Gov. Schwarzenegger [IBD Editorial Endorsing Arnold]

Investor's Business Daily ^ | September 15, 2003 edition | staff

[snopercod]

p>The Recall: It isn't every day that someone of Arnold Schwarzenegger's caliber gives up a highly successful career to run for public office. Californians should take advantage of the opportunity.

If they don't, we fear the worst. The state is being driven off a cliff by a one-party government led by second-rate hacks. Next month's recall election may be the only chance to turn things around.

No need to go through the problems — the cavernous deficit, the porous border, the business exodus and so on and so forth. But you have to be here (and IBD is headquartered in Los Angeles) to realize how badly the state is governed.

It isn't just that Davis is incompetent — letting spending run amok, choking in the face of an energy crisis, condoning one anti-business, job-killing scheme after another.

What do you expect from someone who's spent his entire adult life in state government — and in mostly second-rung jobs at that?

It's that Davis is also corrupt. He spends much of his time raising money that he uses to smear anyone who's even thinking about opposing him. And he sells favors to the highest special-interest bidders.

It's no coincidence, for example, that prison guards are getting the biggest pay hike in state government after contributing more — $3.4 million — than any other public employee union to Davis' campaigns. Over five years, they're getting a 37% hike — at a time of severe budget crisis.

The lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante, may not be as venal. But he's every bit as dull and perhaps even less competent.

He owes much of his political success to an Average Joe image and a certain vagueness about where he really stands. But as the clock ticks down to Oct. 7, and the need to nail down liberal votes gets serious, the veil is lifting.

He is part of an administration that presided over a tripling of car-license fees and workers' comp rates. Now he's pushing socialistic monstrosities like mandatory, employer-provided health insurance, state regulation of the oil industry and ever-higher income taxes on the state's most productive citizens.

That he doesn't seem to realize — or care about — the devastation such measures will bring on jobs and the economy is reason enough to disqualify him.

No sane person facing such a costly raft of tax hikes, mandates and new rules as Bustamante has proposed would choose to expand or build a new business in the Golden State.

California is the world's fifth largest economy, with nearly $1.4 trillion in output. But it won't hold that position for long if its best and brightest keep leaving in droves — as they have in recent years, thanks in large part to Bustamante's and Davis' stunning incompetence.

Needless to say, Bustamante and now Davis are all for the new law that lets illegal aliens get driver's licenses, thereby further opening our borders to terrorists. (Davis at first opposed the idea. In a classic flip-flop, he reversed field after the recall movement gathered steam and it became clear he'd need Latino votes to survive).

Most residents sadly agree that California isn't what it used to be. What we fear is that after five years of Davis and another three of Bustamante, it may no longer be even recognizable.

Maybe that's the idea: Despite many opportunities to do so, Bustamante has refused to denounce the credo of a Chicano organization in which he was once active: "For the Race, everything. For those outside the Race, nothing."

Contrast all this with the engaging, inclusive and well-rounded Schwarzenegger, an immigrant who came to America with nothing and achieved everything he's put his mind to.

He's been a success in several fields, including bodybuilding, business and acting.

No dummy, he put himself through college and has written four books, including a 736-page encyclopedia of bodybuilding.

No dilettante, he has served presidents and sponsored a successful initiative to fund after-school programs for disadvantaged kids.

No shrinking violet, he married into America's royal family and attracts and holds his own with our best and brightest.

No quitter, he'll keep at the problem until it's solved.

How many Americans, let alone politicians, can set a better example for California's large and growing immigrant population?

They say Schwarzenegger has no experience in Sacramento. We say hallelujah. What's needed there now is new, positive thinking based on real-world experience and common sense.

Schwarzenegger has both.

Our admiration for Schwarzenegger is in no way a reflection on the other candidate who'd also get the job done — State Sen. Tom McClintock. We've watched him for years, marveling at his grasp of the issues, impressed by his principled stands and wincing at the narrow defeats he's suffered in other attempts at statewide office.

But the conventional wisdom seems to be that McClintock, a no-nonsense conservative, will not likely be elected governor in a state in which there are a million more Democrats than Republicans.

We expect him to graciously step aside for the front-running Schwarzenegger when the time is right.

As for the more moderate (but still conservative) Schwarzenegger, it's beyond us why someone with so much going for him would want to step into such a mess.

But then, we're not Arnold Schwarzenegger.

And neither, voters surely must know, is Gray Davis or Cruz Bustamante.

[AmericaUnited]

Re: you #16... How's the booze?

[inPhase]

Now we have it...


