Cal Thomas Says Arnold Is No Ronald Reagan

News Max ^ | Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003

[GrandMoM]

Cal Thomas Says Arnold Is No Ronald Reagan

He may be an actor, but that's about the only thing Arnold Schwarzenegger has in common with Ronald Reagan, says conservative columnist and TV broadcaster Cal Thomas.

"Ronald Reagan was an actor who became governor of California, so why not Arnold Schwarzenegger?" Thomas asked. "Or so the argument goes. Why not actor Gary Coleman, then, or any of the other candidates for whom inexperience, not to mention cluelessness about what's needed to repair the damage done to the state's economy, seems to be their main qualification?"

According to Thomas, nobody knows what Schwarzenegger stands for, including possibly Arnold himself.

"At least he has his lines down," Thomas wrote. "In rapid-fire TV appearances following his 'Tonight' show announcement that he is a candidate should voters recall Gov. Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger lamented the exodus of businesses from the state and said something must be done to get them back. Would he cut taxes and reduce the regulations that caused them to flee? He didn't say. According to the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto, between January 2001, and January 2003, California lost 223,900 private-sector jobs, but government jobs rose by 121,700. Can he reverse that trend? He's not saying - yet."

On the so-called social issues such as same-sex "marriage" he told ABC's "Good Morning America," "I don't want to get into that right now." Thomas recalls that Arnold has "advocated reversing the car tax increase - an issue former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore rode to victory in the '90s - but he also wants to spend more on school construction and hire more teachers.

"Schwarzenegger seems to think he can take advantage of voter distrust and disgust with Davis by focusing on the embattled governor and not himself. That may work for the first week or two, but Arnold is going to have to come up with a platform that is more substantive than 'I'm not Gray Davis.' His aides say one will be forthcoming."

Thomas compared Schwarzenegger with Ronald Reagan, noting that "By the time Reagan ran for governor in 1966 (winning by a 1 million-vote margin), his political philosophy had matured. He converted from Democrat to Republican while president of the Screen Actors Guild during debates about the alleged influence of communism in the film industry. He toured the country under the auspices of General Electric, which sponsored his TV show. But Reagan's philosophy began evolving much earlier. In a soon-to-be-published book of his letters compiled by longtime aide and family friend, Martin Anderson, Reagan expresses interest in the world around him as early as age 11."

Thomas wrote that Ed Meese, Reagan's attorney general and a top aide when Reagan was governor recalled that before Reagan decided to run for governor, he made a series of 10-minute talks around the state, followed by a question-and-answer session that lasted an hour.

Meese, he said, told him Reagan "studied briefing books about state government and how it was organized and then he told people what he would do."

Schwarzenegger, Thomas notes, "is part of a political family, but it's the Kennedy family." Moreover, Schwarzenegger is "a social liberal and is bound to disappoint conservative Republicans, even if he is the GOP's only hope for getting back in power in Sacramento."

He charges that Schwarzenegger supports not only abortion on demand but also homosexual adoption and what he has called "sensible gun controls." Moreover, he got his political feet wet last year pushing for a series of before- and after-school programs that could cost California taxpayers as much as $455 million a year.

The columnist also recalled that after the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, Schwarzenegger "seemed to express disgust with the process, saying in a George magazine interview in 1999, 'That was another thing I will never forgive the Republican Party for.' Another thing? What else is there for which you will not forgive your party, Arnold?" he asked.

"To paraphrase the late Desi Arnaz, another actor with a thick accent: Arnold, you've got a lot of 'splainin' to do. You are no Ronald Reagan," Thomas concluded.

[GrandMoM]

....just found this in news max mag, did a search, and nothing came up. I thought it was interesting, but, I like Cal Thomas, he says it like it is.

[AmericaUnited]

The only person claiming to be Ronald Reagan II is "It's All About Me" McClintock et. al.

[Pahuanui]

"To paraphrase the late Desi Arnaz, another actor with a thick accent: Arnold, you've got a lot of 'splainin' to do. You are no Ronald Reagan," Thomas concluded.

Quite frankly, so what? Has Schwarzenegger ever claimed that he is another Reagan?

Is that even necessary or desirable that all republicans emulate Reagan?

[DoughtyOne]

Absentee balloting continues.

Tom McClintock continues to lock up votes.

If Tom McClintock truly stands at 18% in the polls, he stands to recieve between 7 and 9% by absentee ballot before 70% of the voters go to the polls on October 7th.  On election day, even if he withdraws a couple of days before the election, he will recieve between 2 and 4% more of the vote.

Tom may by siphoning off as much as 10 to 12% of the vote, even if he eventually withdraws from the race.  Tom as said that he won't withdraw.

Each day that goes by, tens of thousands of more votes are cast by mail.

Can anyone beat Cruz Bustamante.  We don't know for sure.  Polls have been all over the place.

