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Posted on 09/19/2003 2:14:12 AM PDT by FairOpinion
As they raced toward a finish line that may only be a mirage, an unlikely duo emerged Thursday: Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the only prominent Democrat in the race, and conservative Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock.
The pair tag-teamed Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger and threatened to boycott the one debate the actor plans to attend -- one in which the questions were already made public. The two said they supported sending a letter to the California Broadcasters Association opposing a scripted format.
The unusual alliance by Schwarzenegger's fellow front-runners undercut any sign of GOP unity less than a week after the party's convention and illustrated claims by McClintock -- gaining on the action-hero in the latest polls -- that he's in the race until the finish.
The two-front attack came as Bustamante and McClintock tried to dodge criticism for taking American Indian casino money -- something Schwarzenegger has vowed to reject so he isn't beholden to special interests.
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians was set to begin airing McClintock TV ads Friday. Schwarzenegger complained that the ads would divide Republicans.
"They want to interfere with the process so Bustamante wins," Schwarzenegger said. "So he has to decide which side he's on, Republicans or Bustamante."
McClintock said the actor's statement was ridiculous and that he hadn't been contacted by the tribe and had only heard rumors they planned to spend money on his behalf.
Bustamante has taken money from the Morongos in the past and his campaign was in court Thursday defending millions of dollars pledged from tribes and labor groups that were slipped through a campaign finance loophole.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Didn't think much of McC's attacks at the beginning but now teaming up with Cruz speaks volumes about McC and his not being a team player for Republicans. McC is arrogant and believes that only "he" or "Cruz?" can be a good Governor? Since when do Republicans throw in with the likes of Cruz?
How long until the McC "fan club" shows up on here with their spin about this article. Spin and lies is about all they can come up with now on McC -- taking donations from Tribal gambling interest, teaming with Cruz on the debate, and now signing a letter with Cruz! Looks like McC is just like his "fan club" -- nothing wrong with pulling out of a debate he promised to attend but something really wrong with Arnold not being in a debate he DIDN'T promise to attend.
Just wanted to highlight this one more time since it is so Clintonite -- attack when something is coming out against you -- McC fits that pattern now:
The two-front attack came as Bustamante and McClintock tried to dodge criticism for taking American Indian casino money -- something Schwarzenegger has vowed to reject so he isn't beholden to special interests.
Have come to the conclusion after seeing some of these posters spin about McC that winning is not all that important to them because they stand on principles by supporting McC!
The same McC that is taking money from Indian gambling who are also give money to Cruz? Some "principled" conservative -- like not at all! McC and his supporters, it seems, would rather see Cruz as Governor than elect a Republican other than McC!
Reminds me of the group that supported a Republican in the primary who kept attacking Bush even after the convention and the election.
If you figure out this scorched earth policy we are seeing, please let me know! The spin I am seeing from his fellow scorched earthers on here sounds more Clintonite by the hour.
Is there nothing that McC will do to have his supporters ever recognize that McC is not a "principled" conservative that we keep hearing about?
It is obvious now (actually it was before this) that McC is all about making sure that Arnold does not become Governor and he will side with the "evil" Cruz to make sure that doesn't happen! Cruz will make the people of CA wish for Davis back IMO.
Beginning to believe this is about a dry-run for the 2004 election on here and in the Recall and some people that are conservative have fallen for the DemocRAT tactics of divide and conquer hook, line and sinker!
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Your candidate needs and must have the support of McClintock's voters. So you go about getting them with an attack on McClintock.Here is something stupider:How stupid is that? I can't imagine anything stupider.
Allowing Bustamante to win.Apparently, appeals to logic, and reason - and part loyalty have NOT worked so far. So it's time to take off the kid gloves, and go for some more POWERFUL means of persuation.
Call it "tough love" or an "intervention" - or even "going negative," but Arnold needs to crack the allegiance of the McClintock "death wish" crowd SOMEHOW - to save California from a fate worse than Gray...
