There’s no doubt about it, if you’re a Progressive, Liberal or a Democrat, or just plain left of center, you have to be happy about the outcome of Tuesday’s elections. For the fifth time in six presidential elections, the Democratic candidate won the popular vote for president. Democrats increased their advantage in the Senate and added more women to the Senate without needing a binder to do so. We gained some ground in Congress too and got rid of two of the worst Tea party Congressmen out there. California increased the number of Democrats in the state’s Congressional delegation.
In the state, Prop 30 passed, Prop 32 failed, and Democrats are poised to take super majorities in the Assembly and the Senate; for those state legislative Republicans who routinely blackmailed the state, good luck stopping us now.
The best Republicans could hope for locally was a shift in majority on the Irvine City Council, and a sweep of right wing nutjobs on the Tustin City Council. Costa Mesa was very much a split decision and we’re still holding out hope that Jan Flory can overcome Travis Kiger’s tiny lead in Fullerton. The OC Register’s track record on endorsements was 50-50 at best.
And Republicans can cheer OC Weekly’s arrival as the new darling of conservative media in OC. For an alternative weekly that generally should fit the model of liberal media bias, the Weekly joins the Register’s opinion section with outright direct support for conservative politicians all over the county but without the subtlety of Grand Avenue. And sorry boys, that’s what I’m hearing from my multiple Republican friends who are gloating to me about the Irvine elections. I have the emails to prove it. Thom Hartman often says Libertarians are conservatives who want to patronize prostitutes and smoke weed legally; sounds like the market the Weekly is catering to these days.
Now that Brian Calle has taken over the Register’s editorial desk (spoiler alert: big business=good, unions =bad), we’re sort of it when it comes to left-wing media in OC unless you subscribe to Rolling Stone.
There are multiple articles online of Republicans blaming Romney for being too moderate and/or not conservative enough. There are calls to fire the head of the RNC, Karl Rove and any conservative who had a hang in the election day debacle. Even conservative media is being hammered for lying to their audience about what the situation really was instead of painting a rosy prediction of a Romney presidency.
Since the local paper has two positions, right and far right, I’ll turn to the LA Times where George Skelton predicts the demise of the state GOP altogether and Steve Lopez offered advice for the GOP on getting their Mojo back.
From Lopez’s columm, this excerpt:
Your first option is to cut and run. Frankly, I regularly hear from Republicans who so despise California and everything it stands for, I’m surprised they keep subjecting themselves to so much misery. Wouldn’t it be better to sell everything, pack up the station wagon and move to Georgia or Kentucky? They think, act and vote red in those states, and they probably hate California at least as much as you do.
But here’s another option. You could sit tight here in the Golden State, wait for the Democrats to screw things up in Sacramento even more than they already have, and then raise your hand when the situation cries out for the voice of fiscal prudence.
The first thing you’re going to have to do, though, is remake the GOP. And by that I mean that you have to get rid of the Neanderthals who dominate the party. Then you need to start grooming and promoting some common-sense fiscal moderates, provided you can locate any.
What do I mean by that?
If someone believes Barack Obama is a socialist, Communist, Marxist, Muslim, radical, black liberation theologian, non-citizen, illegitimate president or Manchurian Candidate, forget about him. He may have a shot at a career in talk radio, but he’s not going to make it in California politics.
And you’re not going to breathe new life into the GOP with someone who believes the answer to the state’s problems is to deport a couple million Latinos, unless they’re working in the garden at extremely low rates.
You should also nix anyone who believes that gay people have chosen a “lifestyle” in the way they might choose toothpaste or a pair of shoes, and can be “converted” with enough hard work and Bible study.
…
I’m not exactly begging, GOP, but your state needs you. As your new consultant, let me say that there’s only one way to get back into the game at some point in the future: You have to look to the past.
Your hero should be Earl Warren, not Howard Jarvis. The three-time Republican governor of California raised gas taxes to build highways, he put veterans to work on public works projects and helped grow the state’s higher education system.
Or you could look to the guy who raised taxes in tough times and signed an abortion rights bill as governor, then amnestied illegal immigrants and nearly tripled the national debt as president.
What was his name?
Ronald Reagan.
Think about it, GOP. You’ve marched so far to the right, you practically make your party’s conservative icon look like a card-carrying liberal.
Splash a little cold water on your face, remind yourself that the year is 2012, and give moderation a try.
I had to laugh at the last part. The last time I spoke with Flash Report publisher Jon Fleischman, he was on a mission to rid the California GOP of every moderate Republican. Thanks for doing our job for us Jon.
Skelton was even more biting in his column:
The shame for Republicans is that they could have helped Democrats pass similar tax measures in the Legislature and, in turn, won major concessions. Most important for their allies in business, they probably could have gained relief from a thicket of stifling environmental regulations. They also could have owned public pension reform and, perhaps, passed a meaningful state spending cap.
Republicans claim Brown wouldn’t buck labor opposition to reforms. The governor counters that skittish Republicans never would pinpoint a concession they’d accept in trade for their tax votes.
Whatever, it’s opportunity lost. Those days of GOP bargaining leverage are history.
