Posted on 09/02/2003 4:21:28 PM PDT by 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.
No..... Tom is up for reelection next November in a totally safe seat.
Jeez louise, I check back in after a few days and it's the same old thing: EV & FMDJ yanking your chains and the two of you responding better than Pavlov's dogs ever did.
Here's a bit of advice, for what's it worth: Since AS is gonna win the election, regardless of what McC does, it's a complete waste of time to keep going around in circles with these guys.
If anyone is a RINO, it's these two. They're actually arch conservatives way to the right of traditional Repub policies. They are truly Repubs in name only, since they have no vested interest in actually winning an election. Oh the horror, then one would actually have to govern!
Sooooo, you don't live in CA either? And here you and the other Kookaid drinkers have been jumping up and down like gerbils on crystal meth and slamming other people for daring to comment on the CA recall race. Hypocrite.
Yet they DO deserve an Austrian Socialist who treats women (including his wife) like garbage ?
Why are you so concerned about his wife? Do you consider her to be too much competition for the Big Boy's attentions? That's just sick, man.
Show me all your leftist RINOs who won statewide office in CA last year or all the U.S. Senators from there, too, that have consistently won appealing to the "center" (sic) and left ?
You got them all in there:
mentally disturbed
unpatriotic
gutless worms
self-absorbed
bogus obsessions
obnoxious
bourgoise
sociopathic
maniacial mind-set
goofs who whine
And lets not forget the nice comparison
"They are of the same obnoxious, bourgoise, spoiled, sociopathic, maniacial mind-set as those Lebanese, Egyptian and Saudi rich kids who flew those two planes into the WTC and the other two into Washington and Pennsylvania."
So this is what a Christian Conservative is eh? I am sure that if you ever called a Mormon one of these names as these on the Free Republic you would not have an account by now. But It is fine and very Proper now days to bash Christian Conservatives and call them every name in the book and compare them to the Murders of thousands of Americans....
Can it get any worse? This is the Bottom.
Please. You've gotta listen up. I didn't say anyone, I said Reagan's 11th commandment didn't apply to Democrat's and liberals. RINO wasn't a term which existed in Reagan's day. RINO is a contemproary term that exists today.
>>>The MOST important thing is that Bustamante and Davis be defeated, and that the Republican party unite around someone. I don't care who...maybe Uberhoff as a compromise.
I agree with you. Got to keep Bustamonte and Davis out! But you don't defeat a liberal with another liberal, because he has an R next to his name. Pragmatism can be a positive political and governing tool, if its used properly. Voting for someone who supports the GOP platform 10% of the time, just doesn't measure up to someone who supports the GOP platform 99% of the time. Huge difference.
>>>If McClintock can come up with a winning strategy to do this, that's fine by me. So far all I have seen him do is criticize Arnold and his "country-club" supporters. He isn't making much of an effort to get people into his camp, if you ask me.
McClintock has a winning political agenda. It incorporates a plan that covers all the major issues of concern to Californian's. I've posted it five times on FR in the last three days and will do so again, if you like. However, McClintock doesn't have the luxury of Arnold's abilty to raise money. after all, Arnold is a living example of an American cult pop icon. McClintock's strategy is simple. 48% of Californian's voted for him in 2002, if he can get a few more percentage points, he could win. Everyone says that McClintock is hampering Arnold's campaign and that may be true. But conversely, Arnold is hampering McClintock's campaign too. I am convinced that Boy Davis is out and Bustamonte probably won't get the votes needed to win. This is between McClintock and Schwarznegger. Some folks on this thread have made fun of my election theory. So be it.
ROFL
Actually, that would be all of us ;)
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