It is never a good thing to talk about elections in the middle of an election.  I already know that, if there are responses to what I write, they will be mostly ad hominem.  The conservative movement, however, is worth the criticism.  As a political force, the conservative movement is dying in California, and it is dying because too many of our conservative leaders have allowed their personal agendas to trump the principles they claim to espouse.

Let me first explain what I mean.  I don’t count consultants as conservative leaders.  They will pick up the cause of whoever writes the check.  One problem is that too many activists confuse consultants with principle.  They believe that political consultants actually believe in more than the fifteen per cent they collect from their clients.  The fact is that consultants serve candidates or their pocketbook, not causes.  They are an important part of the political process but they cannot drive it.  They have to feed their family first, and that need too often trumps principle.  They are the tacticians, they are not the leaders.  The two cannot be confused if we ever wish to create a majority.  

Political leaders do set the agenda, they determine the principles to follow.  Politicians are entrusted by the people who follow them with power and influence because they promise to pursue the principles they espouse.  When those politicians confuse their personal agenda with principle, they are in fact betraying the people who have entrusted them with power. 

Unfortunately, in too many elections, in too many places, we are watching our leaders subvert principle in pursuit of a personal agenda.  Case in point, the Mimi Walters campaign for Senate in Orange County.  I sat next to Mimi for two years in the Assembly.   In every way, and at every turn, Mimi demonstrated her conservative leadership.  Whether the issue was illegal immigration, property rights, taxes, size of government, or individual freedom, Mimi stepped up to the plate to fight for conservative principles.  In fact, between Mimi, me, Chuck DeVore, and Doug LaMalfa, we used to refer to our part of the Assembly floor as the Bermuda Quadrangle.  When it came time to oppose bills, the four of us would do take the lead.  No one (except for me of course) had a better voting record on the issues important to conservatives, the movement, and, of course, California.  In my opinion, today, she is critically important to the conservative movement over the long term.  An articulate, intelligent, conservative woman in the State Senate is necessary for the long term health of our movement, and I know I can trust Mimi to set a solid conservative agenda, and pursue it for the right reasons.

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary

This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.