[ambrose]

But, I always have the same problem at elections: with millions of other voters in CA, my vote for governor, and even the votes of my friends and family, won't make a dent in the total numbers. Even if all the McClintock-supporting Freepers and lurkers voted for Schwarzenegger, it wouldn't make any difference.

And I don't really buy your thesis totally. There is a certain "100th Monkey" syndrome to voting behavior. Freepers represent the most hardcore of hardcore conservatives. Will any of the McClintock supporters on here flip by election day? If they do, that would probably be indicative of a statewide trend.

[heleny]

Will any of the McClintock supporters on here flip by election day?

I'm sure some will. There are many non-vocal supporters on each side on FR. There are also some who definitely won't switch their support.

I just don't see much difference in how I vote. In a statewide election, the results are very unlikely to be only a few votes apart.

[old school]

McClintock supporters aren't going to flip. Otherwise they wouldn't be McClintock supporters!

[Reagan Man]

It was good to hear B-1 Bob Dornan supporting Tom McClintock.

More importantly, theres a significant percentage of undecided voters in the polls. Watch how they break on Oct7th.

[doc]

I am really torn. I can't stand the thought of governor Cruz. However, Arnold will not take a strong stance against illegal immigration which is one of the root causes for California's continuing demise. I hate to see this state and country dying by incrementalism by voting for "moderate" republicans.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Freepers represent the most hardcore of hardcore conservatives

Not anymore. That hasn't been the case since 2001.

[Oztrich Boy]

And the "100th Monkey" syndrome is a dumb New Age fantasy with no foundation in the real world.

[xm177e2]

Will any of the McClintock supporters on here flip by election day?

I already did. I was waiting for Arnold to "wow" me, but he never did (and McClintock impressed me quite a lot). Still, I respect that the majority of the Republicans in CA want Schwarzenegger as the candidate, so I cast my vote for him. I don't want to go from being an idealist to becoming an "Old Man Grumpus"...

If McClintock can show a little class now and give up gracefully, there is still a future for him in California politics (which it is where it seems he wants to be, while Arnold probably wants to move on to the national stage). McClintock could replace Arnold as governor eventually, if he proves he can handle himself now. If he has a hissy fit--well, nobody wants a guy like that in a position of power.

Fact is, it's important for Arnold to have as large a margin of victory as possible. It would dispel any notion that the recall election was somehow illegitimate if he received more than 50% of the votes cast. The larger the margin, the less chance the ACLU will try to overturn the election on legal grounds (and turn California into another Florida). The larger the margin, the more scared Democrat legislators will be, and the more likely they will be to bend to Arnold. Arnold with the will of the people behind him will be able to do more to advance a conservative agenda than Tom McClintock, if Tom wins with a very narrow margin and is vulnerable in the governors' race in 2004.