didn't you run under the RINO party if you feel this is how one gains enough support to achieve office?
1. What I need as a politician to maintain a political base.
2. What I need to maintain favor to maintain my power structure by following groups of people instead of maintaining an attitude of professing what is right and leading the people.
3. What I need to do to guarantee my reelection.
4. Gaining PAC support as to divest myself from having to use my own finances to maintain my power.
5. Creating government issues which requires the signature of the Governor on correspondence required to be sent to a majority of the public of California explaining good things happening on the publics behalf as to give name recognition to the public using the public finances.
It's time to stop trying to deceive the public and create a third party....The "RINO" party.
I'm glad I am not the only one hoping for bankruptcy.
I was at Main Campus for four years. Great place!
Considering what Arnold has done and intends to do (licenses for illegals), I can't see how he is different from Bustamante.
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