Aaaarrrnold vs. Rush

WOW! There is a war right here at home and it is right here, in the heart of the left coast between California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and radio icon Rush Limbaugh.
The controversy started when Gov. Arnold was quoted in the Los Angeles Times, or we left coasters call it, the Left Angeles Times or those of you old enough to remember, Pravda, as saying that he is not Rush Limbaugh's servant.
Today, Rush shot back that Gov. Arnold sold out by being elected originally as a conservative and governing like, well any given Democrat.
What is worse is that they are both right.
Gov. Arnold is not anyone's servant but the people as he puts it. Even when he ran in the original recall election against then Gov. Gray Davis, he never said he was a Reagan conservative. We understood that and accepted that. We figured he would govern as a fiscal and law and order conservative, appoint conservative judges and let it ride on the social issues. What we have gotten I am afraid is what the United States would get if Rudy Giuliani were to win the Republican nomination for president and win the White House. There is no guarantee on any given issue that conservatives care about. I think Gov. Arnold also did the state GOP a real disservice when in the last week before the 2006 election, his reelection being assured, he did not campaign with Lt. Gov. GOP nominee Tom McClintock or anyone else on the Republican side running for the state elected offices. Mr. McClintock, a Reagan conservative, had a real chance to win the Lt. Governor's race. Instead, he campaigned for four bond issues that also were far enough ahead. Of course, all four one. That was not good.
Rush is right to remind conservatives that Gov. Arnold is not really one of us in total. I think that I would like to see the old Gov. Arnold going after the state employee unions, teacher tenure and issues that he tried to get resolved. But, Gov. Arnold tried to do everything at once, not really educating the public and let all those opposed to reform define those issues and they went down in flames in a special election. Then, Gov. Arnold decided to change the image and become, what a shock, a politician.
Rush is right that by not fighting the good fight, it is essentially a sell out. Cutting deals with the Democrats rarely benefits the Republicans or conservative ideas. The reason that Ronald Reagan could make it work is because he was one of those liberals at one time. He knew how they thought and was the president of the Screen Actors Guild. He knew how they thought and how to negotiate like them.
That is why it is pointless to look for another Reagan. Hence, when we were given an amazing opportunity in California and Arnold wanted to run, most of us jumped to get him elected. We did not know we were getting a Democrat in many ways in sheep's clothing.
Tomorrow, the showdown is on at 10am Pacific Daylight Time, Arnold vs. Rush. What a match that will be!