Posted on 02/10/2007 9:01:20 PM PST by FairOpinion
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger described himself as a "proud Republican" in a speech Friday night at the state's Republican convention, where party conservatives are fuming over the governor's not-so-conservative agenda.
Receiving polite applause, Schwarzenegger said he would continue his theme of "postpartisan" cooperation by searching for the middle ground on the state's key issues but insisted he would never discard his Republican values. In a speech peppered with examples of GOP-centric issues he is pursuing -- building more dams, adding new prison beds and holding schools more accountable -- he also gave a nod to his critics within the party.
"We may not always agree on every issue, but I will always have your best interests in my heart as I govern this great state," he said. Schwarzenegger also referred to a speech Ronald Reagan made at a state Republican convention 40 years ago, calling for party unity amid disagreements.
A recent Public Policy Institute of California poll found that 72 percent of likely Republican voters approve of Schwarzenegger, even after learning about some of the aspects of his health care plan.
Tony Quinn, a political analyst and co-editor of the Target Book, which tracks state legislative races, noted Schwarzenegger garnered more than 90 percent of the Republican vote in November.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
---"We may not always agree on every issue, but I will always have your best interests in my heart as I govern this great state," he said."---
OMG. It's the exact Rudy playbook! So THAT'S where he got it from......ARNOLD!
> So THAT'S where he got it from......ARNOLD!
That would probably be giving Rudy more credit than he deserves.
BUT, if he **was** looking for a way to neuter extreme conservatives, as well as the MSM criticism of anything Republican, he could do a lot worse than following Arnie's example.
Arnold has the winning formula -- after he tried to push the conservative agenda in 2006 and the voters overwhelmingly defeated his conservative propositions, people thought he was politically dead. Instead, he got to the middle and found the winning formula.
Republicans who want to win and defeat the Democrats, use the Arnold formula, those who prefer to grandstand, pout and lose, don't.
Schwarzenegger Implores GOP To Follow Script of His Sequel: Court the Center
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1736725/posts
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."
Testing out a new crash helmet, are we?
Sorry, Arnold is no Conservative.
And California is a post emmancipation slave state, with >10 million illegal immigrant slaves (1/1 vs 3/5 slaves for Census congressional district purposes).
Of course the conservative agenda won't play in a slave state.
Cheers,
OLA
The only reason Arnie got 90 percent support from Republicans is that they realized the horror they'd have to deal with had Angelides actually won...(okay, even I couldn't keep a straight face with that thought.)
"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 Palelologus
Or, hey, we can lose and then spend years spitting and pouting about what idiots the American people are until we **sound** just like them. Maybe that would be better?
Without the helmet, as usual.
Neither is his FReeper hack, FO. They both like their Socialism with an "R." ;-)
Then where are his overwhelming RINO legislative majorities that he swept into power ? RINO politicians are a cancer. Learn it, live it, love it.
What's an "extreme conservative"?
Welcome to FR, btw.
More borrowing is conservative? Turning redistricting over to unelected, unaccountable men in black robes is conservative? Hah!
His latest DemocRAT appointments to CARB will transform California into liberal hell faster than anything we've seen.
RFKjr and Maria's winning formula. ;-)
In the context of this article in which Arnold uses the terms cooperation and middle ground, an extreme conservative is one who refuses to compromise, solely for partisan reasons. Keep in mind that there are also "extreme liberals".
So, if legislative Republicans band together in a pact to oppose (and effectively block) the new taxes (errr... fees) associated with the proposed $12 Billion socialistic ArnoldCare program, you would consider them extreme conservatives?
I'll just say that resolution of some issues thru compromise have enough benefit to everyone that the benefit far outweighs the benefit or loss to either party.
Perhaps you should before you are willing to label others as "extremists."
I'll just say that resolution of some issues thru compromise have enough benefit to everyone that the benefit far outweighs the benefit or loss to either party.
Compromise is good when there is a common objective and both parties are within a reasonable range of agreement. However, sometimes, compromise guarantees losing.
If a liberal (R) proposes new taxes of $10 Billion while democrats want new taxes of $20 Billion, there is no acceptable compromise in the view of Republicans. The legislators that would band together to block this effort are Heroes in my book, NOT Extremists or Obstructionists as they will be painted by the Left (and the Governor).
They most vocally condemned Guv Bush for his compromise with Dem Bob Bullock on tort reform.
And of course, that compromise led to further reforms later.
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