California GOP – a party without a platform?
I spoke today to an GOP insider who was at the California Republican Party(CRP) Convention in Indian Wells. He said that the CRP failed to come to a consensus on a party platform, so the CA GOP is now operating without a platform. May I suggest one?
Here is what the CA GOP appears to believe in:
- All immigrants are evil, particularly Latinos – wait a minute, this just in, immigrants from Australia and Canada are OK!
- All GOP candidates who are not against abortion should not be supported, even if opposing them means that liberal Democrats who are FOR abortion will be elected instead.
- All initiatives supported by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger should be opposed – unless they have something to do with banning abortion.
- Unions are bad, except when Republican legislators like Jim Silva and Van Tran are in cahoots with them.
- Nuclear (or nucular in the Bush vernacular) power is good – even though we don’t know what to to with the glow in the dark stuff, and even though much of California lies in earthquake zones.
- Gay marriage and gays in general are to blame for everything that is wrong with America – and they cause divorce, even though studies show that evangelical Christians have a higher divorce rate than the rest of America. (And even though the GOP is rife with guys who cheated on THEIR spouses, including Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and apparently Senator Larry Craig).
- Lobbyists are bad! Oops, strike that one. Lobbyists and “consultants” run the GOP, in Orange County, the rest of California and elsewhere (Jack Abramoff).
- Lest we forget, independent voters are bad! Except when the CA GOP wants their votes in the general elections…
What a joke!
Van Tran feeling the heat!
I also heard a juicy chisme about Assemblyman Van Tran. Apparently the scuttlebutt at the CRP Convention was that if he and his toadies, including the execrable TrungNguyen, end up costing O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen her seat on the O.C. Board of Supervisors, Tran will find himself in some very hot water. The pajaritos are saying that Tran will end up finding it very hard to raise money when and if he decides to take on popular U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez for the 47th Congressional District.
Democrat Super Majority?
Many Republicans at the CRP Convention felt that the party could lose as many as three swing Assembly districts next year – where Assemblymembers Bonnie Garcia (pictured on right), Guy Houston and Shirley Horton are going to be termed out. Apparently, if the party loses all three seats, the Democrats will be two seats away from attaining a Super Majority in the Assembly – allowing them to pass the budget without Republican input. Not good!
Some Reeps also feel that the Senate seats that currently belong to Abel Maldonado and Tom McClintock are up for grabs next year as well. If the Reeps lose them, they will face a Democrat Super Majority in the upper house.
The Reeps better start looking for a bunch of moderate candidates!
Is Pulido pulling strings again?
A pajarito reports that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is trying to pull strings to get one of his children accepted into one of the Santa Ana Unified School District’s (SAUSD) fundamental intermediate schools. Apparently he forgot to put his name on a SAUSD fundamental lottery. Is Pulido asleep at the wheel? Maybe he has been too busy playing with trains…and raising our water rates.
I admire the Mayor for being willing to his children in public schools. He certainly has other private school options.
Hey Miguel. Get to the back of the line. The District may not care about letting you cut in line, but I do and so does everyone else behind me.
no the joke here is art pedroza . republicans are not against immigrants or hate immigrants . its just that you ALWAYS LEAVE OUT THE FAMOUS WORD. gee art take wild guess and see if you can say that famous word . its too painfull for you to say or write it ..
here is art pedrozas last 3 posts.. 1 the g.o.p is dying . the g.o p fumnles latino votes . . g.o.p. running without a platform . toss in the g.o.p owes us apolgy . gee down the middle art . where are the negative articals on the otherside .
” Lobbyists and “consultants” run the GOP, in Orange County, the rest of California and elsewhere (Jack Abramoff). “
Is this true?
Will admit to not paying close enough attention before, but have wondered lately if this indeed has much to do with the screwed up state of the Republican Party.
On the flip side, who is interested making things better, and how would we go about doing so?
” Nuclear power is good – even though we don’t know what to to with the glow in the dark stuff, and even though much of California lies in earthquake zones. “
We know what to do – both dealing with waste and withstanding earthquakes are solvable problems. The issue is in making sure things are done right (economic and political, not technical).
Art, you really need to find a capable engineer you trust, and not rely on third hand or uninformed opinions.
Good afternoon Preston.
You are partially correct when you point out that ” Lobbyists and “consultants” run the GOP, in Orange County, the rest of California and elsewhere (Jack Abramoff.”
However, with a Democratic majority in SAC and DC I would request that you expand that statement that these same agenda driven groups latch on to representatives of “both” parties.
