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Devin Dwyer and Allan Bartlett. Heretic and Inquisitor.
When me and Gus Ayer met with likeable conservative Republican Huntington Beach councilman Devin Dwyer, we found him receptive to our arguments that OCTA’s scheme to put toll lanes on the 405 is a huge ripoff of OC taxpayers and a swindle of OC voters. He was a little bemused though, hearing that argument from two known liberals, after getting lots of pressure from his own Republican Mayor Don Hansen, who’d been trying vainly to convince him that toll lanes are a conservative freedom-lovin’ thing. As it turned out Devin voted the right way on that issue, creating an anti-toll lane majority and becoming a sort of de facto HB Mayor on the toll lane question.
One remark Devin made that day, which Gus and I just sort of let pass, was, “Look how low the price of gas has gone; *laughing* always seems to happen right before election time, eh?” Apparently when gas goes 
up that’s a result of Obama’s incompetence, but when it goes down it’s an example of his clever political machinations. I’m just sayin’ – that’s how much Republican Devin Dwyer is.
But almost not enough Republican for the OC GOP’s endorsement! What nearly did Devin in the other day in the quest for that coveted nod was his leadership of Huntington Beach’s Plastic Bag Ban. (Irvine’s Dr. Steve Choi weaseled out a little more easily from having merely voted to “study” the possibility of a plastic bag ban.)
Banning plastic bags is one of a LONG LONG list of mortal sins that can send a Republican office hopeful straight to the political fiery pit. Allan Bartlett, who’s an OJ friend because of his general contrarianism in the OC GOP, his constant poking at the Baughites’ corruption and cronyism, and his tireless advocacy for Ron Paul, turns out to be the OC GOP’s self-appointed Torquemada on the plastic bag issue, finding such environmental regulations to be grievous offenses against the sacred principle of “free enterprise.”
Allan found it amusing to watch a nervous Devin attempt to defend the ban, protesting that he’s a sailor, 
what a mess of plastic he sees out on the waves, how environmentally conscious are the Surf City voters he must appeal to. Allan found it especially galling when Devin mentioned the time that a plastic bag got sucked into his boat engine, costing him $25,000. Really, why? Sounds to me Devin was trying to frame things in basic terms of self-interest – in a way you’d think Republicans would appreciate. But to a zealot like Allan, the principle that a business should be free to spew out whatever pollutants it chooses is something in defense of which a sailboat owner should proudly fall on his sword.
But evidently Devin managed to talk his way into the coveted endorsement, and so CONGRATULATIONS to our “Mayor De Facto” for showing you can be just a LITTLE bit independent and still pull that off. Norberto has shown us recently the grim, extensive list of litmus tests that a candidate for even the most menial office must pass to get that OC GOP endorsement:
- An Anaheim school board candidate must oppose all regulations on offshore drilling!
- A water board hopeful must oppose abortion even in cases of rape and incest!
- A Republican trying to get onto the sanitation district must vow to hold the line against the abomination of gay marriage!
So, as always, I get down on my knees and thank the Lord that I am not a Republican.
Oh. Wait.
Shit.
Diamond, when is that exorcism I’m supposed to have?
Pic of kid with bag on head is not funny pal.
OK, decided you’re right, changed it to a grown woman standing defiantly with her arms crossed and a plastic bag on her head. Now everyone stop pickin on me!
We’re waiting for the students to come back to Fullerton! We’re going to exorcise the Republicanism out of some of them too, using the “Akin maneuver”!
The school kids seen chanting for BHO need the exorcism.
Ohhh, Snap!! Such wit and insight!
Don’t make us schedule an intervention for you, skally…. (hahahaha)
i heard that they were asking candidates how many armani suits and how many brooks brothers suits they had in their closet and if the answer was more armani than brooks, they were denied the endorsement because they refused to support american workers
I don’t get that one. When did Republicans start supporting American workers? Are you being ironic?
It’s a joke. Almost as good as the eight “Steve Chavez Lodge” jokes I just posted.
*Chairman Vern, thank goodness it was not a lady wearing a plastic burka!
Devin is such a cool guy….you’ve gotta love him. He engages in discussion and debate in a very elegant, intelligent and controlled way. We always liked that about him. If you chat again, send regards from the Winships.
Yeah, what do you two Corona del Mar Republicans think about plastic bag bans? And Republican politicians being denied Party endorsement, or being threatened with no endorsement, for supporting plastic bag bans? Like happened to Devin.
*Chairman Vern,
Yeah, Larry Gilbert came out with something we greatly agree with about over reaching by politicos in this regard. What about the plastic bags protecting our newspapers? What about the plastic bags that pick up the doggie poo? Sort of like that …which we thought was right on. It is one thing to encourage use of re-tread bags, we have 50 at least. What they are doing is just a tax. Collect 5 or 10 cents every time you do use a plastic bag….supposed to dissuade folks…much like the 5 or 10 cents for beer and soda bottles. Raising and allowing the redemption of plastic bags however might be a good solution. We have never seen “redemption centers” that take plastic bags. They should. But anti-plastic bag laws? Not so much!
I’m a bit skeptical of the funding source behind this research, but there may be evidence emerging that plastic bag bans cause the incidents of food-born bacterial infections to increase. Supposedly, the re-usable bags are a breeding ground for these bacteria. Wash your re-usable bags after shopping!
http://percolatorblog.org/2012/08/21/the-health-costs-of-plastic-grocery-bag-bans/
*anon – We agree….reuseable food bags need to be clean. We agree. The main thing which upsets us…is when you go to the Produce department, put some onions,potatoes, tomatoes into plastic bags – take them to the check-out counter..put them into your canvas bags along with cereral boxes, milk, dairy and the like…..what have we really saved by using our reusable canvas bag? Back to your point, we would not place any unprotected food products into a a reusable canvas bag without making sure that the canvas bag is clean as can be. In fact, that is why we never do it.
What about our point about being able to “redeem plastic bags for cash” as is done now with plastic and glass bottles?
Redeeming plastic bags for cash could put a dent in the problem. But recycling of plastic and glass bottles doesn’t stop people from throwing them on the ground. The same would probably hold true for the plastic bags.