Unlikely duo (Bustamante & Mcclintock) tag teams Schwarzenegger as attention turns to court

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Sept. 19, 2003 | JIM WASSERMAN

[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.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

My first thought is, This should in itself be the death-knell for his campaign for any decent, principled, STILL-THINKING erstwhile supporter of McTickTock's. My second thought is, It's going to be interesting to see how the scorched-earthers here find ANY way to rationalize this.

This is how your McClintock supporters rationalize ( as if some of them ever had a rational thought in the head) voting for a true loser. I will not post the names of the posters as to not embarass them anymore.

News for Schwarzenegger. Even if McClintock dropped out of the race - WHICH HE WON'T - and begged me to vote for Arnold, I WOULDN'T DO IT!!! I'll vote for the recall; then leave the name blank rather than vote for that RINO. Then I'll vote YES on Prop 54 even though Arnold says I'm a "right wing crazy" for doing so. Arnold has spit in my face one too many times. I'd rather have Bustamante as our governor. At least Bustamante will unite Republicans. Arnold will destroy this party.

How odd that you would say that. McClintock is the ONLY conservative in the race. In fact, he's the ONLY real Republican. He's been going after Davis and Boostyourtaxes like stink on sh-t

First of all, I'm not as stupid as you think. I'm voting for McClintock and my vote is precious to me. I read through all the stuff and don't buy it. McClintock is a good man. Those of us who have been speaking out against Arnold are speaking out because he's been spitting in our faces (conservatives). Go, McClintock!!

'Nough said. Go, McClintock! I'm getting tired of Schwarzenegger spitting in my face and crapping all over me. I can't take it anymore. I'm voting for McClintock come hell or high water. PERIOD!!

I don't enjoy it, believe me, but when you have a herd of RINO's spitting in your face, it kind of pisses you off. Go, McClintock!!

If Arnold would debate Tom (which he won't cuz he's chicken) BUT if he would, TOM MCCLINTOCK WOULD TEAR HIM LIMB FROM LIMB

But as for me, I'd much rather see Bustamante become governor than Schwarzenegger. Bustamante will UNITE Republicans; Schwarzenegger will DESTROY THE CA GOP.

I'd rather have Bustamante than Schwarzenegger because while Bustamante would serve to UNITE Republicans and we can regroup to fight another day, Arnold will undoubtedly DESTROY the Republican Party in California for decades!

You didn't ask me, but the answer is yes, I would still vote for McClintock. I would much rather have Bustamante than Schwarzenegger. McClintock is a conservative! (Duh!!) By the way, the last Republican governor DESTROYED the California Republican Party because he was a RINO just like Arnold.

McClintock is the ONLY pro life candidate. I'm embarrassed by all the so-called Republicans who are star-struck over Arnold. It's humiliating! McClintock is the ONLY conservative in the race and he's moving up in the polls while Schwarzenegger remains stagnant. Arnold should drop out NOW! GO, MCCLINTOCK!!!

And you show you what 'good' republicans these posters are.......Who is the RNC Chair, anyway? Not that it makes any difference.

[Republican Wildcat]

Many of us saw this long before now. The amazing thing is that a few lingering people still defend McClintock even with this report.

[Republican Wildcat]

Those sound more like liberals talking (using emotion, not fact, as the basis for argument).

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Post 41 is for you. I forgot to ping.

[Registered]

You think I'm going to reward a Republican establishment who's been hjerking us around on this critical issue for years.

Did you like lose a woman to a Mexican gardener or something? Ahhh, I'm just kidding..maybe ;-)

This issue is much larger than Tom McClintock or Arnold or any other single candidate. It is a platform level issue that needs organization and grass roots support to make these politicians move in concert against the illegals that are such a burden to our economy.

[BibChr]

Ouch. Ugh.

What part of "conservative" is it to break your word?

What part of "Republican" is it to gang up WITH THE DEMO FRONTRUNNER to destroy the GOP frontrunner?

Who's the chicken, now?

IRONY OF THE DAY: Schwarzenegger said from Day One he'd only participate in this debate. His opponents criticized him fiercely FOR KEEPING HIS WORD. Now Mr. Conservative BREAKS HIS WORD. But this is still supposed to be something bad about Arnold... WHO STILL IS KEEPING HIS WORD.

Sad and scary.

Dan

[deport]

Your candidate needs and must have the support of McClintock's voters. So you go about getting them with an attack on McClintock.

How stupid is that? I can't imagine anything stupider.

---

Well ol' tator.... it works in reverse also....... McClintock needs the supports that back Schwarzenegger if he even wants to get within smelling distance of a win.... Otherwise he's just a wannabe....

Stupider......... well I can think of another.... How about someone that thinks Clinton is "ASHAMED"

[skeeter]

This article(and its agenda) notwithstanding,what happened was all the candidates favor sending the letter to the CBA. Arnold was not 'piled on', he was invited to sign the letter as well.

Not quite the TM/CB alliance the article claims.

[DrewsDad]

I thought Arnold wanted to change the debate format also. Why didn't he sign the letter?

[Sabertooth]

McClintock needs the supports that back Schwarzenegger if he even wants to get within smelling distance of a win.... Otherwise he's just a wannabe....

