LOL. There was another article this weekend about big donor GOP liberals worried that the party was too right wing and demanding changes in the structure etc….

 

This story comes around every so often, usually because someone is trying to benefit financially or politically from the effort. Sometimes both. 

These articles always make me laugh. Why? Because it is all fantasy. The State GOP central Committee is not controlled by conservatives and hasn’t been for the over 15 years I’ve been an actual member.

 

I should point out I’ve been a member of the Executive Committee of the CRP for over 15 years and served on the Board of Directors from 1993-1999. I have chaired committees including initiatives and been a member of the Rules committee and I am dead on positive Conservatives have never really controlled the party. I think I would have known if they (we) did.

 

So who really controls the party? Let me explain.

 

Back in the late 1980’s at a conference Paul Weyrich, founder of the Heritage Foundation and Free Congress Foundation gave a speech. I don’t remember what was said except this idea. The Republican Party is the Monarchy Party. We always rally around the King no matter how bad or good he is.

 

The King controls power and more importantly the purse. That is his strength.

 

Back in the early 1990’s Pete Wilson was King. There is no doubt there were occasional rebellions by the peasants against him and few conservative things were actually done. The most notable in my mind was allocating money to qualify Prop. 187 over the objections of Wilson hands on the Executive Committee. This of course was partially responsible for our gains in 1994.

 

During the 1990’s when I was on the board, we had mostly CRA members on the board and even had one as President. What radical conservative thing happened? I was at a convention where the CRP Chairman and former CRA President joined with Wilson operatives to deny delegates a chance to talk about Supreme Court Judges that threw out the State’s Parental Consent Law.

 

Since that time the King has changed by the results are the same, in fact there are fewer rebellions and more tribute. When George Bush was King, his people pushed through the “Parsky” reforms that “professionalized" the party. That clearly has paid off right???

During that time the “conservative” Chairman was pushing Riodan for Governor. Supposedly conservative chairmen have appointed many gays and lesbians to top party positions.

 

Since, the Governor became King what conservative thing has the party done? Endorsed bonds, spent money on bond measures we didn’t endorse, refused to endorse a balanced budget, and went needlessly in debt for his re-election. There is nothing that if the Governor really wants he couldn’t get. Nothing. Ron Nehring may be a conservative, but he was acceptable to Arnold or he wouldn’t be there.

 

That doesn’t mean there aren’t important things that can get done. The Platform, occasional initiative endorsements, some policy ideas, an occasional rule change and other things that Conservatives can get. A few of us get put on committees that are usually stacked against us but we can stop a few things on the margins. But on the big stuff make no mistake, The King wins.