So-called conservatives show their true colors in the 34th S.D. race

OC Blog had a couple of posts this week devoted to a particularly rancid development in local GOP politics – conservative legislators endorsing liberal candidates in primaries. That never used to happen. Generally they would wait to see which candidate emerged from the primary, and then would “unite” the party in the general behind the winner of the primary.

However, things have changed and the reason is that GOP State Senate Leader is pushing liberal Lynn Daucher for the 34th State Senate District. And the weak-minded legislators in his party are buckling to the pressure. The latest one to do so is Irvine area Assemblyman Chuck DeVore. His support for Daucher is galling for two reasons – he defeated a clone of Daucher in Christi Christich, and Daucher even supported Christich against DeVore! Secondly, DeVore is supporting Diane Harkey against Tom Harman, for the 35th State Senate District, but isn’t Harman pretty much the same as Daucher on the issues? They are both liberals that came to office in the Assembly during the ill-fated Open Primary. If anything Harman is more conservative than Daucher.

There are others who, like DeVore, have jumped on the Daucher bandwagon, including:

• Former Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte
• Former Senate Republican Leader Ross Johnson
• Senator Sam Aanestad
• Senator Roy Ashburn
• Senator Jim Battin
• Senator Abel Maldonado
• Senator Dave Cox
• Senator Dennis Hollingsworth
• Senator George Runner
• Senator Bob Margett
• Senator Jeff Denham
• Senator Bob Dutton
• Assemblyman Bill Emmerson
• Assemblyman Bob Huff
• Assemblywoman Mimi Walters
• Jim Morrisey (Former Assemblymember)
• Marian Bergeson, (Former State Senator and County Supervisor)

Let the above-referenced names be remembered henceforth by the real conservatives in the O.C.! I for one will never ever support any of them ever again. And I was not the only one disgusted by DeVore and his turncoat allies. Steven Greenhut, the noted opinion writer at the O.C. Register, wrote a lenghty blog post entitled “Conservatives are saps,” in response to DeVore’s endorsement of Daucher, at http://blogs.ocregister.com/orangepunch/2006/03/conservatives_are_saps.html. His entire post is great – but my favorite lines are: “Conservatives need to support Lupe Moreno in the primary, despite her longshot status and lack of big money. If Daucher wins, as expected, they need to stay home on election day or vote for the Democratic candidate, especially if it’s Lou Correa.” I could not have said it better!

My response to this fiasco, as published in OC Blog, was ignored by DeVore, so I am reprinting it here in case he suddenly develops sufficient backbone to respond:

Et tu Devore? We now have a new reason to remember the Ides of March. Except this time the legislators aren’t knifing Caesar – the Republican ones are cutting their own throats.

Daucher’s electoral record is of no import in the 34th, where most voters don’t know who she is. Many however do know who Lupe Moreno is and what she stands for. And many will read her ballot statement, which very clearly establishes her as the only conservative in this race.

What little we know about Daucher is disturbing. She voted against repealing the car tax. She has supported massive eminent domain projects in Brea. She has supported liberals to run for the Brea City Council. She is a favorite of both Planned Parenthood and the CTA.

I realize that Moreno is a longshot – but I rather side with the right candidate than the RINO and I daresay that many of my fellow Republican voters in the 34th will do the same.

I am disappointed DeVore. And I won’t soon forget the names of those who endorse Daucher. Rest assured that many other activist Republicans will also take note. This is not a good career move for you!

Lastly, I think it is retarded in the extreme for Ackerman or anyone else to believe that Daucher is a good candidate for the 34th. Tran was a good candidate – Daucher would be if she was a Democrat, but she is a Republican and her beliefs simply don’t correlate with the GOP voters in this blue collar district.

Indeed I believe that even if Daucher wins the primary, Correa will completely and thoroughly defeat her. Thus Ackerman will have wasted his best chance to pick up a Senate seat. Remember that Correa thrashed Jim Morrisey for the 69th A.D. after Jim hired a Democrat consultant and he effectively tried to out-Democrat Correa. Just how is Daucher, who is even more liberal than Morrissey, supposed to prevail against Correa? It is simply an insane idea.

Now I know that many of you are grousing about the fact that Moreno does not have a big name consultant, and will not raise millions, etc. How can she with so much of the OC GOP machine weighing in for Daucher? We will do our best and leave the results to the voters.

Ours is a volunteer effort, and perhaps we’ll end up like the Tennessee volunteers who died at the Alamo, but history remembers them as heroes – while General Santa Anna’s legacy is anything but heroic.

So too will Daucher be remembered ultimately for costing our party a decent chance at the 34th, and Ackerman, DeVore, etc. will be held responsible for this mess. You reap what you sow – and nothing good will come of Daucher.