Should McClintock Drop Out?, Part IV
[Hugh Hewitt, Peter Robinson debate in National Review online]
www.nationalreview.com ^ | September 18, 2003 | Hugh Hewitt, Peter Robinson
Posted on 09/19/2003 6:00 AM PDT by RonDog
| Apparently, appeals to logic, and reason - and part loyalty have NOT worked so far. So it's time to take off the kid gloves, and go for some more POWERFUL means of persuation. Call it "tough love" or an "intervention" - or even "going negative," but Arnold needs to crack the allegiance of the McClintock "death wish" crowd SOMEHOW - to save California from a fate worse than Gray...
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You've got to be kidding... appeals to logic?Precisely.
Like THIS one, from www.californiarepublic.org:
Yes on Recall, Yes on Schwarzenegger
Tom, it's not your time, yet...
[Xrlq] 09/18/03The time has come to get behind Arnold Schwarzenegger. Tom McClintock is a rising star, and may one day be one of the finest governors California has ever had. For better or for worse, October 7, 2003 is not that day.
I have not reached this decision lightly. Going into the race, I've long sensed that McClintock's views are closer to mine on every issue except abortion. So if this were simply a vote on the issues, which candidate can be most like Xrlq (albeit less snarky), then voting for McClintock would be a no-brainer. However, this is not just an issue-correctness test; it is a question of (1) who has the best chance of beating the Twin Terminators and (2) who would make the better governor right now. I have to conclude that Arnold wins on both counts.
As to electability, I'm sure there are some Tombots out there who still think the latest L.A. Times poll means McClintock can win. It doesn't. Set aside, for the moment, the credibility problems Times polls have in general (have we already forgotten the last one?), and the fact that no other poll has produced comparable results. Even if we accepted this poll as the gospel truth, it still shows Tom coming in third, not first. The only thing it clearly shows is that McClintock has the potential to blow it for Schwarzenegger and help MEChA-Man get elected, potentially ending not one, but two political careers.
Of course, the true believers in the McClintock camp will reply "Oh, but Arnold's a liberal! A RINO! What good is having the R next to your name if he's not really one of us, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah?" Hogwash. Arnold may not be a hard-core conservative, but contrary to his detractors' rhetoric, he is emphatically not a liberal or a RINO, either. This is a point that often gets lost in the "Tom can't win - Yes he can - Cannot! - Can too! - Cannot! - Can too!" debate. Here are some important differences between Arnold and the Twin Terminators that should not be forgotten:
Taxes. Arnold wants to repeal the illegal tripling of the VLF, and is opposed to any tax increases. You can't get him to talk about California politics for more than five minutes without hearing him rant and rave about how every booger you pluck from your nose is subject to one tax or another. Gumby won't talk about taxes. MEChA-Man, in the fine tradition of Walter Mondale, is actually promising to raise them substantially.
Businesses Fleeing the State. Arnold believes that persuading businesses to remain in/return to California is a top priority. As a successful businessman, he knows what makes businessmen tick, probably better than a career politician like McClintock could. Gumby and MEChA-Man don't appear to care much about this issue one way or the other.
Documenting the Undocumented. Arnold promises to do what he can to repeal SB 60, either by persuading the Legislature to repeal it on its own (rotsa ruck) or by pushing for a ballot initiative. My take is that we the people will obviate the need for either action by passing a referendum in March, but you never know. Gumby, of course, was the jerk who signed SB 60, even after vetoing others over national security concerns that mattered to him as long as his own political career wasn't at stake. MEChA-Man has supported such dreadful bills all along.
Tort Reform. Arnold stresses the need to curb malicious lawsuits against lawful industries. As a legislator, Gumby voted "no" on Section 1714.4 of the Civil Code, which prohibited reckless suits against law-abiding gun manufacturers. As governor, he signed a law repealing 1714.4. MEChA-Man does not appear to have taken a position on this issue.
Crime and Public Safety. Arnold supports the death penalty and the three strikes law, going out of his way to note that he supports the latter "without modification." Gumby probably still agrees with him on this point. Bustamecha? Who knows? But much of the Legislature is chomping at the bit to "reform" (gut) the law any way they can, and partisan loyalty alone dictates that Gumby or MEChA-Man would be under pressure to sign "compromise" bills Arnold wouldn't hesitate to veto.
Abortion. Arnold supports abortion rights generally, but also supports parental notification. Gumby opposes any restrictions at all on abortion. MEChA-Man? No details, but he certainly told Planned Parenthood what they wanted to hear.
