[Dan from Michigan]

Here's the situation.

1. There's a short campaign season. That means the best organized campaign will LIKELY win.
2. That also means that ANYONE can win. 25% could be enough here. We had a 6-way primary for a state rep race. The winner was an UNKNOWN to the media. He won by 2 votes.

3. I don't consider Ahnold a RINO by California standards. He's a Nixon/Pete Wilson Republican. Riordan was a RINO. Bloomberg is a RINO. Ahnold is anti-Communist, and that's why he was a Republican. He isn't the best one running though.

4. That said, this is McClintock's shot. He could win this with 25%. If McClintock gets the GOP core base out, it may be enough to win.

5. As for Bill Simon, he had his chance and lost.

[Nayt2]

i don't think simon running is going to hurt arnold, it seems to me like he'd just take votes from mcclintock.

personally, i think its very petty for either of them to run. just get out of the way and let arnold win.

of course, the left wing vote is going to be split as well, between huffington, bustamante, and camejo. so hopefully arnold won't be screwed by the purists.

you'd rather have a outright socialist like bustamante than a fiscal conservative like arnold who recently said he only believes in welfare for people in wheelchairs?

[fieldmarshaldj]

"3. I don't consider Ahnold a RINO by California standards. He's a Nixon/Pete Wilson Republican. Riordan was a RINO. Bloomberg is a RINO. Ahnold is anti-Communist, and that's why he was a Republican."

Ah-nold is quite definitely RINO by CA standards or any state's standards. There are a lot of (believe it or not) anti-Communist Socialists (despite the oxymoronic nature of that), and that's what Ah-nold is, but his agenda is still rotten Socialist statism to the core.