McClintock Key to Democratic Victory in California

Intellectual Conservative.com ^ | 9/2/3 | Bob Chandra

[socal_parrot]

A Democratic plot to boost Tom McClintock’s candidacy at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s expense has recently come to light.

On paper, the recall election should be a cakewalk for California Republicans. A cursory analysis reveals a governor with an approval rating below Richard Nixon at his low point. The only serious Democrat candidate is the state’s uninspiring lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante, who unquestioningly followed Governor Davis through his mishaps with the budget and energy crisis. It should be a breeze for Republicans, right? Think again. Democrats are euphoric over Tom McClintock’s intransigence in continuing his long-shot bid for governor. This allows Democrats to divide and conquer their way into office. Democrats are attempting to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and Tom McClintock is an essential part of their game plan.

For starters, Democrats know McClintock cannot win. They know that he has ran for statewide office twice before and lost both times. McClintock’s problem is not so much that he’s unknown but that Californians know about him and have rejected his candidacy time and again. Knowing this, a Democrat plot to boost McClintock’s candidacy at Schwarzenegger’s expense has already surfaced. According to the Sacramento Bee’s Daniel Weintraub, “Ever since Cruz Bustamante entered the race, it's been assumed that California's Indian tribes were going to pool their money and do independent expenditures on his behalf, expensive ads that get around the $21,000 limit on contributions. Now I am hearing rumblings that the Indians might think about helping Cruz in a more creative way as well. If they spent, say, $4 million on behalf of state Sen. Tom McClintock, the most conservative Republican in the race, they might pump McClintock's numbers up while hurting Arnold and not harming Cruz a bit. Remember, Cruz needs a split GOP vote to win. That would be one way to get it.” The reliably Democratic Indian tribes, loyal to Bustamante, would essentially throw their weight behind McClintock to chip away at the support of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the GOP front-runner. The Democrat strategy with regard to Tom McClintock is: “If you know you can beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

McClintock is unfazed by this conniving scheme and is more than happy to play along. His actions suggest that he’s willing to make allies with loyal Democratic groups under the logic, the enemy of my enemy (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is my friend. On August 28th, McClintock and Bustamante went together before the California Nations Indian Gaming Association to pledge their support. Needless to say, money will follow. Whether McClintock knows it or not, he’s being used by the Left. If Democrat allies can keep McClintock in the game, they can put a cap on Arnold’s support. A recent Los Angeles Times poll shows Bustamante with 35% of the vote and McClintock with 12%. The poll indicates that McClintock will lose decisively but more importantly, his vote will ensure that GOP front-runner Schwarzenegger loses as well.

It doesn’t have to be this way. McClintock could see the light and do what’s best for the party – as Bill Simon did by bowing out of the race. Other than his new Democratic support, the picture continues to grow bleaker for McClintock. The Washington Post and Sacramento Bee are reporting that there will be a record turnout for the recall election. This invalidates the early calculus by McClintock supporters - that in a low turnout election, grassroots could carry the day. Further, the base is growing more familiar with Schwarzenegger’s conservatism – Arnold came out against partial-birth abortion, against gay marriage, and for a constitutional spending cap.

There comes a time when personal ambition must be set aside and self-affirming but false justifications for one’s candidacy need to be reexamined. If McClintock stays in the California Senate, and assuming Arnold wins the governorship, he and Arnold could play the good-cop/bad-cop routine to perfection, mirroring President Bush and Tom Delay’s efforts at the national level. Additionally, McClintock may be well positioned to challenge Barbara Boxer in next year’s US Senate race. However, if McClintock persists with his spoiler campaign and throws the election to Bustamante, it is doubtful he will have any political capital for a future race.

But assuming things stay the way they are, with McClintock’s help, Bustamante and the Democrats may well pull off an upset of a lifetime on Election Day.

[ladyinred]

Davis and Cruz have GOT to go!!!!!

[Poohbah]

Don't you mean "Ah-nold" cult supporters ? ;-)

I haven't seen "Ah-nold" supporters flaming McClintockites as heretics.

If I were Tom McClintock, I'd register on FR just to tell my alleged supporters to quit screaming at the people I want to vote for me.

The McClintockites started in with their "We are pure conservatives, you heathen scum," and then wondered why nobody liked being told that.

[Cultural Jihad]

Are you telling other people in Tennessee how to vote? Your posts just make you look foolish.

[Reagan Man]

>>George Christopher!

I thought it was Christopher George, from the Rat Patrol. ;^)

Arnold is closer to the beliefs and values of Danny Devito then Ronald Reagan.

Go Tom Go

[fieldmarshaldj]

I stand corrected. It should be a Conservative forum, but with so many liberal Ah-nold 'bots infesting the joint...

[ladyinred]

Did anyone else hear about the group of illegal aliens who were marching and picketing in favor of Davis signing the bill for illegals to get drivers licenses? They were actually saying on the air to news reporters and had it on their signs that they won't vote for Davis to stay in office unless he signs that bill! Think about it!
We have more than democrats to worry about!

[Chancellor Palpatine]

This is a conservative, majority Republican area.

Which means, of course, that y'all have little voice in Sacramento, and have a problem winning elections. Methinks that its time for your influence over the state party and the concomitant bleedover into national affairs to wanne into nonexistence - especially since Pubbies elsewhere have figured out how to win without getting into people's faces or running off everyone who wasn't of Northern European ancestry.

[risk]

>>>> But Issa did the studly thing. He spent over a million dollars of his own freaking money, and when Arnold got in, Issa thought of the party first and backed out of the race.

