Last Friday the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Club of Fresno County voted unanimously to oppose all of the May ballot initiatives being proposed out of the already failed budget deal worked out between the Governor and Legislature. Board Secretary Jeff Reid prepared a devastating, and irrefutable critique of the initiatives.
Tonight, Jeff Reid and myself took to the podium at the Fresno County Central Committee meeting. Reid presented his analysis of the initiatives and his findings were met alternatively with gasps and disbelief from the members and audience on hand.
I appealed to the members on several levels, not the least that it is regrettably time to part with our friends in the Legislature if they betray our core values. There was more to my remarks, but I will spare the details. The resolutions opposing the ballot initiatives passed overwhelmingly, a bit later during closed session. There was some clamoring for "equal time" for initiative proponents but those in favor of such equal time should be glad they lost their argument, as the proponents would have been thoroughly and completely humiliated.
Other Lincoln Clubs and Central Committees should follow our lead as soon as possible. We put a spear in the ground tonight in Fresno and said "no more". If Republican Party Committees and affiliates cannot stand up against higher taxes, they should just disband altogether.