Inside McClintock’s Head - What Could Have Been

National Review ^ | September 29, 2003 | Arnold Steinberg

[Recourse]

Tom's going down with the ship. No reason to do, unless he never plans to run for office again. Why, Tom, why? Does it just grate on you that you've been in office for 20 years fighting for conservative principles, and a ne'er-do-well with no experience has come in to steal your thunder?

[DoctorZIn]

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[EggsAckley]

I think Tom must have a death wish.

[Spiff]

Tom needs to stay in and be ready to pick up the frontrunner spot as the slime on Arnold gets released this week.

[OldFriend]

Tom kind of sounds like Weasley Clark. The republicans didn't return Weasley's call and the republicans didn't give ole Tom enough money.......

Therefore........

[Williams]

I'll tell you what's in Tom's head - the voice of Mr. Conservative, Rush Limbaugh, criticizing Arnold every day, dismissing pragmatists who realize the party needs to unite, and telling good old Tom that sinking the ship is somehow not his fault, it's his true blue conservative destiny. Further, Limbaugh is a coward who has done all this without endorsing Mclintock. Just tells people every day that Arnold is no conservative. Yet Rush covers his bases by saying Mclintock "may not be the right (conservative) messenger." Then he dismisses the pragmatists and makes clear it is NOT worth electing Arnold just to win. Idiots like that make me sick, as they smugly hand people over to the likes of Cruz Bustamante.

[annyokie]

IMHO, Tom is a good guy with good ideas. He is just unlikeable. I can't put my finger on it, but he comes off as holier-than-thou and most people don't like that.

My 70 year old mother despises him, but agrees with his principles. "He just looks mean", she told me yesterday.

[Hugin]

I heard an analyst point out that if Tom were to drop out up to half his supporters might just stay home, which could tip the recall to a no vote. Since Arnold seems to be ahead even with Tom in the race, it may be better for him not to drop out.

[pollywog]

I dare say Tom is NOT going down with the ship!! The Republican party as it is now, has defected and is now in the process of becoming the Liberal Republican Party. There will be a conservative uprising, a new party will soon develop and the Liberal Republican Party will lose more than half its support!!! Watch it !! GO TOM GO.........I admire Tom greatly for STANDING FAST!!!

You same Republican " Arnold-lites" who are yelling at Tom for not compromising, are the SAME defectors that are SCREAMING at the Washington Republicans who did not take the inititave in the Estrada case, or continually cave to the Democrats on issue after issue!!! Now you are asking Tom to do it. This is total hypocracy!!! WAKE UP!!! TOM CAN MAKE IT. WE JUST HAVE TO BE THERE FOR HIM and NOT WAVER!!

[onyx]

Conservative icon Bruce Herschensohn now has an independent-expenditure radio spot for McClintock. It's funded modestly by the California Republican Assembly (CRA). In it, Herschensohn says that McClintock would be elected, if only true believers voted their conscience. That message comes too late.

WRONG! Listen to the ads --- at their conclusions they state they are paid for by CRA AND "the Morengo Mission Band INDIANS."

[pollywog]

It takes courage to stand up for what is right!! At the end of all this, you who have sold your soul for Arnold, will have to answer for your actions. I am ashamed to even be a California Republican these days.

[PhiKapMom]

The ads are being financed by the California Republican Assemblies and the Morengo Indian Tribes -- you are 100% correct and they show up on the donations for the Recall for McClintock!

[nina0113]

So re-register with the Constitution Party - that's what McClintock needs to do.

I prefer the CP myself, and if Virginia looks safe for Bush next year I might just vote that way.

[South40]

Also, Cruz Bustamante's inept campaign has focused solely on nonwhite Democrats.

That's what hispanic supremicists do.

[Tamzee]

WRONG! Listen to the ads --- at their conclusions they state they are paid for by CRA AND "the Morengo Mission Band INDIANS."

Wow... a teeny but so important detail.

Unbelievable.

[BibChr]

It's a weird death-wish. I'll agree with the observation that McC could have been WORSE on Schwarzenegger than he was, and that gave me hope.

Then right after, he's back to slamming. That killed the hope.

It IS like he's trying to self-destruct... yet.... Well, it's strange.

Dan

[Recourse]

Thanks for all of the exclamation points. But all kidding aside, I agree with you that Frist should have pushed Estrada harder and should have forced a real filibuster. That's a battle that could have been won. Unfortunately for McC, he cannot win this battle. It is obvious to everyone.

[habs4ever]

Excellent observation.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Tom needs to stay in and be ready to pick up the frontrunner spot as the slime on Arnold gets released this week.

Which "slime" would that be?

The drug use?

The womanizing?

The nude photos?

The moderate to liberal policy views?

All of this is old news now.

The Dems, through der Slickmeister and the Hildebeast, spent eight years indoctrinating the average voter into not caring about "character" or "personal" issues. And, now that they did, they've effectively innoculated Arnold against similar charges by them.

And, when you consider that California is probably more tolerant of this sort of thing than the rest of America, unless they have footage of Arnold raping a goat, McClintock is nothing but either a spoiler or a footnote at this point.