GOVERNOR BUSTAMONTE AND LEARNING TO DO SIMPLE MATH

[Chancellor Palpatine]

California registered voters, by party.

To all the mathematics challenged "true conservatives" gleefully carving up the GOP votes with more candidates, please carefully observe the numerical superiority in the number of registered Democrats - nearly 1.5 million - which is augmented by roughly 150,000 green party members.

Also look at the group of 2.3 million unregistered voters - a group which is not historically wedded to the "true conservative" wing of the CaliforniaGOP - a fact borne out in several elections.

If one considers that Cruz Bustamonte is enthusiastically backed by the state apparatus if the majority of the voters go over the threshhold and ashcan Davis (which I'm now in doubt over, since Simon is entering), and considering that there is no credible prominent Democrat opposition to him, then how does it help to carve up the GOP vote by having Simon and McClintock at the same time as Schwarzenegger?

[CyberAnt]

Since you don't live in CA - how would you know Bustamonte would be the best person to win ..?? Actually, I consider him WORSE than Dufus - if that's possible.

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? I find it interesting that this thread is mostly commented on by people WHO DON'T LIVE IN CALIFORNIA - or those people WHO SUPPORT BUCHANAN!!

Either way - your comments have no value because you don't even know who the candidates are or what they stand for.

[William McKinley]

I suggest that everyone support who they want to support until the day of the election.

By that time, it will be clear which candidates have any shot at all of winning. And at that point, each of us should make a commitment to casting our vote only for the one we consider to be the best out of the group of those with an actual shot of winning-- that we don't stay at home if our guy doesn't have a real shot.

All sides on the Republican side should commit to this. If you are an Arnold backer, but the polls show Simon 8 points ahead of Arnold come election day, then you should vote Simon. If you are a McClintock man, and he's single digits and Arnold is winning, you don't stay home, you get out and vote Arnold and encourage others to do the same. If you want Simon, but McClintock has cornered the conservative vote and has a real chance while Simon does not, you vote Tom.

THAT is how a coalition builds and thrives. It breaks down, to the detriment of all of us, when some group sits one out because the other side got their guy in position.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

It kind of highlights the ridiculousness of the smug accusations of "RINO" coming from "true conservatives" in California, and those of us who are commenting on it are doing so because we wind up having to pick up California's slack in presidential elections, we have to counter the view of the GOP as a bunch of troglodytes by running a little more to the center (to pick up votes in the middle in other big states), and we end up with a noncontributory, weak apparatus in the largest state.

It does affect us, and we've got every reason to comment.

[CyberAnt]

It doesn't affect you IF YOU DON'T LIVE HERE!!

[Torie]

Well I think we now know why Arnold and Riordan like each other. They same the same things, eg it is all for the children, just with different accents. Maybe they have the same speech writer. Arnold may or may not be OK as governor. Nobody knows, including Arnold I suspect. In that sense, he is a risky scheme. He may just prove a useful idiot to grease the skids to effect a very substantial tax increase (there will be a tax increase next year, or the year after at the latest, you can write that down), without any attendant systemic reform (pension, prisons, Davis Bacon on steriods, workers' comp, health care, etc.). That is what I really fear. What we will know in a hurry is whether he has the beef, or is just another beefcake.

[Torie]

Well said, except I will cross over and vote for Panetta if it is either him or Arnold.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Au contraire. You can't tell me that the electoral politics and economy doesn't ripple nationwide.

[Torie]

I should add that your posts are of a consistently thoughtful and high quality. Thanks. This place needs more of you.

[habs4ever]

Could this be the best head fake in the making by forcing Davis/Busty to go negative against a bunch of Pubbies until say...10 days before recall, where they all unite behind a chosen one who has already been pre-selected?If Arnie has high approvals over the next 4 weeks, then the others could be decoys to make Davis and gang waste a ton of money fighting them all, and diffuse his effectiveness.The ringers could be insulating Arnie :)

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Its a great idea - but those who go about with the word RINO on their lips are incapable of doing that.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Yeah, but that would require a sense of strategy, planning and cohesiveness, something that the "true conservative" crowd lacks.

[CyberAnt]

How can our vote for a Gov for our state affect another state ..?? I don't give a rip who your Gov is and I would never ever go on a thread and comment about people I know nothing about.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Hasn't the word RINO issued from your lips about people you never met, based on articles you've read that were written by other people?

[CyberAnt]

Not that I'm aware of. The only Gov candidate I really knew anything about was Gov.Richardson - and even then, it was up to the people of NM, not me!

[jwalsh07]

After hearing Arnold replies today to straight forward questions and his children get first dibs on the treasury bit, I wouldn't vote for him on a bet.

But then again when President Reagan ran the first time, I wrote in Bob Dole. So, what do I know?

[Torie]

I wrote in Bob Dole

Oh dear. That is quite an admission, although I never voted for Reagan in a primary (and as a Californian, that is a lot of primaries), except in 1970 and 1984 when he was an incumbent. I blew it too in that sense. I never liked Bob Dole. Not all "moderate" Pubbies like all other "moderate" Pubbies. Meanwhile, I am spamming for that hard "right winger" McClintock. Who knows what I will do next?

[jwalsh07]

Meanwhile, I am spamming for that hard "right winger" McClintock.

Just dessert for hanging with knuckle dragging blue collar guys.

McClintock actually believes in things and comes across as honest, forthright and competent.

No chance he can win with those qualitites.

[Torie]

For the record:

I hereby give my official permission for each and every poster who does not live in California, to comment on California's politics, at anytime, and anyplace. I love the attention. If I think the comment is inane however, I may just do my own post commenting thereon, assuming the poster is worthy of my attention. Some posters are not; I consider most of those self-refuting.

Of course, my "permission" is worth about what a cup of coffee costs, less its retail cost. Right Jim? So caveat emptor.

[PhiKapMom]

I am with you. I am sick and tired of hearing about "pure" or "true" conservatives. Conservatives cannot win in some States so you back a Republican that can win which in this case is Arnold.

Guess I don't fit in with their idea of "pure" or "true" conservative because I want Republicans to win all over the Country. If they are moderate and win, then that is usually because that State will not elect conservatives statewide. Will take a Republican anyday of the week over anyone with a (D), (I), or any other thing behind his name. In fact, this crap about "pure" or "true" conservative is driving me more to the middle by the day. This Bush Republican has had it!

Today President Bush said that Arnold would make a good Governor! Bet he gets trashed by some on here for making that statement.

Republicans had an excellent chance to beat Davis in 2002 and conservatives blew it IMO by backing Simon who ran a horrible campaign. I cannot believe they are trying to shoot themselves in the foot again with supporting more conservatives that cannot win in CA.

Believe Arnold will draw support from all over and win no thanks to the some conservatives out there that don't seem to have a clue that the purpose to get in a race is to win not be a spoiler!