And when business interests and conservatives complain about liberal domination of the Legislature and labor buying votes, they should blame Republicans. They’re supposed to provide the opposition. But they’ve allowed themselves to become so weak they’re helpless.
…
Here’s the numerical problem: Latinos’ portion of the California electorate increased to 22% last week, up from 18% in 2008, according to an Associated Press exit poll. The percentage of voters under 30 rose to 27%, up from 20%.
Republican tacticians working on election campaigns had theorized that Latinos and young people wouldn’t turn out. “Their whole strategy was ‘Please stay home,’ ” says Allan Hoffenblum, a former GOP consultant who publishes the California Target Book, a handicapper of legislative and congressional races.
Hoffenblum adds: “This state is too large and too diverse to be governed by one party. Either the Republican Party will become a true political force again or something else will replace it.”
Tony Quinn, a Republican political analyst, denounces “the anti-tax zealots who for years have been tail-wagging the old flea-bitten Republican dog. Well, now, there is no dog; only fleas.”
Veteran Republican strategist Marty Wilson, a California Chamber of Commerce vice president, echoes the widespread theme that GOP candidates must stop scaring and insulting Latinos with their harsh “illegal alien” rhetoric.
“We sound like the group that wants to send their grandmother back across the border,” Wilson says. “It’s killing us in California.”
The Republican party is victim of what every democracy learns in it’s life cycle. Once people figure out that they can vote for someone else to pay for their stuff they do exactly that. All Empires fall and we are just witnessing the fall of the USA.
I guarantee you will see a new Republican party pandering to anyone and everyone just like Democrats. We will never see a real leader elected ever again.
California is in for the biggest tax and spend spree in history. Every election they will beg for money to give the children. Its amazing the the only cuts ever made are to education. Prop. 30 will not guarantee a single dollar to education so get ready for the next fleecing. Brown will be back in 2 years to make the new taxes permanent or ask for even more.
Enjoy the ride until the party comes to an end. You are going to really hate the hang over.
Oh no! Don’t criticize the Weekly. They are thin-skinned, vindictive, and obsessive.
And they lack any editorial control.
who is critcizing. Irvine Republicans think they own Moxley and that he’ll do whatever they tell him to do.
“… we’re sort of it when it comes to left-wing media in OC unless you subscribe to Rolling Stone.”
Ahem.
OJ? It’s a mosh pit, remember with a Libertard as a webmaster
Partisan loyalty makes people crazy; here we have loyal Democrats advising Republicans what they should do to be more competitive in 2014 and 2016. Their advice is to be ‘Democrat-Lite’ – less calories – more filling.
Do you think the Republican Party, my Party is reeling nationally? Here, in California it’s a total tailspin, or as the LA Times declared in a Monday Op Ed, a “decent into oblivion”. There’s a very real possibility that history will look back on this past election as permanent shift in the American electorate. One stunning outcome, against all the poor economic news in the world, is the increasing marginalization of the Republican Party, both in California and across the nation.
My friend from The Liberal OC, columnist Dan Chmielewski didn’t mince many words in breaking down the demise of the Republicans in California.
There’s no doubt about it, if you’re a Progressive, Liberal or a Democrat, or just plain left of center, you have to be happy about the outcome of Tuesday’s elections. For the fifth time in six presidential elections, the Democratic candidate won the popular vote for president. Unfortunately, Democrats increased their advantage in the Senate and added more women to the Senate. We gained some ground in Congress too and got rid of two Tea party Congressmen out there. California increased the number of Democrats in the state’s Congressional delegation.
In the state, Prop 30 passed, Prop 32 failed, and Democrats are poised to take super majorities in the Assembly and the Senate; for those state legislative Republicans who routinely blackmailed the state, good luck stopping us now.
Liberals are clearly exhuberant over the results and rightfully so. The economy hasn’t exactly been gangbusters in California and across the nation yet this election was a decisive victory for the Democratic Party. It’s become abundantly clear that the GOP simply cannot continue to run on the same traditional issues of fiscal and social conservatism that simply does not appeal to the vast majority of minority voters and voters under thirty.
From the LA Times:
The composition of the state’s new Democratic congressional delegation merely reflects the state’s demographic changes. Latinos (72% of whom backed Obama) were 23% of the California electorate in 2012, up from 18% in 2008. The share of Asian voters (who voted for Obama at a 79% rate) doubled, from 6% to 12%, between those two elections. Voters under 30 increased their share of state ballots cast from 20% in 2008 to 27% in 2012, and backed Obama at a 71% rate. The state’s proportion of white voters, meanwhile, fell from 65% in 2004 to 63% in 2008 to just 55% last week
The worst mistake the Republican Party can make is to believe that this election cycle was an aberration and that Mr. Obama’s personal appeal and minority status created a result that isn’t indicative of a larger trend. There are certain issues where the GOP clearly needs to modify and/or soften their message. This message can be softened without caving in completely on the core idea of fiscal conservatism.
