In the California Recall Mess, Democrats See National Message

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Wednesday, August 13, 2003 | GERALD F. SEIB

[TroutStalker]

Arnold Schwarzenegger is even stronger than most people thought. It turns out he can suck all the oxygen right out of the rest of the political world, seizing the attention, and maybe even diverting the dollars, that other candidates crave.

[TroutStalker]

The related article linked above:

Some Republicans Strategize
To Outflank Schwarzenegger

By JACKIE CALMES
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

WASHINGTON -- Some California Republicans are as eager to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger as they are to dump Gov. Gray Davis, and pressure is forming to get one of the two best-known conservatives in the recall race to drop out so the other has a better shot.

But neither wealthy investor Bill Simon, whom Mr. Davis defeated in last year's regular gubernatorial election, nor state Sen. Tom McClintock will do so, associates of both men insisted Tuesday. That potentially leaves them to split the right's votes. Democrats, as beleaguered as they are in trying to save Mr. Davis, are united behind one fallback candidate -- Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante -- if voters recall the governor in the Oct. 7 election.

The ballot will ask voters whether to recall Mr. Davis. If a majority vote yes, his successor is the candidate who gets the most votes on the ballot's second section, which will feature a list of about 200 people that the secretary of state's office is still sorting out following last weekend's filing deadline. Roughly a half-dozen of them are given a serious chance.

"The problem for Republicans is you have both Simon and McClintock on the right," says Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who has done surveys for the pro-recall forces. "Together, they both have as much support as Bustamante."

The party's most conservative members fear their split could just as well benefit moderate Republican Schwarzenegger, whose support of abortion rights and homosexual rights makes him an anathema to them. "We feel that the long-range damage of letting him define what is a Republican and what is a conservative, and trying to tie it to Ronald Reagan, is just ludicrous," said the Rev. Louis Sheldon, leader of the Anaheim, Calif., Traditional Values Coalition, a force in the party's religious right. "I just can't stand by and let it happen."

His coalition has formed a new anti-Schwarzenegger group, Californians for Moral Government, prominently promoted on the coalition's Web site along with 10 questions for the actor. The first one seeks his views on homosexual marriage and adoption, repeating Mr. Schwarzenegger's quote in a recent state newspaper: "When it comes to sex, I don't give a s -- what anyone's trip is."

California Republican Chairman Duf Sundheim said that neither he nor any other party officials are seeking to get Messrs. Simon or McClintock to step aside. "I'm not working on that right now," he said. "But if I learned anything from this past week, it's to not rule anything out." Later in the two-month race, he added, a Republican trailing in support could be persuaded that "it might be in the best interest of the party to leave their own personal interests aside for now." Mr. Simon personally can fund the kind of costly TV campaign required in the huge state, while Mr. McClintock can't. Nor has he ever raised large sums, strategists say. "This is largely an ABC election-Arnold, Bill and Cruz," says Simon adviser Sal Russo. But McClintock campaign manager John Feliz countered that Mr. McClintock has raised $317,000 in the past 10 days, to Mr. Simon's $135,000 in reported donations, and will have up to $1 million by week's end. Mr. Davis has said he will spend $20 million.

Though Mr. Simon's loss to Mr. Davis might mark him as a loser, many in the Republican right instead see him as a hero, a victim of negative Davis attacks that even dismayed Democrats. Mr. McClintock, for his part, has what a Republican in a rival camp called "a very, very deep and loyal following among conservatives" -- reinforced by his recent high-profile opposition to a new car-registration tax enacted to help close a $38 billion budget hole.

Write to Jackie Calmes at jackie.calmes@wsj.com³

[goldstategop]

Oh I love it!!! Arnold's the best thing for us in a long time and he's sucking, like a giant wind tunnel turbine, all the air out of the Democrats' campaign. They look so tny beside him. The joy! I've never felt better than seeing the Democrats struggle to remain in the headlines. I don't think Central Casting could have come up with a better individual to torment the Democrats and drive them to a state of near total despair.

[bert]

....who has to make unpopular choices.....

Dr Swarzenegger will have to administer some bad tasting medicine. Will the patients accept the medication knowing they will get well or will they only take a little to rid themselves of symptoms?

If they know in their hearts they are sick, they will take the full dose and Bush will be aided.

If, in denial, they resist, there will be no national effect.

[Kevin Curry]

Let's see: Arnie, the Kennedy family hanger-on, was outraged over Slick Willie's impeachment and supported legislation last year to stuff a half billion dollars of taxpayer money each year down a social programs rathole.

So let's get this straight. This "Republican" is: anti-gun, pro-big bucks social spending, pro-Clinton, pro-abortion, and pro-gay rights.

What's not to like? < /sarcasm>

Pro-Arnold Republicans = political prostitutes preening for a popular pimp.

