Arnoldian Standards (GOPers playing dumb about Schwarzenegger's obvious liberalism)

American Spectator ^ | 08/14/03 | George Neumayr

[Pokey78]

Republicans ravenous for pyrrhic victories are playing dumb about Schwarzenegger's obvious liberalism

Liberals in the California media always counsel the Republican Party to run liberal Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do Republicans think journalists offer this avuncular advice because they have the GOP's best interests at heart? Let's take a wild guess here and say that journalists don't stay up late at night fretting over the welfare of the Republican Party. Why then do they promote the Riordans and the Schwarzeneggers? Because they want the Republican Party to adopt the liberalism of their party.

Me-too Republicanism is music to the liberal media's ears. It means liberals get to exercise ideological control over both parties and shunt out of the mainstream debate all those "reactionary" Republicans who foil their agenda.

Democrats might well vote for Schwarzenegger. Why not? He agrees with them on the most fundamental philosophical issues. Democrats support it's-for-the-children-and-the-elderly statism; so does he. They want gun control; so does he. They support a constitutional right to abortion; so does he. They may figure, Why not vote for a Republican who will do our work for us? In liberalizing the Republican Party, liberals have two parties to do their bidding. What they do from without -- pressuring Republicans to compromise their principles -- Schwarzenegger can do from within.

Republicans ravenous for pyrrhic victories are playing dumb about Schwarzenegger's obvious liberalism, but liberals are not. They know he is a Hollywood liberal who won't give them much trouble about their statism and political correctness. I have heard Davis-hating Democrats extol Schwarzenegger. They know that he is a Kennedy Republican, that is, a nominal Republican who will advance the views and values of Kennedy liberals under the false flag of Republicanism. "We want to make sure the mothers have affordable day care. We want to make sure the older folks have their care that they need. That everything has to be provided for the people," says Schwarzenegger. Was Schwarzenegger doing an impersonation of Ted Kennedy?

The Kennedy playboy philosophy of Schwarzenegger also puts Dems at ease. "I have no sexual standards in my head that say 'this is good' or 'this is bad,'" he has said to Cosmopolitan magazine. "'Homosexual' -- that only means to me that he enjoys sex with a man and I enjoy sex with a woman. It's all legitimate to me." Has a Democrat every expressed the it's-all-good moral relativism of his party more ably than that?

Schwarzenegger is the sort of "children's activist" JFK could admire: Schwarzenegger can go from an appearance on the Howard Stern show to an elementary school classroom for a little chat with the children about "responsibility." One can only marvel at the cynicism of it all. An actor known principally for bringing R-rated violence to children is treated by the media as one of the leading children activists in the country. As a member of the Kennedy family, Schwarzenegger would know from in-law Teddy that as long as a pol mouths PC pieties about children and women he can get away with just about anything. Who cares if he has pawed women? He holds the Gloria Steinem position on abortion! "I'm for choice. The women should have the choice. The women should decide what they want to do with their bodies. I'm all for that," he says. Teddy couldn't have said it better.

Schwarzenegger's strategists are busy teaching him how to play a Republican on television, and we can expect him to throw a few bones to conservatives so they will politely avert their gaze from his Kennedy liberalism. But he will remain a de facto Democrat for anybody with eyes to see and ears to hear. Republicans who have lost their sight in the glare of his celebrity will call his candidacy "Big Tent" Republicanism. It is more like Circus Tent Republicanism.

Washington Post columnist David Broder -- observing last year that Democrats like San Francisco ultraliberal mayor Willie Brown supported Schwarzenegger's state-babysitting proposition, Prop 49 -- wondered aloud: "Are [Democrats] letting themselves be used to create a new Ronald Reagan for the embattled California Republican party?" Don't worry, Mr. Broder. Schwarzenegger is no Reagan, and the only party that's being used is the Republican one.

Reagan registered with the Republican Party to stop liberals, not elect them. Schwarzenegger's campaign is not the return of Reagan's California party, but definitive proof of its collapse.

A party that abandons its agenda "to win" will have no agenda to promote once it does.


George Neumayr, a writer in Southern California, contributes frequently to The American Prowler and The American Spectator.

[Princeliberty]

More like you wish that he agreed with you on
a lot of the issues. And if the conservatives
united behind McClintock they could win.

If Arnold wins he will gain control of the party
and no one will even advocating of defending
conservative positions or opposing liberal
ideas. The debate will between the liberal Republican
Arnold and the Democrats debating over who is
pushing liberal ideas the hardest.

[Princeliberty]

But you do not win with Arnold. You win by
rallying around McClintock and getting
him in.

[CyberCowboy777]

Why not support Tom?

If at the last minute it looks like Tom can't win and Arnold needs the vote - vote Arnold.

The first choice should be Tom.

Arnold does not need the support and he will take many votes from Cruz (he is moving left for a reason).

The media is trying to scare Republicans into voting for Arnold, playing the split vote card. Yet Cruz is the one sharing votes with Arnold and a few others.

Support Tom, he can get the 35% to 40% needed to win and if it all goes south we still have Arnold.

[HadEnough]

"Unfortunately, losing is not the way to advance it either"

Is this your attempt at a joke?

Patriots ( the original American Conservatives) lose no matter WHO WINS.

Demoncrats piss on the US Constitution, RINO Republicans piss on the US Constitution...Arnold hikes his leg on the US Constitution why not just admit that Republicrats like Grey Davis, Arnold and GW Bush all piss on the Constitution...so how can any Patriot WIN in this situation?

