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CA: GOP seems ready to be fooled twice - Schwarzenegger hasn't earned loyalty of conservatives
The Orange County Register ^ | August 27, 2006 | STEVEN GREENHUT

Posted on 08/27/2006 7:34:46 AM PDT by calcowgirl

Those who believe in nothing will fall for anything, as the old saying goes. So it's only fitting that a Republican Party that has ceased to believe in anything has fallen for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Maybe in the early days of his administration, and through the defeat of his reform agenda last November, it was defensible to support him. But no more. Yet many Republican leaders at the state GOP convention in Century City were still atwitter over the Terminator's tired clichés and faux tough talk.

--snip

At Century City, Schwarzenegger blasted the Democrats: "Our friends in the other campaign want to go back to the failed policies of the past – higher taxes, more government spending, more government regulations and less growth."

Compare what the other party does with Schwarzenegger's program of higher debt spending, more government spending and more government regulations and less growth, and it's quite a choice, isn't it?

Of course, the Democrats are always bad. So, of course Republicans will usually rally around their candidate, no matter how far afield his viewpoints might be. But a point is reached where it's not worth it anymore, where victory isn't so sweet because "our" guy isn't in any fundamental way different from "their" guy.

--snip

At the Republican convention, Schwarzenegger refused to be seen with the Republican slate of down-ticket candidates. Tom McClintock, one of the most principled men in modern political life, is running for lieutenant governor against John Garamendi, who during an Editorial Board meeting a couple years ago actually sung the praises of the Cuban health care system! ... The governor is too good to stand with McClintock and Poochigian or some of the other perfectly well-qualified GOP candidates for statewide office? Then Republicans should be too good to stand with him.

(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: caelection; cagop; calelection; calgov2006; schwarzenegger
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To: calcowgirl
That is if we disregard fees and all the other ancillary charges not formally called taxes. And he did roll back the hated car tax. But my point is still the same: can we trust him to keep even that pledge? After what we've seen, healthy skepticism is well advised.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

121 posted on 08/27/2006 11:43:52 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Lancey Howard
Yeah. The most dangerous person is a man who believes in nothing. I can thank God the U.S Constitution does not allow him to run for President.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

122 posted on 08/27/2006 11:46:26 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop
But my point is still the same: can we trust him to keep even that pledge?

Given that the budget is already strained, and he is now promoting a new $100 Billion Bond Bonanza, I would say NO. The new bonds create an additional $4 billion dollar annual obligation for the general fund for debt servicing. If revenues don't continue rising or there is one hiccup in the economy, there will be no choice but to CUT, CUT, CUT--or to raise taxes. We have already seen that he has little compulsion to do the former.

123 posted on 08/27/2006 11:49:55 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: calcowgirl
Its a safe bet the Democrats will not agree to budget cuts. And that leaves one choice - formal tax increases. Its bound to happen no matter who gets elected Governor. The truth of the matter is there is no political appetite in this state for slaughtering sacred cows.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

124 posted on 08/27/2006 11:55:24 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop
Its a safe bet the Democrats will not agree to budget cuts.

They don't have to agree.
There is the power of the Veto which can only be overturned by a 2/3 majority of the legislature (which the dems don't have).

Unfortunately, the Governor shows no will to use the power in such a manner
which leaves us taxes or "fee" increases, or yet more borrowing .

125 posted on 08/28/2006 12:02:08 AM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: Amerigomag
>> The Austrian is not a Wilson clone. He's European. He's liberal. Wilson was a patriot. Wilson did have moments when guided by party traditions and principles. Generally, however, Wilson was guided by expediency, not political principle. The Austrian does exhibit Wilson like flashes of expediency but always tends toward his liberal core. <<

Ah, thank you for the clarification. The current Gov is much further to the left than Pete Wilson. I would be willing to hold my nose and vote for "moderate" Pete Wilson. I will not do so for Ahnuld. Ahnuld is Gray Davis with a "R" next to his name.

126 posted on 08/28/2006 12:18:55 AM PDT by BillyBoy (ILLINOIS ELECTION "CHOICES:" Rod Bag-o-$hit or Judas Barf Too-Pinka)
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To: BillyBoy; SierraWasp; ElkGroveDan
ILLINOIS ELECTION "CHOICES:" Rod Bag-o-$hit or Judas Barf Too-Pinka

We share your pain!

127 posted on 08/28/2006 12:37:00 AM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: goldstategop
To be fair, he has held the line on tax increases.

This statement offers an excellent example of the problems, exhibited by moderate Republican partisans on FR.

1) The moderate doesn't comprehend that refusing to raise taxes is a sign of a moderation, not cvonseravtism. Cutting taxes is the sign of a fiscal conservative. The moderate believes that not raising taxes will appeal to conservatives.

2) Republican partisans tend offer facts into eviddence that they know, or should have known, are false. They do it frequently on this forum. In this case it's a whopper.

The Austrian is raising taxes at a rate of increase that's greater than Gray Davis and, in total, more than Pete Wilson, who still holds the single year, California record. SChwarzenegger's numbers don't include the $15B in deferred taxation that Schwarzenegger promoted to pay for the car tax deception. If that $15B/$30B was included in his 2004/2005 numbers, he'd be the king of single year tax increases for the whole US, not just California.

No goldstategop, The Austrian is big on taxation. They're necessary to support his big spending.

I'll offer the same advice that I've given to the CAGOP account on FR. Come to the forum. Join the discussion and contribute. If those contributions are disinformation, misdirections or outright falsehoods, then don't bother. You aren't contributing.

128 posted on 08/28/2006 5:36:54 AM PDT by Amerigomag
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To: calcowgirl
have no candidate in this race; that's the problem. ...

BS! You support Philth with almost each of your posts.

129 posted on 08/28/2006 7:28:22 AM PDT by 68 grunt (3/1 India, 3rd, 68-69, 0311)
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To: Amerigomag
... the CAGOP will regain its character and its membership will once again make a unified commitment to support their party.

Only in your dreams. Your path is the path toward defeat. That is your only goal, defeat of the CAGOP.

130 posted on 08/28/2006 7:32:31 AM PDT by 68 grunt (3/1 India, 3rd, 68-69, 0311)
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To: Amerigomag
... Join the discussion and contribute. ...

Contribute to your division and your desire to defeat the CAGOP, no thanks.

131 posted on 08/28/2006 7:36:56 AM PDT by 68 grunt (3/1 India, 3rd, 68-69, 0311)
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To: 68 grunt
BS! You support Philth with almost each of your posts.

Never have, never will. My posting history demonstrates that your accusation is pure BS.

132 posted on 08/28/2006 7:51:36 AM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: dalereed
"Davis couldn't have done as much damage"

At least not from the inside like a Trojan Horse!!!

Republican "leaders" felt powerless to stop him with all that irrelevant popularity!!!

They would have found ways to stop a Democrat in many more cases!!!

133 posted on 08/28/2006 8:41:26 AM PDT by SierraWasp (With government as your savior from disaster, it must first be your master!!!)
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To: 1035rep
You using it to browbeat anyone that doesn't quite fully agree with every aspect of the host's opinion and that conveniently adopted opinion of yours!!! That's what!!!

Just because the whole danged CAGOP has been led astray from their own commitment to their own platform, doesn't mean the rest of us have to go all peacefully along with that mind set!!! No Sir! It does NOT!!!

Some of us respectfully refuse!

134 posted on 08/28/2006 8:50:37 AM PDT by SierraWasp (With government as your savior from disaster, it must first be your master!!!)
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To: Amerigomag
I believe the right thing to do is to both cut taxes and spending. Its not enough simply to hold the line on government growth. That's like adding a little weight to one's belly, sucking it in and calling it "lean." It might be more accurate to say Arnold is the big champion of the DISGUISED tax increase AKA "borrowing." He's resorted to it a lot that its paid for all the spending he's presided over. And I noted, even his formal pledge NOT to increase taxes is good for this election season only. Given his track record, there's a good chance he'll let his Inner Liberal out before long. It also bears reminding Milton Friedman would never support this Republican's Big Government agenda.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

135 posted on 08/28/2006 9:01:24 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: 68 grunt
I want a true Republican Governor. Why don't you? If Arnold didn't have the "R" label beside his name, a lot of people wouldn't blinded by his actions to date. He's really not all that different from the Democrat. I'm sorry but its just not good enough to hear he'll keep my taxes low. He doesn't win brownie points from me on that score when the rest of his program amounts to an expansion of California's already bloated government and a contraction of the few freedoms we have left. Arnold has never said he was one of us. FO and his other cheerleaders had better wake up!

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

136 posted on 08/28/2006 9:07:21 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop

The massive taxes come later when all the bond money has to be paid back.


137 posted on 08/28/2006 9:17:37 AM PDT by dalereed
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To: SierraWasp
You using it to browbeat anyone that doesn't quite fully agree with every aspect of the host's opinion and that conveniently adopted opinion of yours!!! That's what!!!

LOL...........You are so smart!  You know my intentions better than I do.  I am amazed at your mind reading skills.

138 posted on 08/28/2006 11:14:13 AM PDT by 1035rep
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To: 1035rep
You're absolutely right and you should be amazed!!!

Thanks for recognizing that I so skilfully pulled your covers!!! (grin)

139 posted on 08/28/2006 12:01:44 PM PDT by SierraWasp (With government as your savior from disaster, it must first be your master!!!)
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To: goldstategop
... Arnold has never said he was one of us. ...

By 'us' I assume you mean the far right, and he easily captured the middleground by disclaiming the fringe. If you're on the fringe you shouldn't be surprised at 99% of the people using you as fodder for ridicule and contempt. Trouble is that fringe 1% scares away about 25% of the middleground. Another trouble is that about 10% of the far right identify with the fringe and think of themselves as 'the fringe'. So, by disclaiming the 1% he sacrificed the 10% but gained the 25%. Seems easy enough for me to understand.

I, too would like a true Republican Governor. Arnie ain't it, and I share you lack of brownie points for him. Were this a primary there would be no way I would be supporting him. This does not mean I would prefer a Philty Angelides governorship, as most the the ilk would like.

"Arnold has never said he was one of us. FO and his other cheerleaders had better wake up!" Or what?

140 posted on 08/28/2006 7:00:18 PM PDT by 68 grunt (3/1 India, 3rd, 68-69, 0311)
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