Republicans Debate Merits of Following Schwarzenegger to the Center

The New York Times ^ | 10/11/03 | ADAM NAGOURNEY

[NormsRevenge]

fiscally conservative and socially inclusive and moderate 8-? and Republican

[GeronL]

If the GOP goes any further to the left... I will head on over to the Constitution Party

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[birdsman]

If the Republican party moves to the left on social issues, Social Conservatives will either stay at home on election day or vote for a 3rd party cantidate. Deserting social conservatives would make the Republican party insignificant.

[dr_who_2]

Does this mean they're moving back towards the right or back towards the left? I've lost track.

[Cicero]

Needless to say, Republicans should not choose to take advice from The New York Times.

They'd love it if we did.

If this needs any serious answer, then I would point out that in the 2000 election no one politician supported by Emily's List or NARAL was elected to national office. In most states, pro-abortion Republicans go down in flames at the ballot box. Even in California, Arnold probably wouldn't have beat McCormick in a normal election year if he had had to confront him in the primary.

Message to the New York Times: There's nothing "moderate" or "centrist" about killing babies.

[EternalVigilance]

Things proceed exactly as predicted.

Chickens always come home to roost.

[B Knotts]

"I'll tell you this: Arnold Schwarzenegger succeeded in uniting the California Republican Party in a way it hasn't been united for years."

LOL

This guy needs to check himself in.

This candidacy has been the most divisive issue for the Republican Party in decades.

[chachacha]

Collie-Fornia and the new transition team is still a disgrace to the rest of the country. Especially those Kneepad republicans who's kneepadds are getting thinner by the day.

[daviddennis]

I think Arnold won because he looked like a leader to the electorate.

His being a celebrity helped, but what really pushed him over was looking like a decisive, competent individual who had a plan (even if it was not articulated while he was running).

I think he would have won even if he had shared every view McClintock expoused during the election.

D

[EternalVigilance]

Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida who is now a television commentator, said the White House would be wise to take a lesson from Mr. Schwarzenegger's victory, noting the close 2000 presidential race and the number of states that were decided by a relatively handful of votes.

Asked whether he thought it was a good idea for the party to move to the center, Mr. Scarborough, who described himself as conservative, responded, "If I'm a strategist, then yeah.

"I think the country right now continues to get more conservative on economic issues and more progressive on social issues. I think Schwarzenegger is ahead of the curve."

It's official. Joe Scarborough has lost his mind.

[P.O.E.]

Nice attempt at spin by those in the GOP political machine who keep dissing the real conservatives that might have a chance: Schundler in NJ, Toomey in PA, McClintock in CA, etc, etc.

[Congressman Billybob]

More bullsh*t from the New York Times. As anyone knows who looked at the red-blue map after the 2000 election, California is a DEMOCRAT state, normally. Therefore a Republican like Schwarzenegger was necessary to win the election there.

But what on God's green earth does that have to do with all the states, and counties, that were solidly Republican in the last election? Nothing. If there were either integrity or competence in the reporters for the Times they would conclude that because only a Democrat like Zell Miller could win in Georgia, therefore the Democrats should be moving to the right. Not a snowball's chance in Hell the Times will ever publish anything like that.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "Slime and Bigotry on the Campaign Trail," discussion thread on FR. IF YOU WANT A FREEPER IN CONGRESS, CLICK HERE.

[COURAGE]

Also the NY Slimes keeps hiring reporters who lie or make things up. This reporter is stating that Republican Pary members might promote Arnie as president. Ahhh, I think most Republicans who are active in the party and politics know the little fact that a foreign born person CAN NOT BE PRESIDENT!!! The Consitution forbids it! Dopes. The reporter must be public schooled.

[ElkGroveDan]

More bullsh*t from the New York Times. As anyone knows who looked at the red-blue map after the 2000 election, California is a DEMOCRAT state, normally. Therefore a Republican like Schwarzenegger was necessary to win the election there.

Oh I am sooooooooooooooooooo sick of this myth. I'll say it now and repeat a thousand times in the next year. Arnold didn't win because he was a liberal. He won because he was a CELEBRITY. He had virtually unlimited resources at his disposal and the party establishment caved for the sake of winning.

Not once did anyone during the course of the campaign ever indicate they would support him because he was a liberal, not Darrell Issa, nor Bill Simon, nor Ray Haynes, or Jim Brulte, nor the CRP board, nor the County Chairmen's Association, nor did any major endorsement outside of Richard Riordan, the man we invented the term RINO to describe.

The final polls that did one-on-one match-ups showed that McClintock would have beaten Bustamante by nearly as large of a margin.

Let's not start this. I'm really going to get sick of posting and re-posting how shallow and empty that argument is.

[Miss Marple]

LOL! You are exactly right. I notice also that Nigourney scurried around to get quotes from liberal Republicans in order to fan the flames of division.

No one should take strategy advice from the New York Times.

[NormsRevenge]

a foreign born person CAN NOT BE PRESIDENT!!! The Consitution forbids it!

---

Tell Orrin Hatch and his buddies that. He wants to amend the Constitution to that effect.

[joesnuffy]

Arnnie is the inflatable Republican Party doll

[skeeter]

Let's not start this. I'm really going to get sick of posting and re-posting how shallow and empty that argument is.

Absolutely. Arnold's election had nothing to do with ideology.

His re-election will, however.