# Does Bush believe California supports him now ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054 "2003-10-12T22:16:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/5f8ce5/32.png) [@zipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zipper)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/1 "2003-10-12T22:16:26Z")
Dose George Bush believe that he has California on his side now that Arnold Schwarzenegger is governor? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/2 "2003-10-12T22:43:32Z")
From a totally lay perspective, I’d say that since they voted in a Republican governor, they’d be more apt to vote for a Republican president. Anyway, this isn’t really a factual question, unless someone can find a cite about GWB saying “Now that Shwartzuhnigger feller on on my side, I can’t lose in Calyfurnia!\*” This might do better in IMHO or GD \*[sub]This is a joke, I have nothing against Bush in the least. I’m Canadian and couldn’t care much if he stays in power or not.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/3 "2003-10-12T22:51:34Z")
It most likely can’t hurt him, but since the whole thing was a one of a kind affair, he’d be crazy to count on too much. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_M.Paler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d26b3c/32.png) [@Vlad\_M.Paler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_M.Paler)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/4 "2003-10-12T23:21:38Z")
I don’t think so at all. Ahnold has a lot of pull with the Republican party as a whole now, but his views are quite moderate. And many lefties were dissatisfied with Davis, a conservative in Democrat’s clothing. Ahnold was voted in by liberals and conservatives alike, more like giving a middle finger to the fatcat career politicians, like Minnesota did by electing Jesse Ventura. Ahnold’s a smart man, but it’s geared for making movies and buying real estate. He’s not a great public speaker (yet), and frankly even if he was a lot of people wouldn’t take him seriously because of the accent. In short, I don’t think he’ll lend a lot of weight for Dubya. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/5 "2003-10-12T23:41:34Z")
If anything, Schwarzenegger’s election may signal that the voters are in one of those “throw the bums out” moods, which could work _against_ an incumbent like Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Omnipresent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@Omnipresent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omnipresent)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/6 "2003-10-13T00:28:49Z")
Don’t know about that but, I’m sure he believes in dislexia. ---
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/7 "2003-10-13T00:38:12Z")
I doubt Bush thinks California is his, but the Dems know for sure that is NOT theirs either. IIRC during Bush/Gore GWB made numerous trips to Cali and Gore made zero. It was in vain of course but if there is any advantage that GWB gains from AS’s election is the Dems will be forced to campaign in Cali and that’s gonna be pretty darn expensive. I also wonder about the Clinton coattails. He went to Cali and tried to save Davis and couldn’t. Whether that’s because Davis was too far gone or Clinton just doesn’t have the same “star” power I think remains to be seen. ---
**Author:** ![DuhCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@DuhCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DuhCow)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/8 "2003-10-13T01:35:47Z")
If Arnold actually does something productive for his state’s economy and doesn’t make the recall election look like more of a joke than it is, Bush is going to look good. He needs California to win reelection, and it has a strong Democratic backing, so any help he gets from there is good. However, if it turns out that the budget deficit isn’t the partisan issue that it was made out to be, and California’s economy becomes more unstable, it’s going to hurt Bush. Bush made a big mistake in voicing any support for a candidate in a state election, and it might come back to haunt him. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/9 "2003-10-13T01:44:21Z")
There is no way to know. One thing we do know, by experience, is that state government can play a role in close Presidential elections, as it is the state which ultimately approves the electors which are sent to vote for the Presdient. And that possible outcome has almost certainly crossed the President’s mind. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/10 "2003-10-13T04:04:47Z")
Actually, the White House had become rather unhappy about Ahnold’s campaign- Warren Buffett was one of Arnold’s most prominent endorsers, and has been an extremely outspoken critic of Bush’s tax cuts. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/11 "2003-10-13T05:40:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Speaker for the Dead \* > \ ***This is a joke, I have nothing against Bush in the least. I’m Canadian and couldn’t care much if he stays in power or not.** I bet you won’t be joking when our troops are massing on your border. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/12 "2003-10-13T12:03:32Z")
To the extent that there is a factual answer to this question, I’d say it’s the one **JamesCarroll** offered: the strategic advantage the Republicans have now is that the Democrats are not safe to count California as a locked-in state for them, which means that they must allocate dollars there that otherwise would have been spent in other swing states. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/13 "2003-10-13T12:33:59Z")
Dose him with what? ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/14 "2003-10-13T13:42:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > \*\*I bet you won’t be joking when our troops are massing on your border. 😉 \*\* Yeah, that’s where the WMD are probably hidden - besides if we give them time, those Canadians can be a real threat. I saw that Michael Moore film and he says they got a lot of guns up there. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/15 "2003-10-13T14:39:33Z")
We should have invaded _before_ they got all those guns. ---
**Author:** ![Robbbbb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9a140/32.png) [@Robbbbb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robbbbb)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/16 "2003-10-13T15:48:59Z")
Speaking as a Californian, Bush isn’t all that popular here. As someone said above, the recall _was_ one of those “throw the bums out” kind of thing, and I don’t think Bush is immune to that sentiment here. Also there are instances where Bush is trying to override popular state laws (such as California’s clean air statutes) that aren’t going over too well here in the Golden State. I think the image of California as overwhemingly liberal and Democrat is a falsehood; We have our liberals (the Bay Area and the North Coast) and we have our conservatives (the Central Valley and Southern California excluding Los Angeles) and we have a lot of moderates (I’d say Los Angeles and the Silicon Valley are more midde-of-the-road). Gray Davis was the first Democrat elected governor since 1978, so the fact that a Republican has been elected governor is no big deal. That said, I think California has more of a problem electing a Texan to the presidency than it does a Republican. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/17 "2003-10-13T18:08:39Z")
**zipper** , please use descriptive thread titles when starting a thread. Also, please post your questions in the correct forums. GQ is for questions that can be answered factually. IMHO is better suited for your question. I’ll move this thread to IMHO for you. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/18 "2003-10-13T18:51:48Z")
What a lot of people don’t realize is that this was simply a protest vote. The people wanted to get rid of Davis, they saw Bustamante as being just like Davis, and so they voted in Arnie. That doesn’t mean that the state is going conservative. As far as I can tell, it was a one time aberration. Now that Davis is gone things will go back to normal. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/19 "2003-10-13T19:23:50Z")
I heard that it was mainly the southern (read: crazy) part of California that got Davis re-called and Schwarzenegger elected. In the north I thought they voted not to recall, and Bustamante beat Schwarzenegger. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054/20 "2003-10-13T20:18:25Z")
If Bush now thinks that California is his, he must also believe all of those “progress reports” and “mission accomplished” statements coming from Iraq. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bush-believe-california-supports-him-now/207054.md?page=2)