Posted on 06/20/2006 8:52:46 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is leaving open the possibility of backing Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein for re-election, despite an impassioned appeal from her GOP rival, former state Sen. Dick Mountjoy.
Schwarzenegger surprised his Republican backers shortly after the primary when he said he would have no problem endorsing a Democrat for office this year. "If I like someone, absolutely,'' he said at a June 8 campaign stop in Antioch.
While the governor didn't name any names, Steve Schmidt, his campaign manager, wasn't quite so circumspect.
"Like most Californians, (Schwarzenegger) thinks Dianne Feinstein is a great senator,'' Schmidt said.
While Schwarzenegger has made a blanket endorsement of the other Republicans on the statewide ticket, he has pointedly left the Senate seat out of the mix.
The governor "has not made an endorsement in the Senate race,'' Julie Soderlund, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger's campaign, said Friday. "We have nothing to announce at this time.''
The governor's reluctance to back Mountjoy has made a tough campaign even more of a longshot. The 74-year-old Monrovia (Los Angeles County) resident only jumped into the race after Republicans failed to recruit a better-known candidate and finds himself running far behind Feinstein in the polls and the quest for campaign cash.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I agree. The so-called party "leaders" see no value in principles and have abandoned the Platform completely. One has to wonder what "rewards" Duf was referring to last year.
San Francisco Chronicle, February 14, 2005Duf Sundheim, the state GOP chairman, said Republicans have pledged not to return to the days when division over ideological differences ruled and Democrats reaped the rewards of their disarray.
"That is a mistake that we've made in the past. That is the mistake Democrats are making now," Sundheim said. "They don't have direction. They don't have a vision."
After years of "king of the hill" politics in California, Sundheim said, Republicans of all stripes have become less ideological and more pragmatic, more interested in winning and less interested in wrestling over issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion.
In the afterglow of Schwarzenegger's victory in the unprecedented 2003 recall election, Sundheim -- once bitterly attacked as a "moderate" by some conservative Republicans -- was re-elected party chair by acclamation Sunday.
"Do you think his goal is really to build up the Republican Party or to beat Democrats?" Sundheim said of Schwarzenegger. "That's the whole thing: If these guys (Democrats) would come on board, he would embrace them in a heartbeat."
BS, you were saying it was ok to "think for himself" by supporting Slimestein. Who was the article refering too? Senator DiFi, that is who and that is who you were talking about. Don't try to weasel out of your statements, stand up like a man and stand by what you say. Otherwise people are going to think you are a liberal or, even worse, a conservative who supports whatever any republican does regardless of how repugnant, and this move by Arnold is very repugnant.
It is surprising how many CA conservatives are excusing this action by saying that it will help him get elected. Well, I don't want him to be elected if he is going to be a frickin' RINO, and a big RINO at that. If sucking up to liberals is the only way he can be elected then to hell with it.
Here is a clue, if your candidates are not able to be elected on conservative ideas then what good does it do to elect them? He is doing every thing I Dem would do, we might as well have left his predesessor in office as to have this worthless POS for a governor. Thanks for the debate.
As I said before...I fully support someone that can think for themselves, and doesn't knee-jerk to their party...whether I agree with who they back, is not in the least relevant to what I said.
I do not care a bit, what someone may think...especially those that attempt to put their words/thoughts, into my statements.
I am not from CA, and I really don't care who the gov backs, or even if he gets re-elected.
Not much of a debate, when I make a statement, and you go off on a rant, saying what you think I meant.
"The 74-year-old Monrovia (Los Angeles County) resident only jumped into the race after Republicans failed to recruit a better-known candidate and finds himself running far behind Feinstein in the polls and the quest for campaign cash."
Fact 1. A little known 74 year old from Monrovia will not defeat a well known long time incumbent, with or without the governor's endorsement.
Fact 2. When the best the California Republican Party can come up with is a little known 74 year old from Monrovia, it says a lot about the strength and smarts of the party.
Dick Mountjoy is a token candidate and perhaps the most transparent of token candidates we've run against Boxer & Feinstein yet. It's truly PATHETIC.
Focused on reelection and electing GOP to offices statewide, Arnold shouldn't waste his time with Feinstein because obviously the party itself isn't wasting its time.
He's focused on statewide seats and his own reelection.
You don't honestly think Mountjoy has a snowflake's chance in Hell do you? Of all the Republicans statewide, we put up a candidate who is running just to top off his career and happens to be even older than the septuagenarian incumbent!
The unwillingness of the national GOP to fight for CA on any level is truly PATHETIC but we both know Boxer is the weaker, more nutjob Senator.
From a pragmatic standpoint, Arnold's better off ignoring Feinstein's race much as we both know the national party will.
You just keep hugging that New Majority mentality for all it's worth, newzjunkey. It becomes you.
It's only led to more borrowing and bailing out the dems in Sacramento than they could have ever hoped for after the Recall came and went.
Their losses have been minimal, as the budget and more borrowing measures on the November ballot so readily shows.
btw, Why shouldn't or isn't the Ca GOP trying to field a more tantalizing candidate the Mountjoy? Just curious,, or is DiFi an untouchable, even to the New Majority?
And by their own choice it would seem, in my reading the events of the last few years in the Ca GOP and its ill-advised diversity or Bust agenda don;t give much room for nay other conclusion.
Who is splitting the GOP, btw? LOL
I'm just one who is sick and tired of seeing a lot of folksmroll-over and whimper, It's the best we can do. BullPucky!
