Tom McClintock = Ronald Reagan of 1966

Comte d'Maistre

[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.