Posted on 11/29/2006 7:30:19 AM PST by ElkGroveDan
The governor says his heroes are Reagan and Friedman, but his actions emulate John Kenneth Galbraith and Nixon in ’72.
Shortly before the election, I wrote regarding Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s impending re-election landslide that he could choose between emulating Richard Nixon in 1972 or Ronald Reagan in 1966. Both Nixon and Reagan were heading for similar overpowering wins but took different paths in the last weeks of their campaigns.
Nixon was assured of a massive re-election victory. But — ever suspicious, dark and brooding, in search of a 50-state sweep — he was afraid that campaigning for Republican congressional candidates might cost him votes and refused to do so. Reagan, assured of a massive first election victory — but ever cheerful, optimistic and magnanimous, and caring more about the good of America and his Party than about his own final victory margin — went all-out to campaign for the ticket.
Nixon won his victory while the GOP made meager gains (12 seats) in the House and actually lost two seats in the Senate. Reagan won his victory too — but the GOP swept every statewide office except one and made massive gains in both legislative houses.
I predicted, in that previous Musings, that Schwarzenegger would follow the Reagan path instead of the Nixon path. I couldn’t have been more wrong. With a huge lead in both the polls and available campaign cash, Schwarzenegger refused to lift a finger to help either the GOP statewide ticket or any legislative candidates. In fact, he went out of his way to slap Tom McClintock because McClintock dared oppose one of the governor’s bloated bond proposals.
He did, of course, find time to tour the state pushing the bonds on the ballot. Piling billions of dollars of debt on future generations and planting the seeds of future massive tax increases were obviously Schwarzenegger’s priority, while helping his fellow Republicans — even moderates like Bruce McPherson and Bonnie Garcia — was out of the question.
Moderate Republican Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher lost a Senate seat in Orange county by about 850 votes. I’m told Schwarzenegger likely carried that district by 6,000 to 8,000 votes. Do you suppose an appearance by the governor or a targeted mail piece featuring him and Daucher might have put that seat in the GOP column? But that obviously was not a priority for Schwarzenegger.
The lesson for California Republicans is that in the governor’s office they have an egotist and an opportunist who picks his friends to serve himself and maintains his loyalties only so long as they do so. The Party — its members and organizations — should return the favor with gusto. What Schwarzenegger should get from them for the asking should be: absolutely nothing. Republicans should consider him to be what he is: not a Republican In Name Only, but a Democrat in all but name.
Specifically, legislative Republicans should oppose, formally, every non-Republican Schwarzenegger legislative initiatives, of which there will be plenty. He should receive not one vote from the legislative GOP without having to pay a price for it. He had no trouble horse-trading with Democrats last session to enact his socialist program of minimum wage hikes, pharmaceutical industry regulation, and bogus “greenhouse gas” controls. Schwarzenegger should have to sweat and deal for every Republican vote, even on the occasional good piece of legislation he might support by accident. He’s a lame duck. Pluck him.
He promises more socialism in his second term, seeming poised to support universal, government-mandated and managed health care along with more government regulation of business in pursuit of the environmental goals of the far left. Perhaps he didn’t understand what Milton Friedman actually wrote when, during the recall campaign, he called himself Friedman’s student. Perhaps Friedman translate poorly into Austrian. Perhaps Schwarzenegger merely lied. But his “big three” first term socialist accomplishments: the minimum wage hike, drug price caps, and greenhouse gas meddling in private businesses, would be anathema to Friedman.
Let’s hope the governor is honest enough to drop the pretense and admit that his economic mentor is really John Maynard Keynes or John Kenneth Galbraith, and stop soiling the Friedman name by associating it with his crack-brained policies.
Schwarzenegger rides high right now, but that will change, inevitably. The house of cards, the fiscal ponzi scheme, that he and the Democrats have built cannot stand. Eventually, the media will tire of him. At some point he will need Republican support and succor. Then Richard Milhouse Schwarzenegger should receive exactly the level of GOP support he has earned, which, I suspect, will be less than none.
pings please
Saricino is one of the smartest political operatives in the state of soon to be !!!Mexifornia!!! (also just ruthless and clever enough to help serious conservatives to win in spite of the shallow and weightless moderates and liberals)
a TWirP.. a Progressive Third Way kind of guy or stooge perhaps ,, locking in the gains of the left's many years of "accomplishments" and pushing for even more of their agenda incrementally, nothing more than a fake republican. But as long as you don't raise taxes or pretend you are against gay marriages by using vetoes of convenience to continue the ruse, voters could care less, well, some anyway.