[stylin_geek]

I think Cruz is a loser, because coattails work both ways. Davis and anyone close to him is going to be negatively affected by Davis' tremendous unpopularity. I admit, I would prefer someone who is more conservative than Arnold, but conservatives have to remember that Arnold is still a step in the right direction. (no pun intended) If I'm not mistaken, while Arnold may be pro-choice and pro-gay, I do believe he is also pro-Second Amendment. Which should be a huge issue with conservatives. Yet, interestingly, I do not think being pro-Second Amendment is a huge issue with CA voters. However, gay and abortion rights are.

[The Iguana]

If he really wants to maximize the Right's chances, Simon needs to drop out.

He had his shot. And his campaign failed not just because of Davis's attacks.

[stylin_geek]

Are you sure Arnold is anti gun? I thought I had seen otherwise.

[cloud8]

Yep, this was a front page headline in this morning's paper. Here's my email to Gerald Seib:

"In the California Recall Mess, Democrats See National Message"

Some column, Mr. Seib.

First of all, it's not a "mess." The recall is democracy at its greatest. The only mess is what Gray Davis has left behind after four years.

As for the "message," the recall is a message from the people, not an opportunity for Democratic spin. Here is what the people say: The days of the political elite are numbered. Politicians must be held accountable to the electorate. Utter failures like Gray Davis can and will be removed.

As usual, California is leading the way for the rest of the country.

[TheDon]

Look for Tom and Bill to drop out of the race in coming weeks, and ask their supporters to vote for Arnie.

[Bob]

Are you sure Arnold is anti gun? I thought I had seen otherwise.

While I don't have a specific cite, I'm sure kellynla does. Arnold is solidly anti-gun.

[Riley]

My curiosity piqued, I did a Google search for: schwarzenegger "gun control" and came up with a lot of info. None of it is conclusive, but nobody is asserting that he's against it.

[Eva]

I bet it drives the Hollywood leftists crazy, too. Arnold sucks all the air out of their sails as well.

[Bob]

I found this Arnold quote in a Washington Times article by Steve Sexton (Publication Date: 08/10/03):

In his latest film, the third in the Terminator series, Mr. Schwarzenegger exhibits typical violence but kills no one. "In reality, I'm for gun control. I'm a peace-loving guy," he said on a Berkeley, Calif., youth radio station.

[Riley]

I'm a peace-loving guy, too. I've seen as much strife as I want to in this life. Whack-jobs and criminals tend to leave people alone if they think they'll get hurt or killed by trying to prey on them.

Seems like a pretty peaceful arrangement to me.

[Cowboy Bob]

I find it surprising that so far, no one has mentioned that Cruz Bustamante used the "N" word a few years back. Had Cruz been White, and a Republican, it would be all over the media.

[upchuck]

Look for Tom and Bill to drop out of the race in coming weeks, and ask their supporters to vote for Arnie.

Or, perhaps Arnie's job is to generate lots of support for the Pubs before bowing out and throwing his weight behind Tom (hopefully) or Bill.

Positively Roveish!

[Riley]

I find it surprising that so far, no one has mentioned that Cruz Bustamante used the "N" word a few years back. Had Cruz been White, and a Republican, it would be all over the media.

I remember that. It was in Emeryville, at some kind of a minority business conference. Much of the audience was black, and about half of the audience walked out when he said it.

Hannity mentioned this yesterday on his radio show. Predictably, some liberal called and defended Bustamante, asserting that the speech was a tongue-twister, and the slur was entirely accidental. Hannity responded with the same point that you made.

[kellynla]

"YR: Some critics argue that in your movies, there's a lot of violence and killing...you smoke cigars. So how can you be a role model for kids with this kind of example?

AS: That's a good question. But that question, you cannot ask me. Because I don't pick myself as the role model. You can't pick yourself. You can't say, this is what I want to do: I want to smoke stogies and do things to be a role model. The role model is picked by youth. You kids are the ones that admire me. You kids are the ones that see my movies. You kids are the ones that say, "This is really cool, Arnold with his muscles. I like his bodybuilding. I'm going to watch pumping iron.''

It's the kids that do it. They think it's cool when you have a stogie in the mouth. So when I go on the talk shows, I always tell the kids: don't smoke. Because what I do, I do to make it part of my character. It's an image thing. And the movies, with the gun in my hand? I don't run around every day with a gun in my hand. So I want kids to understand the difference: one is make-believe, like we do in movies. But in reality, I'm for gun control. I'm a peace-loving guy. I hate violence amongst the young kids."

This was an interview with Joe de Wolk from "Youth Radio" on October 17, 2002

http://www.youthradio.org

Every article or publication from CBS news to USA to Buchanan to Novak lists Aunold as "pro-gay rights, pro-gun control and pro-choice"