It’s a gorgeous day in Placer County; not a cloud in the sky and a high of about 70 degrees. Oh, and Tom McClintock is going to be our next congressman. On this beautiful California morning, Senator McClintock was joined by several local elected officials to officially announce his candidacy for the 4th congressional district. At a press conference on the steps of the historic Placer County Court House in Auburn, Senator Sam Aanasted kicked off the announcement with his endorsement of his senate seatmate, who has “instructed, educated and cajoled Republicans into acting like Republicans.”
Also publicly declaring their support for McClintock’s campaign were Assemblymen Rick Keene and Ted Gaines, Nevada County Supervisors Sue Horne, Yuba County Supervisor Dan Logue and Auburn City Councilman Kevin Hanley. The honor of actually introducing McClintock was left to former 4th CD candidate Eric Egland, who joked that he was “proud to say he was in fact a former candidate for the seat” now that McClintock has entered the race. Egland then stated that, “While I’m a major in the military, in the world of conservative leadership, Tom McClintock is a general.”
Senator McClintock then moved to the microphone and rallied the excited supporters. The can read the inspiring speech at the end of this post. McClintock then took questions from the many reporters covering the announcement.
Of course the question was raised about whether McClintock should represent a district in which he does not currently reside. But Sue Horne had the best answer to that concern when she stated that “what a person stands for is more important than where they live.” This prompted a reporter to query whether the senator would move into the district right away. McClintock responded that he still has the duty to represent the people in his senate district and for that reason would not move right away. 
The residence question was also put to rest by McClintock’s explanation that he is not a part-time dad and had made the decision years ago to reside in Elk Grove so that he could be a good father to his children and keep them near him while representing his constituents in the capitol.
Although you wouldn’t know it by the jubilance of supporters in attendance, this is still a race: Doug Ose has already declared his intention to continue campaigning. Ose’s campaign was present, represented by a rented U-Haul truck plastered on the side with a poster accusing McClintock of “feathering his nest again.” It was a very tacky ploy and the juxtaposition was obvious: the childish behavior of a liberal former congressman desperate to get back in office, and the inspiring speech of a true conservative icon and statesman. When asked whether he had anything to say about Ose, McClintock answered that it would not be appropriate to talk about opponents until the filing deadline for the race was over. 
As for his likely democratic opponent in the general election, McClintock pointed out the fact that he has been on the ballot 7 times in the district (for statewide campaigns) and last year he received 36,000 more votes than democrat candidate Charlie Brown on the same ballot.
I had the opportunity to ask the senator a few questions about transitioning from the state to the federal government. He was very adamant that his position on states rights is unwavering and it is his intention to ensure the Constitution is respected. When I asked about any legislative priorities he has in Washington, he responded, “I have three priorities: First, the budget; second, the budget; third, the budget.” Classic McClintock. But he did reiterate that even more important than the budget was securing our nation’s borders. A weak border means a weak currency and weak economy, which of course affects the budget.
I also spoke with the senator’s wife, Lori, and asked for her thoughts. She stated that she is “overwhelmed” by the enormous positive response to her husband’s decision to run for the seat. She explained that someone had thanked her for her sacrifice, but she feels that it’s really a “privilege” and she is blessed by the enthusiasm for the campaign.
As a resident of the 4th CD, I share the sentiments of my local conservatives who feel like it’s a dream—it’s too good to be true. The residents of this great region of the Golden State will have a conservative icon representing us in Congress. It’s a great day not only for the 4th CD, but the conservative movement.
Senator McClintock’s Speech
“I’ve listened closely to your voices and to your counsel. And I am here to ask for your consideration of my candidacy for Congress. The people of these communities already know me very well. Seven times I have appeared on the ballot here, and seven times the people of this district have responded with overwhelming margins of support, for which I am deeply humbled and very grateful.
“Like all of you, I believe in the founding vision of America; in a nation whose government’s purpose is to defend our natural rights as individual citizens. And like all of you, I watched as Ronald Reagan brought new energy to that vision. Our generation knew a time when it truly was morning again in America. I want our children to know what that feels like.
“It is true that we had a Republican Congress and a Republican president and they squandered Reagan’s legacy. They abandoned our Republican principles. I want to return to them.
“The fundamental purpose of our national government is to defend our borders. We want our nation’s sovereignty back. The fundamental design of our national government is to maximize individual freedom and minimize the burdens of government on our people. Government is not our nanny and our national treasury is not a grab-bag for politicians. We want our families back and our families’ earnings back.
“The fundamental promise of our national government is to protect our basic rights as Americans: our freedom of speech, our property rights, and our right of self defense. We want our Constitution back. It is time that Republicans returned to our traditional principles of constitutional government. Until we do so, we cannot succeed in saving our country. Once we do so, we cannot fail.
“The people here in this congressional district—more than any other in the state—have cheered me and encouraged me during the 22 years that I have spent at our state capitol to defend these principles. You know me. You know that I have always steered a straight course—I have never wavered from the principles that once united all of us as Americans. And I will not rest until those principles have been restored to our government.
