Arnolod's Win Moves "Center" to the Right

Wall Street Journal ^ | 10/10/03

[11th Earl of Mar]

Unlike the rest of us, Californians have to pass through life perched over the San Andreas Fault. As such, their survival depends on being able to pick up vibrations faster than most people, whether it's glasses of water shifting on a tabletop or politics rippling across the vast and diverse terrain of the Golden State. On Tuesday, more than seven million restless Californians voted to replace their governor, and once the tectonic plates of this recall-cum-gubernatorial election stopped shifting, the one political monument that I saw lying in pieces was the traditional notion of just who and what constitutes a "moderate." As of Tuesday's reordering in California, I think the definition of political "moderate" has shifted seismically to the right.

[11th Earl of Mar]

I can't say I agree with everything this guy says, but yes, Arnold's win is good for conservatives.

But now all eyes are on him. Will he bring down spending without raising taxes? etc.

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[Zack Nguyen]

Aggregating these numbers, 23% of blacks voted Republican, as did 41% of Hispanics. That this should happen once under any circumstances is extraordinary.

Wow. That is really a big deal. I refuse to let my hopes get up though.

[over3Owithabrain]

Sorry, but this was about celebrity-worship. Politics, morals, economics, etc. all take a back seat in our culture to idolizing the beautiful and famous. That's why right behind Ah-nold was Leno, Lowe, and other celebs.

A small step for the GOP, a giant leap for Hollywood.

[11th Earl of Mar]

A small step FORWARD for the California GOP is better than taking five steps BACK every two years.

And if this is a victory for Hollywood, why was Hollywood almost unanimously against Arnold?

[finnman69]

bump

[KellyAdmirer]

Media bias, long thought to be a cyborg that hunts down and destroys GOP candidates, may be morphing into a new engine of GOP voter turnout.

Voters do not want to be manipulated by the media into voting only for the "proper" and "acceptable" candidate. Imagine that....

[SF Republican]

I think Arnolds picking people from across the spectrum was fantastic. Willie Brown although most conservatives will cringe is a great politican that can get things especially in Sacramento which is Willies playroom. If they can work together and truly set their sights on the well being of California great things can happen, and personally I would not bet against them.

[Calpublican]

Don't think it was "celebrity worship." It was pragmatism.

[skeeter]

And if this is a victory for Hollywood, why was Hollywood almost unanimously against Arnold?

Positive name recognition is the whole ball game in politics. Arnold had both in spades.

[sheltonmac]

I can't say I agree with everything this guy says, but yes, Arnold's win is good for conservatives.

How do you figure? Arnie's already seeking a hand-out from the federal government (i.e., the rest of us).

[.cnI redruM]

Arnold understands triangulation. For every one conservative who cringes at Willie 'SB60 makes it really easy for illegals to get on airplanes' Brown, three moderate to moderate liberal voters will think more highly of Arnold for taking time out his busy day to listen to someone who disagrees with him on the issues of the day.

[poet]

You are correct. Style won out over Substance. Now that it's over, lets wait & see how "moderate" or "republican" arnold is. Attaching a conservative label to him is ridiculous.

[Pukin Dog]

It is not a handout, for Arnold to expect the Federal Government to pay for Border enforcement and other immigration costs. That is the bulk of Arnold's argument.

[hchutch]

Agreed. The purists might throw a fit, but the results are probably more important. The percentages of black and Hispanic votes gained are high for a Republican in California.

This is a huge pickup. The purists often do a good job of making conservatives quite scary - but better marketing and packaging will get them to cross over. In a way, HOW one presents the message is as important as the message itself. Arnold and George W. Bush understand that - the purists do not.

[Cicero]

Mainly what I see is that everyone is trying to tell Arnold who he is, hoping to influence him in the right direction. So we have editorials from NARAL, California Right to Life, WSJ, and even (mirabile dictu) the LA Times, all claiming that their cause has won a great victory with Arnold's election.

I agree with those who say, "Wait and see." But of course we'll continue trying to sway him in the right direction.

[.cnI redruM]

Exactly. I do simple, 1st grade math when I examine my political preferences, in a given election.

In election 2000, that worked as follows:

1) I agreed with about 2/3 of what GWB was saying. I only agreed with maybe 0.0005 of what Algore had to say.

2) Unless I voted for Bush, I was going to be stuck with a candidate with whom I virtually never agreed with.

Of course I'm probably stuck with the hateful Prescription Drug Panderation Act now, but that's so much less liberalism than what an unfettered Ted Kennedy, flush with victory among other things, would have inflicted on the commonweal.

[alloysteel]

Perhaps this the new beginning of a time when ther IS a true center in politics, and not simply two sides each competing for attention with louder and louder bullhorns.

Perhaps now we may be picking up a more nearly civil discourse.

[hchutch]

You may want to talk with Southack about that act. The Left is equally ticked at Ted Kennedy over the bill - due to some very interesting implications in the bill.