Posted on 02/20/2006 3:21:04 PM PST by calcowgirl
SACRAMENTO - Typically in California, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor don't campaign as running mates -- but you would never guess it by watching Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom McClintock lately.
The 2006 campaign is still young, but Schwarzenegger, the incumbent governor seeking an uncertain re-election, and McClintock, a state senator from Ventura County running for lieutenant governor, look very much like a tag team.
Personal friendship -- and political necessity -- have forged an alliance between the two that mirrors a presidential-vice presidential slate, with each shoring up the other's weaknesses.
Schwarzenegger helps boost McClintock's visibility and fund-raising ability. McClintock, in turn, has recently rushed in to aid Schwarzenegger by tamping down trouble from his right flank.
"There is a mutual-needs society going on here," said veteran Democratic strategist Kam Kuwata. "One guy has the bottle of milk. The other guy has the glass. You need both to drink the milk."
It wasn't always this way.
Just three years ago, the pair competed to replace Gov. Gray Davis in the recall election.
McClintock was the sometimes bristly, uncompromising conservative who won over many Californians with his principles, even though his social views were out of sync with many voters. Schwarzenegger was the charismatic moderate, who took the state by storm with his unique brand of star power, fiscal conservatism and social liberalism.
Schwarzenegger was elected with more than 48 percent of the vote, while McClintock received almost 14 percent.
A few months later, McClintock wrote the ballot arguments against the Schwarzenegger-sponsored Propositions 57 and 58, a bond-and-balanced-budget package. He thought the measures would allow lawmakers to postpone tough budget choices.
But time and perhaps political expediency appear to have healed all wounds.
The men are said to have developed a warm friendship. And they appear tighter than ever as the California Republican Party convention in San Jose approaches this weekend.
"Together, they are greater than the sum of their individual political parts," said Republican political consultant Dan Schnur. "Schwarzenegger may not have picked a running mate like he would have in a presidential campaign, but McClintock provides him the same balance that a running mate would."
But will a ticket approach fly in a state where voters view the offices as so separate that they frequently elect governors and lieutenant governors from opposing parties in the same election? It's hard to say. Past legislative efforts to have the two statewide officers run as a slate have gone nowhere.
Same-party candidates for governor and lieutenant governor here mainly do their own thing. They may team up at conventions and scattered events, but their campaigns are distinct.
So far, this year is an aberration.
The two men have separate campaign arms, but "they are running as a de facto ticket," said GOP consultant Kevin Spillane.
The coming months will tell whether the alliance is short term or more lasting.
"Gov. Schwarzenegger and Sen. McClintock are good friends," said Steve Schmidt, the campaign manager for the governor's re-election effort. "Sen. McClintock will be the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. They're going to work together during the campaign. No two running mates ever agree on every issue, but Gov. Schwarzenegger is pleased to have Tom McClintock beside him."
McClintock, whose profile was raised in the 2003 recall, is usually a weak fund-raiser who has come oh-so-close to winning the state controller's office -- only to fail twice. This year could be his last real shot at winning a statewide post.
Schwarzenegger, a prodigious fund-raiser, helped McClintock amass about $500,000 for his 2004 Senate race. This year, McClintock has been invited to meet-and-greets with well-heeled Schwarzenegger donors.
The governor could also help generate publicity for McClintock and earn him crossover appeal with independents and Democrats. If the governor solidly wins re-election, McClintock and other Republican candidates for statewide office could ride his coattails.
"If it's a bad year for Schwarzenegger, it's kind of hard to see how McClintock would win anyway," said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney, a former Republican policy analyst. "If it's a good year for Schwarzenegger, the alliance could work to McClintock's benefit."
After last year's disastrous special election, which alienated many Democrats, independents and dispirited conservatives, Schwarzenegger could use a boost too.
The governor recently faced an uprising from some members of his party's right wing -- an attempt to have the GOP revoke its endorsement of Schwarzenegger unless he dumped his new Democratic chief of staff. The insurgency threatened to overshadow the coming convention.
McClintock, revered as an icon in some California conservative circles, had the governor's back.
The senator sent a missive in support of Schwarzenegger to 1,400 convention delegates and signed on to another, similar letter from GOP candidates for statewide office. He recently arranged a conference call with the influential California Republican Assembly, whose members were agitating to yank the governor's endorsement. McClintock also attended a closed-door meeting last week at the Sacramento Hyatt among Schwarzenegger, his campaign team and the county GOP leaders.
The long-shot push to rescind the endorsement died down, and McClintock was a "linchpin" in restoring the peace, one of the governor's aides said.
