Yesterday, my friend Patrick Dorinson penned a column for Fox and Hounds Daily, Inherit the Wind, where he questioned the wisdom and tactics of my decision to introduce a resolution for the upcoming California Republican Party convention that would officially censure any Republican legislator that voted to increase taxes. This resolution is accompanied by another one that praises Republican legislators for holding the line against higher taxes. It is my sincere hope that the first resolution gets tabled as being inapplicable, and that the party faithful will be able to unanimously pass the latter – a well deserved thank you to Republican legislators that have, despite a very high degree of pressure on them from the special interest groups that dominate the State Capitol, and the battering by the political left who occupy their high chairs on many of the editorial boards of major California newspapers.
In Patrick’s piece, he makes this statement: “Political parties exist to win elections. Period. That is what we should be focusing on.”
Patrick goes on to talk about things the Grand Old Party should be doing – voter registration, strengthening grassroots, raising money, upgrading technology, and reaching out to new voters.
**There is more – click the link**
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
I’d argue that the issue is a balancing act: a political party must groan under policies that get it to 51% while giving its constituent coalitions enough that they don’t leave.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Ahh, but the debate is over how to get to 51%. I would argue that you get there not by mirroring the other party, but by presenting a distinct alternative.
The reality is that if you are the party out of power, the status quo works against you.
At the end of the day, if everything is working just fine with them running the show, why change up?
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Jon, you darn anti-tax jihadist.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Your all wrong…an army walking through a rose garden will get thorns in their JACK BOOTS…Republicans are the thorns and they will bring down the JACK BOOTED army….
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
The Congressional Republicans are actually getting good press for standing up to Obama’s Pork Pay-off stimulus bill. Stand fast against spending and taxes across the board and Reps will actually look different and provide an alternative people will understand and believe in.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
There you go again, Jon, off the rails to the far right on planet Fleischman. Please, Jon, come back to planet Earth and drop your idea to censure our fellow Republicans who don’t agree with you. I know, we are all supposed to agree with Jon. It’s a given. But sometimes, Jon, reasonable people do disagree and you need to understand that happens here on planet Earth (never I surmise on planet Fleischman). Why, even Ronald Reagan disagrees with you, Jon. How do I know? By reading his speech to the Republican Assembly in 1967 when he defended his decision to RAISE TAXES to solve his budget problems. I realize that you, Jon, are a very young man and did not hear Reagan’s speech, but I recommend you read it – especially the last third starting with “The 11th Commandment kept our party unified; but we were, and still are, a minority party.” Reagan goes on to say “The Republican Party, both in this state and nationally, is a broad party. There is room in our tent for many views; indeed, the divergence of views is one of our strengths.” Personally I think Reagan is correct and you, Jon, are wrong to push to punish our Republican representatives when they don’t adhere to what you think.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Jon your opinion is a good example of why I do not vote for a Republican any longer. Until the party changes and adopts a more moderate stance and actually begins to negotiate I will not vote for a republican. My stance right now is to vote every Republican out of office from the State to the Federal level. Actually the party could go away and we could form a new one that reflects more of the attitudes and ideas of most Americans.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
I agree with Jon, but I am really writing to comment on the last comment (from David Rose).
Mr. Rose is clearly upset that the Republican Party is not moderate enough. For years, our Party has bent over backwards to appease people like Mr. Rose — and it has been a total failure. We have abandoned our base of support in order to cater to people who hate us. It hasn’t worked!
It is time for Republicans to go back to fighting for Republican principles, like lower taxes, smaller government, and more freedom. Chasing our tails in a hopeless quest to be ever more moderate will not satisfy anyone.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
It seems to me that Mr. Hudson should read and learn from Ronald Reagan’s 1967 speech, too. Mr. Hudson appears to think (correct me if I’m wrong) that unless everybody in the Republican Party thinks exactly like him on every issue, they should leave the party. But isn’t that what’s been happening over the past years – for example when the CRA runs straw candidates against the Republican who wins the primary because the CRA leaders think the Republican is a “moderate” or to put it in their vernacular, a RINO. And what does that do? Why, it helps to elect the Democrat. Then these “keepers of the Ronald Reagan flame” say, “well the voters get what they deserve when they elect a Democrat.” Instead of helping to build the party they actively work to tear it apart. I’ve written it before on this blog and I’ll write it again: if these people keep it up, the Republican Party will become so small that they will not be able to elect enough legislators to block any and all crazy Democrat programs and tax increases. Will these “leaders” then say: “well, the voters get what they deserve.”
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
I have no idea what all these labels and insults are all about. (I also don’t care) Here are the facts:
Vermont is the only state in the US with a higher income tax rate. And the top rate in Vermont kicks in at $357,000; CA at $44,800.
Alaska, Deleware, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island are the states that have a higher corporate tax rate than we do.
We have the highest sales tax rate in the nation.
Now we have this gigantic hole in the budget and the oracle tells us that we are not taxed enough? I don’t think so.
We must reopen the contracts with the unions and drain some of the excess from the salaries and benefits and rip out some bureaucracy. I know it’s hard. I know it takes courage. I know that some politicians may lose their job at the next election because of it.
But that’s what its going to take. Time to saddle up.
We are the 10th highest in terms of property tax burden.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
To modify a contract takes two. Both parties must agree. Do you think, for one minute – here on planet Earth and not on planet Fleischman – that the unions will agree to the idea to “reopen the contracts” and “drain” the wages of their members? And if I recall correctly, Governor Schwarzenegger already tried to “rip out some of the bureaucracy” and he got his head handed to him by the voters. All I’m asking is, don’t trash the Republican you don’t support. If you do, and that person wins the primary, your words will come back to haunt the Republican and the Democrat will win. Simple. If you must trash candidates, trash the Democrats. And support the Republican who wins the primary, even if you do not agree with him or her on every issue. Otherwise you are simply playing into the hands of the Democrats. And speaking of playing into the hands of the Democrats, that is exactly, in my opinion, that Jon is doing with his idea to censure any of our legislators who agree to temporarily raise some taxes if we get real reductions in the budget and in onerous business regulations. I know some of you love John and Ken and the red meat they throw out on the radio, but trashing our Republican legislators, as they are doing, is not helping. It is playing into the hands of the Democrats.
February 6th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Jon,
You are so right on!
Republicans were swept into office in 1994. They went to Washington to drain that cesspool, but principle became inconvenient… and the cesspool became a hot tub to those Republicans. They took on a new deal type mantra, “spend, spend, spend, elect, elect, elect.”
The American people were right for throwing those clowns out on their ear. Those “Republicans” have violated our trust, and, while it is easy to destroy a reputation, it is difficult and time consuming to rebuild it.
We need to be hard-core with these knuckleheads and make sure they understand principles are important. For the Bob Evans of this country who desires a Democrat light party… well maybe the Party of Reagan is not for them.
February 6th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Mr. Campbell, can you read? And that should be “Bob Evans’…” I don’t desire a Democrat Party light, whatever that is. I desire that you and other “leaders” of the Republican Party stop trashing your fellow Republicans. If you must trash, trash the Democrat. If you can read, I suggest you read Ronald Reagan’s speech to the CRA in 1967. And that you take heed of the warning in that speech.