Posted on 09/19/2003 6:11:30 AM PDT by Dave S
Tom McClintock - The conscience of a conservative?
September 19, 2003
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Bob Chandra
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In recent days, Tom McClintock, the "other Republican" in California's recall race, has accepted a million dollars spent on his behalf by a left-wing special interest group. He has claimed that a Democrat victory in the recall election would be desirable, as it would better his chances in 2006. And he has joined with Democrat Cruz Bustamante in a boycott against fellow Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is the man we're supposed to believe represents the conscience of conservatism? At the end of the day, Tom McClintock's Faustian Pact with the Left has made one thing clear - it's all about Tom McClintock.
The $1 million to be spent on McClintock's behalf is by Indian gambling interests, a staunch Democratic special interest. I wrote about the possibility of left-wing special interests backing McClintock in order to divide Republicans several weeks back. Now it is a reality. The Sacramento Bee has announced that the Morongo tribe is spending $1 million to boost McClintock's candidacy and it's not because they want him to win. The money spent on McClintock is meant to split the Republican vote so their loyal servant, Democrat Cruz Bustamante, can emerge the winner. With enough left- wing money, McClintock can steal enough votes from Arnold to make that happen. Tom's win-at-any-cost mindset has him collaborating with leftist groups who want nothing more than a divided Right to throw the election to Bustamante. Does McClintock see that the Left is using him? Maybe there's a reason it's called "blind" ambition.
McClintock's partnership with the liberal special interests raises serious questions about his loyalty to the GOP. McClintock has said he puts his personal "principles" before the party. But there's a deeper reason McClintock doesn't care that his spoiler candidacy will doom Republicans in the recall race.
In a conversation with US Congressman Dan Burton, Tom McClintock said the following: he (McClintock) didn't mind it if Democrats win the gubernatorial race because it could improve his own chances in 2006. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Burton, one of the more conservative members of Congress, also said McClintock had seemed to suggest that it would be acceptable for a Democrat to hold the governor's office, because he might create a clamor for a Republican in 2006.". So that's what this is really about. If McClintock can't win, he can at least prevent the Republicans from winning so he has a better shot in 2006. Aren't we glad he's playing for our team?
McClintock is now collaborating with Cruz Bustamante to boycott the California Broadcasters Association's debate on the 24th as a means of showing up Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bustamante led the boycott charge on October 17th with McClintock soon followed his lead. When you see a Republican siding with a Democrat against a fellow Republican, you know something is wrong with the picture. Don't adjust your set- this is Tom McClintock, the self-styled conscience of conservatism.
As if things couldn't get any worse, McClintock is justifying his candidacy on a poll strategically conducted by the left-wing Los Angeles Times, which wants nothing more than to keep him in the race. That Times' poll has been debunked by Field and even invalidated by the Times' own reporting. It added 6% more self-identified conservatives than other polls and naturally gave McClintock an artificial 5% bump. But McClintock is clinging to this cooked poll, another leftist ploy, because it serves his interests.
What kind of a conservative lets left-wing interests drive his candidacy like this? The answer is a candidate who is so blind with ambition that he does not see how the Left is using him to their own ends. Thus far, McClintock has claimed he stands for principle, but it is obvious that his hopeless candidacy is based on personal ambition. It's no longer appropriate to view McClintock as merely a misguided crusader. He is a bigger threat to Republican victory on Election Day than Cruz Bustamante. Up until now, McClintock has responded to arguments for stepping aside with denial, delusion, and arrogance. Given his collaboration with the Left, Republicans must get serious with him. McClintock's "stalking horse" candidacy must come to an end.
Bob Chandra
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob Chandra is a Bay Area Republican activist. He was involved as a strategist for Linda Rae Hermann's campaign against Mike Honda for California's 15th congressional district, and he currently serves as a commissioner for the Saratoga library. His email address is bobchandra(at)comcast.net.
Would say the word RINO was being used on the wrong folks here on FR! Looks to me like McC and his supporters are the true "Republicans in Name Only" because they could all care less about the future of the California Republican Party or California's citizens as long as McC can get his 20 minutes of fame with his attacks on Arnold.
This isn't the "rules of fair play."
It's a question of basic ethics. That kind of money and support always comes with strings attached--and those strings are held by people who already have endorsed Bustamante.
Good for Tom! take the money and win! He has pulled ahead of "muscle Boy" 1.5%
When and where?
Hows it feel to be the Looser?
You tell us.
On the contrary, his strategy for keeping Arnold out and positioning himself for 2006 shows immense political competence and savvy.
The tribal gaming interests are very powerful in this state, and McClintock's campaign demonstrates that power.
I am truly not happy with the idea of legalized gambling.
I am truly not happy with government intervention in the economic life of anyone.
But this situation, where one small segment of the population (Indian tribes) gets a blank check to do what they wish, and everyone else doesn't...it's got to end, one way or another.
I doubt Arnold would win even if McC were not in the race. Furthermore, even if he did win, I fail to see what good he would do. Arnold has demonstrated his political incompetence. That, coupled with a lack of popular mandate and a hostile legislature guarantees his governorship will be a failure, which in the long run would hurt the CA GOP worse than loosing the recall.
Keeping Arnold out is the best thing anyone can do for the CA GOP right now. McClintock is doing us a big service, IMHO.
The tribal gaming interests are very powerful in this state, and McClintock's campaign demonstrates that power.
I am truly not happy with the idea of legalized gambling.
I am truly not happy with government intervention in the economic life of anyone.
But this situation, where one small segment of the population (Indian tribes) gets a blank check to do what they wish, and everyone else doesn't...it's got to end, one way or another.
So much for facts. Arnold was interviewed by Oui, not Playboy. Guess you are not a 70's era soft core porn afficiando.
Not at all. He's talking about defeating him in a primary. If McNader screws over the Republicans this year, you can bet his future in California politics is going to be pretty non existant.
Except that he will not reap the rewards, because there is no way in hell that the 90% of the GOP voter base he enraged this go-around will vote for him in the primary.
And if he looked like he actually had a chance to win, those tribal-gaming-funded ads would simply evaporate, and be replaced with ads questioning trumpeting his "extremism."
Unless, of course, he simply indicated to the tribes that whatever they wanted from a McClintock goobernership would be delivered promptly and courteously, with a smile.
I thought America was about government of, by, and for the people, not of, by, and for a narrow slice of priveleged-by-ethnicity gambling barons.
It was linked to Yahoo News where I found it right there with the Sac Bee and Wash Post and 300 other articles on the Recall.
You overestimate the attention span of the average voter.
When your strategy boils down to "We hope the voters are dumber than we are," you're doomed.
The voters in the PRIMARY, aside from the leftists who will vote for McClintock to "spit in the soup," are the ones who actually pay attention...and they have LONG memories for this sort of s**t.
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