It seems Congressman Darrell Issa (who will be representing Southern Orange County) raises questions about the California Republican Party bylaws. However if any other Republican party committee member advocated for the election of Obama or even Gary Johnson would likely get the boot faster than an Iraqi throwing shoes at President Bush.
Congressman Issa recently endorsed Howard Berman in the Congressional District 30 race on April 4th as quoted in the Los Angeles Times.
“I don’t tell people to vote for Democrats,” Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista told those attending the event Sunday, where Issa and Berman were being honored. “If there were a good Republican in the race, I wouldn’t tell you to vote for Howard, probably.
“But the fact is, Howard is in the race of his lifetime, and I want him back.”
Congressman Issa wants him back because he is working with Congressman Berman on a compromise to the Stop Online Piracy Act where both individuals were on opposite sides during the debate of SOPA. Issa wants to protect innovation on the Internet while respecting the rights of intellectual property owners.
Here are the bylaws from the state party.
A majority of the Committee or the Executive Committee may remove, censure or reprove any regular or appointive delegate who, during his term as a delegate , affiliates with or registers as a member of a party other than the Republican Party, publicly advocates that the voters should not vote for the nominee of the Party for any office, or who gives support to or avows a preference for any publicly announced candidate of a party other than the Republican Party or for a candidate for partisan office who is opposed to a candidate nominated by the Republican Party, or who fails to pay dues in accordance with section 2.01.09 or who pays any obligation to the Committee with a check drawn on a closed account or returned for non-sufficient funds (“bad check”). Section 2.01.06
I could understand Republicans endorsing Democrats when there are no Republicans running in a district such as Congressional District 35. But Congressional District 30 has 3 Republicans running. It will likely be the Berman versus Sherman show in November, but Issa should at least have waited for the sacrificial lamb Republicans to be eliminated in the June election. Even though these three candidates in the 30th congressional district were not endorsed by the state party, Issa still violates the spirit of 2.01.06. We should give the three candidates a chance to overthrow one of the Democratic Party candidates in the June primary. I have had discussions with individuals about this topic, and they said the second half of the bolded statement is more relevant, but the first half should also be integral. Not all candidates have the $500 to expend to the state party for a chance at an endorsement.
The rules committee of the California Republican Party needs to modify their bylaws to state that neutrality or support of their favorite Republican in a contested election is required, but if no Republicans survive a Top 2 then you are free to endorse your favorite Democratic Party politician on the day after the Top 2 primary. I know incumbent elected officials of our party want to work with the better of the two Democratic Party officials, but there is a time and place for this.
I did contact the CRP but messages were not replied with a response to clarify or justify policies or Issa’s decision.
Hmmm… I’m guessing he just really hates Sherman.
Of course an Issa endorsement would be enough to make THIS Democrat go for the other guy – I bet it’ll have that effect, Issa’s been such a nghtmare.
What’s the history with Issa, Berman, Sherman, Matt do you know? Are they on committees together? “I want him back.” What do they do together?
I updated the article to explain why Issa endorsed Berman. They are not on the same committees, but they want to solve the issue of intellectual property protection.
Ah – I bet Sherman’s on the other side on that.
Berman himself is on the other side. One of Issa’s few good issues is internet privacy (including opposing SOPA) and it’s also one of Berman’s few bad ones. I don’t know that Sherman is involved in it at all.
Hm. Gets more and more complicated. What is this “intellectual property protection” that Matt says they want to work on together?
OK, got it. Found Matt’s new paragraph. So Berman is one of those Hollywood Democrats who backed SOPA, but him and Darrell have some kind of compromise planned, that might be good.
Maybe we should be celebrating bipartisanship and cooperation. But I still think, Darrell, keep your favorite Democrats to yourself! The huge Dem majority in that district is only gonna be turned off by your interference.
The question being posed to ill informed or ill-prepared Republicans is “If there is/were a race between Berman and Sherman……. ” and they are answering “Berman”. The problem is a)Republicans are answering BEFORE investigating if there is a Republican running (or assuming one is not) b) Republicans are NOT standing unwavering to NOT endorse “a democrat” in a pre-primary time period aka BEFORE the primary when it is expected there are Republican candidates c) apparently some Republicans are not saavy enough to say I will endorse only a Republican and because I don’t know all the candidates in this election.
No comment.
How is it Mr. Berman can coerce naive Republicans into doing what they normally should not do – he is a behaving like a predator. By the way there are Republicans running but only one endorsed by the Republcian Party and if you check Mark Reed’s website you will see this scenario has happened before and corrected. Thank you Supervisor Antonovich for clarifying who you have endorsed.
Issa is a “naive Republican,” and Berman’s so powerful to “coerce” him? A PREDATOR even! That sounds real Hollywood.
Thanks for chiming in on Mark Reed’s behalf, good luck to your candidate.
Thank you Vern –
Mark Reed – is the only true American running on the Republican ticket in the 30th Congressional district.
Mark ran against Congressman Brad Sherman in 27th District in 2010. Mark had the second smallest margin in the STATE OF CALIFORNIA. challenging an incumbent Democrat.
Reed has been actively involved in the Veterans’ efforts to save the VA Sepulveda and West Los Angeles medical centers from encroachment by private sector developers (profit and non-profit). Reed believes that Veterans land is sacred.
Was Reed endorsed by the CRP, Lorraine? If he was, then Issa’s comments more clearly violated the party rules than otherwise.
(As if they’ll enforce the rules!)
Waitwaitwait – don’t go saying the two famous Jewish Democrats are not “true Americans!” How do you figure that?
Doubledealers like this Issa are the reason we have Obama.
*Brad Sherman is the cool choice….but Berman is the consilliator. Both are after the Banking folks and Issa likes that kind of support…..otherwise he going to get a bunch
of paid off boyz from both sides of the aisle when he will need them to regulate, enforce and throw some of those slime in jail.