George's Bottom Line

Sounds like a conservative Democrat to me LOL

Finally a Republican with some sense.Unfortunately their "values" do not represent all Americans only a fringe few right wingers.

Unfortunately, Arnold has become a symbol of the problems the Republican party has. If Republicanism becomes nothing more than watered down liberalism why should anyone vote for them when they can get purse liberalism from the Democrats. McCain, while a decent man, exemplified this problem in the recent election; it is a strategy for losing. Returing to core values is not picking some point in history. Go back and read Calvin Coolidge's inagural address, read the many Reagan speeches, read Teddy Roosevelt's writing. There is a consistent and recognizable conservative foundation in every one of them. When Republicans give the American people a clear choice between a conservative nominee and a liberal opponent from the Democratic side they win. The Democrats have not changed the type of liberal candidates they have put forth. The Republicans have however given Americans some bad candidates such as Dole and McCain that beleive they can out-liberal the liberals. They deserved the defeats that were handed to them.

Anytime Religion drives Politics, a nation suffers. Look at Iran. It's a dangerous mix.

Arnold is right on. Had the GOP nominated a further-right candidate such as Huckabee or a phoney such as Romney, they would have gotten beat even worse. Americans want real solutions to real problems, someone with a vision, which is what Obama offered. The economy, an unnecessary war in Iraq, health care, global warming, energy independence: those are the things the voters cared about Except for the religious right, Americans don't give a f*@! about gay marriage, abortion or even (within reason) taxes

The Republicans would be well-advised to put someone like Schwarzenegger on the ticket in 2012. He is a Republican for the future. And he's right about "core values" evolving with the times.

My father, who is in his 90s, was an old-school "compassionate conservative," as were all his friends. They were hard-core Republicans who believed in lower taxes and small gov't, but also believed strongly in protecting the environment (conservation) and in universal healthcare. They weren't obsessed with abortion or gay marriage. Being consistent in their views about small government, they wanted gov't to get out of people's lives on those kinds of issues.

If you look back to great Republicans like Teddy Roosevelt (one of the original environmentalists), you will find many similar ways of thinking. (He was also the "trust-buster" -- he did a lot to keep corporate power in check.) I believe that many people today would welcome a return to that kind of Republican leadership.

Sounds like a practical, down-to-earth person who is interested in solving problems and is not willing to be distracted by nonsensical, divisive ideas that do nothing but distract people from real issues.

If more politicians had the same attitude as him instead of bantering to their own constituents then this country wouldn't be in the mess it's in.

The rebirth of the Republican party only requires one thing; step back and let Obama fail. His policies will make our economy worse and his stance on foreign policy and terrorism will invite attacks on our country. The Republicans are rightly being punished for GWB failure to adhere to the conservative principles of small government and fiscal responsibility. The same rage voters have toward Bush will be the same rage that they will direct against the Democrats in 2 years and against Obama in 4 years.

Actually if Ahhnold had run against Obama on the Repub ticket he would have gotten more votes and might have even won. He is, like Obama a foreign born ( whoops I forgot they found Obama's birth certificate somewhere in Hawaii, or have they ?). Anyway Ahnold is a self made man. The difference is while Obama was taking drugs and living the life of a token minority, Ahnold was working hard bodybuilding his career to where he cleverly moved into Hollywood and then Politics. I think he has already accumulated more real world experience than Obama ever will.

Schwarzenegger is the one and only person who has admitted the truth of our economic situation. When Bush took office the first thing he said is every person in America deserves their own home, and you bankers out there make it happen. They did just that, by any means necessary with Bush's blessing. Now, he sits back and acts like he doesn't know how we got in this foreclosure mess. It was the most profitable time ever for mortgage brokers and lenders alike, because they sold really ugly mortgages all over the world for great profits. Everything Arnold said this morning is absolutely true, and he's the only one saying it. I hope Congress passes the bill to allow unnatural born persons to run for President. You have my vote when that time comes.

"Step back and let Obama fail"??? Wow, Mick. Sounds like you couldn't care less about this country. Anyone who loves the USA is giving Obama the benefit of the doubt, thinking positively, thinking about how they can contribute. Even McCain was gracious in defeat and gave his support and best wishes to Obama. No-one who cares about this country would want to see ANY president fail. Surely you can do better than that.

