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A true conservative has confidence in his own ideas. Winning Republican candidates have the ability to articulate these ideas and persuade majorities. This is the only consistently winning formula the GOP has.

The politics of pandering to leftists is a losing game, because the Democrats will always do that better.

Reagan understood this. The Reagan Democrats stood solidly behind him, but not because he pandered to them - it's because he explained his ideas to them.

The proposed (R)nold Democrat who theoretically could give (R)nold a majority is part of the liberal establishment. These are not people who can be relied on to produce the majorities needed to govern effectively. That is, if (R)nold showed any sign of understanding what it takes to govern effectively, which, by his public behavior and his known circle of advisors, he doesn't.

Conservatives want the government to move in a conservative direction. (R)nold guarantees it will be 7 years before that happens, should he win. Otherwise, conservatives are looking at 3 years until the next chance, and they look to be in excellent position to do so. For a conservative, enduring 3 more years of a financially and constitutionally constrained Democrat - then having a chance to elect a real conservative in 2006 - is better than waiting 7 years before the possibility of positive change.