“And so, to the good people of the Fourth Congressional District, I ask you to consider the record and the principles that I bring to this campaign. And if you will have me, I would be proud to represent you in our Congress.”
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Excellent report Meredith. You are indeed priviledged to be represented by such a fine public servant as Tom McClintock.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
There were a lot more media people there then supporters. Tells me that Senator McClintock has very thin support in the 4th. Maybe this has to do with the fact he is a south state resident and it is well known that south state politicians want our north state water. Also, hasn’t Senator McClintock been in the public trough for 28 years? Don’t these people ever retire? I thought we had defeated Prop 93 and kept term limits on career politicians.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Bob, I missed your key line, “Tom McClintock is off the rails…”
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Actually, Bob, there were far more supporters than reporters in attendance. The residents of this district are ecstatic about McClintock’s candidacy.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I can see the “Congressman Carpetbagger” signs now.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
As a Simi Valley resident, I’ve been fortunate to have had Tom as my representative in the state legislature for many years. Of course he wasn’t the kind of legislator who spent his time trying to funnel pork to his district, and that upset a few of the folks around here (Republicans as well as Democrats). Instead he did his best to reign in state spending and the state bureaucracy, thereby benefiting ALL Californians. Too bad the voters didn’t elect him Governor; now we’re paying the (very high) price.
With Tom headed to Congress (and I have no doubt that he will win both the primary and the general election), he’ll be able to take on the even bigger challenge of reigning in the federal budget. He may not succeed, but there’s nobody more capable of giving it a great shot and shaking up the establishment than Tom. And again, that will benefit not just the people in District 4, but all Californians and all U.S. citizens.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
The “carpet-bagger” remarks are humorous, but that issue is irrelevant if Tom McClintock is running against Doug Ose, who has far less in common with the Fourth District than McClintock.
The reality is that Senator McClintock has lived IN or NEAR Placer County for more than two decades. Some folks in Ventura County have tried to make an issue out of that in previous elections, but I think voters generally understand that one of the many problems with having a “full time Legislature” is that legislators are often forced for practical reasons to reside in Sacramento most of the time. This is especially true of Republican legislators who have young children at home.
In this case, Ventura County’s loss is Placer County’s gain.
Go Tom go!
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
The best qualification for U.S. Congressman far beyond residency or anything else: knowledge of and respect for the principles of the U.S. Constitution.
And on that criteria Tom far outshines most Democrats and many Republicans currently in DC.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Steve, isn’t the title of “Senator Carpetbagger” already taken by Hillary Clinton?
March 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Jon,
I’m still waiting to read how much money you have raised over the past year to retire that $3 million debt of the CRP.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I’m sure many readers of this blog think that Senator McClintock is a fine person. But he’s been in Sacramento for 28 years. What major legislation has he authored that passed and is signed into law? What committee(s) has he chaired and what is the legislative result of his chairmanship? I submit the answer to both questions is none. Doug Ose may not be the darling of the far right wing of the Republican Party, but he has a solid Conservative record in congress and if he is elected, he returns with 6 years of seniority. In the US congress, seniority is everything. Senator McClintock will take a month to find the restrooms. And if Senator McClintock is elected, committee assignments, if any, will start with the lowest of the low. That is not a good thing for the district, the state or the nation.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Hi Bob,
You question about what Senator McClintock has accomplished is pretty easy to answer: A billion dollar plus tax rebate and saving the death penalty were things he did as a young Assembly member!
But I am sure you will say, what has he done for us lately, so I will remind you of his campaign to reduce the car tax which has saved California motorist over $30 BILLION on their registration fees.
Next time you have to register one of your cars, think about how it would be like to send in TRIPLE what the bill says you owe, and then say a quiet thank you Tom McClintock!
John
March 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
John,
As I recall, Senator McClintock did not get enough signatures on his initiative re: reduce the car tax after Governor Davis rescinded the 2000 reduction in that tax so his effort went nowhere (you will recall that the state was flush with money in 2000 from the dot com bubble and reducing taxes and increasing spending was a very easy thing to do). It was Governor Schwarzenegger and a compliant legislature who reduced the car tax in 2003. It is strange that Senator McClintock continually runs for government jobs (1992 losing bid for the 24th congressional district, 1994 losing bid for state controller, 2003 recall where he got 13.5 percent of the votes and now in the 4th congressional district) while protesting the cost of government; it’s time he got a real job in the private sector and took his nose out of the public trough.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Bob,
As I suspected you were not really looking for an answer to the question you asked: We did come up short on the initiative to completely abolish the car tax and had to settle for a two-thirds reduction!
Davis trying to reverse this was a large part of his loss in popularity and Governor Schwarzenegger did the right thing in making the restoration of these reductions his number one action as governor. However, EVEN the LA Times admits that it was Senator McClintock that drove [pun intended] the issue!