Posted on 01/26/2006 9:36:57 AM PST by NormsRevenge
Time and again over the past decade, the political instincts of California's Republican Party leaders have been far off the mark. Their embrace of marginally attractive candidates to run against Barbara Boxer in the 1998 Senate race and Gray Davis in the 1998 and 2002 governor's races resulted in huge lost opportunities. The only reason we have a GOP governor now is because of the quirks of the recall system; in a normal election, Arnold Schwarzenegger probably would have been weeded out in the Republican primary by an establishment conservative following the script that lackluster Bill Simon used to wallop former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan in 2002.
Now we are seeing fresh evidence of the party's tone-deaf grasp of California politics. At the state GOP's biannual convention, to be held Feb. 24-26 in San Jose, a group of influential activists has vowed to pass a resolution to oppose Schwarzenegger's re-election unless he fires Susan Kennedy, the former Davis aide he recently named as chief of staff.
Both substantively and politically, this is crazy.
On the substance, we absolutely understand Republicans' frustration with the governor. The 2006-07 budget he unveiled this month amounts to a stunning retreat from the careful fiscal stewardship of his first two years. He is also flirting with imposing $5 billion in new taxes (for water projects) by proclaiming them – in slippery, Davis-like fashion – to be fees. The guttiness he showed during his first two years in taking on the most powerful political force in California – the public employee unions – has been abandoned for group hugs and mushy tropes about the glories of cooperation.
But this isn't Susan Kennedy's fault. This is Schwarzenegger's. He has made an open, obvious strategic decision to break with his old approach. Kennedy's selection is an example of this new approach, not the cause of it.
If Republicans think the governor is so spineless that he follows the dictates of those around him, they shouldn't just call for him to fire an aide. They should follow their belief to its logical but absurd conclusion and demand Schwarzenegger file for divorce. By all accounts, his wife is the most liberal adviser he has.
On the politics front, an anti-Kennedy resolution would give Democrats a new opportunity to depict Republicans as intolerant haters, one of their most potent vote-getting tools. This is because, in case you haven't heard, Susan Kennedy is an open lesbian, one of the highest-ranking open gays in state government history. Any organized GOP campaign to fire Kennedy and scapegoat her for Schwarzenegger's apostasy could easily be framed as a witch hunt by homophobic Republicans – and might deserve to be.
This is why our advice to frustrated Republicans is to focus their fire on the man responsible for their ire, not on Susan Kennedy. Asking Republicans to pass a resolution rapping the governor's budget about-face makes sense – but not a resolution that singles out one of his aides for demonization.
Most people think Gray Davis wanted to face Simon and not Riordan and he used a lot of his campaign money to slime Riordan.
Besides, the conservatives got the candidate they wanted in Simon and they got beat by a really unpopular Gov. Davis.
Yea. They should have supported McClintock. Now they have a dilusional RINO/lib with this fool & won't part with him. He has done more harm to the party than just about anyone could do.
Finally, a voice of reason rings from the mob.
The problem isn't in Schwarzenegger's staff. It's the Wilsonegger gang; not their minions.
Maybe they should have gone for riordan over the 2002 loser simon.
Pardon me for shattering your excuses for losing.
Except for Arnold and Wilson, when was the last time a repub gov. got elected ? Maybe 1976 ?
How old were you in 1976? Two? ;-)
Simon had as good a chance to beat Davis if the CA GOP had opted to support him rather than pout and sit on their hands and campaign funds.
A little detail folks like to gloss over.
You RINO supporters are sure pushing Riordan all of a sudden.
Is the Gub going to retire unexpectedly and you're getting Riordan ready to run again? Oh joy!
The meetings and converstaions before aRnold said Yes and that he would run must have been hilarious.
Squeaky Pete and the RE-Pete ensemble ride again.
" the conservatives got the candidate they wanted in Simon and they got beat by a really unpopular Gov. Davis."
Only because of a last minute slime attack that was a lie.
The lesbian liberal Kennedy is just the last straw, Arnold is and has been an ultra liberal, conservationist, and left wing POS since long before he entered the race for Governor.
I'm assuming the question is satire.
If not, recent history goes like this:
1) Reagan begot Deuemejian and the downhill slide began
2) Deuemejian begot Wilson and a free fall ensued.
3) Wilson begot Davis because Wilson fouled the party's nest with unprincipled behavior.
4) Davis begot Schwarzenegger because of boorish behavior and Wilson regained the office.
I haven't bothered to include dates for these consecutive administrations or their party affiliations because I assume that those of this topic has some basic background in California politics.
DUH, name me a close election when the democrats did not use a last minute slime attack that was a lie.
Look what happened to arnold with the dad was a nazi and all the women who suddenly remembered arnold grabbed them. Look at Bush's DUI. Look at bush 41 and the special prosecutor's 3 days before the election bogus report. In Baltimore, dems passed out anti black stuff that was supposed to be from the republicans.
If you are a republican and you don't get a last minute slime attack, something is wrong. If you are a republican, you need to expect this and plan on it.
This is not a valid excuse for a republican losing because you know it is going to happen.
I forgot the deumajian guy.
Bingo. A very valid point but not to the point the poster was making.
The conservative knew it was coming but when Simon sought financial support from the CAGOP to prepare a defense in advance, the CAGOP said nada, not a dime for conservatives. The New Majority simply felt is was against their principles.
"MOONBAT CONSERVATIVES are those who would rather lose to a liberal than support a moderate"
You should get honest and register as a democrat or socialist!
There is no such thing as a moderate.
There once was a man named "McClintock"
No bub. Conservatives generally hold their nose and vote for the least bad of the bad choices we here in Calif are generally given.
Governor Wimponator got Republican support and votes as (a) he acted moderately conservative (though now switched to Dem positions) and (b) his Dem opponent was such a stinko to make even a RINO look good.
But remember, Calif is currently chockablock awash in Mex's and illegals...and large majority of them vote for the biggest handout....which is where the Dem's excell.
Gov. Brown (usually known as Gov. Moonbeam) was elected governor in 1974. Since 1940, there have been only three Democratic Governors of California: Gov. Brown (father), Gov Brown (son) and Davis. All others have been Republican.
"we here in Calif are generally given"
Don't try to lecture me about Republican Party Politics in California.
I've been involved since I was 8 60 years ago, served on the State Central Committee for 18 years, ran as a looser for the Assembly at the behest of the party against Alatore, and am a 5th generation So. Californian.
You weren't here when lib Arnie ran but having breifly known him and his shrew wife from working on his house tried to warn people what he was but the moderates (read that liberal, there isn't any such thing as a moderate) and star struck wouldn't listen.
There is no way that I did/would/will vote for that AH!
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