Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Schwarzenegger Implores GOP To Follow Script of His Sequel: Court the Center
Washington Post ^ | Nov. 10, 2006 | John Pomfret

Posted on 11/10/2006 9:06:56 PM PST by FairOpinion

In his victory speech Tuesday night to a confetti-swamped crowd at the Beverly Hilton, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had a message for the rest of the Republican Party after its worst defeat in decades.

Follow "the California way," he said. "We are proving to the nation that there is another way to go, a better path to solve problems."

Schwarzenegger's landslide victory in a largely Democratic state illustrates the growing power of moderate candidates and the electoral appeal of bipartisanship, and it could contain important lessons for Republicans and Democrats as they seek to position themselves in the future, analysts and politicians said.

"If I was a Republican National Committee chair, I would hire Arnold out and teach Republicans what is necessary to put together a winning campaign," said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political analyst at the University of Southern California. "He really is the poster boy of what Republicans have denied for so long. Elections are won from the center."

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


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: arnoldlegacy; elections; gopvictory2008; leftisnotcenter; liberals; rino; rinonator; schwarznegger
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 361-368 next last
To: Publius

Ok....I have a question.

What would a "center-right" platform be? And is there any particular "center-right" politician in office, now? I think I might agree with you, but I'm really not sure.


61 posted on 11/10/2006 9:44:43 PM PST by Jrabbit (Scuse me??)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: My2Cents

"The majority of America is not as wacked-out as California."


How can you say this with a straight face after the Republican losses a couple of days ago?


62 posted on 11/10/2006 9:44:49 PM PST by FairOpinion (Start working on 2008 GOP win strategy NOW.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion
"If I was a Republican National Committee chair, I would hire Arnold out and teach Republicans what is necessary to put together a winning campaign,"

Selling your soul for short-term gain is not new.

Republicans may not like the message, but you can't argue with victory.

If victory is all you care about, that's a great strategy. Arnold won by fifteen percentage points, but he didn't give a rat's about his Republican mate in the LG race, did he? Schwarzenkennedy did what he's done before each of his campaigns -- he gives a red meat liberal-trashing speech at the CRP convention, and sucks up to liberals the remainder of the time, holding conservatives at arm's length.

Arnold is for Arnold; the GOP is just a vehicle for him. Over two years he transformed from a moderate Republican into a fat-government Al Gore liberal. He's the poster child for the "not a dime's worth of difference" skeptics. And he wouldn't have won if he didn't have his own money and star power greater than any politician in America short of Bill Clinton.

Tom McClintock lost to John Garamendi by just over four percentage points and less than 300,000 votes. Before you start with the "McClintock's too extreme!" crap, let me ask you who you think got more votes -- Angelides, or McClintock?

Too bad McClintock doesn't have suitcases full of cash to lend himself like R-nold. The GOP in the state of California and the RNC alike have never given McClintock the chance he deserves -- they're too busy boosting the likes of self-described RINO Richard Riordan and Lincoln Chafee, who we know now had been itching to bolt the party. Now, he may just do that to save his career. He doesn't have conservative bonafides or intellectual honesty either.

63 posted on 11/10/2006 9:44:52 PM PST by L.N. Smithee (Magnificent? NO. Bastard? YES!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion

With all due respect, California is not like other states in the union. The only way a republican can win a governorship in that state is to be a moderate at the very least (or stand next to an idiot like Gray Davis). California politics is not even close to being a national template for republicans.


64 posted on 11/10/2006 9:44:54 PM PST by randog (What the...?!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: The Spirit Of Allegiance

God help us.


65 posted on 11/10/2006 9:45:13 PM PST by My2Cents
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion
It seems like conservatives learned nothing from Bill Clinton winning the election with 42% of the vote, because of them, and not from this election.

Hello! Bill Clinton won with a pathetic 42% of the vote because he had H. Ross Perot siphon off a big chunk of the Republican Vote!!!!! Take away H. Ross Perot and his attack from the fiscal right, and George H.W. Bush would have won!

66 posted on 11/10/2006 9:45:57 PM PST by Yossarian (Everyday, somewhere on the globe, somebody is pushing the frontier of stupidity.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion
So where were the "value" voters?

This value voter voted Republican.

