[A CA Guy]

My take was that he was moving the "focus" to Arnold in doing so. I've seen this done before.

NO, Arnold HAD ALL the focus as the potential winner, the issue became why was McClintock staying in to split the conservative vote in favor of the one Democrat running.

Read Fair Opinion's stuff below linking previous FR discussions.

[Amerigomag]

McClintock staying in to split the conservative vote in favor of the one Democrat running.

I think you meant to say split the Republican vote

As is obviated by this thread there is a wide difference between Republicans, inside or outside California, and conservatives.

In the 2003 case Schwarzenegger got almost all the Republican votes and McClintock almost all the conservative votes.

[Alia]

You are right. I phrased it wrong. Arnold did have ALL the attention. I concur. Of course, Huffington had to try to do the "I am woman hear me roar" thing to try to put a ding in that, but she failed. And in so doing, showed the nation that the attempt at "gender political identity politics" is a loser issue.

What I meant was to "point" the focus of his voting base towards Arnold. As in "go there". That's what I thought he was doing.