There you go getting pragmatic and wanting Arnold to actually win (instead of Angelides) rather than rigidly partisan and a "happy" loser!
Senator Mountjoy has served his country and this state well , that he is tossed to the wolves is a sad sight, Yeah, he'll lose, but in the end, if we let the "Ca GOP strategy" continue as is, imo, we will all lose.
That the party has sunk to the depths it has is a sad sight indeed.
Maybe their mission is not to build a centrist
Big Tent party but to just out and out kill off conservatism.
The fact that all their moderate candidates lost in the primary except for the Gubby who was essentially fast-tracked and FREe-passed thru the primary by the convention last year, if you can call it a convention, it certainly could care less about conservatism at this point. We'll see how much lip service it pays the rest of the GOP ticket this summer and fall.
You just keep hugging that New Majority mentality for all it's worth, newzjunkey. It becomes you.
You're the one obsessed with the "New Majority," not me.
The more you undermine the CA GOP strategy with the base, the harder it is for them to build the necessary coalition of voters to win. It then works great for you because you can say "Look, they couldn't win!" while you sat on the sidelines heckling, not helping.
It's only led to more borrowing and bailing out the dems in Sacramento than they could have ever hoped for after the Recall came and went.
Unfortunately, Arnold got some bad advice the first year when he had mammoth levels of political capital. By the time he took on his reform agenda, the Left had recovered its bearings and attacked mercilessly and the "more conservative than thous" still hate Arnold because McClintock lost the recall.
Their losses have been minimal, as the budget and more borrowing measures on the November ballot so readily shows.
Because it suits your loathe-Arnold view, you're completely ignoring Arnold's 2004 efforts to get more GOP elected to the legislature and his 2005 efforts to defang the unions. He's not all powerful.
btw, Why shouldn't or isn't the Ca GOP trying to field a more tantalizing candidate the Mountjoy? Just curious,, or is DiFi an untouchable, even to the New Majority?
As you know, Liz Dole ran the committee to recruit top candidates for GOP US Senate nominations this year. Obviously she couldn't find anyone but Dick Mountjoy to face DiFi because of the political reality that Feinstein (a popular incumbent) is virtually assured reelection.
Candidates who could self-finance (since the party wouldn't pony up) obviously didn't want to waste their money. I would have liked to see a competitive GOP Senate primary including a variety of Republicans. You can't force anyone to run. I think DiFi's age could've been an issue with the right candidate, probably a woman.
Who is splitting the GOP, btw? LOL
Folks who routinely undermine Arnold's GOP support will, in November, end up giving us Governor Angelides.
I'm just one who is sick and tired of seeing a lot of folksmroll-over and whimper, It's the best we can do. BullPucky!
You realize Primary season is over, right?
The article seems to suggest he's only offered no endorsement in Mountjoy-DiFi which would indicate he's supporting the GOP slate for state offices.
Wonderful, Piles of words and retorts, who's hung up on what?
The gubby has one bus and Tom ain't on it, in case you haven't noticed. The Gub's endorsement is a kiss of death, imo.
and trying to defend the Gub's actions the first year becuz of bad advice.. lol .. Good one, That's a reach.
You could care less about spending borrowing or who's sleeping with who It looks like you stayed to long ion the belly of the trojan horse if you ask me.
why bother even trying to repsond to someone willingly so oblivious to the obvious.
Just win, Baby, Who cares how much it costs us.
At least Bilbray had the sense to tell McCain to stay away, I suspect the Gub won't be as wise.
You're just perfectly happy with your Pro-GLBT Senator Feinstein, aren't you?
I'll say one thing, you're consistent!
Oh, PS,, I've already written off the 2006 and 2008 elections in California as likely doomed to fail, I'm looking to 2010..
As long as the Ca GOP keeps pushing its Big Tent /
New Majorityite candidates aka moderates / Rinos approach as it has, why even bother?
You want change, stop supporting big spenders and borrowers pretending to be conservatives.
Then you have no business posting on the CA threads. The CA threads are the most highly charged threads on FR. If you're just going to play the old "Screw CA, I don't live there" hand then your opinions mean jack.
Hey, wait one minute! Aren't you the one calling Arnold's non-endorsement of Feinstein "pragmatic" and saying Mountjoy can't win? One-way-Street, the usual tactic of the "Main Street" republicans.
Just another great reason to support RINOs--they cut the legs out from under real conservatives EVERY TIME!
Why?
Hey, wait one minute! Aren't you the one calling Arnold's non-endorsement ofFeinsteinMountjoy "pragmatic" and saying Mountjoy can't win? One-way-Street, the usual tactic of the "Main Street" republicans.
Oh,, and PPS
WHO's splitting the party?
I am but one person who has chosen not to just sit by idly with pom poms on hand and wait for 4 more years to maybe have a chance to turn things around.
The thing that trips your little prance up to Victory Lane is that I am not alone in my beliefs.
This state has survived dem Gubs before and will again. It wouldn't surprise me to see another Recall in the not too distant future.
Too bad some couldn't be honest and stop making out that any one who questions the death spiral of the Ca GOP as being a few FReepers fault, and see it for what it really is, an abomination pretending to be something it clearly is not, a party that respects and wholely supports conservatism because it it the right and prudent course to pursue and Not one of anton and reckless spending debauchery, avarice and gluttony as we have seen it become of late.
Haven't we seen what a few years of the dems resulted in following that path?
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