Posted on 12/03/2005 11:25:15 AM PST by Kenny Bunk
Top California Republicans are wondering if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is moving left politically following his appointment to chief of staff of Susan Kennedy – a leading liberal activist and former aide to Democrat Gov. Gray Davis.
"We're not moving anywhere," Schwarzenegger says, insisting that he is continuing to go "in the same direction."
Some of his Republican colleagues wonder what direction that may be.
"I'm getting more e-mails off of this [the Kennedy appointment] than I do for Viagra," said Mike Spence, president of the California Republican Assembly, in an interview with the L.A. Times newspaper.
"Since the special election, where we were very loyal [to Schwarzenegger], all we've heard about was a $50 billion bond and looking at clemency for [convicted murderer and gang leader Stanley] Tookie Williams." Asking if there isn't "even one Republican in the state to be qualified as chief of staff?" Spence said. "I think the Kennedy thing was just the last straw."
What especially irks GOP leaders is Kennedy’s popular standing among California liberals. She is a former executive director of the state's ultra-left-wing Democratic Party, a former top member of former Gov. Gray Davis’ staff and - to the chagrin of advocates of traditional values - an abortion supporter and admitted lesbian who recently "married” her lover in a Hawaiian civil union ceremony.
GOP officials aren't alone in their criticism of the appointment, as Schwarzenegger discovered during a radio talk-show appearance with conservative host Roger Hedgecock on San Diego's KOGO radio station.
Said Hedgecock "You have once again stirred up everyone in the whole state with this announcement. This woman seems completely incompatible with any Republican principles."
Not so, said the governor, who described Kennedy as a pro-business moderate who had supported him on all of his doomed special-election ballot initiatives, including one which was fiercely opposed by Democrats because it would have put a limit on spending.
"All of the things that I have done in the last two years she believes in and actually said many times to me during the last two years that she has become a big fan of mine because of the things that I do," he told Hedgecock.
While admitting that some Republicans will be "up in arms about" the Kennedy appointment, Schwarzenegger told his host "but I have to pick someone that I feel comfortable with. And I talked to a lot of people for this job, and she was the one who I felt most comfortable with." Not every Republican is appalled at the Governor's choice. Pat Dando, president and chief executive officer of the San Jose-Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce told the San Jose Mercury News:
"I would hope that they would look at her as an individual with qualifications that are important to do the job of chief of staff." He added that Schwarzenegger "appears to be more interested in finding well-qualified individuals to work with him on both sides of the aisle than sticking to a party line, and I think that's healthy."
You know, the same thing occurred to me. It sure makes sense, the way you put it.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
If a self financed renegade should emerge and threaten the Austrian the Democrats would rise to the Austrian's aid with cross party registration/voting in the primary to protect their own.
Wasp is correct. Without a change of heart from the CAGOP, any challenger to the Austrian faces an almost impossible battle. The best a challenger could do is to further accentuate the ghastly mistake the CAGOP made in late 2003 and compounded again in February 2005.
Regardless of the outcome of the primary, the Democrat candidates are so weak that the Austrian will likely prevail in Nov 2006 unless a sizable portion of the Republican Party chooses not to cast a vote for governor. Republicans will vote next November but some may skip the top of the ballot to protest a liberal being foisted on them by the party leadership.
Really? What were McClintock's public statements?
I don't have any statements in mind, but I would think he's probably made some over time.
Here's one from just 3 weeks ago:
"Whatever the Governor does in response to the election, it is imperative that he levels with the people on the actual fiscal condition of the state and that he is very clear and uncompromising in presenting the solutions that must ultimately resolve it. And when watered-down and meaningless changes are all that emerge from the legislature, he must resist the temptation to proclaim them as anything more."
Seems to me we're selling those on our side fairly short here. It's obvious that Schwarzenegger is a nightmare as sound policy goes. I think the electorate on the right can see that. I don't think a sound candidate would be that hard a sell in the primary.
Not that I've heard.
He' s been remarkably supportive.
Even his endorsement of the props was marginalized by Tom's fair weather supporters.
As for the suporters, I know what you mean. I would have liked to have seen people be more supportive, but some seem more inclined to commit political suicide than help someone they don't like do something that was worthy.
As for Tom being mostly supportive, I think he tried to walk a fine line. His criticisms would sound like sour grapes if wasn't careful. I think he's tried to rise above that and not carp when he probably should have more often than he did.
Yes he has ... since the party endorsed him for state wide office.
Prior to that point he was candid in his appraisal of the Austrian's policies. Dozen of examples are contained in our archives. What is absent from his public pronouncements is any personal criticism of the Austrian, to McClintock's credit.
Very well put.
I hope Tom's maturity is not lost on the voters next election time.
If he can win the Lt. Governor's position, he'll have a great launching board in 2010. Geez, 2010. Ug.
If we as Republicans could show some unity of principle, taking Tom's cue, it would carry him right into the Governor's seat, no matter how long it takes.
Absolutely inaccurate.
Almost every conservative on this forum supported the Austrian when he made the few conservative decisions of his short political career. Even when those few decisions were made at the tip of the mob's pitchforks.
He received praise from one and all when he vetoed the homosexual marriage bill, the alien recognition bill and challenged the status quo of political districting.
He rightfully received condemnation for his liberal fiscal policies (both budget proposals and both attempts at borrowing), his expansion of cradle to grave social programs (beginning with Prop 49 before he was governor), his taking of personal property rights (Sierra Conservancy), his dimishment of Second Amendment rights, his appointment of liberal judges (which continues to this day) and his appointment of liberal activists and Democrat Party policy wonks to his personal staff (which also continues to this day).
Please refuse to sup the Kool-Kid being freely given by the Republican Party loyalists. They accelerated the mess we face in California today and they aren't going to provide a solution, only bigger problems.
Once again a gentle reminder. We aren't Republicans. We're conservatives.
This isn't the FreeRepublican forum. It's the FreeRepulic forum.
Check your party cloak at the door and join the group to rid ourselves of a liberal political class typified by the Austrian.
For some time I rarely came on the forum to find much of anything positve regarding Schwarzenegger. That's okay, he hadn't done much of anything to be praised for and plenty to be critcized for. Still, there were plenty of posts taking him to task basicly all the time.
When it came to the proposition recently, I didn't run into endless threads praising him or voicing support for them. Now perhaps they were here and I missed them, but going by the volume of criticizims what were on the forum when Schwarzenegger did things they didn't like, I would have expected to see a lot of posts supporting those propositions if folks were supportive.
Once again, I didn't see it.
I'm a Republican, as opposed to a Democrat.
I'll never be ashamed of that.
Conservatism is not a contest to me, it's my life.
That's why I proudly vote Republican.
Why do you keep saying this, when it didn't happen?
...and are you implying that pissing off his Republican base is the way to do that? At this rate he's gunning for 20% in the general election.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
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