Posted on 12/29/2004 1:52:30 PM PST by FairOpinion
There was uproar in Republican circles last week when California Governor Arnold Scharzenegger (search) was quoted in a German newspaper saying that the Republican Party should "move a little further left." But the reporter who conducted the interview now says Schwarzenegger never actually said that.
Marc Hujer translated Schwarzenegger's English remarks into German and says he changed the phrasing to make the interview more understandable to a German audience. Schwarzenegger actually said he'd like to "Keep [the Republican Party] to the right where it is, but ... cross over that centerline a little bit, because that would immediately take away 5 percent from the Democrats."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
"Schwarzy is a RINO"
Gee, what a revelation
Send this son of a Nazi back to Austria.
At this point, I don't think the Republicans have to move anywhere to take votes away from the Dims. They're doing pretty good at losing on their own.
PING -- this doesn't seem to get much press, setting the record straight.
He said he likes the Republican Party right where it is.
The crossover he refers to is in accepting another 5% into the Party. Cross over the centerline while running for office not while making laws. There is a huge difference.
Unfortunately most Republicans fail to realize the way our schools teach our children to think. They teach they that Republicans act further right than they preach (we don't). They say the same about the Left but the left preaches far, far, far to the right of where they act.
It was reported here several days ago. And a google search shows 100's of hits. I read it in the Sacbee. But you are correct that the NYSlime, Washpost didn't give it much if any press.
False dilemma.
The choice isn't simply between moving left and gaining 5-10% v. moving right and losing 5-10%. It isn't even clear that a move to the left will gather more votes than a move to the right.
You are getting the point exactly.
One also wonders about the exact context, obscured by the "...", which probably would have made it even clearer, where Arnold stood. You interpreted correctly and explained it well.
"Keep [the Republican Party] to the right where it is, but ... cross over that centerline a little bit, because that would immediately take away 5 percent from the Democrats."
Crossing over the center line from the right= going leftward
Crossing over the center line from the left= moving rightward
If someone was on the extreme left and they moved a little towards the middle, they would still be moving rightward, even if the were still far left. Can you argue that?
I did a search and couldn't find anything, except the FoxNews article.
If it was mentioned elsewhere, I am glad, but it still didn't get anywhere the kind of press the original FALSE quote did.
It doesn't matter what I think, the accuracy of what is reported matters, and this thread's title is a falsehood.
I'm not sure how you make that inference, particularly given the fact that Arnold crosses the centerline both in his run for office and the way he actually governs. It's no surprise to me that he wants to move the party to his position, which is inarguably liberal-moderate.
It's amazing how many times we see posters being jerked around by the MSM. They will never learn.
If you do want my opinion, I don't think immitating a party that lost the last three elections is wise. Bush has already had a policy of only appointing moderates and forbidding conservatives for his second term, what more do you want?
The reason the Dems lost is exaclty because the Repbulicans were able to capture the votes of the moderates.
We need more of them, not fewer.
Are you going to correct the tile of this thread?
By all accounts we won in 2004 because of the votes of people who want the GOP leading the WOT and thanks to religious voters.
I'd be interested to see you point me to a source that claims moderates handed the GOP this election. I haven't seen that claim substantiated to this point.
This interview was done after the election.
There isn't any one group, that has enough people, to provide a Republican (or Dem) win by itself.
Even a lot of Dems voted for Bush, because of national security, of have you forgotten Ed Koch. He was not alone.
The way for the Republicans to win is exactly the way Bush and Arnold says, you have to appeal to the spectrum from the right, to the middle.
Where do you think Bush's compassionate conservatism comes from, except understanding the realities, which some people here unfortunately refuse to grasp. ( Note I didn't say people couldn't grasp it, they just don't want to, preferring to live in a fantasy world.)
This is what was reported:
"I would like the Republican Party to cross this line, move a little further left and place more weight on the center," he was quoted as saying. "This would immediately give the party 5 percent more votes without it losing anything elsewhere."
This is what he said:
Schwarzenegger actually said he'd like to "Keep [the Republican Party] to the right where it is, but ... cross over that centerline a little bit, because that would immediately take away 5 percent from the Democrats."
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