Republicans Get Behind Schwarzenegger in Calif. Race

[Freddie Stubbs]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Republicans rallied behind gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday as his leading Democratic rival's chances appeared to be rapidly fading along with hopes that incumbent California Gov. Gray Davis can avoid being recalled from office.

The Austrian-born actor picked up an endorsement from state Assembly Republican leader Dave Cox and the California Republican party's executive board said it would make an unprecedented endorsement of a candidate in the governor's race later in the day -- with that person widely expected to be Schwarzenegger.

The executive board has previously avoided endorsing a candidate because two prominent Republicans are vying against each other -- Schwarzenegger and State Sen. Tom McClintock.

Democrats have a strong majority in California and hold all major statewide offices. Yet latest polls suggest voters will oust Democrat Davis on Oct. 7, and give Schwarzenegger victory over Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the only major Democrat replacement candidate on the ballot.

more: http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3526581

[eyesroll]

1. Is the R party even allowed to do that?

The WI Democratic party, and its county-level affiliates, have told us repeatedly they can't endorse one Democrat over another in a contested election. Period.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. Probably

Both the Democratic and Republican parties in Pennsylvania do it.

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Big whoop

The Repukks aren't going to vote for a pro-choice moderate Repukk.

And even that, the Gropinator won't muster the votes to go against the recall.

Hawkeye-X

[haymaker]

5. Shhhhh. It's a secret.

Don't tell anyone.

[Nottingham]

3. I love to see Repukes support a guy who is ProAbortion!

It shows the priority of the Republican Party is not Pro Life but uses that for its own purposes. Its main driving force is the rich get richer and screw the little guy! :bounce:

I'm glad the fog has been lifted! :bounce:

[AP]

7. The only reason the Republicans were ever pro-life is because it got poor

people to vote against their economic best interests for Republicans.

Money is the bottom line for republicans, and they jettison the social issue pretty quickly if that's what they need to do to win an election and control the money.

[forgethell]

9. I think that you are wrong

I think the Republican party looks at the total picture and goes with what they see as the winner. Say they need enough Representatives to control Congress. Then they might hold their noses and vote for a Republican with few Republican values. Democrats, on the other hand, would "rather be right than be President." I think that this phenomenom is what we are seeing in California.

[leesa]

22. It's just RW media BS. Don't buy these polls...what size is the sample?

The RW media is TELLING us that Arnold is popular so that we won't bother to come out to vote. Jeez, they use this scam in every election.
If Arnold 'wins', I think you can assume massive voter fraud with the touch screen voting machines. Californians aren't stupid enough to turn their state's huge economy over to an actor with NO leadership skills , business success or intelligence. Ecourage EVERY Dem and independent and sane Republican (if there are any) you know to vote against this fool.

[forgethell]

23. Sure they are

Can't californians be "sheeple", too?

[Democat]

4. The right wing media is in full spin mode

One poll shows Arnold ahead and it's front page news everywhere, Davis is officially declared recalled, and Cruz is a loser.

All the other polls showed Cruz ahead, and the media doesn't care.

They also bash Cruz for taking gaming money, but ignore Arnold's lies that he wouldn't take special interest money and the fact that Arnold has taken far more special interest money than any other candidate.

The media is destroying Cruz and doing everything they can to get Arnold elected.

One of the most ironic parts of this is that many of the papers refused to "officially" endorse Arnold on their editorial pages, even though the front page of those same papers have been endorsing Arnold for months.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

6. "Republicans Get Behind Baby Killer"

after all, that is what they call the Pro-Choice crowd!


:puke:

[Snellius]

8. This all goes to prove the ideological bankruptcy of Repubs

The fact that Republicans would support any candidate, even such an embarrassing monstrosity as Arnold Schwartzenegger, a cartoon character with whom it is at odds on every social and cultural conservative principle, just to get the R on the scoreboard, attests to how morally bankrupt the Republicans really are. When it gets down to it, the only thing that Republicans stand for is the business interests of those who own them.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

10. A repost of mine from...

a thread over in GD

I just watched a Bill Schneider piece on the recall and how Arnie has "surged" ahead and the mood for the recall is "overwhelming".

Problem is, the numbers and the questions he showed that were asked for this poll leave me CERTAIN this poll was bullshit.

He was talking about what made the difference, and said it was the debates. Said that 2/3 of Californians watched the debates and the numbers changed after that. Then he showed numbers between those who HAD and who HADN'T watched -- those who hadn't watched didn't change their opinions all that much.

He THEN said that the probable voters they talked to for this poll reported that McClintock was the winner by far of the debate!

