Rep. John Campbell (R-Irvine) attended last night’s OC GOP Central Committee meeting with the group prepared to vote for his endorsement. With 63 members in attendance, Campbell needed 42 votes for the nod and he failed to get it after a group lead by Irvine’s Allan Bartlett called the Congressman to task for his votes on TARP and the auto industry bailout.
The OC Political blog has two features that provide more detail here and here.
From OC Political:
“This particular endorsement began with John Campbell giving a speech on why he deserved the endorsement of the OC GOP. He pointed out that he had been a vocal member of the Republican Party for conservative causes in D.C. After he finished John Webb went up to speak and gave his reasons as to what he offered as a candidate for the seat.
Both men did a solid job in their opening statements and came across as intelligent advocates of conservative principles. Where things started to unravel a bit for Campbell was during the portion where members got to ask questions of the candidates. He was attacked for his positions on Cash For Clunkers, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and TARP.
I have a great deal of respect for Congressman Campbell for coming into a hostile environment and defending his position he took on these specific bills. I absolutely disagree with his position on TARP, but I respect the fact that he stands by the vote and gives his reasons for it.
One important note is that despite John Campbell having some solid supporters in his corner to speak up for him both Congressman Ed Royce and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher who were in attendance, yet failed to chime in on supporting him for the endorsement.
Nobody in Congress is perfect and overall John Campbell has been a solid conservative vote. I would have liked to have seen him get the endorsement of the OC GOP mainly because the last thing we need is for us to get stuck with Sukhee Kang in Congress.”
Actually, why not bring Sukhee Kang to Congress? He has a solid track record of working with Republicans for the betterment of his community. We need our Congressional representatives to represent the voters of their district not just those in the party they belong to. But by making the case that Campbell should represent the interest of Republicans first, then the OC GOP needs to put a lid on it when a Democrat is elected and votes the interest of Democrats — which they will clearly never stand for.
The telling part of the meeting, for which I give Republicans respect, is this was not a secret ballot; those voting for no endorsement had to make their votes known before Congressman Campbell. Ouch.
TARP was political cover that gave the impression that Congress knew how to deal with the financial crisis. Reinstating Glass-Steagall is the necessary 1st step to deal with the economic collapse.
Candidate John Webb and the GOP Central Committee are clueless. Sukhee Kang is also clueless. The three of them should be after Rep. John Campbell to cosponsor H.R. 1489 which will reinstate Glass-Steagall 1933-1999.
Rep. Campbell was not a member when Congress killed Glass-Steagall. Campbell is a member of the Financial Services Committee and his cosponsoring of H.R. 1489 would be huge.
Glass-Steagall videos at:
http://www.robertlautenforussenate2012.com
I don’t buy the argument that Rep. Campbell is representing the district with his votes on TARP and DADT. Registered Republicans are 45.2% of the district. The things I heard from Rep. Campbell last night would not sit well with most Republicans. I thought his challenger, ex-Marine John Webb, was right to suggest that Rep. Campbell had gotten out-of-step with the district, in part, by not meeting more frequently with his own constituents.
“I thought his challenger, ex-Marine John Webb, was right to suggest that Rep. Campbell had gotten out-of-step with the district, in part, by not meeting more frequently with his own constituents.”
EXACTLY!! – I have been back to DC every year for the past 6 years – since Campbell replaced Chris Cox – I have requested a constituent meeting each year – not once has Campbell agreed to meet.
And his congressional staff has his same disgusting uppity attitude.
One year he had his constituent sign-in book in the hallway.
The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) should be the grand prize winner of the ‘1984 Double-speak’ award; TARP is ‘word-craft’ a derivative of craftsmanship.
They’re not assets.
Credit Default Swaps, Structured Investment Vehicles, Collateralized Debt Obligations, etc. are highly leveraged bets; and when the bet goes south Congress requires the people to bailout the ‘Too-Big-To Fail-Banks”.
Your neighborhood Bank of America is actually BofA + Merrill-Lynch (an investment bank, an underwriter of CDSs, SIVs, CDOs, etc.)
In December 1999 Congress killed the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act; Congress ended the separation between Commercial and Investment Banking.
TARP is not a “Relief Program”.
$250 trillion can’t be bailed out.
“Five Banks Account For 96% of the $250 Trillion in Outstanding US Derivative Exposure; Is Morgan Stanley Sitting on an FX Derivative Time Bomb?”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/five-banks-account-96-250-trillion-outstanding-derivative-exposure-morgan-stanley-sitting-fx-de
Global derivatives = $1.2 Quadrillion
“$1.2 Quadrillion Derivatives Marked Dwarfs World GDP of $50-60 Trillion”
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/09/risk-quadrillion-derivatives-market-gdp/
I’m Robert Lauten; I’m running for the 6 year US Senate term. I give myself 3 years, 4 years tops before I lose all connection with reality; and with the US Senate generous Health Care Plan I’ll likely become certifiably insane within 4 years.
http://www.robertlautenforussenate2012.com
Visitors might find me wandering the hallways of the Senate Building babbling about the benefits of SIVs.
Structured Investment Vehicle (SIV) explained
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/structured-investment-vehicle.asp#axzz1n8Dmaqi6
To think I would agree with Mr.Lauten! Glass Steagall should be reinstated.
Great to see Campbell and his bow tie and permanent tan. Speaker of the House aspirations?? He will have to learn to cry after lunch for that gig.
But seriously, folks, The OC weepublican cabal found saving the auto industry not to their taste. Now if Congress had wanted to give plastic surgeons a subvention for free distribution of new works in Silicon Beach (aka Newport Beach) they would have faced pressure from their unnatural constituents at home.