If the polls showing Bustamante and Schwarzenegger are close, and the consensus seems to be that they are, hence all of the haranguing of McClintock voters, then McClintock's 10% to 15% don't make him a wannabe.

They make him a kingmaker. Arnold needs to deal.

[deport]

Yep...... "King Bustamante" .. brought to you be the one and only.... "Uncle Tom McClintock"

[BibChr]

He had asked earlier, they said no, he said OK.

He did not pout, throw a tantrum, and refuse to participate unless he got his way.

That's become a McTickTock distinctive.

Dan

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[floriduh voter]

I have my tin foil hat on. I think maybe the Swiss bodybuilder who offered to do a hit on Kobe Bryant's accuser is a con who wants to go back in the joint anyway. Maybe he's been paid off, does a little time and "bodybuilders" get a bad name.

What if this whole threat to Kobe's accuser was a set up so that Californians would be hesitant to vote for a bodybuilder?

Thinking outside the box again, FV.

[Sabertooth]

Did you like lose a woman to a Mexican gardener or something? Ahhh, I'm just kidding..maybe ;-)

Check out California's sex offender registry, with the understanding that 25% of our prison population is comprised of Illegal Aliens.

Ask women in California about their experiences walking past gardeners in broad daylight, about being verbally accosted, and how threatened that makes them feel.

This issue is much larger than Tom McClintock or Arnold or any other single candidate. It is a platform level issue that needs organization and grass roots support to make these politicians move in concert against the illegals that are such a burden to our economy.

There is going to be a rapid fire Republican effort next year to pander on the issue of Illegal Aliens.

Orrin Hatch is currently sitting at least three pieces of pro-Illegal legislation in the Senate Judiciary Conmmittee:

1. Hatch's own Dream Act, which would mandate that states would have to provide Illegal Aliens with college educations at in-state tuition rates.

2. Hatch's own Constitutional Amendment that would allow naturalized citizens, including Amnestied Illegals, to be elgible for the Presidency.

3. Bush protege John Cornyn's S. 1387, which would change status on millions of Illegals to "guest worker," and put them on track for green cards and permanent residence, and eventually for citizenship.

The Treasury Department mandated just this past Wednesday that financial institutions must accept Mexican matricula consular ID cards.

President Bush hasn't said a single word in opposition to the issuance of valid drivers' licenses to Illegal Aliens by 15 states and counting, including, soon, California.

When President Bush signed the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002, he "said he was sorry Congress didn't include in the bill a measure that would have extended a deadline for giving hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants the chance to apply for residency without leaving the United States (link)." This was in response to his failure to win an extension of Bill Clinton's Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Naturalization Code, which would have Amnestied several hundred thousand more Illegal Aliens, in addition to the more than a million Amnestied in this way during the 1990s.

If this isn't stopped now, the battle for Amnesty is coming down in the next year. Despite the best-laid plans of the pro-Amnesty faction in the GOP, there will be ballot initiatives in California and Arizona next year spotlighting the Ilegal Alien mess. President Bush has been nurturing allies in this fight, and given his pro-Amnesty comments, Arnold Schwarzenegger, if elected, will be one of them.

Eight out of ten Democrat Presidential candidates are on the record as favoring Amnesty for Illegal Aliens. They are of the party that has embraced la reconquista, MEChA, La Raza, drivers' licenses for Illegals, and Cruz Bustamante. The only hope for defeating Amnesty will have to come from within the Republican Party.

How will that battle be won by voting for pro-Illegal Alien GOP candidates like Arnold Schwarzenegger?

How will that battle be won by giving up yet more ground before finally fighting?

The Amnesty of 1986 was a complete disaster for my state. We tried to do something about it in 1994, only to have elements of the GOP leadership, in the persons of Jack Kemp, Bill Bennett, and George W. Bush, slam their own party's grass roots supporters of Proposition #187.

Now, nine years and a hundred billion dollars later, California is an economic and political basket case, in large part because of the GOP retreat on Illegals. As a result, we have Cruz Bustamante on the cusp of power. And the best the Republican Party can do is pat us on the heads and tell us to vote for more of the same?

Again, how will voting for pro-Amnesty GOP candidates, in your words, "make these politicians move in concert against the illegals that are such a burden to our economy?"

[CheneyChick]

DANG, HLL!! That's some WACKY koolade that McClintock is serving....... Logic is AWOL...... Sounds like a disruptor or something.

[Sabertooth]

Yep...... "King Bustamante" .. brought to you be the one and only.... "Uncle Tom McClintock"

This continues to miss the point.

It's Arnold Schwarzenegger's own positions that have many voters resisitant to viting for him, preferring McClintock instead.

You don't think Schwarzenegger, or his strategists, would like McClintock's support, and the votes of his supporters?

If Bustamante and Schwarzenegger are neck and neck, then to be King Arnold, Arnold needs to deal.

[CheneyChick]

Ask women in California about their experiences walking past gardeners in broad daylight, about being verbally accosted, and how threatened that makes them feel.

It ain't just gardeners, Saberkitty. Construction workers and truck drivers are some of the worst I've encountered.

[DoctorZIn]

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[Warren_Piece]

Ask women in California about their experiences walking past gardeners in broad daylight, about being verbally accosted, and how threatened that makes them feel.

I'm sorry. Being from the Old South, I've heard this kind of talk before. It gives me the "To Kill a Mockingbird" creeps.