Posted on 09/26/2003 2:54:23 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
[Opinion. Open for Discussion.]
The vitriol and passion are reaching unparalleled heights.
Arnold Schwarzenegger feels he is close to an October 7th victory and that a knockout punch of both Gray Davis and Cruz Bustamante is within tantalizing reach.
Were it all not for one jagged pebble in his hiking boot. State Senator Tom McClintock.
Both sides are polarized, even here and especially here, on Free Republic. And for damned good reason.
One side, comprised of so-called "RINOs", (moderate-centrists), later joined by pragmatic conservatives who see the paramount need to dethrone the irresponsible and dangerous Socialist Democrat regime in Sacramento, have dug in their heels in for a pitched battle against their new nemesis: the ranks of conservatives of principle who strongly support the continuation of their choice, Senator Tom McClintock, in order to prevent a sellout of the state of California to centrist or moderate political policies down the road.
OK. "Let's Make a Deal".
Arnold is within the range to win outright. If McKlintock had any class, he'd drop out, if only to help Bush next year. He can't possibly win, he's wasting the opportunity to help the party.
I agree with most of that, but you can exclude the sex-perverts. Nothing in the Republican philosophy indicates that we support special rights for people based on their chosen sexual behaviors.
Tell you what, you go run for Assembly in a solidly Republican District and see what happens.
The average guy who gets up in the morning and says "Today I will become a Republican" is not a gay abortion adovacte who wants to take away the Second Amendment and force us all to drive Yugos.
Promises of support for a McClintock run for Senator are worthless...
Any written promises by the Rupublican Elite to McClintock should be cut into 4" by 4" squares for later use in the bathroom...
DD
At the point of sounding sacreligious, who cares if Arnie is really a Dem? What counts in my book is pro-business. If he's a Dem, he certainly is a strange one; up from the boot straps to become fabulously wealthy is not a normal Dem career path.
About the only ones who are both liberal achieve that kind of success are in the entertainment business. Perhaps this is where your confusion lies: Arnie was already a successful real estate investor before he became a movie star.
The guy is free-enterprise all the way. McC was and is completely dependent on the very government he criticizes. That's the exact definition of a hypocrite.
What I will not do is vote for a pro-abortion pro gun control candidate. If there is no anti abortion candidate and no pro gun candidate, I do not vote.
I know that in Ohio people with my exact views represent 12 percent of the voters. I think it may be as high as 8 percent in California. If it is, then the chance of recalling Davis is at best a tie if McClintock pulls out.
What many foolish moderates believe is that men like McClintock lead people like me... They do not. They follow people like me. And if McClintock pulls out, and if McClintok pulls out and endorces Arnold McClintocks supporters will not vote for Arnold or anyone else. That is the name of that tune. It is the way the game works. That is why candidates have to sew up the right before appealing to the center. Arnie was way too dumb to know that.
It is real simple. When conservatives have a horse in the race they vote. When they don't have they don't vote.
Got that? We only have 74 years of unbroken history to prove it.
The right don't care what an withdrawn candidate says they should vote for. They don't listen to what some pressurized leader says.
But McClintock CAN NOT drop out without considerable concessions and assurances (iron clad) to him and the Conservative Wing. No concessions/influence/power, no drop out. It's simple. And I think it is ethical at the same time as searching for conciliation to build a team.
Everyone (on the AS side) just yells simplistically on FR for Tom to "drop out, drop out!". However, I 've heard nobody who supports Schwarzenegger YET come up with some suggestion as to what would be palatable. That is why I took the time to hash out some areas where I think conservatives can and should gain control, if such an arrangement were to be achieved. It probably won't happen, its a darned long shot, but it is good to think of alternative scenarios.
Yeah maybe Fidel Castro will move to California and register as a Republican. He'd have a whole bunch of support here on Free Republic as long as he had that ever precious (R)!
| Buyer's market. Arnie doesn't need him anymore, and the price is going down with each passing day. When the PTBs of the GOP sit down, put together the math and realize "we can do it without the hardcore right anymore", the previous influence wielded will diminish drastically for certain politicians, voting blocs, organizations and pundits. And all of them can point to McQuixote and say "thanks a lot, pal".
|
Section 18205 of the California Elections Code says the following:
A person shall not directly or through any other person advance, pay, solicit, or receive or cause to be advanced, paid, solicited, or received, any money or other valuable consideration to or for the use of any person in order to induce a person not to become or to withdraw as a candidate for public office. Violation of this section shall be punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months or two or three years.
