Who would be a better Lt. Governor of California? Liberal Democrat San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom? Or Liberal Democrat Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn? Or Republican appointed incumbent Abel Maldonado?
What should be an easy rhetorical question on FlashReport is complicated by the fact that the Lt. Governor made a policy mistake in voting as a State Senator for a tax increase, and supporting Prop. 14, which would hurt "strong party" politics in California.
I am willing to accept Abel’s views on these items. On taxes, I urge the Lt. Governor to hold the line in future. The tax vote was a mistake. But the past is the past. Resolve to not re-enact the past. On Prop. 14, I agree with our publisher it is a horrible idea. But I am not willing to drum an accomplished political leader out of our party just because I disagree on an issue or two.
And I have done the research and know Abel is hardly a liberal. The fact is he is widely criticized on blogs and in local press by liberals in his former State Senate district for being too conservative.
Janice Hahn or Gavin Newsom would be unilateral policy disasters for Republicans in the post of Lt. Governor. The appointed incumbent, if he rises to the task, can do much to help build a future Republican majority in California. He deserves an opportunity to participate and lead. If there is disagreement, he will hear from conservatives. He needs to be true to our principles. But if we are to ever be relevant again in advancing those principles, we MUST win more elections, and I for one hope that the new Lt. Governor will help us most in doing that.
April 28th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Funny, I have yet to hear Maldonado articulate that his deciding vote for the largest tax increase in the history of any state was a mistake. If he wanted to pen a “mea culpa” piece, I would be happy to run it here.
I do know that Maldonado’s primary opponent, conservative State Senator Sam Aanestad, proudly voted against those tax increases, and against placing Maldonado’s so-called “open primary” measure on the ballot.
April 28th, 2010 at 12:00 am
I usually agree with your point about drumming out someone based on two issues. There has never been an elected official I’ve agreed with 100%. But, the two issues of disagreement aren’t minor. They are defining issues He traded his tax vote to put Prop 14 on the ballot. Prop 14 will destroy political parties in California and end political debate. See
http://www.flashreport.org/featured-columns-library0b.php?faID=2010011500455877
April 29th, 2010 at 12:00 am
The tax vote was more than a mistake. The $16 Billion Dollars lifted out of Californian’s checkbooks went to complete waste, only becoming backfill for the over bloated and super-sized budget.
That same money, if put into the privat sector, could have created at least 125,000 long lasting real jobs.
The difference between Newsom and Maldo would be what exactly? As Lt. Gov., Newsom, could do no where near the damage Maldo has caused our economy and the republican party.
We need neither of them. I am voting for Sam.