Yes. I'm from San Diego and I'm not represented a Governor, two Senators, Federal or State Representatives, nor a city counselman. Sure, you bet I'm going to hold out for Conservative principles (NOT).
I don't see McClintock getting more votes than Arnold, if either of the other drops out. Arnold is getting new votes that would not exist, if he were not running and true conservatives are not so dumb that they wouldn't know what their only choices are.
I also don't see any political future for McClintock in the Republican Party if he rides this out to the end. The only good thing about his staying in a little longer is the Dems won't have time to change their campaign to save Davis, once the polls favor Arnold in a two man race.
Oh, from your mouth to God's ear! I wish it were true, but California Republicans, especially conservatives with the exception of the Reagan years, have been cutting their noses to spite their faces for decades.
There are partisans both left and right in California, but the balance of power is held by the moderates. Those people are probably well to the left of most of us on social issues like abortion and gay rights, but with us on immigration and taxation. They're looking for political leadership, not more politicians. Always have, and they've always supported the candidate that appears (not necessary truthfully) to be less a "politician" and more straightforward. They want someone at least reasonably likeable, and the mean-spirited tone of conservative Republicans in California turns moderates off like a cold shower.
A lot of this is bound up in the cultural tension no one talks about between the big central Valleys and the coastal metropolises, the Northern California suspicion of the Southern part of the state's intentions, and some of it is even traceable to a wispy remnant of the hostility of the New England stock intellectuals and business class towards the self-made immigrants, both foreign (e.g. Italians, Armenians, orientals etc.) and domestic (i.e. the poor white stock immigrants who came in the 1930's and continued to come from the South during and after WWII).
And I don't see any future for the Republican party if they don't have room for a moderate Republican like McClintock.
That's right, I said moderate. Because compared to just about any Republican of 30 years ago, and most certainly Mr. Reagan, he is.
As far as Schwarzenegger goes, his positions are pretty much left of center Democrat of 1973. If that's where the "Republican" party of 2003 is, they might as well just hang it up, and stop bothering everyone with their yapping.