A recent post by businessman and major Republican donor Mark Chapin Johnson over at the California Campaigns blog underscores my concern that I laid out in my post below responding to Dan Schnur, about the impact of the Governor’s shift-to-the center. Mark Johson was one of the
original three co-founders of the New Majority, the state’s (and perhaps the nation’s) preeminent Republican political action committee that self-describes itself as moderate. They boast that their organization and members donated millions to Schwarzenegger his ballot causes. Johnson is no longer a part of the New Majority, but his political philanthropy has continued with much generosity.
Over the past few years, Mark and I have struck up a friendship as we have found an important quality for each of us – the other is willing to listen to us rant when we’re wound up, and we also share some common friends. That said, Mark is one of the only people I know who actually IS fiscally conservative and socially moderate (just about all those who say that really are just moderate on everything, or worse). Anyways, he and I have spoken about our mutual frustrations.
The string of our e-mail chat about the Susan Kennedy appointment when it happenned was quite a doosey. It also served to tell me, right away, that it isn’t just conservatives who are angry about that appointment – but REPUBLICANS, conservative and moderate alike.
Anyways, Mark was responding to a call to submit fun predictions for 2006.
Here are his first three (note #2):
2. Our own Governor, beloved by many of us, will find that a vast majority of dependable campaign dollars just evaporated because he couldn’t and doesn’t understand that personnel IS policy and you can’t cram down our throats the enemy in our midst. (Can you say Susan Kennedy?)
3. Our Governor will be easily re-elected and we’ll feel so good about it, not realizing that his competition is so pathetic that it would be virtually impossible for anyone to lose to his opponents. We’ll see this as vindication for our Republican efforts and become more, not less, distanced from the electorate..
His post ends with a reference about possibly spending more time at Chapman (University), Claremont (Institution) and the Hoover Institution. This goes to my point. If Republicans leaders (donors and activists) become demoralized, they will find something else to do besides help in the 2006 elections!
You can catch Mark’s lengthy preamble and his remaining six predictions right here.