It is worth noting that the League of Cities held a meeting in SAC just as the last minute flurry of Bills were being read and voted on. Don’t think that the League did not expect the city council members who attended, at taxpayers expense, to engage in some arm twisting of their respective representatives before the session ended. That is a powerful lobbying group.
People get the schools they deserve and Santa Ana residents deserve the wonderful schools they have!
Art, how do you feel about the L.A. council stopping all new fast food places being built in L.A. for two years? I’ve driven by S.A. schools and I see a lot of little Gorditos and Gorditas. Maybe we should follow the lead. Any thoughts?
Art, Whatever happened to that nice young man named Jose Fernandez who ran for S.A. council a few years ago. He seemed to have such a bright future and then he was gone. Also, what’s up with Armando de la Libertad? He also seemed to be a real up and comer but seems to have dropped out of political sight. We need young Latino leaders like those two.
#1
I, too admire the mayor and his wife for supporting Santa Ana’s public schools, however Art’s post pertains to another matter.
Santa Ana’s fundamental schools are open enrollment and there’s a lottery in place to gain admittance. That means parents must make the effort to participate in the lottery. The lotteries are generally announced in January for the following school year.
Art is posting to the mayor’s lack of diligence to complete the lottery paperwork in a timely manner like all parents must do. Unless the mayor is pulling rank and his son is going to the head of the class.
It is this type of arrogance that speaks volumes about the mayor. It will be interesting to see if his pals Russo, Richardson and Noji bend the guidelines in place to accommodate the mayor.
If I were the mayor I’d refuse to send my child to Willard too.
Art—
LOL on the Party w/o a platform. Maybe they’re better off……..
On the Dem. supermajority, the only thing that may save those 5 GOP legislative seats is if the term limits measure passes in February. And of course, the state GOP–prodded by its Blogger Caucus-came out unanimously against this measure. Go figure.
Art–Last note—Arnold is right–Bonnie Garcia is hot.
Poster 8,
“Art, how do you feel about the L.A. council stopping all new fast food places being built in L.A. for two years? I’ve driven by S.A. schools and I see a lot of little Gorditos and Gorditas. Maybe we should follow the lead. Any thoughts?”
I have mixed feelings about this. Trying to control the marketplace may not work – people need to change their dietary habits – even if you don’t allow more fast food restaurants, there are plenty of others out there.
Also, you CAN eat healthy at McDonald’s – they have plenty of wraps and salads, but you have to DECIDE to do it.
Parents in general need to try to cook more at home. They need to take control of their kids and teach them to eat healthy.
Of course, it is hard when both parents work, or when there is only one parent…
I just don’t think resorting to a nanny state is much of a solution.
As the parent of a child in Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate school I would be most pleased to know that Mayor Pulido
Poster 14,
So Pulido can do no wrong in your book? You need to read this blog more often.
Did you know he appointed a Mexican hating Minuteman to our library board? It is a matter of public record.
I wonder what the Mendez family would say about a man who appoints a person who hates Mexicans to a Library Board?
BTW, what makes this country a great one is not the fact that we can hang out with rich folks like the Pulidos, but rather that any of us can succeed without having to sell out our people, as Pulido has on so many occasions.
Look at me – my parents came here from Mexico with nothing. My father owned a small maintenance business. I grew up cleaning toilets, scraping wax off floors, and mowing lawns.
But my mother taught me to love reading, and now I am the editor of a very successful blog – and I make a very good living as a safety professional. And having completed an MBA, I have a higher degree of education than Pulido does. My Park Santiago home is just the cherry on top!
This is indeed a fantastic country, despite the selfish, corrupt politicians like Pulido.
“now I am the editor of a very successful blog”
Not so fast Arturo!
All immigrants are evil, particularly Latinos – wait a minute, this just in, immigrants from Australia and Canada are OK!
NOT TRUE! WE hate Aussies and Canucks just the same. Stay in your own Country immigrants!!
#14
All SAUSD fundamental schools are capped enrollment. Would you be willing to relinquish your’s child’s position at Mendez to satisfy a selfish parent who *”neglected” to comply with the guidelines of the district as they pertain to enrollment at fundamental schools?
Some of us recall the past inequities practiced by the district, as they related to enrollment, and that’s why some parents enlisted the state’s AG office to ensure that the enrollment process at the fundamental schools was an equitable practice. Comprende?
#17 scribbled …
“WE hate Aussies and Canucks just the same. Stay in your own Country immigrants!!”
Who is *we?*
It’s a damn good thing the Native American Indian didn’t have your hatred of immigrants, or your people might have been labeled “illegal” and deported back to their country of origin. Of course, some of us can trace our ancestors back to people that were native to this region.