Free Republic

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is warning the state's Republican party to move toward the political center or risk losing voter support. Schwarzenegger is speaking Friday night at a state party convention in Indian Wells near Palm Springs. According to excerpts released in advance of his speech, Schwarzenegger says the party has lost the political middle and "will not regain true political power in California" until the GOP gets it back. He argues the party must tackle issues with broad public appeal, like climate change and building highways, railroads and tunnels.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger enters 2006 in a politically weakened position few could have imagined when he took office a little more than two years ago, the result of a disastrous shift to the right in a state dominated by Democrats and independents. Facing re-election, the Republican governor has begun a swift transformation since November, when California voters rejected all four of his "year of reform" measures. The proposals included a spending cap, redistricting changes and restrictions on fundraising by public employee unions that Democrats had railed against. "A move back to the center is essential," said Gary...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled Thursday to deliver a State of the State address that is expected to be the most significant speech of his political career to date... (snip) Analysts suggested Schwarzenegger lost popularity because he pushed a much more conservative agenda than he had during the recall campaign in which he was elected and his initial year-plus in office. So with political strategists and his own inner circle -- including his most trusted adviser, Democratic first lady Maria Shriver -- insisting the governor must get back to the political center, the address will provide voters with their first...