We need the Republicans to 're-evaluate' their 'core values'.....and so what if they are out of touch...that way they will remain the minority party for decades....We need more of them to be led by closeted married (to the opposite sex)far-right bigoted clergy........We need them to oppose civil rights while obtaining bathroom sex...We need more of them to take money from contractors inreturn for a wink....We need more far-flung religious bigoted minority 'leaders' in the republican party....more middle-aged balding grey-skinned men to 'take' our country in the 'right' direction.....thats right!

You can see it now, how sooo many young college graduates 'flock' to the republican party.....with brilliant future leaders like Gov Palin who see into the future gosh darn it.....we republicans want to go back in time when a women served in the kitchen and the man was the master......Let's take rights away not give them...lets talk about Reagan and so what if he's turning in his grave......let's look back not forward........sure the republican party will come back...sure it will.....it will come back to a ;safer' time in our nations history....

The Republican party: a group of middle-aged balding grey-skinned know-it-alls, far right religious intolerant of anything different from us, the look back into the future party.........the minority party(let's keep it that way)

Arnold is right, the government, GWB specifically, is to blame for the fiscal mess we're in. He came into office demanding that every person who wants a home should have one, and directed lenders to make it happen. They did, and now we are were we are. You can sit there and wish for Obama to fail, or you can help by offering solutions to your congressperson to get us out of the mess created by Bush. If you don't have solutions to offer for this mess, then don't say anything. I once worked for an attorney who used to say, "never argue with a fool, because those watching don't know the difference."

This is why I thought it odd when Arnolde endeorsed McCain so openly. His worldview always seemed much more in line with Obama's, to me.

Arnold is the best governor California has had as long as I can remember. He has had to deal with a difficult legislature, but then california is a much more complex and difficult state to govern because of its so many overlapping jurisdictions, legally mandated expenditures, intricate demographic mix, and loss of manufacturing jobs, even naval bases which generated a lot of tax revenue. He has worked tirelessly on the emergencys we have had without the recognition. He's basically a practical man, not an ideologue so he is right for the times. The number one thing californians want right now is more money, more services, better infrastructure, so I think he is in touch. Its really a country of 38 million last count, probably 40 million now and the economy has gone downscale while housing prices have tripled in 20 years. This puts the dream of owning a home out of the reach of many californians now, especially the young and new immigrants. The divide between the rich and poor is greater than ever. Ideology no longer works here. Its the money.

SO --GEORGE, SEEMS--YOU CANT IMPALE A NATIONLIST-AND PAINT HIM WITH HIS PARTY OF cry AND MOAN--LOSERS--CHENEY--WAS A GREAT PRESIDENT I.E. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE--SAYS--ALL MUST VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS--REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE ONLY FOR BRIBES-EARMARKS AND CLOSED SESSION BOMBING--OF DEMS AGENDA--THE WORLD IS DRIVEN BY GREED--YOUR JOB IS JUST LIKE THAT,--GO WHERE THE PERKS SUIT YOU--STATESMANSHIP-IS AN-AN ACRONYM

Brian, you nailed it. "He's basically a practical man, not an ideologue so he is right for the times."

Maybe this is the direction both parties need to go in. We're tired of $%@#!! ideology. Give us solutions to this country's problems.

I'm a Democrat but would vote for a Repub. like Schwarzenegger, if he were the best choice. He gets it.

You don't have to be genius to see we have to build infrastructure, fix health care, rebuild relationships with the world, move towards energy independence and formulate a meaningful environmental policy. Each of these subjects have been more or less ignored over the last eight years. Arnold is just stating the obvious - because these are real problems that can no longer be ignored. 1-20-09!

The bottom line is our government is on the verge of collapse. We are so far in debt that we will never be able to pay it off without either devaluing our currency significantly or defaulting on government issued bonds. If the Chinese, who hold a large portion of our debt, lose faith in our government and decide to pull their money enmass out of bonds we simply cannot survive. I suspect this will happen under the Obama administration. Obama has shown no willingness to reverse course on deficit spending and he is digging an even deeper hole by failing to address energy needs and the near blackmail power we have given to oil producing nations over our economy.

