Posted on 03/04/2007 9:18:57 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the three leading Republican presidential candidates should stick to the political center and avoid being pushed too far to the right to win the GOP nomination.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will stand a better chance in the 2008 general election as moderates, Schwarzenegger said Saturday. He visited Columbus for the 19th annual Arnold Sports Festival, a three-day event that features 39 events, including 14 Olympic sports.
"I'm very proud that the Republican Party has three candidates that some conservatives feel like they are not conservative enough, because that feels like they have a good chance of winning the overall election," said Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican himself. "The people in America are in the center, they're not extremists."
Schwarzenegger's push to move California's presidential primary to Feb. 5 from June could give the state much greater influence in the 2008 presidential sweepstakes.
When asked if he'd like to see the U.S. Constitution amended to allow foreign-born citizens to run for president, the Austrian-born governor joked, "It's part of comprehensive immigration reform."
Schwarzenegger said he hasn't considered what he'll do after term limits force him to leave office in 2010, but he's not inspired by returning to acting.
Schwarzenegger's visit to Columbus also gave him a chance to meet Sabah Mahdi, a 49-year-old Iraqi bodybuilder who has dreamed of meeting Schwarzenegger for 33 years. Difficulty getting a passport and other problems have prevented Mahdi from leaving his war-torn country for previous festivals.
spoken like a true Progressive.
conservatives are extremists, yaknow ... lolol
... well thats what Maria says....
The TWirPinator
Well, that's what it took him to win in his CA. Naturally, his opinion is based on his experience.
Then he better tell Rudy to move a little to the right :-)
He's pooping on the party for his own ingratiation.
BTW, Schwarzenegger fans...we told you so.
Yeah poor Arnold , he must be soooo torn between Rudy and McCain .....what a quandary he must be in .... He is probably hoping Chris Shays, Chucky Hagel ,or Lindsey Graham will get in the race to save the day ....
Screw you Arnie!
That's unfair. Schwarznegger wisely moved to the center *after* his conservative ballot initiatives crashed and burned.
Arnie and Rudy, two peas in a pod. That's extreme.
He is at the forefront of the Global Warming crowd and outspends the dems, what does that say for his "supporters", much less those who were shanghaied into voting for him ?
W.A.S.S.
Indeed...one would almost think he was French, rather than Austrian.
I sure hope Arnie and Rudy are not the future face of the GOP.
If they are, they will be the last faces of the party people remember, because the party will go the way of the Whigs.
They need to buy a whole lot of conservative offsets.
GOP: Schwarzenegger Should Stick to Making Bad Sci-Fi Movies
Shanghaied? You mean like offered a case of MD20/20 to vote in his favor? those who voted for him, voted freely. And responsibility for their votes is theirs. His opinion on what it takes to win in California of 2006-2007 has been confirmed by practice.
I suspect Arnold's hero (Ronald Reagan) wouldn't think too highly of his "only moderates can win general elections" theory. In fact, Reagan himself proved it wrong twice in overwhelming fashion -- the first time (in 1980) winning 43 states and the second time (in 1984) winning 49.
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