There are two things for which Legislators have the only responsibility: (1) ensuring we have an adequate legal structure to protect citizens from those for whom crime is a way of life; and (2) spending the money entrusted to them by the taxpayers in an effective, efficient and responsible manner. California’s Legislative Democrats have failed on both counts. This is my recommendations to California Republicans on how to demonstrate these failures to the voters of the state of California
The last two posts on Prop. 36 have one message – campaign on an anti-crime policy and connect all the Democrats in the Legislature to the current crime spree throughout the state, but particularly in the urban areas of this state. In my time in the Legislature, we used to do this by motions to withdraw from committee, which became such an effective tool of connecting members to their real “pro-crime” agenda that the Democrats changed the rules to make these motions almost impossible. Now the only real argument that can be made is that each Democrat supports the Speaker, who then appointed the chair of the Public Safety Committee, allowing that Chair to prevent real anti-crime policy changes, and in fact, passing many of the bills that became law that allow criminals to run free on the streets of California. That may be a difficult political task, but many voters will see the link.
On the second issue, I understand that budgets are boring. It is hard to connect budget decisions to the real world of the average Californian. But the one vote the Democrats in the Legislature cast on the budget is full of issues to be discussed that can connect the Democrats in the Legislature to their failed budget policies.
First is their billions of dollars in the budget that give those who enter our country illegally lots of free stuff. The Democrats won’t spend a dime to build prisons and incarcerate bad guys, but they will give millions to illegals for free stuff. This free stuff attracts more illegals to California, make our streets less safe, and undermines the rule of law in this state. And, every Democrat voted for it when they cast their vote on the budget. Any good consultant can get 5 or 6 good voter contact bites on this budget issue without causing the voters’ eyes to glaze over.
Second, the reparations put in the budget by the Democrats. Our candidates should emphasize that not one single person who ever lived in California owned slaves, NONE. In fact, California and Oregon were the states that upset the great compromise of the 19th century, which ultimately led to freedom for slaves. California led the charge in history for freedom for slaves and civil rights for African Americans in the 20th century.
In fact, it should be emphasized to Asians that it was Asians, not African Americans, who suffered the most discrimination in California. Cities like the left wing bastion of San Francisco actively discriminated against Asian businesses and Asians in California throughout the first part of the 20th Century. Where are the Democrats on that issue now? Chinese and Japanese suffered greatly in California from these government enforced discriminatory practices, practices worse than any ever visited upon the African American communities in California, yet, if we believe that “reparations” are in order for these discriminatory practices, Asians should be first in line for those reparations. Despite this fact, the Democrats completely ignore them in a desperate effort to keep the African American vote. Reparations are not rooted in any long term effort to address the evils of racial discrimination. They are pure political pandering chasing after a Democrat constituency by promising to take money from you and me to buy the votes of this constituency.
People will get this, and understand how the Democrats are doing nothing but pandering to political constituencies by buying off their votes. The message of the election this year has to be “put the bad guys in jail” and use our tax dollars to keep them there and not to buy off the left wing constituencies to maintain Democrat power.
People are starting to see that they are not well served by keeping Democrats in power. Republicans have to show they will be better off if they are in charge. Sure, we can question the mental acuity of the President, and that will have an impact, but Republicans will not be elected just because the Democrats have issues unrelated to their policy decisions. Republicans, in order to build long term electoral strength, will have to show that what they want for the people of the State of California is better than the Democrats’ current policies. Give voters a reason to vote for Republicans, not just vote against Democrats.