McClintock clearly the better choice

Will the Real Reagan Republican Please Stand Up?

This is a tale of two (very different) Republicans. On one side
you have Schwarzenegger, who has ties to the glamour of Hollywood.
On the other, you have McClintock, the modern Seabiscuit.
Throughout the campaign, both men have claimed they are the
candidates who will carry on the Reagan legacy. But how can such
distinctly different candidates make the same claim?

Reagan’s tenure in office was dominated by staunchly
conservative policies. He was a carbon copy of the bedrock
principles of the GOP and was consequently able to enact reforms
that greatly benefited our state and later our country.

Under Reagan’s administration, California’s
infrastructure was improved, and the economy and education system
flourished. His fiscal and social platforms were clear and
precisely what was needed to help our state live up to its name.
His time in office is hailed as being the golden era of
conservatism, and his name brings fond memories of a prosperous era
in the Golden State that seems unfathomable at the present
time.

Schwarzenegger’s decision to run was what the California
GOP big whigs wanted. Instant name recognition, plus some liberal
stances, in addition to an “R” after your name equals
election wins in California, or so the myth goes. The irony is that
from the moment Schwarzenegger entered the race, his campaign has
stagnated and declined.

Schwarzenegger’s biggest stumbling block has been his
failure to win over the activist (read: conservative) wing of the
party which had been crucial for Reagan’s campaigns. His
support of the Brady Bill, along with his repeated failure to take
an absolutely clear “no new taxes” pledge on top of
hiring liberal economists, has done little to endear him to the
right. Endorsements from the GOP groups who want to overturn the
party’s position on abortion also have not helped sway the
party base.

Meanwhile, McClintock is the exact opposite of Schwarzenegger. A
man whose favorite read other than the Bible is Milton Friedman,
his platform and track record has reinvigorated a base reeling
after Bill Simon’s fumbling of the last election. His stances
on social issues and fiscal policy have helped him tap into the
grassroots network of conservatives left at the altar by
Schwarzenegger’s candidacy. While Schwarzenegger has stated
he was “ashamed to be a Republican” when the Clinton
impeachment was happening, McClintock has been a candidate
unashamed of his views.

Furthermore, McClintock’s endorsements have come from
people like George Will, Dr. Laura and Gary Bauer. Unlike
Schwarzenegger, who broke his promise regarding taking money from
land developers and businessmen (who surprisingly don’t meet
his definition of “special interests”),
McClintock’s support is largely based upon small donations
from regular people tired of demagogues and false messiahs.

The past debates have revealed much about each candidate.
McClintock is present at each debate; Schwarzenegger runs away
unless he knows the questions in advance. McClintock has specific
details about how he’ll cut government waste and what reforms
he will enact; Schwarzenegger has great one-liners but little else.
McClintock’s candidacy has given hope to Californians that
the gilded state can once again turn Golden. Schwarzenegger is
using guilt tactics to get you to vote for second best.

The main question conservatives should ask is not why
Schwarzenegger is liberal on so many fronts but why the GOP
supports a neophyte who spouts rhetoric and still has no clear
platform over a candidate who has the know-how and the specifics to
fix what is broken. What has been evident during this recall is
that the party big whigs are more concerned with winning elections
than with supporting the most deserving candidate.

This situation is all the more disturbing because McClintock is
not a single digit outsider ““ he has a good chance of
winning, not because of his campaign fund but because conservatives
have strongly connected with him. In a way, the party’s
indictment of McClintock’s campaign is an indictment upon
conservatives and the very principles the GOP is supposed to
uphold.

On Oct. 7, the question many conservatives must deal with at the
ballot box is whether they want to vote based on principle or not.
Should you put party over ideals or vice versa? Is the best man
worthy of their vote or not? One thing is clear, once you sell out
on your principles you might not have anything left of value.
Parties that betray their founding principles inadvertently end up
betraying their members. McClintock must remain in the race for the
good of the GOP. If a candidate who is vastly superior on all
fronts must step aside each time an unqualified populist decides to
run for office, something is fundamentally wrong. If a man who
decisively wins his debates and who fits the description of a
Reagan Republican to a T is not good enough to receive GOP support,
then nobody is.

Your vote does make a difference. The people you elect today
will craft party policy and party platforms tomorrow. There is only
one real conservative on the ballot. Vote wisely.

Marian is a second-year history and political science
student.