Posted on 05/06/2006 10:45:25 AM PDT by FairOpinion
Many words have been written and spoken - for good reason - about the California Republican Party's tendency to blow chances of winning statewide offices by presenting a stridently right-wing face, thus alienating moderate voters who are decisive in any major contested race.
More recently, however, the state's Republicans have been presenting a more moderate image of themselves. Cultural conservatives have given way, albeit reluctantly, to more pragmatic leaders from the business wing of the party, and Arnold Schwarzenegger proved in 2003 that Republicans could still win in California if they consciously cultivated independents and moderates.
With those developments, the question now is whether the state Democratic Party is in danger of emulating Republicans by marginalizing itself as stridently left-wing.
As party activists gathered in Sacramento this weekend for their annual convention, the subtext was a struggle between liberals who - very much like Republican conservatives - want to maintain the party's ideological purity and pragmatists who believe that winning offices is more important.
(Excerpt) Read more at westly2006.com ...
It also appears the Dems are working very hard, to present Westly as a moderate, but heis just as liberal as Angelidea.
Related articles:
Westly Campaign Launches New TV Ad In Los Angeles, Bay Area Media Markets
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627880/posts
“I’m Steve Westly – before I ask for your vote, I owe it to you to tell you where I stand. I’m strongly pro-choice and I believe protecting our environment is fundamental. As governor, I’ll make education my top priority.” Then the announcer adds, “Steve Westly. Require big corporations to provide adequate health insurance, expand the Healthy Families Program, incentives for hybrid vehicles and solar energy, stop any new offshore drilling.”
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WESTLY CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES SPANISH-LANGUAGE TV AD IN LOS ANGELES MEDIA MARKET
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627880/posts?page=6#6
In “Nuestro futuro,” Westly tells voters in Spanish: “I’m Steve Westly. Like many of you, my children go to public school. My wife Anita came here as an immigrant – and with the help of public education, built a better life. To me, education is more than an issue – it’s the foundation of our future.” Following Westly, the announcer says, “Steve Westly. As Governor, he’ll fully fund education, invest in teacher training, and after-school programs and make community college tuition free – so everyone has the opportunity to go to college. Steve Westly. Democrat. Governor.”
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Westly would bring twist to California's main political stalemate (Arnold good for business)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627876/posts
ROTFL! The Republicans can't win in California unless they pretend to be moderates. Californians tend to vote for far out Leftwing, extremist kooks if the GOP candidate goes right of center. Weird. Very weird.
The voter demographics explains it:
CALIFORNIA VOTER AND PARTY PROFILES
http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/JTF_VoterProfilesJTF.pdf
"The Democratic Party currently has an advantage of 1.4 million voters over the Republican Party (7.1 million to 5.7 million) or 9 percentage points (43% to 34%), according to the Secretary of State.
Among those most likely to vote in this year’s elections, Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 7-point margin (44% to 37%), while 15 percent of likely voters are registered as independents.
... the fact that independents are more likely to lean toward Democrats than Republicans (42% to 28%) tends to work to the disadvantage of the GOP in statewide elections."
Will Democrats emulate GOP and marginalize themselves?
Only if emulating the GOP means being a liberal, which is looking more and more like a viable possibility.
Ok here comes the truth for these Regan lovers. Truth is G.W. Bush has done more for the conservative movement then Ronald Regan ever did. Who did Regan put on the Supreme court , Sandra Day O'Connor? Sorry I cannot see her as a conservative maybe you can , no way. Now how about his amnesty bill , yes freepers he did it and you are so mad at Bush. Last but not least when the marines died in the middle east in those barricks attacks , Regan cut and run. This is something Bush does not do . I am so lucky to know a really great president who kept his promise about the supreme court and will not cut and run no matter what it costs.If they want to distance themselves from Bush those reps will not get my vote.
The New Majority will save us all, not to worry. I see you are doing all you can here for them to succeed at pushing their trojan horse agenda down the Ca GOP voters throats..
Who cares that they support much the same agenda as the dems,, wouldn't want to get caught up in little details , now would we?
"I see you are doing all you can here for them to succeed at pushing their trojan horse agenda down the Ca GOP voters throats.. "
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And you are doing all you can to get Angelides/Westly -- liberal socialist Dems elected, by bashing Arnold and urging conservatives not to vote for him.
I ask again, how does electing liberal socialist Dems advance the conservative agenda?
WESTLY:
In the “Stand” spot, Westly says, “I’m Steve Westly – before I ask for your vote, I owe it to you to tell you where I stand. I’m strongly pro-choice and I believe protecting our environment is fundamental. As governor, I’ll make education my top priority.” Then the announcer adds, “Steve Westly. Require big corporations to provide adequate health insurance, expand the Healthy Families Program, incentives for hybrid vehicles and solar energy, stop any new offshore drilling.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627880/posts
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ANGELIDES:
Angelides calls himself a champion of "progressive values." As state treasurer, he has pushed public pension funds to dump tobacco stocks, invest in urban renewal projects and pressure corporations into cleaning up the environment. A close ally of labor, he also supports abortion rights, gay marriage, gun control and driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.
If he makes it into a general-election race, his call for increasing taxes could pose problems; Schwarzenegger has been steadfast in opposing higher taxes.
http://www.calcoast.org/news/cpr0060122.html
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In the meantime, Arnold:
"They're focused on the Capitol's perpetual war between business and the big four Democratic Party subfactions: labor unions, personal injury lawyers, environmentalists and consumer protection advocates.
The past two years have been bleak ones for the Big 4 because Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has aligned himself with the California Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, rejecting nearly all of the measures they had dubbed "job killers." Schwarzenegger and business, moreover, bulldozed the Legislature into approving an overhaul of worker's compensation that authorities say is reducing employers' costs by $15 billion a year. It was the most significant advance either side had made in the war in many years and one that Democrats and their allies now want to undo. "
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627876/posts
save all your cutting and pasting, Im not reading any of your crap.. you couldn't assemble an original thought if someone paid you to,,
you fail to be able to recognize that there is not much of any difference between the Gub and the dem handlers he has yanking his strings...
this state is headed over the edge and folks like you will ensure it happens. you can be so proud when it happens.
and don't come crying here that it was the evil conservatives that did us in like you have so often, it was all you and your New Majorityites that will have done it.
"Im not reading any of your crap.. "
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That's OK -- I am mainly posting for those lurkers who are actually interested in facts and reality.
well, then they have been warned, huh?..
and I can sleep well knowing that I at least was honest and forthright in my assessment of the mess we are in and how we got here.
You said you weren't reading my posts.
Gotcha! ;)
WHO GIVES A CRAP WHAT CALIFORNIA DOES? I'm just waiting for a Pacific Coast Tsunami to purify America.
CA is the world's 7th or 8th largest economy.
Who cares? It takes it to pay for all the state funded abortions; school, house, feed and provide medical care for 2 million illegal aliens, plus welfare for those disabled by HIV or have their brains fried on drugs and drawing disability checks under the guise of "bi-polar".
The economy of that Socialist State does nothing for me or my part of the country.
Do you have any idea how much taxes you would pay if we took 13% of the tax revenues, that CA represents?
CA pays in $1 and only get ).75 cents back, which means we are a net supporters of the rest of the country.
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