He also mentioned that those who were unhappy with Davis most were those who were also unhappy with his signing of the immigrants' license order.

Here in CA all that information tells you one thing -- they were polling primary in CONSERVATIVE areas of the state, including those that house moderate/conservative democrats. (McClintock and illegal immigrants smack of Orange County.)

But the biggest pisser is this:

Schnieder then said that one of the things that the poll showed that turned off debate viewers/voters on Davis WAS THAT HE DIDN'T PARTICPATE IN THE DEBATE. Schnieder reported they felt it made him look "cowardly".

Uhhhhh, excuse me, Davis is NOT a candidate therefore HE WAS FUCKING UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN A CANDIDATE DEBATE!!!!!

What the hell type of game are they playing at? Why was something like that included in a "poll"?

The bullshit is knee-deep out here in CA -- wear your waders to the polls.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

13. These people did not even know that Davis can't participate...

in the debates and they are going to vote!!!!

Democracy gone arye!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

14. Yes, that thought ...

is scary as shit.

But then I still ask, what question did these pollsters ask that prompted a remark on Davis even being in the debates?

Something stinks mightily....

[CaptAhab]

24. Re: "A repost of mine from..."

He was talking about what made the difference, and said it was the debates. Said that 2/3 of Californians watched the debates and the numbers changed after that. Then he showed numbers between those who HAD and who HADN'T watched -- those who hadn't watched didn't change their opinions all that much.

I was looking at LA Times poll, posted earlier today, and saw that about 88% of the people polled said that the debate did not change which candidate they were most likely to vote for. Why then did the article accompanying the poll claim that the debate was the reason for Ahnold surging in the polls? This doesn't make any sense...

Something else I noticed: their sample size was about 800 registered voters, and about 1500 likely voters, but of those only about 130 were Hispanic. The article claimed they had accounted for that by "weighting" the entire sample. I find all this really strange, particularly with the elections so close.

[MacCovern]

12. My strong gut reaction by now.....

is that Ahnold is going to win the Cali race, and Gray Davis will
be recalled by a wide margin. I hate to say it, but it's all
shaping up that way.

I thought democrats owned at least California, but it's just proof
that no political party "owns" any state.

I'm not sure how much more of this I can take!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ahimsa]

15. Maybe this is a secret Kennedy plot

Once elected, Maria will hand Arnold his new script where he plays a Democrat.

:crazy:

[revree]

16. MAKES ME ASHAMED...

To live in California.

GOD HELP US, IF NOT GOD, THEN DAMMIT WHERE IS THE GODDESS???

[AndyTiedye]

17. If That Happens We Are Doomed

We can assume that this is part of a plan to "deliver" California
to the Republicans. With the new voting machinez in place, they
will be able to do that.

Unless, of course, Arnie is himself recalled before the elections!
There would be enough time (barely) to get a Dem back in and change
all the passwords and hopefully keep Republican fingers out of our elections.

Without California, no Democrat stands a chance.

(edit for "Unless...")

[xxqqqzme]

18. these numbers R

spin, cuz fix is already in! Rove wants this state B4 '04 & he will not take no 4 an answer. steroid boy did so poorly in the debate, he was laughable. I live in konservative kountry - Orange kounty. The only people I have heard voice their support of steroid boy R stoner, loser guys and some 'pumped up' males on the beach.

[Skittles]

19. WATCH THEM ALL GOOSE-STEP

this party of "family values", behind this msysogynistic piece of SHIT. Marching orders from ROVE INC. Come hell or high water this f***er will be installed in California. It's all part of the setup for the theft of election 2004. :puke:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

20. GREAT thread on recall poll numbers ---

Just as I thought -- BULLSHIT!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=433761

[pfitz59]

21. Diebold!...Diebold!.... uh....

Ahhhhnold!..Ahhhhhnold!..... nuff said.

[realFedUp]

25. The election isn't until next Tuesday

This past week we've seen the full court push by
Republicans...media included. The polls are too close
to call, McClintock is still in the race and anything
can happen between now and then.

Arnie gave his campaign another $4 million today
saying it would be paid back by donors after he
was elected...kind of the same plan for telling
the voters what his budget plans are. Apparently
someone running can't donate more than $100,000 to
his own campaign...

I wouldn't get too tied up in this Republican spin
machine. Vote, call others to vote, drive people
to the polls. Work it on the Internet.
Let's not let Republicans steal another election.

What would be great is if Warren Buffett came out
and said he thought Arnold would be the worst possible
choice for California.