Tom McClintock = Ronald Reagan of 1966

Comte d'Maistre

[ComtedeMaistre]

Okay, Tom McClintock may not have the good looks and charisma of the Gipper. Ronnie was 55 when he ran for governor of California in 1966, and Tom McClintock is 47. But McClintock has an impressive 20 years of experience in elective office.

I am old enough to remember certain things. When Reagan ran for governor in 1966, he was considered too extreme to be elected governor of California, and the state Republican party preferred a moderate who was "electable". Reagan was not only considered "too right-wing" for California. Reagan was also considered to be tainted. He was seen by the media as tainted because some of his supporters were members of the John Birch Society. He was tainted by close association with the disastrous Goldwater campaign of 1964, which was hysterically denounced by the political establishment of California as too extreme. Considering that the more moderate Richard Nixon (read Bill Simon) had failed to win the Governorship in 1962 (read 2002), nobody gave the Gipper any chance.

When Reagan stepped down from the governorship in the 1970s, he was replaced by the extreme left-wing Jerry Brown, Gray Davis' mentor, who makes Davis seem like a right-winger. California is an unpredictable state. But it can elect a genuine conservative who is willing to offer a real and bold agenda for reform. Even Pete Wilson was only able to win re-election on the back of a conservative issue - prop 187. Are we supposed to believe that the 59 percent of Californians who voted for the measure, are not mainstream?

If you believe that politics is entertainment - an athletic contest between two football teams - then vote for the muscled dude. The athlete with the biggest muscles wins, right?

But if you believe in the issues - the rights of the unborn, the need to lower taxes, the need to reduce government to essential functions, the need to defend the right to own arms, and the defence of traditional marriage and family values, there is only one choice. McClintock.

Ronald Reagan never had an ideological successor in California. Tom McClintock is the ideological son of Ronald Reagan. Of the three major candidates fighting to succeed Davis, two are liberals, Bustamante and the muscled liberal with an "R" after his name. We should allow the two liberals, Cruz and Arnold, to split the liberal vote.

And if all conservatives - Simon supporters, Ueberroth supporters, and the misguided conservatives who are backing Arnold - were all to unite under the one candidate who best reflects their values, Tom McClintock, we could all win one last one for the Gipper on his home Turf.

[ComtedeMaistre]

Win one more for the Gipper on his home court. Vote for the one who shares the Gipper's values. Tom McClintock.

[Grand Old Partisan]

Ronald Reagan would never have split the Republican vote, thereby electing a Democrat.

[tortoise]

Umm... I don't think so. The comparison is shallow. There is no "Ronald Reagan" in this race.

[Jeff Gordon]

You forgot the >>BARF<< alert in the title.

Tommy needs to be compared to other famous election disrupters such as Perot and Nader.

[The Old Hoosier]

Ronald Reagan would never have split the Republican vote, thereby electing a Democrat.

One more difference between Reagan and Schwarzenegger.

[Grand Old Partisan]

Tom has no chance of being elected, so your point is specious.

[Tom Jefferson]

Let me state at the outset - I love Tom Mcclintock and there is no one I would rather see as Governor of California, nor do I believe that there is anyone who could do as good a job as Tom.

Having said that, I don't think he can win this election. I think Schwartzenegger will pull more votes that McClintock in the polls right up to the election. We can't afford to split the Republican vote or we are going to get Bustamante as Governor.

I think, based on the money that Schwartzenegger is prepared to put into this race, and the name recognition and publicity, Tom ought to drop out, and let all Republicans support Arnold. Tom should run for Senator and defeat Barbara Boxer in 2004.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Ronald Reagan would never have split the Republican vote, thereby electing a Democrat.

Bullnuts.

[The Old Hoosier]

Wait till the next poll has Arnold hanging in the low 20s, yet again. Then just keep an open mind and consider backing a winner who actually agrees with you on something.

[Grand Old Partisan]

Ronald Reagan was the guy who, after losing the presidential nomination in 1968 and in 1976, made the motions at the conventions to make the nominees' vote unanimous. What Tom McClintock is threatening to do to California shows no such class.

[My2Cents]

I'd like to see McClintock adopt Reagan's 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican."

[Rome2000]

Excellent points,I feel the same way exactly.

A.S. can win and he will owe conservatives for his victory.

McClintock cannot win.

[truth_seeker]

McClintock's adult working career is limited to government. No private enterprise.

McClintock lacks money, he lacks name identification and he lacks personality.

And I will suggest that the state may be less likely to elect Republicans of ANY stripe these days.

Given those reasons, I believe there is a higher probability of winning with Arnold, than of winning with McClintock.

And winning is phase #1 of politics -- campaigning, financing the campaign, persuading voters to your positions, making them like you as a person, etc.

If, and ony if you're successful at pahse #1 do you advance to phase #2 The holding of office, wielding of power.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Arnold-"I have to agree with my detractors, I do not have the experience, the experience to run the State into a swamp, like the ones who are running it now"

[Chancellor Palpatine]

That is how they're trying to set the spin up now. So when Tom rakes off a nice percentage and they all have to either continue saying "Governor Davis" or wind up saying "Governor Bustamonte", they'll pretend it wasn't their fault, and will blame Schwarzenegger for not getting out of the race and negotiating over all those crossover votes that only he can pull.

[pogo101]

One sizeable difference between the two men is one that McClintock cannot help: Reagan's easy charm, his ability to get people to like him. McClintock is aces on the issues, but what I'm describing largely is a quality that's innate, not "practiced" or developed.

[pogo101]

I think McClintock partly
(1) just isn't as innately charismatic as Reagan (or Schwarzenegger), but also
(2) is so very, very principled -- so confident that his views are correct (and they are), so unconcerned of whether others might incorrectly disagree with him -- that it actually works against his ability to pal around with undecided voters, liberals, etc., making him seem aloof, even though he isn't.

[Amerigomag]

We can't afford to split the Republican vote or we are going to get Bustamante as Governor

What I think you meant to say is that we can't afford to split the conservative vote.

I'll give Arnie one point. Although there is little real difference between Bustamante and Schwartzenegger, at least Arnie doesn't want to make California a part of northern Autria.

[heleny]

I think, based on the money that Schwartzenegger is prepared to put into this race, and the name recognition and publicity, Tom ought to drop out, and let all Republicans support Arnold. Tom should run for Senator and defeat Barbara Boxer in 2004.

McClintock and Schwarzenegger appeal to different voters, so it's better if both stay in the campaign. McClintock brings to the polls the conservatives, who otherwise might stay home. Schwarzenegger keeps the liberals and democrats away from Bustamante, and Arnold keeps voter interest (or media coverage) high. Both he and Tom help the "yes" vote and prevent Davis from using his proven slime-the-opponent campaign strategy.

The effect of either Tom or Arnold dropping out would be to help Davis/Bustamante.

[BonnieJ]

Ronald Reagan had charisma and he was never arrogant. That kind of puts him in a different league from Mr. McClintock from what I've seen of him.