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Arnold Embraces Centrism For ’08
It remains to be seen if Schwarzenegger is the real deal when it comes to the no-nonsense politics of the middle, but he’s certainly gaining a solid reputation in California.
Now he wants to push these some centrist ideas into the mainstream for the 2008 Republicans. Can he do it?
I have more here.
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8 Responses to “Arnold Embraces Centrism For ’08”
I disagree with your view on Schwarzenegger. At least when you describe him as a RINO. Since when does Republicanism means far right? In other words, since when is it that Moderates or centrists cannot possibly be ‘true’ Republicans? Was Goldwater a RINO for today’s standards?
One should not easily adopt phrases like that. The far right within the Republican party tries to do that constantly, when others fall for it the far right will have a monopoly on the Republican Party.
Since the leaders of the Republican Party (Bush, Bill Frist, Tom DeLay) have decided to focus things like Terri Schiavo, bashing gays, bashing immigrants, trying to get into people’s bedrooms, and cutting taxes without regards to fiscal responsibility.
Goldwater thought the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gays was incredibly stupid. Do you think the Republican leadership of today would agree with Goldwater?
Who cares what the “Republican leadership” thinks? Do they decide who are ‘real’ Republicans and who are not? Sure, they try to give everyone that impression but that is not how it works and it is not how it should work.
Well, if you don’t think that Republican leadership is relevant, then that probably leaves only Republican activists, who are by and large even more extreme than the leaders they elect. And those activists are going to decide who is going to run as a Republican in the 2008 elections.
Pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-gun control Republicans like Rudy Giuliani and Arnold Schwarzenegger will not be selected by Republican activists to head up any Republican election efforts. The activists think that they lost in 2006 not because they were too extreme, but because they didn’t push hard enough on issues like Terri Schiavo and banning abortion.
If the activists and the existing leadership do not choose who is a Republican and who isn’t, how should it work?
This is a joke, right?
When has Arnold not been center-liberal on many issues? He would be a socialist in the deep South.
The idea that Centrism that help Republicans is just another example of why the US is headed for a one party state.
The Republicans could adopt the Democratic Party’s Platform in 2008 and still not win a majority. If the Republicans and the Democrats split the moderate, independent vote, the Democrats win in a landslide because the Democrats always get the black, Jewish, and Hispanic vote regardless of their positions.
If the Republicans wants to make California more moderate, they would disband their party and vote in the Democratic primary for statewide office and for congressmen. At least they would affect the overall governance of California instead of just being a foil for the Democrats.
MvdG–
You don’t want to let anyone say the Republican leadership speaks for you. And considering the current Republican leadership, who can blame you!
But don’t you make the claim that Nancy Pelosi speaks for Democrats?
BYG: there is a difference between someone representing a party, like Pelosi and the Republican leadership on the one hand and saying that those spokespeople decide who is a Democrat and who is not.