Arnie 2016

[mondialito]

A simple propostion: the Natural Born Citizen clause is non-existent, meaning all US Citizens regardless of birth can run for President, enabling former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger to stand in the 2016 Republican Primaries.

What happens next?

[The Bishop]

Interesting hypothetical, but he would still be far too leftist for the present day GOP shurely?

[peterl]

He wouldn't have got the nomination this time. But he'll be back!

[mondialito]

Jan 13, 2017 11:56:26 GMT The Bishop said:

Interesting hypothetical, but he would still be far too leftist for the present day GOP shurely?

Possibly, but much of Trump's appeal was in his media friendliness and his economic posturing strayed from current Republican thinking, so perhaps Arnie would do the same while being hawkish enough on foreign policy to please primary voters without scaring the hell out of everyone else. His clear weakness would be his social liberalism though.

[Merseymike]

Jan 13, 2017 12:06:29 GMT mondialito said:

Jan 13, 2017 11:56:26 GMT The Bishop said:

Interesting hypothetical, but he would still be far too leftist for the present day GOP shurely?

Possibly, but much of Trump's appeal was in his media friendliness and his economic posturing strayed from current Republican thinking, so perhaps Arnie would do the same while being hawkish enough on foreign policy to please primary voters without scaring the hell out of everyone else. His clear weakness would be his social liberalism though.

I can't see how Arnie would have either mobilised the Trump type supporters, nor the more conservative republicans, and there just arent enough centrist republicans left who are also socially liberal for him to get the nomination.
Also, his record in California wasn;t great - it took a liberal Democrat to finally balance the budget!