I read an article in the Oakland Tribune today. I know Oakland, I’ve been to church there, and, trust me, there aren’t many Republicans in Oakland. The article said that Republican party candidates were campaigning in Oakland for the delegates available there.
When I visited there, and visited a church in South Central, I heard the same complaint from both pastors, both of whom were Republicans. Both of them said, how can you expect us to stand up for Republicans. When we do, they said, the local political operation turned against them, and made their life difficult. One fellow had a Bush sign up in his store window in the 1992 election, and someone broke his store window. The Republicans response? Nothing. No help, no defense, no response, no nothing. The pastor said we couldn’t expect any help from people if we didn’t stand with them when they were standing with us.
That got me thinking. How are we going to get Republicans interested in places in California that are dominated by Democrats? Legislators won’t do it, there is nothing in it for them. Local candidates won’t do it. They are lost causes, and the party did little or nothing to help them. Statewide candidates won’t do it. They need to spend their money and their time in places where they can get the most bang for their buck, i.e., the most votes for the money they spend, and that is not in South Central, Oakland, the Bay Area, or Downtown LA. So, if Republicans never show up in these areas, how do you build the party there?