Gasping for air in their own swimming hole (Democrats in CA)

SFC ^ | Oct. 15, 2006 | Jill Stewart

[FairOpinion]

"It's possible Angelides will sour the downballot races," Republican consultant Mike Murphy, a Schwarzenegger confidante, told me recently. "That's certainly a looming possibility," respected Democratic consultant Bill Carrick, agreed.

Angelides, the panicked swimmer, is starting to pull anyone near him under the water. Core Democrats will vote for Democrats for the statewide posts, but the outcomes on Nov. 7 will clearly be decided by tie-breaking, and thus influential, swing voters. Swing voters will decide whether 2006 is a replay of 1994, when Democratic candidate for governor Kathleen Brown badly lost and dragged down her party in statewide races.

McClintock is an anti-spending, anti-regulation, old school fiscal conservative. He supports a shift of state spending away from metastasizing social programs and back to the abandoned California infrastructure, more like things were in the 1960s and '70s. His views don't reflect those of most Californian voters, but voters like him anyway. Polls show McClintock tied with Garamendi.

Despite doing an able job, the moderate McPherson would be losing to Bowen right now if Angelides weren't acting as a damper on fundraising for worthy Democrats.

[FairOpinion]

If all Republicans, a lot of conservative leaning moderates, and only half the Dems turn out this election, we can turn the tide and give the Dems a November surprise in CA and elsewhere.

GET OUT AND VOTE STRAIGHT REPUBLICAN TICKET FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

The fate of CA and the nation is at stake and this is no exaggeration.

[rellimpank]

--I suppose I could go vote in Tecopa or Shoshone-

-or both--naahhh, that only works for Demotraitors--(just kidding)

[calcowgirl]

Running against Garamendi on Nov. 7 is state Sen. Tom McClintock of Thousand Oaks. In ironic contrast to Garamendi, McClintock made his mark by sticking to principles, refusing to bow out of the 2003 gubernatorial race to clear the field for fellow Republican Schwarzenegger.

McClintock infuriated Republican Party insiders, but won admirers across the board with his populist campaign. In September of 2003, a whopping 62 percent of California voters rated McClintock favorably in a Los Angeles Times poll.

BUMP

[goldstategop]

McClintock is out of step with most Californians' views. They still like him because he's a guy who stands up for his principles. Now that's true respect. He doesn't go left in a bid to be more popular. It ought to be a lesson to the Arnoldbots that becoming a Democrat In All But Name is not the only way a candidate can win in a Blue State. The reason the GOP establishment regularly proffers up RINOs in Blue States is the weak excuse true conservatives can't win. Ah, but they can if the party backed them because what else is conservatism but plain good old fashioned common sense? That strikes a chord with voters who don't necessarily agree with all of McClintock's views. Integrity in the sense of being true to who you are still means something in this state and that makes me glad.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[calcowgirl]

McClintock is out of step with most Californians' views.

Really? Which ones?

You seem to be reiterating the "conservative can't win" philosophy.
Exactly what issues is he "out of step on"? (Let's leave abortion off the table.)

[LibertarianInExile]

My favorite part of this article:

"McClintock infuriated Republican Party insiders, but won admirers across the board with his populist campaign...McClintock is an anti-spending, anti-regulation, old school fiscal conservative...supports a shift of state spending away from metastasizing social programs and back to the abandoned California infrastructure. His views don't reflect those of most Californian voters, but voters like him anyway."

Gosh, voters like candidates they trust to stick to their principles? Who'da thunk it?