I don’t recall evenr being in a situation where the closer Election Day gets, the less likely I am to vote for the GOP nominee.
Yet, that is where I find myself vis-a-vis Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I’m one of many conservatives who voted for Arnold in the recall despite my preference for Tom McClintock. I found the prospect of Cruz Bustamante in the governor’s office horrifying and wasn’t convinced McClintock could win. The stakes so too high I though it prudent to back the Republican with the best chance of winning, and so I cast my vote for Arnold. Like other conservatives, I comforted myself with the rumor we’d heard for years that Arnold was really a libertarian. So, although he was squishy on the social issues, at least he’d be hard core on taxes, spending and freedom issues. After all, he was a Milton Friedman fan!
**There is more – click the link**
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Amen Matt!
In the recall I voted for McClintock but had hoped for better from Arnold when he was elected.
Nevertheless I will be working to get elected and voting on Nov. 7th for Tom McClintock for Lt. Gov. Right now I am not sure if I will start my voting on Nov. 7th with McClintock and work down the ticket or start at the top where Arnold is.
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
A lot of conservatives are just not going to vote for Arnold now. I am one of them. I was so frustrated about Arnold that the other day that I finally gave Scott Baugh an earful during one of our precinct/volunteer recruitment organizational meeting on Saturday. Bottomline is this…I and others are going to work our butts off to get the rest of the downticket elected. Arnold has got to be the most unprincipled politician(is that an oxymoron?) I have ever seen.
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Please count me in the more-than-disgusted. Let’s just keep track of the vote splits. I’ll wager that the total vote count for Governor is less than for down ticket, regardless of the ultimate winners. That SHOULD send a message, but will likely only be used by the Libs to claim voter fraud.
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Matt, just like you I supported Arnold Schwarzenegger over Tom McClintock in the recall. That was not easy to do, but I did it BECAUSE of his strong pledges to take on the special interests, and also because of the conversations with people like Dana Rohrabacher who attested for his libertarian credentials.
If Arnold Schwarzenegger was on the Republican primary ballot right now, I could not vote for him. It wouldn’t even be close.
It’s the spectre of a Phil Angelides Governorship and also the hope of elected Tom McClintock and company that are my primary motivators at this time.
Comments?
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
While recent polls suggest that the spectre of a Gov. Phil may not have a ghost of a chance, I’ll continue to work for Arnold’s reelection just as I did for his election in the first place. He does lay it on a bit thick with the Demos at times, but politics is as much the science of the practical as it is the art of the possible. To allow Angelides even the chance of haunting the horseshoe would be gross negligence by any Republican. Those who won’t respect their fellow GOPers’ choices of nominees should go rattle their chains elsewhere.
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Excuse me Mike, what about the fact that Arnold has been lying to all the voters? Your line of “He does lay it on a bit thick with the Demos at times” has got to be the understatement of the year. How about a wholesale sellout of Republican values?
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
I’m no longer undecided. How appropriate that a Republican Party that has ceased to believe in anything has fallen for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the early days of his administration we could defend our support of Arnold as a better choice than Gray Davis. Even at the state GOP convention in Century City last month, many Republican leaders were still fawning over Arnold and his artificial tough talk. Does anyone really know where the governor stands on any issue? At the convention Gov. Schwarzenegger blasted the Democrats: “Our friends in the other campaign want to go back to the failed policies of the past – higher taxes, more government spending, more government regulations and less growth.” What has Schwarzenegger given us but higher debt spending, more government spending and more government regulations and less growth? Do you get the point?
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
We Republicans really have nobody to blame but ourselves, except for those who (like myself) voted for Tom McClintock despite the realization he might take votes away from Schwarzenegger and result in Bustamante winning. I can’t help but remember that, as McClintock pointed out at the time, Republican voters’ No. 1 preference was McClintock, but the majority told pollsters they were going to vote for Schwarzenegger because he was more likely to win. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy! If we had only woken up and voted for the person we actually wanted to win, Tom McClintock would be governor today.
Just think of it: a Republican nominee for whom we could be happy about casting a ballot. Now, it’s true that perhaps McClintock would not have been able to have gotten the workers’ comp bill through (and to give the governor his due, that was a signficiant accomplishment.) But other than that, is there any positive thing that Arnold has done that McClintock wouldn’t have? Just like Schwarzeneggar, McClintock would have cut the car tax by executive order, blocked tax hikes, vetoed the illegal alien driver’s license and gay marriage bills, and pushed for increased investments in highways (sans the waste in the current bond proposal)and flood control. McClintock also would have vetoed liberal legislation on global warming, Sheila Keuhl gay rights/political correctness and a minimum wage hike, etc. He also wouldn’t have appointed Antonio Villagaigosa’s wife to a judgeship, proposed billions in wasteful bonds or foisted a phony “cap” on government spending on the public like Arnold did in 2004. Also, I’m pretty sure Gov. McClintock by now would have endorsed Richard Mountjoy for U.S. Senate. Where exactly is Gov. Schwarzeneggar on this, anyway?
