I check out the OC Register’s editorial pages daily as they cycle through interviews with candidates for office and then note their endorsements in editorials. To my surprise (not), endorsements are typically granted to Republican candidates who follow the Baugh Doctrine, a manifesto of sorts that locks Republicans into a position to decline contributions from any public employee unions. Becausem you see, in the eyes of the Register’s editorial board, public employee unions are evil (as are Democrats, progressives, liberals…..).
In races with lots of Republicans who fit that profile, the Register tends to favor candidates who have run or served before. This is why Evan Chemers failed to get an endorsement from the paper which instead favored former council member Christina Shea and Tea Party Republican Lynn Schott. In Tustin, the paper left Allen Bernstein off the list. The two notable exceptions were the papers endorsment of Anaheim city council candidate John Leos, a Republican, with the backing from OCEA. Republican Karina Onofre, despite being a Republican who would decline union endorsements or contributions, was denied a Ward 5 newspaper endorsement. We have to guess its a photo taken with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez must have hurt Onofre.
In races with two Democrats, like the Santa Ana mayor’s race, the paper declined to endorse Mayor Miguel Pulido or Council member David Benavides. The paper declined to endorse George Collins, who is running as a Republican. But the paper did back Republican Charles Hart in Ward 3 even thought Hart has raised little money and will likely finish no better than third.
It boggles the mind that the paper continues to ignore than more than 500,000 registered Democrats and clings to the conservative/libertarian model despite the changing voter demographics in Orange County.
Dan, you are probably right about the Register Board, who is somewhere to the right of Atila the Hun. They are almost as tough as the Lincoln Club on endorsing candidates. That said, I was pleased to see that they endorsed all three of the Team Irvine candidates. Doubt that it will increase many votes for us, but the publicity is good. We need it especially with the hundreds of thousands of dollars the Agranistas are throwing into the race to try and hold their power.
On Evan Chemers, he is a blowhard with no sense of political tact or strategy. Don’t believe he even sought the Republican Party endorsement, which makes me woonder if he is actually a Republican. I have asked him on his Facebook page to clarify where he actually lives because I have paperwork on his two homes in Irvine showing both are in foreclosure. Of course Evan promotes himself as a successful bsuinessman, but if he can’t handle his own personal finances, who in their right mind would vote for him to manage those of the City? Chemers really has no shot at winning the election, just syphoning off a few votes from our candidates. One might wonder if Chemers is Kathrine Daigle’s twin as “stealth candidates’ for the Agranistas?
everything is a conspiracy theory with you Pat.
Tell me, are the Chois living back in their comfortable Woodbury estate and did everyone remember to pack up the folding chairs from the one bedroom apartment the whole family was registered to vote from? Did all four of them sleep in the same bedroom or did Mama and Papa Choi made the kids sleep on the floor downstairs?
Those metal folding chairs are uncomrtable.
I also forgot to ask, what is Ms. Shea’s attitude on gays and lesbians these days? She rose to power on an anti-gay pride platform? Has she changed her position on Gay Marriage? Just asking.
You want to know Choi’s feelings about his housing and Shea’s on Gay marriage, you should ask them. I don’t speak for any of the three of the Team Irvine Candidates, only myself. I can tell you that we do not agree on every single point; i.e. suport of Measure BB. But that’s why they are the Candidates and I am just the guy doing graveyard shift sign patrol.
No Dan, everything is not a conspiracy, but I have been around Larry Agran for a longer time than you have and know him well. Agran is like history, he repeats himself and I have witnessed him do what he is doing now ( fake candidates, money laundering, lying about his competition) in all too many campaigns in past years. It is this dishonesty and lack of integrity which caused former supporters and asociates like Chris Mears and Mark Petracca to cut the cord with him. One day too, the voters will wake up, smell the java and the Agranistas will be no more.
Pat — read your comments on OC Weekly about your lawsuit. You lied there about asking the city to cut you a break on the legal fees. My source is impeccable. So when you walk your comment back and tell the truth, you can comment about honesty and integrity. But I know the truth about your request.
Pat —
Money laundering? Sure hope you have proof because I believe you just committed libel.
Dan
Good for the Register. Precisely the right thing to do.
I was surprised to see the Register endorse Worley-Hagen over Bernstein, especially considering both the Lincoln Club and the OCGOP endorsed him along with the Amante Clone, Nielsen and Chuck Puckett. It must be tough picking candidates when everyone is a Republican.
I was thrilled to see the Register backing Mayor Tom Tait’s reform slate in Anaheim. You know your city is for sale when the Register decides that the OCEA is not the worst influence in the race for who controls your Council. Mayor Tom Tait is trying hard to dislodge the special interest cottage industry that has cropped up since Mayor-turned-lobbyist Curt Pringle ended his one-year cooling off period, and the Register wisely recognized that supporting those candidates with independence from that mentality is the best thing for Anaheim. I do not expect to agree with Kring and Leos 100% of the time, but I do expect them to vote their conscience not their checkbooks, and that is all we can ask of leadership.
At least the Register is past the pretense of being libertarian. They are now a full time mouthpiece for the GOP.
Amen to that. Just another rung down Jacobs ladder.
Maybe the Register does not want the same kind of success Democrats have brought to California at the state level.
Yeah Mike,
Like conservative states are such hotbeds of economic success. A good many of them depend on the FACT that liberal states like CA, NY, and others pay more to the federal treasury than they receive. And who benefits? The so-called conservative states. All of whom are running deficits and have many of the same ills as CA. Except one of the Dakotas. Though I’ve yet to meet anyone from CA (liberal or conservative) who is running away to move there because they so enjoy the thought of living in that bastion of conservatism.
I’m sure they want the same kind of success Republicans brought to America from 2001-2008. Aren’t earthquakes bad enough?