McClintock Facing Republican Threats?

Belly of the Beast Blog ^ | August 24, 2004 | Eric Hogue

[Eric Hogue 1380 KTKZ]

Now that Bill Simon has left the building, State Senator Tom McClintock currenlty has the 'only growing campaign'. I'm reading the LA Times article on Simon's departure this morning and I find this nugget of political muscle.

[Pubbie]

We'll see.

In two weeks we should be able to see who has momentum going for them.

[Dog Gone]

Okay, I've been convinced on the Boxer issue. McClintock is not the only viable candidate.

My point about the power contracts is that the California governor has no power to declare the contracts void. Only courts have that power.

The contention is also suspect on a couple of other grounds, which I won't get into unless you'd like.

McClintock is conveying the impression that if he's elected, the voiding of the contracts is a done deal. It's a false impression, and if he wins this election, his supporters will be disappointed to discover the reality.

At most, the contracts with Edison could possibly be voidable, not the dozens of others signed with other producers.

[demkicker]

Prepare to get whacked on the shins by the Schwarzenpubbies. Their motto: "He may be a Clinton-praising, gun-hating, gay activist high-fiving, abortion-excusing, social program-loving liberal, but he's OUR Clinton-praising, gun-hating, gay activist high-fiving, abortion-excusing, social progam-loving liberal."

Nice to know there's someone out there who has my same sense of humor, regardless of the screwed up politics. Ditto and thanks!

[habs4ever]

Yer doin' good work, bringing reason and logic to bear on these threads.Seven more days, tops, ought to be the max, for Tommy McWhosewhatsit to pretend to get his name all over your big state, then if he's still in, come next Sunday,I hope he never sees a dime from the Cali GOP ever again.It's about past the breaking point where what he is doing is good for the party.

[tophat9000]

It works every time. Call someone stupid, and they won't like you very well. If you want to talk political syop .. the “conservative" can’t win in California” has got to go down as an a great one.... it’s so absolutely believed the party will not even try.. when conservative won’t even bother to support there own or even bother to vote because they believed they can’t win in California... talk about having some one snakebit

It no dif then the TV calling the races before the polls are close on Election Day ... or polling data is skew.... it always seen to be to dampen conservative Republican turnout.................

I WISH PEOPLE WOULD JUST THINK BACK...... WE ALWAYS DO WAY BETTER ON ELECTION DAY THEN THE MEDIA PREDICTS!

People are being buffaloed ... it’s how you beat and enemy. Convince them they can not win... Convince them there cause is hopeless... to give up .... so they do... and then the dawn comes slowly on them and they see that they were within reach. of winning.. but quit ..based on a lie

[Mike Darancette]

The polls?

The polls are not always right but point to the order of magnitude of the problem. Even Conservatives use polling data.

I will only vote for Arnold if Arnold is behind Busta' and ahead of McClintock by over twice the margin of error. And only then if the combined GOP polling will beat Busta' by better than the margin of error. Polls must also be of likely voters.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

He's been around for years, he's known the truth for years, he's known the solution for years, but he has been unable to get the job done. Becoming governor will not change a thing. He'll have the Bully Pulpit but that's about all. As to political power, he won't have any more than he has had for years.

Going from one vote in the State senate to being the governor with the power of the line item veto and the associated media that position holds is a great difference. Exercising that veto will put California’s problems, and more importantly the solutions to those problems, front and centre with the electorate. Can you imagine the hullabaloo coming from the Democrats as their out of control spending was reined in?

If we hold our noses and vote for the lesser of two evils then we’ve sold ourselves cheaply. If this is just about power at any cost then that’s a mistake. At the very least we should be standing firm on our principles and making the candidates look at where they need to stand on the issues to get our vote. If we simply get behind the most popular candidate with an R behind their name then how will the party ever move back to the right? There will be no need since they know we will all hold our noses and vote for the R candidate. Once your vote is taken for granted then so are your issues.

Let Arnie worry about attracting the conservative vote, after all he is running as a Republican isn’t he?

[McGavin999]

You can veto all you want, but if your programs are not passed by the legislature you have NO power.

[tophat9000]

Strike "It works every time. Call someone stupid, and they won't like you very well."..... from my last post...

dam...really fat fingered that one

[JohnnyZ]

What can I say? The scripture is clear on the answer. I'm sorry your church cannot be.

Lay off, don't mock someone's religion. There are thousands of different churches that each interpret those "clear" scriptures in different ways.

I believe that no one DESERVES to be saved but can be saved anyway through the infinite mercy of God, if they'll accept it. And who has perfect faith? In any case, to suggest that justification isn't something intelligent people can disagree on is ridiculous on its face.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

People are being buffaloed ... it’s how you beat and enemy. Convince them they can not win... Convince them there cause is hopeless... to give up .... so they do... and then the dawn comes slowly on them and they see that they were within reach. of winning.. but quit ..based on a lie

Gospel truth, but I take heart. Another big aspect of this recall is that partisan, and I stress partisan Republicans are indeed a minority in the Golden State. These Triangulation morons are the biggest reason for that, because we have a conservative population if ballot initiatives are any measure.