67 posted on 11/10/2006 9:46:16 PM PST by My2Cents
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: L.N. Smithee
Arnold won by fifteen percentage points, but he didn't give a rat's about his Republican mate in the LG race, did he?

Well, Arnold cared enough to publicly attack Tom right before the election.

68 posted on 11/10/2006 9:46:52 PM PST by Mojave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion
Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a conservative, he is a pathetic excuse for a movie star married to a Kennedy family member. You have your socialist-leftwing agenda path to victory. Fine that's you choice. But most republicans don't care about you or Lincoln Chafee's of the world.
69 posted on 11/10/2006 9:46:58 PM PST by notes2005
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Yossarian

The problem wasn't Ross Perot, the problem was all the so-called conservatives who voted for him, to punish Bush. Result: Bill Clinton for 8 years and launching pad for President Hillary.


70 posted on 11/10/2006 9:47:10 PM PST by FairOpinion (Start working on 2008 GOP win strategy NOW.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: tanuki; FairOpinion
Whatever happened to voting for what you believe in?

A casual look at FO's posting will show FO doesn't believe in that. FO thinks we should abandon principles to benefit the Party. Just win, baby.

71 posted on 11/10/2006 9:47:54 PM PST by LexBaird (98% satisfaction guaranteed. There's just no pleasing some people.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion

You think the majority of California reflects or parallels the majority of America? You're not very astute. California has turned into a hard-left state. I dare say that Republicans did better in races for congress than the GOP did in races for the California Legislature, and has a better chance winning back congress in '08 than the GOP has in winning the legislature in '08.


72 posted on 11/10/2006 9:49:04 PM PST by My2Cents
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: Jrabbit
Among Republicans, I view Giuliani and McCain as center-right. Even Arnold fits the mold.

Among Democrats, I view Lieberman, Nelson of Nebraska, Boren of Oklahoma and whole slew of Blue Dogs as center-right. Even Webb of Virginia may end up fitting this position.

My hope is that Comrade Pelosi will so antagonize the non-Mooonbat Left of her party that some of these Democrats will either change party or form a coalition in the House and Senate with Republicans so as to strip Comrades Pelosi and Reid of their leadership slots.

73 posted on 11/10/2006 9:49:30 PM PST by Publius (A = A)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: notes2005
Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a conservative

Well, yeah, but he's winning victories for left wing causes. And isn't that all that matters?

74 posted on 11/10/2006 9:50:19 PM PST by Mojave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: bybybill
That`s a really intelligent response. How are things at DU these days?

The response was as intelligent as the article it was answering. And if you buy what F.O.'s selling, you're the one who's fit for DU.

75 posted on 11/10/2006 9:50:25 PM PST by L.N. Smithee (Magnificent? NO. Bastard? YES!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: All
I already posted this, but let me try again, in red this time:

Centrists Deliver For the Democrats

Conservatives don't turn out, and election is decided by the moderates who do turn out.

Conservatives seem to still refuse to learn the lessons of history and are on their way to elect President Hillary in 2008, to go with the Dem House and Senate.

76 posted on 11/10/2006 9:50:30 PM PST by FairOpinion (Start working on 2008 GOP win strategy NOW.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion; All

Anybody remember that quote from the Bible where Jesus says something about "spitting out that which is neither hot nor cold"? Something like that? Thanks.


77 posted on 11/10/2006 9:50:32 PM PST by Lancey Howard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion

So now you want us to become like Bill Clinton? Just go away.


78 posted on 11/10/2006 9:51:51 PM PST by My2Cents
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion
Centrists Deliver For the Democrats

Yep. Arnold Delivers For the Democrats.

79 posted on 11/10/2006 9:52:03 PM PST by Mojave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: FairOpinion
And what do you think Speaker Nancy Pelosi is? And she won, didn't she? She won, because conservatives stayed home to punish the Republicans.

Pelosi won because she is in the safest district in the USA for moonbats. Her constituents protest her for being too conservative. How do you propose Republicans change that? Pray for San Francisco to sink into the Pacific?

80 posted on 11/10/2006 9:52:17 PM PST by LexBaird (98% satisfaction guaranteed. There's just no pleasing some people.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 361-368 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson