Here's a response I gave to "Miss Marple" this morning. I think it deserves repeating. IMO, it says it all.
>>>People who wish to win elections (as opposed to simply proving their intellectual superiority or dividing the party)...
99 posted on 08/26/2003 4:53 AM MDT by Miss Marple
Conservative Republican's have bitten the bullet on occasions in the past, covering many election cycles. We have always tried to keep a positive, optimistic and winning attitude, with election victory as the target goal. Sometimes we've had to accept a candidate whose a social moderate and a fiscal conservative. Sometimes conservatives have even accepted a candidate whose both a social and fiscal moderate. Occasionally, conservatives even accept a social liberal, whose a fiscal conservative. Rudi Guliani is a good example. But this can only go so far.
Even George W.Bush, who ran as a fiscal conservative, has governed as a moderate conservative Republican. Bush has stuck with a strong set of social conservative beliefs and values, while taking a more moderate approach, if not an outright liberal position towards increases in spending by the federal government. And I'm not talking about increases in military spending or homeland security either. I'm talking about non-defense related discretionary spending.
What exists in California right now, is a situation whereby, a famous and respected Hollywood actor is attempting to become governor. Republican's, including its conservative base, have been bending over backwards to give Arnold Schwarzenegger the benefit of the doubt, whenever and wherever possible. This includes, a complete pass on the bedrock principles of the GOP, responsibility found in fiscal conservatism. Instead of holding Rnold's feet to the fire and demanding accountability, demanding he release some specifics and details of his economic recovery plan for California, many Republicans have become infatuated with Rnold's candidacy and blinded by an irrational desire to throw away commonsense, in an effort to win the California governorship. This type of behavior isn't consistent with the basic tenets of the political agenda promoted by the conservative movement in America today. In my book, it's anti-GOP, its destructive and it's pathetic.
Conservatives aren't asking Schwarzenegger to suddenly change his positions on social issues. Rnold is pro-abortion, pro-gay rights and pro-gun control and its doubtful he would even consider such a decision. Rather, conservative Republican's demand that Rnold publically release, exactly what specific financial and economic plans he has in mind for the Golden State. With California in total meltdown, it makes no sense for conservative Republican's to blindly support any candidate, who isn't willing to express his political viewpoints in an open, fair and honest fashion.
Rnold started out his campaign with platitudes and his press conference last Wednesday was filled with generalities. No candidate, not PresBush43, not even Reagan, would ever get this cosnervative Republican's vote, if they presented such hollow rhetoric and such a shallow agenda in their public pronouncments, as Rnold has.
Most conservative Republican's, what I call the the loyal rank and file crowd, want to rid the GOP of people like Olympia Snowe, Arlen Spector, Susan Collins and Lincoln Chaffey. Therefore, it makes no sense whatsoever, for Republican's to mount such a serious effort to elect Arnold Schwarzenegger the next governor of California.