The reason I say take heart is that most Californians...aren't on Free Republic. For as much time as you and I spend debunking their cowardice, their paranoia, their fear, and their negativity in this election, "they" aren't really the voters.

You made a great point about the media predicting races, so I will say this seemingly pie in the sky prediction to you on August 24.

Tom McClintock will be the next Governor of the State of California. The red counties...ain't votin for this Hollywood phonie. The Independent conservatives are energized about throwing Davis out. The Dems are demoralized in at best holding serve over a dismal economy. Its a pity that so many on FR are so painfully igorant of that in their "how can we fool em today" strategy, but in the end, are these FR RINOs really any different than the media in their cynicism?

[Hoverbug]

Do you remember the night of the election of GB?

Gore wins!, no wait, Bush wins!!! No wait, Gore wins, no... wait..........

Polls may not be what they used to be.

Hb

[Hue68]

As Jim Robinson himself pointed out, Schwarzenegger is the Perot in this race.

With due respect for Jim, his is just one opinion on this site. Many of us believe that Tom is not playing this smart if he intends to stay in for the duration. I suggest that he bails and throws his support to Arnold one week out from the election. Arnold wins, Tom has earned recognition among Calif voters, and then with the support of Governor Arnold, he goes after Boxer's seat. In the end, we will be much better off with a Republican California Senator.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

What's our point? Are you saying the Governor has no power in California?

[kellynla]

Yes but, what you must understand is that, the contracts were negotiated by an individual employed by CA who was benefiting financially from those whom he was negotiating. Hence the contracts at the worst case scenario will have to be re-negotiated! Something that the Dimwit Davis has refused to expose and do for fear of his own culpability!

[tophat9000]

Gospel truth, but I take heart. Another big aspect of this recall is that partisan, and I stress partisan Republicans are indeed a minority in the Golden State. These Triangulation morons are the biggest reason for that, because we have a conservative population if ballot initiatives are any measure.

I know... and another part of the problem is the negative stereotype California has now... you see it every day on this board... silly silly stuff about all Californian... to them everyone... and I mean everyone is a left wing nut case.... so they just give up on us ... Im convinced the National GOP has this same California stereotype in there head and plays to this .... there are to many damm clueless National GOP suits that won’t get there asses out of LA, San Fran, or Sac. when they come here and go out to the sticks of California

It's California version of Flyover Country...... why is it that EVERONE understands at the national level the GOP needs to play to the heartland of the nation and punt on the big lib cities..... but NO ONE understands this is how the GOP need to play California ..go to the heartland..... California is BIG state ... and more than any other state its a mini U.S .... are geography create this... a lot of very different areas .... Look I always here register Dem outnumber Republican in California... but don’t register Dem outnumber Republican in the overall United States?... and Republican do very well at the national level.......

[kellynla]

"UNFORTUNATELY, there is NO PRIZE in politics for second place..." We all know that. My point is that Mac has a very formidable base and in his district which has a very large Democrat and Independent bases he receives a large crossover vote every election. And to receive over 3 MILLION VOTES in the last election is a very nice base to work from. Keep your powder dry. Mac received 12 percent in yesterday's LA Times poll and that poll was taken before Bustamante had said he would raise taxes 8 BILLION DOLLARS and before Bill Simon had withdrawn from the race. So I look for Busty's numbers to fall, Aunold's to continue falling and McClintock's numbers to continue to rise as they have from the beginning especially with the Simon supporters. And we haven't even had the debate yet, where I expect McClintock to shine! http://www.tommcclintock.com

[Spiff]

Arnold Schwarzenegger's views:

• Pro Gun Control

  "I'm for gun control. I'm a peace-loving guy." - Time magazine cover story Aug 18, 2003

• Pro Abortion

  Schwarzenegger appeared on FoxNews' "Bill O'Reilly" program in May 2001 and said he disagreed with President Bush's pro-life position. "I'm for choice," Schwarzenegger said on the program. "The women should have the choice. The women should decide what they want to do with their bodies. I'm all for that."

• Pro Gay Agenda

  From Cosmopolitan magazine, "I have no sexual standards in my head that say this is good or this is bad. 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." He also supports gay adoption, despite the fact that both conservative Republicans and moderate Democrats voted by a 61 percent margin for Proposition 22, the Defense of Marriage Initiative, which defined marriage as that between a man and a woman. Newsmax, 28 July 2003

• Pro Big Government Programs

  Regarding the passage of Proposition 49: "Every California child deserves access to a proven, quality, life-changing afterschool program, and now they will have it. My hope is that, as goes California, so goes the rest of our nation."

• Pro Clinton/Anti Impeachment

  In 1999 Schwarzenegger told George magazine of his bitterness about the frenzy over Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton and the waste of time and energy it represented. "That was another thing I will never forgive the Republican party for," he said. "I was ashamed to call myself a Republican during that period."

• Soft on Illegal Immigration

  Last year, while campaigning for his Prop. 49 after-school programs initiative, Schwarzenegger...declared in answer to a question from the audience: "I would never stand in the way of any child going to school, whether he or she is here legally or illegally, it does not matter." - Sacramento Bee, 24 August

Rush spanks all of you who are timid about pushing a conservative right now when the time is ripe to elect a REAL conservative.

