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.

[Tax Government]

I also call on McClintock to step aside and let Arnold win.

People who fault Arnold do so because they disagree with one or another of his positions. The important thing about Arnold is he has the intelligence to preside over a debate, and not reflexively echo a party platform. I get the feeling that he has the capacity to be an honest participant in a discussion, and even change his mind. Isn't that what you'd value, even more than having a candidate who agreed with you on a list of specific issues?

[Tamzee]

Pardon the ping, important news :-)

Arnold was just endorsed by "Investor's Business Daily".

[Tamzee]

Ping sent as requested :-)

[Tamzee]

Wow!!!

Not only an excellent endorsement, but a great photo as a bow on top ;-)

[FairOpinion]

Thanks.

This is indeed an important endorsement and an excellent article.

Did you see the Arnold quotes from his convention speech?

They are great!


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/982088/posts

[68 grunt]

Arnold was just endorsed by "Investor's Business Daily".

Excellent news!

VOTE BUSINESS - VOTE SCHWARZENEGGER

[onyx]

Investor's Business daily. Taking bets for the identity of the first "all or nothing tom-bot" to call IBD a "RINO" publication.

[Tamzee]

Thank you SO much!

I've been offline most of the day and was just about to begin a hunt for convention info :-)

[South40]

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

All the more reason we need to do whatever necessary to keep the slug from becoming governor.

[Tamzee]

But of course!

Anyone not in exact lockstep is a RINO...

I'm wearing the name with pride now :-)

[FairOpinion]

Maybe we need to change the symbol of the Republican party from an elephant to a Rhino, since it seems that most Republicans are actually RINO's, according to the 10% who would rather have Bustamante, than a Republican as governor.

[Tamzee]

RINO - "Republican In Name and Oath"


I wonder if many McClintock supporters have actually read the Republican Oath lately? It specifically states that we encompass "varying points of view". Arnold appears much more a true Republican than Tom.
---

The Republican Oath



I believe that the proper function of government is to do for the people those things that have to be done but cannot be done, or cannot be done as well by individuals, and that the most effective government is government closest to the people.

I believe that good government is based on the individual and that each person's ability, dignity, freedom and responsibility must be honored and recognized.

I believe that free enterprise and the encouragement of individual initiative and incentive have given this nation an economic system second to none.

I believe that sound money policy should be our goal.

I believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, age, sex or national origin. I believe that persons with disabilities should be afforded equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity as well.

I believe we must retain those principles worth retaining, yet always be receptive to new ideas with an outlook broad enough to accommodate thoughtful change and varying points of view.

I believe that Americans value and should preserve their feeling of national strength and pride, and at the same time share with people everywhere a desire for peace and freedom and the extension of human rights throughout the world.

Finally, I believe that the Republican Party is the best vehicle for translating these ideals into positive and successful principles of government.

http://www.gop.org/gopinfo/gopoath

[b9]

Thank you!
Great endorsement.
A proud moment for

R epublicans
I n
N ecessary
O pposition to
S ocialist Scumbags

[b9]

R epublican
I n
N ame and
O ath

is the BEST!!!
So proud to join the herd :o)

[FairOpinion]

Thanks for posting the Republican Oath.


===

And now here is Arnold's statement at the convention:

"
"Let me tell you what being a conservative means to me. I'm a conservative because I believe communism is evil and free enterprise is good. I'm a conservative because Milton Friedman is right and Karl Marx is wrong. I'm a conservative because I believe government serves the people, the people don't serve the government. I'm a conservative because I believe in a balanced budget, not budget deficits. I'm a conservative because I believe money that people earn is their money and not the government's money. And when you look at the drivers' license outrage, I am a conservative because I believe in the rules of the law, not political pandering."


He sounds Republican to me.

[b9]

Why do you think there's no postings of Tom's speech?

[ladyinred]

I love hearing a candidate for a political office with the guts to say he hates communists. Especially when the opposing party is heading down that road as fast as their little teeney (non gas guzzling) sports cars can carry them!

[FairOpinion]

In all fairness, Arnold made his speech at noon, and it took until evening for the news media to get some quotes out.

Tom's speech was in the evening, so it may be tomorrow morning, before we see it.

But my bet is that Arnold's speech was statesman-like and Tom's was the same whine of "elect me because I am a conservative and Arnold is bad".

[b9]

Good point...it did take several hours.
Wish I'd gone to the convention.
Do you know of any FReepers who went?

[FairOpinion]

"Wish I'd gone to the convention.
Do you know of any FReepers who went? "

===

Haven't heard. Maybe we'll get more info on Monday, from those who went.

I was wishing that there were some FReepers there with a laptop, typing notes and posting them, keeping us up to date, but, alas, apparently they were too busy with the convention.