This is more than just a theoretical consideration, given what happened back in the 1986 California Republican primary to select a U.S. Senate candidate. Congresswoman Bobbi Fiedler was one of many Republicans seeking the nomination, as was State Senator (and former Los Angeles Police Chief) Ed Davis. At one point Fiedler and Davis met to discuss Davis' possible withdrawal from the race. Davis claimed that Fiedler attempted to bribe him to withdraw and endorse her in exchange for her assistance in raising money to pay off his campaign debts. Davis had himself wired for the meeting, and Fiedler and her campaign manager (later husband) were consequently indicted for violating Section 18205.
Section 18205 covers any "valuable consideration" (which can often be difficult to define). It doesn't have to be money. In this case Ed Davis tried to stretch that definition as far as he could. Being a past Los Angeles Police Chief, he had friends in the District Attorney's office who helped him out.
Bobbi Fiedler argued that she had made no explicit promises to Davis; that she was merely trying to help out a friend who'd built up a campaign debt; and that there was no "valuable consideration" involved. The tape recording tended to back her up. She didn't outright say "If you drop out of the race and throw your support to me I'll pay off your campaign debt in exchange." It was more along the lines of "We share similiar political ideas, and the polls indicate I have a better chance of winning the nomination, so why not withdraw and back me? Oh, and by the way, don't worry that dropping out will make it impossible for you to raise any more money to pay down your campaign debts. I'm willing to help with some fundraising events and make some phone calls to donors I know."
The jury agreed with Fiedler and found her and her manager innocent, but by then it was too late. It destroyed both her Senate campaign and Davis' Senate campaign, and left an enormous amount of bad blood, especially among Ventura County Republicans.
Tom McClintock started his career as a legislative assistant to State Senator Ed Davis. You can be damn sure that Tom is extremely familiar with Section 18205. Arnold (and anyone associated with his campaign) will have to be very, very, very careful about making any "offers" to Tom to try to get Tom to drop out of the race.
I wouldn't be surprised. It IS politics after all. I, personally, would like to see Tom McClintock maintain his presence in politics for he has a lot to offer to the "conservative minded" person.
I don't see a person of conviction like TM to water himself down, with delusional ideals however, when he has such a consistent political agenda that he believes (and a lot of other people believe) will be the best for California.
Thank you!!!
Too bad California does not have the "Live Free or Die!" slogan...what is California's "Live Free off the Government or Whine???"
DD
The R-nulled backing pack has a 100% record of never keeping there word and always stabing conservatives in the back
To destory conservatives in the party has been there long term goal for some time....the "conservatives can’t win” propaganda was deliberate manufactured by this group over years by drying up funding of conservatives and backing Dems ....
The R-nulled camp can make no deal because there word is no good... it's the reason this battle will go "to the death"
The party has been co-opted by the liberal wing by creating the “conservatives can’t win” propaganda
Sadly in this battle the bulk of the so called conservatives surrendered faster then the French army...they have no room to ever make a French joke again...
My only curiosity is when R-nulled hits them with the first massive tax increase .... what will these Monica’s do?
Quote of the day--bears repeating.
I think nevertheless that is a broad definition of 18205 for these purposes. I would like to know the legal definition of "withdraw", even if the candidates name is still on the ballot. Are you assigning an expanded definition? I believe you would have to give me solid precedent (multiple) and additional case law for me to consider this as contrary to the stipulations engendered in Sec.18205. The point is, with knowledge of bribery and influence laws, I suggested a workable proposal that could be achieved. There would be precedent for the action I have suggested, which has not been prosecuted in the past.
These are the kinds of posts and ideas we need for this thread. I want the idea hit and bashed and worked through line by line as a potential alternative.
And neither is Arnold. Man you are way out there. The guy drives a Hummer not a Yugo, he's pro 2nd Amendment, not gay and does not promote abortion. He favors a woman's right to choose...both ways. If she chooses wrong it's between her and her God, alot of us feel that way. Less government regulations that way. You want to ban abortion? Your boy doesn't.
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