So what the heck has this whole recall exercise been about for movement conservatives like McClintock? It was they who began the effort and stuck with it even though it wasn't going anywhere initialy (it took off in June after Davis trippled the car tax). The original stated purpose of the recall was to get rid of Davis and put a Republican in the governor's office. Now the purpose among many of those same conservatives seems to be to defeat Arnold at any cost, even if it means Davis is not recalled or we get a Gov. Bustamante. Sorry, but I just don't get such confused thinking.
You're right, it does not make much sense, but here's how it looks from my angle. I was opposed to the recall from the beginning. Now I see this politically incompetent actor, running solely on his name recognition, running for the chance to govern in my party's name. I am absolutely convinced he's going to be a massive screwup (never mind the fact that he's a Rino), so from my point of view having him get elected would severly damage the party and the state in the long run. Granted, he's not going to be as big a screwup as Davis, but when Davis screws up at least it does not damage the image of the GOP, the only party capable of bringing order and propserity back to the state. If McClintock can stop that from happening, then I support it.
Granted, McClintock does increase the chance that Bustamecha gets elected, and to me that's the worst of all outcomes. But I don't think that's likely. Bustamecha turns off moderates, so if it looks like he's going to get elected, the recall will most likely fail.
Granted, if "yes" on recall climbs in the polls and Bustamecha is still the frontrunner, then I would want McClintock to pull out. If at that point he does not pull out, I will be very angry at him. But right now, I think he is doing what he should be doing: keeping an incompetent from governing in his party's name.