Maria and the left's sock puppet.
Sock it to me for 4 more years? No thanks.
You're going to break your pinging bell ;o)
He's trying to become Senator Swartzensocialistenegger
Totally fair comment about a hugely disappointing politician.
Nice analysis.
Arnold's about Arnold. He really doesn't have a political ideology, and if there was ever a Republican In Name Only, it's Arnold.
Ahhnuld's numbers over the last two years have stabilized, not because he was Republican enough, but because he pulled a Klinton and triangulated the DemocRATs on their own issues. It is obvious, that in his estimation, he needs the Hispanics, the middle, and enough of the left to keep the gravy train rolling. He co-opts the leftist issues such as health care, illegal aliens, tax increases, and education from the DemocRATs by declaring loudly he is going to do something about them: ie "We need a conprehensive plan to deal with the illegal problem", "I am going to cover the state's uninsured, "I didn't raise taxes.
I am not sure that he was always a RINO, but he learned the Sacramento game fast and is playing hard.
Key, and only, real thing to know about The Foreigner.
First of all, I didn't write it, Bill Saracino did. Second, California voters haven't changed their minds on anything. The so-called waffling middle who change their minds back and forth is a myth. They don't exist.
What changes political trends is who decides to vote. About half of all eligible voters don't register, and half of all registered voters don't vote. That creates a huge chunk of voters who, if they decided to participate, if something motivates them to get off their rears, then THEY are the ones who change things. They can be Republicans or registered Democrats, conservatives or liberals.
What has killed us in California has been the steady suppression of the occasional conservative voters. What will change it all overnight is a popular issue or candidate who will fire up a badly dispirited conservative base. The Recall sort-of did that -- 2/3 of Californians said NO to mainstream Democrat policies -- but then Arnold smothered the enthusiasm by trying to turn the movement into his own personality cult.
Arnold's recent success has nothing to do with traditional partisan allegiances or liberal vs. conservative thought. Arnold won because of his charisma, Hollywood glitz and wealth were paired against with the worst candidate imaginable in modern California history. Period.
Hay Arnoiled! Don't be tryin ta hock us Cauleeforneeun's underwear/briefs, too!!! (snart!)
About half of all eligible voters don't register, and half of all registered voters don't vote.
--
But I thought it was demographics? We have to catch the wave that is offered. ;-)
Q factor killed the shining conservative star that even quite a few here still consider nothing more than an also ran, in both the Recall and the general election, while applauding what he has been consistently saying for years. That is the real irony.
Cultism, much as Progressivism, in the end, delivers little of much long term value and only seeks to restrict thought and advancements that can legitimately work to lift everyone, and not just its adherents and most vocal proponents aka special interests.
"It may be rice wine to you, but it's sake to me!"
(Goldie Hawn on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In)
My apologies for not checking the link to see.
The so-called waffling middle who change their minds back and forth is a myth. They don't exist.
I didn't say they waffled, I meant that the middle wouldn't vote for a true conservative. They haven't voted for a true conservative in a statewide election in California in a long time.
What will change it all overnight is a popular issue or candidate who will fire up a badly dispirited conservative base. The Recall sort-of did that -- 2/3 of Californians said NO to mainstream Democrat policies --
No, what changed things were car registration fees and Arnuld's promise to reduce them. When he tried to impliment the rest of his agenda, his support dried up. He reinvented himself to win office.
What has killed us in Kalifornia is the steady growth of the DemocRAT base and the gerrymandering of districts ensure that they win their districts in virtually every election.
If the conservatives were so "rousable" as you state, than why weren't conseratives able to elect their hero Tom McClintock? Why weren't we able to get rid of David Dreier? Why weren't we able to elect Simons, or Lungren? Was it all because no one roused the Conservative base? Was Pete Wilson a conservative? - Hardly. According to your calculation, this beat down of conservatives must have started the day that Dukemagian left office.
I am sick and tired of Republicans not facing reality. The reality is that the state's population has changed radically over the last 20 years and not for the better. You aint gonna find another Ronald Reagan to win in this state for a long time to come. McClintock might have won the recall because people hated Gray Davis so much-, but not necessarily the next election. He couldn't even win the Luetenant Governorship.
Yes, Arnuld won on his star power. That's what we are left. The fix is in, deal with it.
Thanks for the ping!
Exactly. Reagan's California in 1980 was heavily populated with retired WWII veterans...now those folks have mostly died off.
When you learn to spell their names I will discuss them with you.
Have a nice day.
Since you have Internet access, I find it amazing that you STILL can't get their names right.
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