They helped push Arnold to the center over the past year by failing to turnout and support the Special Election measures. There was a record low turnout in areas like Orange County.
Arnold will win re-election. The question is whether there will be sufficient GOP turnout to carry McClintock, and other down ticket GOP candidates to victory. If McClintock loses, I suspect it will be narrowly, and only because the "ideologically pure" crowd sucked it collective thumb and stayed home.
Because of McClintock, not because in spite of him.
Confusing refusal to vote for a liberal at the top of the CaGOP ticket with Republican turnout is a favorite ploy of partisan Republicans.
Don't fall for it. Republicans will turn out in droves. Senator McClintock will receive more Republican votes than Schwarzenegger, just as he did in the Republicans primary this past June.
Republicans are motivated by the recent shenanigans in Sacramento. Republicans will turn out to stop the liberal, initiatives being promoted by the Austrian (1B,C,D & E,), the five tax measures (84, 86, 87, 88, 89) and to support the initiative being shepherded by McClintock (90).