Do we really have to support Gov. Schwarzeneggar’s election this year? I mean, if Angelides won, how much different would it be than it is now? Sure, the Dems and Angelides would push for tax hikes, but we have enough Republicans in the Assembly to block them (as an aside, I rather liked it when Assembly GOPers were the “Hell No!” votes against tax hikes under Gray Davis, rather than the “Well, I guess so” accomplices to higher spending under Arnold). And after a year or so of Dems in complete control of Sacramento again, they’ll screw it up just like last time and perhaps the public will realize that Angelides needs to go. Then we can recall Angelides and replace him with McClintock, like we should have done last time.
I’m not quite at the point of saying I will not vote for Arnold. I’m just thinking out loud, I guess. But if I’m thinking about it, how many others are also?
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.
Where in Arnold’s past did these so-called “small l” libertarian leanings ever show up?
Just ONE YEAR prior to the Recall, Arnold was barnstorming the state promoting the creation of a program to spend more money on “government schools” (as Friedman calls them). Even worse, Prop49 tossed money towards programs not even occuring during the school day.
No libertarian of any stipe could really justify the government further taking over the role of parenting. And thusly, as this was Arnold’s first step onto the political dance floor, it always struck me as dubious whether he was ever in-step with us at all.
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
The “We REALLY Wanted Bustamante to be Governor Club” stands ready to accept you!
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Could not agree more with the comments regarding Arnold’s lack of foundational principles with respect to his governance. While I can easily support the down ticket candidates, pulling the lever for the Governor will be impossible at this time.
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Careful guys, if you continue to eat your own, soon there might not be any Republicans left.
September 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Alex:
What is a Republican?
September 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am
In the United States of America we have are privileged to have a choice. In the State of California we have a choice between Arnold Schwarzenegger or Phil Angelides. We do not have a choice between Arnold Schwarzenegger, Phil Angelides, Ronald Reagan or Thomas Jefferson. Not to choose is to choose. If you can’t make up your mind, don’t expect extra credit for sitting this one out.
September 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Congratulations, Matt, for stating the obvious! One thing you left out — almost every single terrible bill that Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed WOULD ALSO have been vetoed by Gray Davis. Having a RINO Governor who does about the same stupid things that Gray Davis did, but spends money even faster than Davis, is no improvement.
September 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Kevin:
An odd chastisement from a member of the California Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.
Besides, who said anything about sitting this one out? In case you hadn’t noticed, there are more than two candidates on the ballot.
September 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Alan, Exactly what lies has Arnold been telling “all the voters?” Since when, where, etc.; show me the deets!
I agree with Alex; we don’t have the luxury of not supporting our nominees, whether for the Governor’s mansion or the least influential Assembly seat. It’s about unity, loyalty, and practicality, people! Our voters have told us whom they want elected and now it’s our job to get them elected – ALL of them! What part about that is so difficult to understand?
So get off your podiums and get with our program; there’s work to be done. I need dedicated precinct reps in my district so if you’re not already signed up here or elsewhere to GOTV, get off your duff and from behind your keyboard and get to know your fellow GOPers by walking precincts between now and November. We’ll all be glad to see you and you might even learn something about how the vast majority of California Republicans feel about the candidates and the issues, something that no poll or politician can ever accurately impart.
September 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Someone please tell me why Gray Davis was recalled? Was it because he and the legislature had so screwed up our state that even Democrats finally got fed up? Was it because the state was hemorrhaging money? Was it because Sacramento was full of incompetents?
Unfortunately, nothing has changed since Arnold’s election and I say let the Democrats burn the state to the ground. Let them destroy the place. Maybe then, all of California will see the light and we can rebuild.
Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we can truly move forward.
September 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am
I have two words for why I’m supporting Arnold Schwarzenegger in November: Phil Agelides.
This unreconstructed leftist (albeit wealthy, but of the ‘lest anyone be allowed to achieve the same’ sort) would be an absolute disaster for California and for those of us trying to build a business, keep people employed, have a job, etc.
I’m not thrilled that the Governor caved on AB32, but I do appreciate that he’s stopped NUMEROUS other anti-free-market and anti-business pieces of legislation from our leftist legislature, as well as having cut the VLF, reformed Worker’s Comp, and vetoed drivers licenses for those here illegally.
He’s also projected a big, positive vision for the state, very much in the mold of my personal Republican hero, President Ronald Reagan.
It’s important for Republicans and for California that we re-elect the governor. We didn’t deliver for him in the Special Election (look at the vote results in our most conservative outposts…extremely underwhelming!) so it’s our responsibility to stick with him in the aftermath.
– Shane
Shane Patrick Connolly
Santa Clara County
September 6th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Dwight,
The Communists (CA’s Dems) have already burned the state to the ground. That’s why the productive class keeps flowing to Nevada and Arizona, and why the exodus will continue. If you can do business from anywhere, why hang around to pay for Arnold’s $100,000,000,000 in bonds, or deal with the diarrhea passing as legislation that flows endlessly from the social engineers in the Capitol?