Is Arnold a Pipedream?

It’s party time for California Republicans.  They see Arnold as their salvation.  They could be right. 

Arnold has given private assurances to Congressmen and Republican Party leaders that he will come out against partial-birth abortion, pederasts in the Boy Scouts, and welfare for illegal aliens. 

Couple that with a knowledgeable defense of free market economics gained through study of Milton Friedman and years of attending Reason Foundation seminars, and Arnold takes the wind out of his Republican opponents Bill Simon and Tom McClintock.  He could be in like Flynn.  But I don’t see how.

California is the absolute lynchpin for a Democratic presidential victory in 2004.  Without it, the Dems have no hope whatever.  They therefore cannot and will not take a chance that the California governorship will be taken away from them.  Gray Davis is truly hated by his fellow Democrats.  He is supported only as a vehicle to maintain their power.  Put these two factors together and you can be assured that, by mid-September if Arnold has held up under pressure and the polls are showing Davis will lose, state and national Democrat leaders will force Davis to resign.

Once Davis resigns, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante immediately becomes governor, and the recall is terminated. 

Davis and Bustamante hate each other, but that doesn’t matter.  It also doesn’t matter that Bustamante is a crook and a closet Mazi (Mexican Nazi, who once belonged to a racist group advocating the return of California to Mexico).  Nothing matters except the Democratic retention of gubernatorial power.  Perhaps party leaders will do it the Chinese way, with Davis suddenly developing a serious heart condition so he can resign with face.  Perhaps the Corleone way, telling him that either his signature or his brains will be on the resignation papers.  Whatever it takes, it will be done and Davis will resign.

Thus Governor Arnold is a fine summer pipe dream, but the Democrats have a sure-fire way for it to vanish in smoke.  I’m afraid Arnold won’t be saying, “Hasta la vista, baby,” to the Democrats on October 8th.  In that case, however, I know what he will say instead:  “I’ll be back,” to run in