Charles Munger, Jr.
Much has been written about the vast sums of money that Charles Munger, Jr. (and his sister, Molly, for that matter) have dumped into initiative campaigns in California. At the time that his major support of Prop. 32 became public, I tweeted my praise for it — Prop. 32 was a worthy cause, and it’s defeat most unfortunate. His efforts on behalf of some targeted general election candidates – admirable.
But I have not seen too much written about Charles’ quixotic quest to retool the California Republican Party in his own image — that of a moderate “anti-ideologue.” Munger dropped big bucks in the June and November elections, much of it going to fund candidates who he feels will reject no tax pledges, and embrace the political center. (The hundreds of thousands of dollars that Orange County Republicans had to devote to Munger’s broadside of an incumbent Republican Assemblyman who didn’t fit his “litmus test” in June likely cost us the Norby seat in November.) He financed a drill to try and gut the State GOP platform. He continues to be a “big money player” in an attempt to widen his influence within the structure of the CRP. He was a supporter of Prop. 14 which ensures that in vast areas of California, there will be no Republicans on the November ballot in partisan races.
Munger has emerged as the most divisive figure in California Republican politics today.
I received an anonymous e-mail this week advising me to keep an eye on a new website called “The Munger Games” (no doubt a play on the movie The Hunger Games) — which under the banner “Wasting His Patrimony” goes on to say, “Welcome to The Munger Games, the purpose of which is to inform, education and entertain on the subject of the one-man maelstrom of money intent on re-making California Republicanism in his bow-tied image.”
I’ve bookmarked the page, and look forward to seeing what they have to say. There is much I don’t understand about Charles Munger, Jr. — perhaps the sharp witted authors of The Munger Games will share some insight.