Here are a few:
Immigration Reform: An immediate issue that the GOP can soften their stance on is immigration reform—a vital issue in California politics. The statement from Sean Hannity this past week that his opinion on immigration reform is “evolving” may be indicative of a changing Republican stance. Hispanic voters are an evolving force in American politics and the Democrats have made clear gains. Republicans have longed believe that Hispanic voters are strong potential conservatives due to their religious faith— unfortunately the hard line stance on illegal alien amnesty hasn’t helped the GOP’s cause.
The Role of Government: California voters approved Prop 30 and the tax hike on the wealthy. Polling data (according to the LA Times) showed overwhelming support for the proposition among Asians, Hispanics and voters under thirty. The traditional GOP anti-tax hike messaging clearly isn’t resonating with the voting public—specifically the NEW voters. Beyond that the exit polls clearly showed that the traditional conservative message of big government affecting economic growth just doesn’t work anymore. Government is here to stay. For the GOP to succeed they need to soften the anti-government messaging and embrace a more effective government.
Female Voters: Both nationally and in California the Republicans are losing the female vote. President George W. Bush, my favorite President and his “soccer moms” just don’t exist anymore. Real hard line conservative stances on issues such as abortion, gay marriage and the enforcement of draconian drug laws are eating away at the GOP female base. Even though we personally feel strong on family values, maybe the softer approach is just that, strong family values.
It’s going to be a big challenge, yet fortunately for the GOP America is a two-party system. The role of opposition party is a great opportunity for the Republicans to re-invent themselves. In my opinion, there’s a very good chance that the Republican Party you see four years from now isn’t all that different, maybe it just needs a women’s touch. A softer pitch, strong family and then the GOP needs to embrace good old fashioned fiscal and social moderation.
Katherine Daigle
L.A. Times had a different sotry in 2006
Stage set for Republican wins in 2014 and 2016
By Fred Schnaubelt, Friday, November 16, 2012
After losing his 99th consecutive game, Charlie Brown, the great American philosopher of “Peanuts,” hangs his head.
“Don’t be disheartened in these dark days of discouragement and despair, one day you will win,” Lucy says.
“Really, do you really think so?” Charlie Brown replies.
“Well, frankly no!” Lucy says.
It’s amazing how many “Charlie Browns” have called or emailed, discouraged and disheartened over the presidential election. But, contrary to Lucy, the stage has been set for big wins in 2014 and 2016 by tea party conservatives.
The fact is President Barack Obama is inheriting a worse economy from himself than from former President George W. Bush. Unemployment is higher today than when the president took office four years ago (7.9 percent versus 7.6 percent, and 12.3 million unemployed workers today versus 11.6 million in January 2009), and that after spending trillions. The current unemployment rate among adult women is 7.2 percent, 14.3 percent for blacks and 10 percent for Latinos, compared to 6.2 percent, 12.6 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. How long until we see galloping inflation?
There are three paradoxes:
1. Stocks, commodities and real estate go up more under Democrats, according to Bloomberg.
2. Women and minorities do worse under Democrats.
3. The so-called rich, while publically castigated, with tax loopholes do better under Democrats.
Seven of the 10 richest members of Congress are Democrats; the three richest Republicans are Michael McCaul, Darrell Issa and Jim Renacci. The wealthiest presidents to occupy the White House are John F. Kennedy (Democrat), Lyndon Johnson (Democrat), Herbert Hoover (Republican) and Franklin Roosevelt (Democrat).
In “blue” states with a majority of Democrats, the average income is $100,000, while in “red” states with a majority of Republicans, the average income is $30,000, according to labor statistics. Of the 10 wealthiest ZIP codes with political preference, six are represented by Democrats and four by Republicans. As Casey Stengel used to say, “You can look it up.”
“One Party Country,” written in 2006 by two Los Angeles Times reporters, asserted that the Republican Party will dominate the political scene for the next 40 years, having won seven of the 10 previous races for the White House, and controlling the Senate by 10 seats and the House by a margin of 30. Republicans held a majority of governorships and a plurality of state legislatures. The conclusion: The Democrat Party will be assigned to the dustbin of history. Interestingly, it was written just three election cycles ago.
This reminds me of my fourth-grade class. The teacher told my friend Johnny to write his name on the chalkboard.
“Hey teach, I ain’t got no chalk,” he said.
Correcting him, the teacher said, “It’s, ‘I don’t have any chalk, you don’t have any chalk, he doesn’t have any chalk, she doesn’t have any chalk, they don’t have any chalk.'”
Johnny blurted out, “What the hell happened to all the chalk?”
What the hell happened to the Republicans? Yes, they lost big in 2008, and subsequently Time magazine’s May 2009 cover labeled Republicans as an “endangered party” and Sam Tanenhaus wrote “The Death of Conservatism.” The message was that if Republicans do not adopt the enlightened views of liberals, they are toast. We hear the same today; after all, the president did win big by an overwhelming 2 percent of the popular vote, while inexplicably for Democrats, the Republicans retained control the House. What a difference a couple of cycles will make when the stars again are aligned and the pendulum swings for Republicans.
Schnaubelt, president of Citizens for Private Property Rights, has been a commercial real estate broker for 35 years and was a San Diego city councilman from 1977 to 1981.