I call on McClintock to step down and support Ahnold,
before He costs us this Recall.
McClintock will not win.
But Ahnold can, and should.
Ahnold is the answer

[EllaMinnow]

The FOX reporter just said that Issa will be endorsing Schwarzenegger tonight at the convention.

Do you think it will make any difference?

[CheneyChick]

http://www.recallballot.com/index.phtml

Here's a new active online "poll".... Some guy I never heard of is currently winning. LOL!

[DoughtyOne]

I believe that McClintock knows what the real numbers are. It can't have escaped him that many conservative organizations have backed Schwarzenegger. I think there's a window from roughly 12:00 noon tomorrow through next Saturday, when he'll more than likely step down. He may hold out until after Wednesday's debate and the resulting reaction.

When he does step down I'll have three thoughts on it.

1. Relief - Our split vote may heal well by October 7th, so we can all pull together (not holding my breath)

2. Disappointment - Here's a guy whose platform I endorse 100%. I wish he could be elected.

3. Anger - Up to 1.5 week's worth of absentee ballots will have been cast for the man. Even that may cost us by October 7th. When the ballots are counted, I predict he will have between 4 and 7.5% of the vote, even if he pulls out next Saturday.

[EllaMinnow]

Unfortunately, the debate isn't until a week from this coming Wednesday.

[Tempest]

Thanks for your post it was quite funny and makes me question if there is not an inordinately high amount of inebriated posters on Freerepublic.

I think Arnold should get out of the race because Tom is losing in every single poll.

[Tempest]

Sorry, but Arnold has never said that he won't support the referendum from what I understand. But it's the San Francisco chronicle that claims that someone from his campaign has said that he won't be supporting the referendum.

From Arnolds own mouth though he has made it clear that he will work to repeal SB60.

[BunnySlippers]

I was an institutional equities trader for William O'Neil for over 8 years here in LA. (still am one but for another firm) He started IBD. He is conservative as they get. I'm glad he's endorsing Arnold.

[DoughtyOne]

When discussing this weeks ago, I thought the 17th was mentioned as the debate night. I had mentioned that the 15th should be McClintock's deadline. Someone piped in that the debate was on the 17th, and he should have the right to debate first. I agreed and mentioned the 20th as a reasonable deadline.

If it wasn't the 17th, I've been mistaken.

[EllaMinnow]

I believe it's the 24th, but I may be mistaken. I'll check.

[EllaMinnow]

Yes, it's the 24th.

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/special_packages/davis_recall/6762287.htm

[DoughtyOne]

That's too bad. By then 16 days of absentee ballots will have been cast.

[Sabertooth]

Sorry, but Arnold has never said that he won't support the referendum from what I understand. But it's the San Francisco chronicle that claims that someone from his campaign has said that he won't be supporting the referendum.

In the week that we've known there would be an anti-SB60 referendum effort, the Schwarzenegger campaign has yet to unequivocally support it.

If the Chronicle report is in error, what's the hold up? Why so flat-footed?

From Arnolds own mouth though he has made it clear that he will work to repeal SB60.

From Arnold's own mouth, he's made it clear that he wants to legalize the Illeghals and give them the drivers' licenses anyway.

[EllaMinnow]

Here's cyn's excellent summary. Post 10.

[RGSpincich]

McClintock did not officially join the referendum until yesterday. Have they invited Arnold to join them? Why haven't they? It's rather self-serving to say he's not part of the team unless the team invites him to join.

[BunnySlippers]

She would be an American Margaret Thatcher and she would be a Republican.

I agree. I can't imagine a female Democrat as president in these dangerous times.

[Tempest]

Actually for the record Arnold has stated that he supported repealing SB60 from his own mouth on live interviews with Bill O'Reiley and Sean Hannity.

Also as a sidenote I find it interesting that many of you have placed standard of conservatism on Arnold that even Reagan himself would not have passed when he ran for governor of California. Considering the fact that Reagan in his 1st term as governor provided amnesty for 2.4 million illegal immigrant, signed gun control legislation that required a 15 day waiting period for handguns, and signed an abortion rights bill and he had been a life long liberal Democrat up until 4 years prior to running for governor.

So basically under the standards that some of you aspire to Reagan would have never been given the chance to become the great leader that he was. Food for thought.

[RGSpincich]

Yep, his spokesman says that he doesn't have plans to join the referendum. Which makes sense considering that he hasn't been asked to join by the organizers. The CRA needs to place the invitation to Arnold.

[BunnySlippers]

Then he said he's always been a Republican. That he's asked ten times a day why he is a Republican "And that's just from my wife, Maria!" Much laughter.

Hahaha ... that's VERY funny. I hope I see a rerun.