[Princeliberty]

The way we win is with McClintock.
Arnold getting in would not be victory
for conservatives.

Arnold getting in would really put conservatives
into the greates wilderness they have ever
known in California.

[lilylangtree]

Right on with this article.

[Princeliberty]

And power is usually the last thing in the world
that makes people more conservative instead.

Because then they view government power as their
personal power and expanding government means
expanding their personal power feeds their
ego.
And Arnold has the supreme ego. So you can
count on him enjoying expanding government!

[Al Simmons]

McClintock should hang around til Labor Day - "just in case Arnold implodes".

After that date, if the current situation is substantially unchanged, a vote for anyone but Arnold is a vote for Cruz Bustamante.

Is it better to let the entire house burn down, or try to save it one room at a time? The house is the CA GOP. I prefer to pick up my industrial strenght fire-hose (ie., Arnold), thank you.

Al

[nickcarraway]

He used to be the editor here: S.F. Faith

[CyberCowboy777]

With the middle and left vote split between Cruz and Arnold (and lesser extent Ariana and Uberoff) the Conservative can win with Tom.

The media knows this is playing up the 'republican rift' thing to scare republicans into supporting Arnold.

Cruz has no chance with Arnold. Simon came within 5% and partly lost because so while many center and Left center voters hate Davis, they are scared of 'right wingers' like Simon. Arnold will get those voters (he is playing the left center card for this reason alone).


Lets show the full force of the Conservatives and let Arnold and Cruz fight over the rest.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

...If California is not to become a part of Mexico again...

...there must be a Republican Governor put in place to Veto what the Pro-Mexico Democrat controlled State Legislature wants to do to California.

...Vote for an Electable Republican.


...Go to http://www.KCAL.com ..


...and go 'Politics' to download a Registration Form to mail in by September 22, 2003.

AND BE SURE TO VOTE for the REPUBLICAN that WINS...

[Princeliberty]

You need to rally around and get McClintock in.

Problem with your big fire house is that
with Arnold you going to spray gasoline on
the fire not water.

Turning control of the Republican over to a liberal
leaves conservatives without a party without
anyone to advocate their views.

[Reagan Man]

Reagan registered with the Republican Party to stop liberals, not elect them. Schwarzenegger's campaign is not the return of Reagan's California party, but definitive proof of its collapse.

Arnold is no Reagan!

Arnold wants to get California out of the red, so its social welfare programs will have the proper funding levels required to operate more effectively and function more efficiently. All this, for the people. LOL That's high minded liberalism.

Arnold may be a registered Republican, but he's definitely no conservative. Arnold is a liberal.

[Robert_Paulson2]

Exactly if Arnold wins he gains control of the State party and that means EXTREMISTconservatives may no longer have less of a voice on someany issues.

---

Then again, a little muffling of the single issue radicals will be a good thing. You know, the "I know what I want and I want it now, because I am miss de'vain" types?

The "real and true" conservatives who measure their virtue by the standard of how UNELECTABLE they are?

Yeah, THOSE kind of conservatives.

California is a liberal state. It's gonna get a liberal governor. You want one that can be influenced by the national party, or one that is run by the communists in China?

Losing on principle with the amplified "martyr complex" is NO way to win a state, change minds and move towards the right. It's more like blowing up the plane because you don't like where it's going... with yourself in it. Losing and planning to fail as a matter of principle is a form of political terrorism and suicide, that would make osami proud.

sad to see so called intelligent conservatives fall for it.

[Princeliberty]

But in Arnold you don't have a guy who going to
veto their liberal agenda. Instead it means
any conservative opposition is silenced.

[Princeliberty]

We can win if we rally behind Tom McClintock.
50% of voters in California are not liberal.
Simon only lost by 5%, running a terrible campaign.

If McClintock had been at the top of ticket last
year he would have won. Only Simon's supremely
poorly run campaign enabled him to lose.
And part of that failure was a failure to
be blod in his stances in the general election.

And many Hispanics could been won over by social
conservative view. Hispanics on average are
more socially conservative than whites or blacks
and have a growing middle class.

No we do not have to act of ashamed of conservative
views to win in California. Further, you
can abandon your conservative views otherwise how
can you win others over and ultimately triumph
in this nation.

Since when had the national party influenced any RINO
governor not to be as liberal as wants to be?

[ALOHA RONNIE]

Gov. ARNOLD will, to use his words, "Clean House" in Sacramento =

"If you send it to me I will Veto it" =

...Just what an on the ropes California needs BIG TIME.

[Hoverbug]

right now you have a legislature that can be held in check from legal tax increases because they need 2/3rds vote to pass them. A Republican Governor in favor of those tax increases would effectively make a 2/3rds vote easy to get.

Hb

[PhilDragoo]

Gov. ARNOLD will, to use his words, "Clean House" in Sacramento =

"If you send it to me I will Veto it" =

...Just what an on the ropes California needs BIG TIME.

The recall wasn't about homosexuality, abortion, steroids, and who's a "real conservative"--

It was about California's deficit is greater than that of the other 49 states combined.

A high percentage of Californians and FReepers agree with Arnold.

[LdSentinal]

Losing and planning to fail as a matter of principle is a form of political terrorism and suicide, that would make osami proud.

So, supporting Tom McClintock instead of Arnie is what Osama bin Laden wants?