I agree with Cal Thomas.  I don't see Arnold Schwarzenegger as another Ronald Reagan either.

The fact still remains, he is no Cruz Bustamante either.  And you knew that Cal.

[pogo101]

Oh, I dunno. Schwarzenegger appears to have at least one other quality, and a much more important one than movie experience, in common with Reagan: He seems HAPPY, energized, enthused, when he is on the stump or at a press conference. Call it charisma.

McClintock doesn't really have that. (I think you're either born with it or you ain't.)

Mind you, charisma isn't everything. Why, just look at whom the USA elected Prez in '92 and '96. THAT guy was a charmer! (Not that I'm comparing Arnold to Clinton in other respects.)

[thoughtomator]

He's got the "I feel your pain" part down.

[GrandMoM]

He's got the "I feel your pain" part down. ....and the "it's for the children"!

[ShadowDancer]

Is that even necessary or desirable that all republicans emulate Reagan?

No, but it would be nice if they actually emulated Republicans.

[Batrachian]

Ronald Reagan is a great man. Arnold Schwarzenneger is a great actor. Big difference.

This is not to be construed as a criticism of Arnold (I've criticized him plenty in other posts), just an observation. I don't think there are any substantive similarities between them.

[TheAngryClam]

Reagan did run against a sitting Republican President in a primary, though.

Not exactly a "take everything handed my way by the party" act, that.

[aruanan]

I wish Cal would either get a grey toupe to match his moustache or use some Grecian Formula on his upper lip. Well, that and get rid of those colored shirts with the white collars and cuffs.

[GrandMoM]

yea, he does appear a little stiff!!!!

[Rudder]

Ronald Reagan is a great man.

Everything that you tacitly reference about Reagan's greatness happened after he was elected to office.

[BerniesFriend]

One reason I sorta support arnold is that if he were truly clintonesque..hungry for power and position..then he would run as a democrat..he is married into the most famous democratic family in the nation..the Kennedys would have come out in full force for him..he would have easily won this recall or 2006 gubernatorial election..he must have some conservative feelings..I don't know if it is his loyalty to Bush 41 or what..my two cents...

[ladyinred]

The more I listen to Arnold, the more I like him. I was never a fan of his acting, but I am impressed with his enthusiasm and his upbeat attitude about how the state can be turned around. I believe he really does care about this state, I really do. Nice to see someone with that attitude for a change.
I think we can't discount his fear of and dislike for communism as he experienced it in his native land. Perhaps that accounts for his conservative side?

[GrandMoM]

....you have a right to support who you want. I like Arnold, but do not feel he is right for this position of Govenor because of his lack of experience, the advisors he's using and his low moral tendencies!

[DoctorZIn]

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[BillyBoy]

>> The only person claiming to be Ronald Reagan II is "It's All About Me" McClintock et. al.Quite frankly, so what? Has Schwarzenegger ever claimed that he is another Reagan? Is that even necessary or desirable that all republicans emulate Reagan? <<

ROTFL. Arnold may not have PERSONALLY claimed to be the second coming of Reagan, but the GOP establishment and his fawning supporters sure as hell have claimed it over and over again. Gotta make the RINO look like a savior to conservatives:

'Let's unite for victory' Arnold invokes Reagan big time!!!

Arnold's Reagan-esque Plea

Many Actor-Candidates Enter From Stage Right (Reagan, Schwarzenegger, etc.)

Schwarzenegger follows Reagan's path

Schwarzenegger and Reagan share similarities

Is Schwarzenegger another Reagan?

Arnold's no Reagan-- or is he?

It's gotten so bad that Michael REAGAN had to personally come out and 'explain' to Arnie's dense supporters that opportunist liberal Arnie has NOTHING in common with his dad except an brief Hollywood career. Not to mention the posters that have circulated here in attempt to break the Arnie's supporters brainwashing:

[aruanan]

yea, he does appear a little stiff!!!!

Yes, that's exactly it!

[Batrachian]

Do you really think that a man that has the balls to say that "Children have first dibs on the treasury" can be compared to Ronald Reagan in any substantive way? How about "We'll bring businesses back to California so that we can tax them even more to pay for social programs". Only a liberal pandering to soccer moms and California leftists could utter those statements.

In all fairness to Arnold, he never said he was a conservative and clearly isn't one, so if you want to say that he has the potential to be a great liberal, I'll buy that, but a great liberal is not a wonderful thing in my book, and it besmirches Reagan's name to be compared to him. Being elected president allowed the greatness of Reagan to come forth, but it was present from long before 1980.

Having said that, he's still preferable to Gray Davis or any Democrat, and I feel no particular animosity toward him, and I certainly like his movies. It's probably all moot, though. I'm on record as saying that the courts will never allow Gray Davis to be recalled, and it looks like I was right.