Bush Ready to Endorse the Terminator

[Shi Huangdi]

Ahnold's moderatism doesn't bother me, better him then a far left liberal Democrat.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
What exactly is Rush expecting from a Republican that actually has a chance at the Governor's office since Simon got slapped down?

The social conservative wing of the Republican party does not want to promote moderate Republicans - they will tolerate them if useful to the overall power of the party, i.e. in Congress or in state legislatures, but even there, they'd rather see one of their own.

If a liberal/moderate Republican wins, you can't very well criticize his policies, the way you could criticize a more conservative Democrat, because he's nominally from your own party.

It's the same reason that Nickles, Shelby, and Nighthorse-Campbell all flipped - their "own" state and national party provided minimal support, and was even hostile to some extent because they weren't liberal dems.

[The Mad Monk]

Of course, that has never stopped Rush vis a vis John McCain and a few others.

[Shi Huangdi]

??? Karl Rove had during the 2002 election tried to get more moderate candidates nominated, even helping a moderate challenger in the N.H. Senate Primary. They tried to favor Riordan for Gov but CA's people still supported Simon in the primary.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Neither party is monolithic, and has some pragmatists who agree with the need to include and support more centrist candidates, but each party itself (particular aggregated across the 50 state party organizations) is predominately controlled by their more hardline members.

Other than verbal expressions of "go get 'em tiger," Riordan sure seemed to get precious little in terms of meaningful support from either the RNC or the state party leadership.

[chequita guevara]

I think American conservatives forget the European conservatives are about where the middle of the Democratic Party is.

[GePap]

Hmm, will arnold gut the 400 milloion in aftershcool program spending he helped force upon the legislature of Cali by ballot initiative?

Arnold will have to coiunt on moderates and democrats to win the governorship, cause he won;t get the backing of the hard-line republicans in the state, at least at the ballot box.