From S.F. Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders, the paper's token conservative, October 28, 2002:
Much has been made of McClintock's supposed disloyalty. When Tom defeated Andal by nearly 10%, the GOP establishment stood by as dot-com tycoon Steve Westly spent $4.6 million on his own campaign (Tom spent none of his own).
Tom McClintock is nobody's handmaiden. In fact, there are Republican suits who, if they were candid, might admit that they'd prefer to see no Republican win statewide office than see McClintock elected controller. They don't want someone so independent and so clearly his own man in the party's top spot.McClintock led the charge against state Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, a Republican who resigned in disgrace in 2000. Before that, McClintock so irritated GOP Govs. Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian that they endorsed his opponent, Dean Andal, in the primary.
After garnering 948,000-odd votes in his primary run, McClintock received 3,273,028 in the general election -- over a million more votes than were cast for GOP candidates in the primary. He came within 17,000 votes of defeating Westly, which is notable considering that 480,000 ballots were returned without a choice for controller being made.
In short: outspent by at least 15-to-1, McClintock lost to a moneybags Demo by 0.3% when 6.2% didn't vote for anyone for controller. Think just a little financial help would have made a diff?
And as you probably already know, McClintock received more votes than any Republican running last year -- even Bill Simon.
"How's he gonna get elected without them?" you ask. IMHO, Tom would have gotten elected WITH them, but they weren't interested. So if there is any hatred of the "Country club" Republicans coming from McClintock, he is simply hating them back.