Whether or not it was good for the state of California for him to get out of the race, Issa has done more to show that decent Arabs can immigrate and naturalize, have patriotic and civic-minded kids, and generally become superb citizens than anyone else has that I know -- all in the last year.

Check out his work on bringing peace to the middle east: http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-campaign2002/931594/posts

I was damned impressed when he stepped out of the race, tears in his eyes. It's good to know that people in politics still care.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Also, the reporter tonight said that the second debate which Arnold has agreed to attend is the only one where the questions are given to the candidates beforehand.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I stand corrected. It should be a Conservative forum, but with so many liberal Ah-nold 'bots infesting the joint...

[Chancellor Palpatine]

This is a conservative, majority Republican area.

Which means, of course, that y'all have little voice in Sacramento, and have a problem winning elections. Methinks that its time for your influence over the state party and the concomitant bleedover into national affairs to wane into nonexistence - especially since Pubbies elsewhere have figured out how to win without getting into people's faces or running off everyone who wasn't of Northern European ancestry.

[ApesForEvolution]

"...Then the media will, of course, frame it as a referendum on Bush. The consequences of a loss for the national GOP are unthinkable..."

Oh, bologna. Kalifornicatia is so far screwed up left, even amongst a near majority of the KA GOP, that no one but the die hard commies in this country would buy it. I hope Tom holds AS' feet to the conservative fire long enough to get AS on record supporting some real American conservative common sense.

[Cultural Jihad]

Tune in!

[Tempest]

No I'm pretty sure that the Tommy McC supporters are the ones with a direct channel to God.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/973351/posts

Yep McCrackpot = Cult leader.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Republicans can't win without us.

But if you were informed about California politics you would know that.

[FairOpinion]

What you should have asked his office, is were these quotes accurate or not? I didn't see any press release from his office stating he was misquoted in the Washington Post article. And you can ask Brulte as well.

===

“I’ll be real blunt,” Haynes said in an interview. “I was involved in the recall with Tom McClintock from the beginning, but I didn’t get involved in this to hand the governorship over to [Democratic Lt. Gov.] Cruz Bustamante. That’s something I need to be cognizant of and other conservatives need to be cognizant of.”

Haynes might be part of that effort. “I’m at the point,” he said, “of saying to McClintock, ‘Show you can bring the resources to the table to win, or get out of the way.’ ”

State Senate Republican leader Jim Brulte reiterated this weekend his willingness to help talk second-tier GOP candidates out of the race. “California will be no better off if Gray Davis is recalled and Republican candidates finish two, three and four,” Brulte said.

Source: http://www.msnbc.com/news/959891.asp?0cv=CB10&cp1=1

=====

And how about the Orange County Lincoln Club?

A powerful conservative group that pumped $200,000 into Republican Bill Simon's campaign for governor last year endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday, saying the actor is the only Republican who can win the recall election to replace Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

The decision by the Lincoln Club of Orange County to back Schwarzenegger in the Oct. 7 election is a stunning blow to the other prominent Republicans on the ballot -- Simon, state Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks (Ventura County) and Orange County businessman Peter Ueberroth.

Tracy Price, president of the business-oriented club, said his group called Simon and McClintock Friday morning to urge them to drop out of the race.

"We're very fond of those guys, and we've backed them in the past," he said.

"But we don't believe either of them has enough dry powder to win this race."

The endorsement by the Orange County Lincoln Club -- a bastion of powerful support for conservative candidates like former Rep. Bob "B-1" Dornan -- represents a political gold ring for the moderate Schwarzenegger, whose positions on choice, guns, environmental and social issues appear to conflict with many of the long-held postions of many of the group's influential -- and monied -- members.

But, Price said, the decision was made in the belief that Simon, McClintock and Ueberroth will only hurt the party's chance to replace Davis.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/08/23/MN152118.DTL

[sruleoflaw]

Save the "smart" remarks. And learn to get your facts right.

Now we know that Schwarzenegger is NOT ENDORSED by Ray Haynes; I can't wait to see the other facts you've gotten right.

Personally, I think the administrator should pay attention to your term "clueless dorks". Sounds like a personal attack to me.

[Common Tator]

Please help me understand your point in saying that two major GOP candidates running for one office does not matter.

Peole are making the stupid assumption that those who are going to vote for McClintock would vote for Arnold if McClintock pulled out. That is just not the case. The right most 1/3 of the Republicans will not vote for a man who is for abortion, did dope and participated in gangbangs. They just will not vote for him. It is called the religious right and they will not vote for him. Never could... Never would.

If McClintock pulls out those people will not vote at ALL.... So Arnie loses.

But the great news for Davis if that 15 percent of the total vote stays home he will not be recalled. The first part of the ballot is either a Davis win or a near tie. Most likely the result would be Davis is not recalled. result. That 58 to 42 dump him vote becomes a 51 to 49 keep him vote if the right most 15 percent says home on election day. And they would do exactly that.

Republicans have only one chance to win. That is get Annie out of the race and unite behind McClintock.

McClintock could get some of the moderate Republican vote and some of the centrists vote. Arnie will get none of the far right and can get none of it. And there are not enough centrists and moderate Republicans to let him win.

It is real simple if you don't want Bustamante or Davis, then get Arnie out of the race. If you drive McClintock out the Democrats certainly win, as they will if he stays in, but perhaps just perhaps with McClintock , DAVIS wins the recall.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... Nope. I support the Republican in the race, Tom McClintock."

What difference does that make? You're from friggin' Tennessee.

This recall will be decided by Californians, thank you very much.

[ApesForEvolution]

LOL! That concept was floated around here before...and it went over like a far^ in church...