Posted on 09/24/2003 11:38:11 AM PDT by CHUCKfromCAL
Pressure mounted on Sen. Tom McClintock to withdraw from the gubernatorial race Tuesday as Sen. Minority Leader Jim Brulte endorsed rival Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. Brulte joined other GOP leaders in voicing fears that McClintock and Schwarzenegger will split the Republican vote and ensure victory for Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante.
The endorsement dealt a blow to McClintock, especially since Brulte has long been a supporter. Brulte co-chaired McClintock's campaign for state controller last year and raised significant amounts of money for him. But Brulte noted that McClintock continues to place third in statewide polls. A survey released last week by the Public Policy Institute of California showed Bustamante at 28 percent, Schwarzenegger at 26 percent and McClintock at 14 percent. "I believe that his candidacy puts at risk not only the election of a Republican governor, but the recall itself," Brulte said. He added that "countless" people have told him they are considering voting against the recall out of fear that Bustamante will win.
Brulte's comments came a day after Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, who bankrolled the recall drive, said that if the two leading GOP candidates remain in the race, people should consider voting "no" on the recall to avoid a Bustamante victory.
The stepped-up pressure highlights the angst within the Republican Party over the best way to achieve victory with two major Republicans in the race. It underscores the philosophical differences that have plagued the California GOP for years. McClintock represents the conservative wing that has dominated party conventions, but has had difficulty attracting the broader support needed to win a statewide election. Schwarzenegger is a fiscal conservative who holds more moderate views on such social issues as abortion, gun control and gay rights.
"The mainstream Republican Party is tired of losing elections because of the conservative wing," said Barbara O'Connor, political communications professor at Sacramento State. McClintock gave no indication he will bow to the pressure. "We are not dropping out under any circumstances," said John Stoos, his northern California campaign director. "We are the only one of the campaigns that is showing any momentum," Stoos said. "The Arnold Schwarzenegger campaign has been stalled for five weeks." Stoos noted that McClintock has received contributions from 13,052 people, 95 percent of whom gave less than $250 each, and that he remains confident he can pull into first place by Election Day.
The pressure for the GOP to unite behind one candidate takes on added urgency as absentee votes roll in. More than 700,000 people have already voted by absentee ballot, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley's office said Tuesday.
"Every day that McClintock stays in the race, he is splitting the vote," said Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College. Brulte maintained that Indian tribes are backing McClintock only because they want to split the GOP vote and ensure a Bustamante victory. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians has pumped nearly $500,000 into independent expenditure committees to support McClintock, according to an analysis by Common Cause. Bustamante has received more than $3.3 million in contributions from Indian tribes. But Stoos discounted such claims, arguing that the tribes are supporting the two people who have backed them in the past.
By remaining in the race, McClintock faces the possibility of a backlash within his party if he is viewed as the spoiler. "If he's perceived as helping Bustamante be elected governor, he's going to have some real tough times in the Republican Party and his own district," said GOP analyst Allan Hoffenblum. McClintock will be up for re-election in his Senate seat next year. The heightened pressure comes on the eve of the first debate that will include Schwarzenegger. Brulte urged McClintock not to attack his fellow Republican in today's event. That advice came as Schwarzenegger unveiled an ad that implicitly criticizes McClintock and Bustamante for accepting contributions from Indian tribes that run gambling casinos. "We don't have any plans to go after Mr. Schwarzenegger" during the debate, Stoos said. "Tom sees it as an opportunity to put forward ideas he has for taking California in a new direction and holding other major candidates accountable for consistency in what they're saying. If that's an attack, so be it."
(Excerpt) Read more at bayarea.com ...
Oh, but of course!
We might also consider who was in this race first, and which of the two candidates has served the CA GOP for 20 years.
But of course, that point has been made to the person in question multiple times. FO is interested in little more than electing Arnold as an end unto itself. All damning evidence is studiously ignored.
Besides, I think that if it was Issa who was 7 points up on Tom rather than Arnold being 7 points up, Tom would drop out. Unfortunatly Tom is running against two liberals who both agree that illegal immigrants should get free college tuition, who believe in strict gun control, who believe in domestic partnership recognition, who are opposed to letting poor black kids go to the same schools as their kids, oppose restrictions on partial birth abortion, have a history of racism, and are surrounded by left wing advisors.
I'm not sure what it matters that Arnold has an "R" besides his name when he and Bustamante are so close on issues that matter. Combine that with the fact that Arnold has campaigned like a goddamned coward and you've got to be joking for FR types to support him. Please!
So you now think Issa is lying? Some here also claimed that Dan Burton was lying about what Tommy Boy told him regarding a Bustamonte victory causing the party to "unify".
But of course, that point has been made to the person in question multiple times. FO is interested in little more than electing Arnold as an end unto itself. All damning evidence is studiously ignored.
I ain't psychic, but I feel one of those "Lookit all the cool stuff Arnold has done when he puts his mind to it" and "Tom hasn't done anything in his 20 years in the party, we might as well let a movie star who speaks in populist platitudes learn on the job" replies coming.
I have to admit though, in his 20 years Tom hasn't been able to install a hydrogen fueling network in CA. That silly 2nd Law of Thermodynamics can be stubborn, but I'm sure Arnold and the CA Legislature will pass a law to overturn it.
Not if they get backed into a corner. The Arnold supporters will be cutting off their own chances if they continue to attack Tom.
It will be hard enough to give up on Tom without the Arnold supporters shooting at us. We all ready know that we can win this for Arnold and we know we will not be appreciated, nor respected. How much harder will the Arnold supporters make it?
Arnold knows it is bad business to piss them off – the question is why some of his supporters defy his leadership?
Oh, we sure will. When authentic fiscal conservatives run in liberal enclaves where the Demos have wrecked things, people will point to a "progressive" Republican and say, "See? A 'right-winger' can't win!"
Flame away - but I have been with Tom and have spoken with my pocket book in support of him.
I will disagree with you, but I will not flame you. You are keeping your perspective and not going off half-cocked, suggesting that Tom is trying to destroy the party or has been bought by the Indians.
"Arnie" glommed on to ongoing hydrogen fuel research to fight off enviro-wacko criticism of his petroleum-sucking Hummer.
This is the kind of nonsense we can expect if he's elected, except that as governor, he will actually have to make good on such flip promises.
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