I am told that a vote is scheduled in the State Senate and Assembly this morning on whether to confirm Republican-In-Name-Only Abel Maldonado to be California’s next Lieutenant Governor. I’ve written so much about this issue on this blog that I am not going to go into all of it over again, I will just reemphasize the key points…
Maldonado doesn’t deserve the support of Republicans because…
- he wants to destroy our party (Prop. 14).
- he broke his own voluntary pledge not to raise new taxes.
- his loyalty to the GOP Caucus is non-existent, never playing team ball but preferring to leverage himself as a "swing vote" on just about any issue.
- his votes will make it almost impossible for you to defend yours for him.
And, the most important reasons why Republicans should reject Maldonado…
- a vote for Maldonado is an affirmation of the politics and policies of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- a vote for Maldonado is indefensible to the very grassroots people, like in the Tea Party, that we are trying to unify behind Republicans. This vote will set back efforts to bring disaffected conservatives and DTS voters back into the GOP.
Ultimately each conservative in the legislature needs to search their heart and conscience to guide them on this vote.
I would only ask you to consider whom it is that you were elected to represent — the people back in your district? Or your colleagues, or Capitol area interests? Only deep in the Capitol does contorted logic prevail to justify conservatives votes to place Maldonado into statewide Republican office (remember, Republican voters already once rejected Maldonado to even carry our banner in a statewide election).
In closing, I strongly urge a vote against confirming Abel Maldonado. His confirmation will be a major set back in credibility for all of us as we try to make the case that we aren’t like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and that we actually believe government is too big and spends too much.
Thank you for your consideration.