At some point we as a nation have to decide whether we continue to pursue so called “fairness” and “equality in outcomes” or whether we will pursue simple equality in opportunity, allowing most to succeed but some to fail. This is the nature of the “return to our core values” argument. Personal responsibility and self reliance are not just buzz words, but rather, they are required traits if our form of government is to survive. Both Democrats and Republicans have gotten us into this mess; Democrats because they openly champion the notion that we should continue to spend ourselves into oblivion in the name of “fairness”, and Republicans because they have given up on their bedrock principles of smaller government and fiscal responsibility. I for one hope the Republicans return to their core values and offer a solid conservative candidate in 2012. That is a choice the American people have been denied for quite some time. Arnold and others like him in the Republican Party do not speak to these values; they speak to a continuance of the failed attempt to equalize outcomes.

The republicans and their "values" and dogma is a receipe for failure. The proof is the last 8 years of their control. A complete failure. They have nothing to offer the country at all. "Reganomics" FAIL, shoving religion down everyones throat FAIL, not talking to our enemies FAIL, pre-emptive war FAIL, fiscal responsibility FAIL, trying to legislate morality FAIL,
and they want to double down all of it all. I know you rethugs want to stir up hate and fear about Obama, another FAIL. The true fear that people have is that the rethugs will have power again.

Joe, that is correct. We must allow failed policies to be seen as failed policies. We do not do our country or our future any good by propping up failed ideologies, failed polices, or failed forms of government. It might be painful for our nation to see a failed Obama administration; but, how much more painful if we minimize these failures to the point that we repeat them. The policies being proposed by Obama are so similar to those of Jimmy Carter that you have to wonder if anyone even looks at history any more. Maybe he believes that his "good wishes" can make failed beliefs work. I don't. Like I implied with my statement, allow failure to hang around the neck of those that bring failure. Big government has never worked and covering up for it through deficit spending as Democrats, and unfortunately some Republicans (Arnold & GWB) have done, makes no sense. My only hope is that what comes out of the great upheaval we are about to experience in our country is a set of governing principles that will reject the failed socialist state we have pursued for the last 40 years.

The Republicans keep saying the same thing over and over and over, for the last 40 years. They just don't get it. The world has changed since Ronald Reagan. He seems to be their only hero. All these old men with white hair are stuck in the past. America is moving forward at a fast pace to be the leader in technology, the environment and universal heathcare. America will be the leader not the follower. Republicans are stuff in the past. They need new and young leaders to lead their party. Get rid of the old thinkers. Frankly I'm really tired of hearing it. They look foolish on TV.

Republicans are dying party on the brink of extinction because the average thinking American recognizes them as a bunch of hypocrites, who use the right wing nut cases as a base, but they don't believe the BS themselves i.e. Vitter, Craig, Foley, Stevens, Cunningham, Ney, Abramnoff, Young, et al. The party has no diversity and don't reflect the changing demographics of America. Yes, they have their token minority like Steele, Jindal and Castellanos (strategist), but in their higher ranks, who is in charge? Why hasn't there been a Black republican senator since the 50s? Who are the minorities represented by the god party? Diaz-Batz brothers in FL; where are the rest?

Schwarzenegger was elected by the people of CA to fix the mess Davis created. He has done nothing, and is nothing but a complete failure. The CA deficit is easily double what is being reported. Arnold's only goal now is to position himself for a Senate in Washington. The Republicans are doomed if they don't walk from all these failed hanger-on politcians that infect the party.
Obama will fail under what he is creating, a second Clinton reign.

Arnold is spot on--it's not about ideology so much as what the American people need to succeed and move into the 21st Century. My father was a Republican and didn't care about religious ideology--it is a losing strategy for Republicans. If a pragmatic Republican like Arnold ran for president, he would be a huge success. The hard-right religious "values voters" are not "the core," they are stuck in the Stone Age and trying to drag the country down with them. And yet Republicans are discussing whether they need to go further to the right! Go right on ahead with your anti-intellectual, anti-environmental, pro-corporate, anti-healthcare, anti-equal rights agenda, because you will lose every time.