Gun Control. Contrary to popular opinion, Arnold is not anti-gun. His general support for the right of law-abiding citizens to own guns has been clear since the 1988 Playboy interview, and during this campaign, he has expressly re-affirmed his view that the Second Amendment means what it says. Between 1988 and 2003, he has occasionally expressed support for "sensible" gun controls. However, the only specific gun controls he has endorsed are a subset of the laws we have now, to wit, the Brady Law (which originally mandated a five-day waiting period, while CA law mandates 10), the elimination of the private party exemption to the Brady Act (which does not exist in California), and the ban on "assault" weapons (which will continue to exist in California when the federal law expires). Gumby and Bustamecha have yet to opine on the Second Amendment or identify a single gun law they don't like.Based on this, and coupled with the political realities of the day, here are the practical differences between what Tom and Arnold would do as governor:
Illegal Immigration. Tom would attempt to revive Prop 187 challenges, which may or may not succeed. Arnold, unfortunately, would not. On the bright side, though, Arnold does plan to hit the federal government up for reimbursement for the costs of illegal immigration, which are disproportionally borne by this state, which houses roughly one-third of all illegals. By making illegal immigration everyone's problem rather than just a problem peculiar to the border states, Arnold may be able to press the federal government to actually do something about illegal immigration. If he can't, we can always try another 187-based initiative, which will again pass handily (and which either Tom or Arnold could be trusted to defend in court).
Abortion. Tom would prohibit first-trimester abortion, while Arnold would not. If you think Tom can persuade Justices Kennedy and O'Connor to overturn Roe v. Wade, and can then persuade the California legislature to exercise its new-found power to prohibit first trimester abortions, then Tom McClintock is definitely your man. Otherwise, there's not a dime's worth of a difference between Tom and Arnold on the issue of abortion.
Guns. Tom would sign a bill repealing the "assault" rifle ban or allowing private parties to transfer guns without the background checks required of dealers (this is the so-called "gun show loophole"), while Arnold would not. If you think Tom can persuade today's rabidly anti-gun legislature to enact either of these laws, then Tom McClintock is definitely your man. Otherwise, there's not a dime's worth of a difference between Tom and Arnold on the issue of gun control.
Vouchers. Tom would sign a bill allowing school vouchers, while Arnold probably would not. If you think Tom can persuade a majority of this overwhelmingly Democrat Legislature to tell its biggest contributor to pound sand, then Tom McClintock is definitely your man. Otherwise, there's not a dime's worth of a difference between Tom and Arnold on the issue of school choice.So what am I saying? That there's no real difference between Tom and Arnold on the issues? No. What I am saying is that there is a time and a place for everything, and right now is Arnold's time. It's not just that he is by far the more electable of the two; it's also that given the makeup of today's Legislature (and any Legislature likely to be elected in 2004), Arnold's agenda is the only one that has any real chance of getting implemented anyway. Once the fanfare has died down, either of them will end up pushing the same agenda, except that Arnold will do so more enthusiastically since he'll be asking the Legislature for what he actually wants, rather than for some ugly compromise he had to hold his nose to endorse. And if that sales pitch fails, Arnold's general popularity and his perception as a moderate rather than as "very conservative" will make it an easier sell if he does have to "take it to the people," as he promises to do if all else fails. McClintock can do that too, of course, but he'd face an uphill battle among all segments of the electorate except the RealRepublicans™ who elected him on a plurality.
Tom's time will come someday, I hope. If/when we ever really achieve "Total Recall" and replace our current Legislature with a more rational, center-right one that might be willing to stomach some of the genuinely conservative/libertarian-except-abortion agenda Tom McClintock champions, then and only then will we have a good reason to prefer him to Arnold Schwarzenegger. By then, whoever wins in 2003 will have been "terminated" by Prop 140. Let's save the "real" conservative until we can use one.
copyright 2003 Xrlq
Xrlq - Columnist
Xrlq is proprietor of the blog damnum absque injuria and a sometime attorney. [go to Xrlq index]
CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
Wrong. He's done.
Who cares about the theoretical positions of a Republican who (A) can't keep his word, (B) can't even work with Republicans, and (C) teams with Demo's, NOT to do something GOOD, BUT to trash the GOP FRONTRUNNER?
He's done.
Dan
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