California Needs Conservatism

California is a liberal proving-ground run amok. Its crushing debt - resulting from years of pandering to unions, bureaucrats, illegal immigrants, environmentalists and trial lawyers - has led to huge tax increases, major cuts in basic services, a reduction in the state's credit rating, brown-outs, water shortages and a large exodus of citizens from the state.

None of this decay is surprising. The left's promises of Nirvana never measure up. But what does surprise me are the reactions of some conservatives who see California's problems as so severe that they can't be solved by the application of conservative principles. Their thinking has led them to support Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, to my knowledge, has yet to embrace any conservative positions, though he has embraced Warrent Buffett. Hasta la vista, whatever.

There's no better time to advance conservative principles than when they're most needed. And California needs a large dose of conservatism. Recent history should be our guide.
.
.
Conservatives need to learn from Ronald Reagan. They need to stop being timid, pessimistic, and insecure. California needs solutions. There is no better time and place to establish and illustrate the primacy of conservatism. True, not all of California's problems mirror those of the late '70s and '80s, but many do, particularly those that forced this recall. Now, if one man with a vision completely changed the course of a nation, why can't it happen in a single state?
-Rush Limbaugh, Wall Street Journal, 20 August 2003

Obviously, Rush is saying that we need a true conservative and one with vision. And he makes it clear that it isn't Arnold who, he says, "has yet to embrace any conservative positions."

Rush doesn't rehabilitate Arnold much at all in the whole 'Arnold Got His (Conservative) Groove Back' thing. Far from it. Rush's support of Arnold's alleged conservative credentials it as tepid as Coulter's. So Arnold brought in Schultz? And?! That certainly doesn't immediately make him a conservative. Other people he's brought into his campaign detract from the conservative illusion. For example, he's brought in A. Jerrold Perenchio, the leftist CEO of the Univision and a long-time Davis supporter.

Either conservative principles are right and worth promoting or they're not. Either conservative policies are the best thing to save California or they are not. Either the Republican Party is the vehicle for electing representatives who will promote conservative principles - or it isn't.

Right now, with the Democrats in disarray and failed liberal policies obviously destroying the state of California, is the best time - an extremely rare alignment of the planets - for electing a true conservative. Yet so many Republicans are getting distracted by Arnold's star power and forgetting why we're Republicans in the first place. They are about to waste the perfect tactical opportunity to elect a real conservative because it is far easier to just go with Arnold and not do the work to get McClintock elected.

This could be conservatism's finest hour - the opportunity to prove that liberal policies are destructive and that conservative policies can succeed, save a nearly bankrupt state, and prove to the rest of the nation that we need conservative policies everywhere. We might be able to save California through true conservative ideas and capitalize on that victory to advance the conservative message nationwide. Or you can elect an inexperienced RINO and cross your fingers and hope. If, somehow, purely by luck alone, the RINO saves California all we have is the appearance of a victory for RINO, non-conservative principles. A "new direction" for the Republican Party - away from conservative ideals- will be celebrated. Thereby, the cause of conservatism would suffer a serious, possibly deadly blow.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

there are to many damm clueless National GOP suits that won’t get there asses out of LA, San Fran, or Sac. when they come here and go out to the sticks of California

Yup. Those people outside the cities are the voters. They're the ones who passed Prop 13 and Prop 187, not my city and CERTAINLY not San Fran. (I think SF is actually the epicenter of liberalism, I mean, we've had to GOP mayors in a row, never mind they are RINO, they still aren't Willie Brown.)

Yes, the stereotype is alive and well, feel free to throw up my 5 propositions that have passed when you come across one of them. I got it from Sabertooth anyways, I know he doesn't mind.

...... why is it that EVERONE understands at the national level the GOP needs to play to the heartland of the nation and punt on the big lib cities..... but NO ONE understands this is how the GOP need to play California ..go to the heartland..... California is BIG state ... and more than any other state its a mini U.S .... are geography create this... a lot of very different areas .... Look I always here register Dem outnumber Republican in California... but don’t register Dem outnumber Republican in the overall United States?... and Republican do very well at the national level.......

I've never heard it phrased that way, great point! I think Berkeley simply intimidates national people. The media loves to show protests, and that's one of the only place you get them, so to someone not from here, you pretty much assume every single day there is a protest there.

Well tophat9000, as they said in Major League "I guess there is only one thing left to do, get out there and win the whole damn thing"-we will win by making Tom McClintock the next Governor of the Golden State of California!!!!!!

Ping me "liberally" when dealing with RINOs on the subject!

[McGavin999]

I am saying that the Governor does not MAKE law, the legislature does. The Governor can only try to convince the legislature to write the law so he can sign it. The Governor only presents a budget, he does not hold the purse strings. He can only work to convince the legislature to pass and keep to his budget. That means that it's going to take someone who can work with both democrats and republicans in order to get things done. It's going to take some who can go to the people and convince them so they can pressure the legislature. Not just convince conservatives, but convince democrats as well.

This is not an ordinary situation, it's going to take some one who has a completely different skill set then normal.