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The California Republican Party, on its continued suicidal march to oblivion, will consider a motion to exclude from its primaries for statewide elections (just as they already do for presidential primaries) any voters not registered as GOPs.
The proposed bylaw to the state Republican platform, which delegates will decide at the party convention next month in Indian Wells (Riverside County), has riled some business leaders and Republicans.
They say it could be disastrous for the party’s future and could relegate Republicans in the state to "permanent minority" status by keeping independent voters from supporting Republicans in primary elections.
Activists within the Party (crazy people) believe that only party members should determine the party’s nominees. This is likely to favor the far right-wing candidates for Senate and Governor in 2010, if implemented.
The GOP plan allows conservative party insiders to shape critical 2010 races, said strategist Patrick Dorinson. "They want to pull up the ladder to the tree house where they play," he said. "They’re treating the GOP like it’s a club where they all make the rules for everyone, and the signs says, ‘No girls allowed and no Latinos.’ "
In the gubernatorial race, he said, "this is their way of helping (State Insurance Commissioner) Steve Poizner, who is in real trouble. … They think this is a way to stop (former eBay CEO) Meg Whitman and (former Rep.) Tom Campbell," both moderates expected to get independent support. Also at stake: the 2010 U.S. Senate race, where ex-Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, expected to appeal to moderates and independents, is preparing a GOP primary run against Irvine Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, a favorite of grassroots conservatives, he said.
I can’t wait for the GOP to pull up the tree house ladder. The fewer participants in the disastrous California Republican party, the better it is for all of us.
17 Comments
Besides that, there’s probably no way that a bunch of Independents and Democrats voting in the R primaries could come up with more ludicrous, right wing Republicans than the right wing crazies by themselves.
Well, I think a closed GOP Senate primary in 2010 may mean the end of the Sneed Fiorina campaign; Chuck DeVore inspires the rightwing faithful, who would be happy to see him the nominee.
“The California Republican Party, on its continued suicidal march to oblivion…”
That about says it all.
Great post.
Thanks, KGC!
It is scary race. Will the CA GOP go extinct before they finish destroying California? The coalition of the radical reactionaries and rich glibertarian frat boys who run the party have basically given up trying to persuade the voters. They concentrate on trying to contract out and buy goofball voter initiatives and referenda with sneaky and destructive hidden agendas, and on simply and brutally getting their way by any means necessary in the legislature and then running back into their clubhouse with no explanation or plan presented to the voters anymore.
I think the a critical issue is getting them below 1/3 in one or other of the leg branches as soon as possible. If closing the primary will further that end, then I am for it.
California Republican Party had a moderate progressive wing that has a very proud and socially forward looking history going back to 1900. It is extinct now. Earl Warren was a California Republican. He turned out to be too progressive for Eisenhower (he said that appontment was the worst mistake he ever made), but Warren was part of mainstream of CA GOP. That was so long ago, it was before my time. I read about it in books, and I am no spring chicken.
Also, the California Democrats need to get off their timorous defensive butts and go after some more seats. People have told me that the Democrats are partially responsible for the mess because they have particpated with the CA GOP in bipartisan gerrymanders. I was not paying attention to state politics much at that time, so this is also something that I know only from book larnen’
But here is a statistical analysis (I’m always up for one of those!)
Paul Del Piero’s study of California redistricting
Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science blog
http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~…..ieros.html
It characterizes what has happend over last twenty years as a move toward bipartisan gerrymander, and made seats so safe they respond almost exclusively to their district’s own party base.
That, plus the (IMHO unconstitutional) strict term limits in CA, mean the legisators basically spend time currying favor of their base, getting ready for the most important thing in on their personal career horizon -the upcoming primary in four or eight years for the race for their next office.
If the CA Democrats have been making corrupt deals with the CA GOP to keeps safe incumbant seats, they should realize by now that they have gotten absolutely nothing from the GOP for the favor. So, they should return the favor and go after them. The CA GOP simply cannot be any more absolutist and unreasonable and dishonest. Previously safe CA GOP state leg districts have been softening up for a long time now, time to go after them for some well justified pay back, IMHO.
Please try that link again. Thanks.
That Tom Campbell for gubernator ad to the right hand side still there? He pretends to be a moderate, and he might be, just barely, but he is no Earl Warren and no Goodwin Knight and no Houston Flournoy. He might be honest, though. Moderate enought to be sane, and honest: two strikes against him. Talked about raising state taxes recently, so that makes three. Hard to believe he can survive the CA GOP primary. Anyway, it is a cute cute ad containing some misleading tripe hiding his announced policy prefernces, trying to dupe the red meat GOP primary crowd. I guess we can enjoy it while it lasts.
html thingee acting up again from my browser, so I can’t hyperlink right now. Below is URL in parantheses
(http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~cook/movabletype/archives/2005/10/paul_del_pieros.html)
worked. thanks.
Campbell seems to be wearing a ACADEMIC GOWN in the ad up right now. WTF? For a CA GOP primary? He’s lost it. That will not sell. Maybe he just wants to noble qixotic effort to cap off his career. If he is still running UCB business school and it takes his attention away from that job, then I fully support his run. He may be honest by GOP CA gubernator standards, but I don’t like a person like him running the UCB business school.
I got to wondering how close we are to reneding CA GOP completely impotent in one branch or the other.
40 in the CA Senate, 15 GOP, 40/3 is 13 and 1/3, so we need to unelect 2 to 3.
80 in the CA Assembly, 29 GOP, 80/3 is 26 and 2/3, so we need to unelect 3 to 4.
I think CA rid itself one GOP seat in each branch in the last election, so we are getting there. Not sure how the 2/3s rule rounds up or down for the budget vote, though.
Our redistricting will be done by a nonpartisan commission from now on, though, although it’ll likely be tied up in court forever.
And, to clarify, this GOP proposal is for statewide offices only, although I suppose they could take it down to the legislative office level as well.
That is true, thanks. I forgot to mention that. I still think Democrats need to go after GOP districts, though.
Yes, and we can hope for more competitive districts all the way around.
Weren’t they pushing open primaries just a couple of years ago, in hopes of getting more power without having more actual voters?
The Democrats opened their primaries; not sure if the GOP was all for that or not. But they currently have them, in that DTS (decline to state or independent) voters may vote in their GOP primaries. This proposal would exclude all but GOP registered voters, that’s about 21% of CA registered voters.
Big Tent!