McClintock's reputation for being unwavering in his beliefs could also rub off on Schwarzenegger, who has been criticized for zigging and zagging left and right.
The strategy, though, carries some risk. If the public associates them as a team, either man could suffer if the other bungles.
McClintock -- both revered and scorned for his loner nature -- could lose credibility if he's seen as compromising his principles to elevate Schwarzenegger.
Thus far, he's avoided that trap. Earlier this year, McClintock made their differences clear -- the governor's budget proposal, he said, "digs a bigger hole" in the state's finances.
Still, "I will do everything I can to see that this governor is re-elected," McClintock said recently. "And I'll do everything I can to offer alternatives when I disagree with specific proposals."
There's also a chance that opponents could try to use some of McClintock's views -- opposition to abortion, for example -- to tar Schwarzenegger as he tries to win over moderates and independents. But pro-choice Californians could always split the ticket.
Most analysts think the risks are few, and the dividends could be ample.
"We've always said we were the Big Tent party, and that's true," said veteran Republican strategist Ken Khachigian, who was President Reagan's chief speechwriter. Plus, "the closer you get to elections, the more pragmatic people get."
PING!
McClintock Ping List.
Please freepmail me if you want on or off this list
ping
"There is a mutual-needs society going on here," said veteran Democratic strategist Kam Kuwata. "One guy has the bottle of milk. The other guy has the glass. You need both to drink the milk."
---
That must be some sour milk by now.
Should the gUb not win, you know who will get the blame, huh? ;-)
"One guy has the bottle of milk. The other guy has the glass. You need both to drink the milk."
I would just drink from the bottle.
If they both get elected, I wonder if Schwarzenegger would listen to Tom at all on issues.
Why would the Gub bother listening to a guy who is literaly prostituting himself to get in a position to finally be close to the reins of power?
We're witnessing what the Greeks used to call a tragedy.
No one gets out of this debacle clean. Thanks to the New Majority "Just Win Baby! Don't sweat the details!" demLeft folks , that have shanghaied the ca GOP in broad daylight.
"McClintock, revered as an icon in some California conservative circles, had the governor's back.
The senator sent a missive in support of Schwarzenegger to 1,400 convention delegates and signed on to another, similar letter from GOP candidates for statewide office. He recently arranged a conference call with the influential California Republican Assembly, whose members were agitating to yank the governor's endorsement. McClintock also attended a closed-door meeting last week at the Sacramento Hyatt among Schwarzenegger, his campaign team and the county GOP leaders. "
If you don't want to listen to me, listen to Tom.
Do you really think Tom has compromised himself that much?
You don't believe folks should make up their own minds as to what they will tolerate or swallow, huh?
With some, Yes, he has to some degree.
I'm still OK with him, I understand the games being played, but I won't buy into a Bilderberg Gubby puppet being the best person for the job. He wasn't in the recall, and he isn't now...
Sadly, the party seems like it doesn't care, but maybe that is intentional too, the mission is to destroy the core of the old party so they can erect a new bigger tent.
For you, FO..
The 5%ers really are pests, huh? That is because they have a clue.
---
"My relationship to power and authority is that I'm all for it.
People need somebody to watch over them.
Ninety-five percent of the people in the world need to be told what to do and how to behave."
Arnold S. in a 1990 interview with U.S. News
McClintock -- both revered and scorned for his loner nature -- could lose credibility if he's seen as compromising his principles to elevate Schwarzenegger.
Ya think?
Arnold is doing more to get a real conservative elected in California than anyone else around here. But, no, when that comes close to reality, that's not good enough for California conservatives, who have to run him down AND any conservative he tries to help. I understand now why the California Republican/Conservative movement is in such a sorry state.
Many of those same conservatives bit the bullet and supported Arnold because he said he was a Republican and was a Fiscal Conservative. The "sorry state" is California, aided and abetted by a Republican governor promoting and enabling liberalism. If you want conservatism, the way to do it is NOT to endorse the actions of liberals.
Hey, look at me.
Loved by some, uhhh,, dart board or bird cage material for others,, It goes with the territory. lol
He's in a tough spot. If all else fails, he'll still be a conservative at heart.
How would you feel if your party had turned its back on you and conservative principles more than once.. Like a battered wife, perhaps?
Nothing new in that though; it's always been that way in the media anyway. I think that we have to give Tom some breathing room here. He is simply yielding to the hard facts of politics, and we definately cannot survive another Dem gov at this point, so we have no choice but support what's there.
We already have a Gub dem, imo. It would be nice to have a Repub Lt at least.
As I read the commentary from the FR peanut gallery, I no longer wonder why CalGOP is in such a mess.
I see it as the other way around...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.