I just finished reading a L.A Times blog by Scott Martelle titled - Schwarzenegger: 'We are dying at the box office'. Most of the entry is a copy of the prepared text for Arnold's speech at the Republican's state convention that took place Friday. Here is the linky.
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First off. let me make clear, I come here to bury Arnold not to praise him.
Schwarzenegger is probably one of the most politically shrewd politicians in California regardless of party affiliation, and that is why he a formidable opponent that mustn't be discounted.
I know there are some who think, "What does Arnold know about Republicans? He's not a real Republican."
I have been a Republican since Nixon. I have been a Republican in spite of years of debates with Maria, the entire Shriver clan and all the Kennedy's up at Hyannis Port. Believe me, it would have been far easier to abandon my Republican identity years ago.
But being a Republican is important to me. This party is important to me. I am proud to be a member of the party of Abraham Lincoln, who righted the greatest moral injustice in this nation's history...the party of Teddy Roosevelt, the enthusiastic reformer and conservationist...I am proud to be a member of the party of Ronald Reagan, the pragmatic conservative who reached out and captured the political center, winning 49 of 50 states in 1984.
So, you've been a Republican since Nixon and yet are proud of been a member the party of Abraham Lincoln. I think Abe has probably been spinning in his grave since Nixon was elected given Nixon's southern strategy during his campaign for the presidency. And let's not forget your comparing Ronnie to Teddy! I imagine Teddy is spinning in his grave too to be matched with the guy that appointed James G. Watt as Secretary of the Interior!
Where is the party today?
In California, as you know...our party is losing numbers. An astonishing 30 of the 32 Republican Assembly districts lost registered Republicans this year. Since 2005, we've lost 370,000 registered Republicans statewide. In just the last eight months, our numbers have declined by 120,000.
In movie terms, we are dying at the box office. We are not filling the seats.
Yes Arnold. I'm hoping that the rest of your party doesn't heed you words and continues to drown themselves in their own bathwater.
The road to our comeback is clear. The California Republican Party should be a right-of-center party that occupies the broad middle of California. That is a lush, green, abandoned political space. It can be ours.
And we have accomplished so much together these past 3 ½ years.
- We brought the economy back.
Oh you mean the bubble?
- We reformed workers comp.
translation?: We're rolling back the rights of workers.
- We created nearly a million new jobs.
Yes only in America where a four year degree can get you a manufacturing
job at Micky D's assembling hamburgers.
- We eliminated the operating deficit.
No, you've just passed in on to future generations. Just like your hero Ronnie.
- We passed the biggest prison construction program in our history.
Great! I'm stoked to have sooo many employment opportunities. I'm sure we'll be building plenty more prisons. Got to keep building our police state infrastructure!
Our fearless leader has help! That pesky Habeas Corpus is out of the way!
Here's hoping that the GOP stays the coarse and doesn't follow Arnold's advice. It will make our job much easier that way. I could go on picking his speech apart, but I leave that exercise to you dear reader.