SF Gate: Arnold says GOP should move left

[yurbud]

Arnold is the best example of what the GOP is really all about. He differs with them on social policy, but is a fundamentalist on tax and business issues. Arnold is probably a pilot project for the post religious, post racial GOP.

We have to get a couple of steps ahead and figure out how to neuter this cosmetic change.

Report: Schwarzenegger suggests U.S. Republicans move leftward

Saturday, December 18, 2004

(12-18) 11:04 PST BERLIN (AP) --

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested in a German newspaper interview published Saturday that the Republican Party should move "a little to the left," a shift that he said would allow it to pick up new voters.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has taken an unorthodox approach since winning office last year -- standing by a promise to toe a conservative line of fiscal matters while veering left on social issues such as gay rights and the environment.

In an interview with Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily, Schwarzenegger said that "the Republican Party currently covers only the spectrum from the right wing to the middle, and the Democratic Party covers the spectrum from the left to the middle."

The rest of the story...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/12/18/politics1404EST0050.DTL

[xxqqqzme]

1. steroid boy needs 2 actually win

an election first B4 telling anyone what 2 do.

[Prodemsouth]

2. He knows damn well the GOP is not going to move left. Whitman's and

Arnold's goal is to increase their appeal in blue states. They are worried they might be assocatied with Tom Delay, Bill Frist, and this new group of very conservative Senators being paraded around. And they might be tagged with Bush if things go soar in his second term. They are worried that people in their states will think the GOP has too much power and is too conservative (radical) to their liking and might be looking to get rid of or not support Republicans who are running for the US Senate (Whitman) or running for Gov (Arnold) Dems should start targeting these "moderates" (that includes Snowe, Collins, and Chaffee) for defeat. That is the only thing they can do to gain strength in the Senate.
On edit: I disagree with the conclusions of the orginal poster the GOP is not starting to make a "post religious right change" - that is wishful thinking. This maybe a protection meme/scheme for 06- but nothing more. Republicans may be the terrain is a little more ruff in the upcoming elections. That is why you are hearing moderate being screamed out by Arnold and Whitman. The leaders of the GOP know were their bread is buttered. don't buy it for a nano second.

[yurbud]

5. post religious right change not necessarily better

My point was that it's all about getting the votes to continue their economic agenda, and they'll put any kind of social policy dress on that nag to sell it.

It will be hard to keep the religious right and go for the Arnold cons (libertarian, economic darwinists). Hopefully, they will become the party of ONLY the religious right. Some of the money conservatives have to be chafing at the company they have to keep, and toadying to hillbillies trying to figure out who will feed their dog when they're taken up in the rapture.

[aquart]

3. They don't have to. They have all the votes they need, don't they?

And they have the media to discourage anyone voting the wrong way, just in case, right?

SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM, ARNIE?

[wildflower]

4. Wow...well it would sure beat the left moving even further right. n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. i hate people like arnold and guiliani even more than fundies

their platform is merely GREED with absolutely no convictions social or religious!