Schwarzenegger: Republicans Must Focus On More Than Ideology

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a politician who has often appealed to and gained the votes of many of his state’s independent voters, has a two-pronged message for his party: Tuesday’s lopsided election of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama shows that its time for the Republican party to begin to regroup, refocus, spend money on programs people want and to start being less fixated on ideology.

It’s a formula that won’t win him plaudits on Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity’s talk radio programs, but in light of Obama’s election it will be one that’ll be under debate — and probably attack:

“I think the important thing for the Republican Party is now to also look at other issues that are very important for this country and not to get stuck in ideology,” the governor said in an interview broadcast on CNN this morning. “Let’s go and talk about healthcare reform. Let’s go and . . . fund programs if they’re necessary programs and not get stuck just on the fiscal responsibility.”

Schwarzenegger, a social moderate, long ago earned the enmity of many California Republicans, who believe he abandoned some of the fiscally conservative views he espoused when he ran for office five years ago and began proposing new spending. They cite, for instance, his failed plan to dramatically expand health insurance in the state. Last week, Schwarzenegger angered Republicans again by proposing a statewide sales tax increase to balance the budget.

But the governor has not so openly criticized the approach of the conservative bloc that dominates his party on the national level. He said he thought Republicans had “a very good party,” and he has no plans to leave it, because he agrees with their push to reduce restrictions on business and to remain strong on crime. Schwarzenegger said, however, that the GOP should support greater investment to build roads and fix schools and other “things that the American people want to have done.”

Schwarzenegger is basically urging for GOPers to enter a more pragmatic era during a time when not only is the economy sagging but the U.S. needs to upgrade some of its frayed infrastructure.

They should not “always just say, ‘This is spending. We can’t do that.’ No, don’t get stuck with that. We have heard that dialogue. Let’s move on.”

Schwarzenegger also said four other interesting things in the interview:

1. Republican Sen. John McCain would have won if it hadn’t been for the economic meltdown.

2. He “deflected” a question on whether McCain had shown bad judgment by picking as his Veep choice Gov. Sarah Palin, a favorite of the social conservative and talk radio show wing of the Republican party.

3. He said his wife Democrat Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family, was running around the house with a cardboard cutout of Obama.

4. He dismissed reports that he would quit as Governor to work in the Obama administration.

Schwarzenegger represents one school of GOP thought. On the other end, there are those who are now urging the GOP to take a more conservative line and strongly endorse positions advocated by the party’s hard-right social conservative wing. Part of this divide can be seen in attitudes towards Palin: she’s supported by social conservatives and the party’s more conservative faction and not a favorite of some of the Republican party’s more moderate and pragmatic members.

So the battle for the Republican party’s soul has begun — and Schwarzenegger has thrown down just one of the many gauntlets…