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July 19, 2006

If The Ticket Fits . . .

From Roger Salazar, Communications Director, CDP Democratic Victory 2006

We find the GOP's criticism of Phil Angelides in the Capitol Morning Report today rather amusing. It's funny that the GOP would be attacking the Democrat for his supporters, when the Schwarzenegger-endorsed Republican ticket is as far out of the mainstream as Arnold himself.

If there was any doubt that the Governor’s 2003 image as a centrist reformer was nothing more than Hollywood makeup and spin, leading centrist Republican legislators have cleared up the misconception.

Sen. Abel Maldonado recently attacked the Governor for failing California’s Latinos, and yesterday we learned that Republican Assemblymember Keith Richman has similar feelings:

"The governor has not taken any active role with regard to moving the party in a more moderate or mainstream direction," he [Richman] said. (Ventura County Star, July 18, 2006)

The reason that Arnold hasn’t moved the party toward the center is simple: that’s not where the guy who campaigned for George Bush in Ohio really is. Shifting back and forth with the political winds and uttering platitudes doesn't make you a centrist, it makes you a panderer.

Arnold’s only remaining claim to centrism is his supposed support of the environment, a foothold he shamelessly abuses to leverage moderate voters in his reelection bid. But one look at the Arnold-endorsed running mates on the Republican ticket shows his true priorities.

For instance, Sen. Tom McClintock, Arnold’s choice for Lt. Governor, has a 0% voting record on the environment in seven of the last eight years. This is the man Arnold wants to put on the California Coastal Commission and the State Lands Commission as Lt. Governor.

And Sen. Chuck Poochigian, Arnold’s choice for Attorney General, won’t defend the environment any better. According to the California League of Conservation Voters, Poochigian has a 0% voting record on the environment in five of the last eight years. His overall voting average is a frightening 4.4%, and this is the man Arnold wants to be primarily responsible for protecting our environment as Attorney General.

Overall, Arnold’s chosen Republican candidates for down ballot races score an embarrassing 12.5% average voting record on the environment for all their years in the legislature combined. Their anti-environment votes include votes against clean air bills, offshore oil drilling protections, and even Arnold’s own Highway Hydrogen plan.

Arnold may talk a good game on the environment – heck, he even painted his campaign bus green.

But no amount of green paint can cover up the anti-environmental juggernaut Arnold calls his running mates. Arnold and his pals are deep red right-wingers, through and through.

Does the Governor really think these are the folks who will support his "plan" to bring economic benefits to California by supporting pro-environmental policies? We doubt it...