Schwarzenegger v. Schwarzenegger

Bill Saracino pens an excellent column for the California Political Review proposing a debate between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Arnold Schwarzenegger - the article is a must read.

In his missive Mr. Saracino suggests that he may have been naive by supporting candidate Schwarzenegger (who claimed to be a Milton Friedman fiscal conservative). On the contrary, Mr. Saracino is anything but naive - he is a seasoned and skilled political observer and campaign consultant. His support for candidate Schwarzenegger was not born of naiveté, it was instead based upon the time-honored code of accepting a man at his word (which speaks to the better nature of Bill Saracino). Mr. Saracino underestimated the guile of Arnold Schwarzenegger and for doing that once he cannot be faulted; to do it again would be naiveté.

Reading Mr. Saracino's article reminded me of a commentary posted on OAF Blog a little over one year ago; it is worth reading again: On Governor Schwarzenegger - A Ship Without a Rudder. Interestingly, after Governor Schwarzenegger devastated all of the conservative Republican candidates seeking statewide office the question remains; who will take up the mantle of standard bearer for California Republicans?