Why is Arianna not a serious candidate and Arnold is?

[VermontDem2004]

I was watching post debate coverage on Hardball and Faux News and both of them were saying she was taking up the other candidates time, she was pest, she was arguing with Arnold over petty shit. Many said if they formanted the debate she wouldn't be there, now I ask the question, why is Ahnold a serious candidate and Huffington is a joke candidacy, or not a serious one?

[ikojo]

1. Because she is a woman

Female candidates are not taken as seriously as male candidates. Also, perhaps many are suspiscious of her switch from an apologist for the conservatives to sudden conservative basher.

Of course if people suspect her motives then why are so many supporting Clark when he voted conservative in 1980, 1984, 1988 and possibly 1992?

[tlb]

2. I have no reason to think he is running just to bump up his lecture fees

or to obtain material for a new book. He's out ot become governor and has a large chunk of the electorate wishing to give him the office.

Arianna is just showboating. And her public support is minimal.

[xchrom]

3. are you lost?

arianna made arnold look like a neanderthal. she is a serious candidate -- but what she says makes people{especially commentators} uncomfortable because she is extremely critical of our two party system. and she taking names -- and worse she has the temerity to point out the connections people have to obvious problems.
true, the status quo{republican and democrat, liberal and conservative} takes arnold seriously -- people who are inventive enough can see the advantage to breaking the mold.

[dofus]

4. Arianna bothers people because

she went from being conservative to outspoken liberal. She used to support the Republican line about taxes, personal responsibility, and the whole conservative agenda. I'm not sure exactly what made her change, although Al Franken takes credit for it in his book "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot". I think she finally saw the disconnect between what Republicans said and what they actually did.

Any outspoken women is automatically considered to be a bitch who's simply whining and complaining. Women rarely get the substance of their ideas listened to.

She also has an unfortunate accent, but I admire and respect her tremendously,and if I lived in California I'd probably be voting for her.

[VermontDem2004]

5. I like her accent

But that doesn't make me unconfortable, I know people within my own family who switched from being a conservative to a democrat.