Is the party over?

It’s gotta be tough being a California Republican. Over the years they’ve seen their numbers slide, and with the latest reconfigureation of districts and top two primary rules they stand to lose even more ground in 2012. Any time there is an open seat in a safe district, hungry GOP politicians scramble to grab what little real estate they can still represent.

The latest dogfight was triggered by the retirement of Congressman Wally Herger. State Senator Doug Lamalfa jumped into the ring and appeared to be a shoo-in for the job…but wait!!! From the bowels of retirement Doctor Former Assemblyman/Senator Sam Aanestad suddenly appeared, tanned, rested and ready to contest the annointment. It seems that Lamalfa’s conservative credentials are not in order. One, he had the audacity to endorse moderate Doug Ose over uber-conservative Tom McClintock in the last congressional knife fight in the 4th. Two, he took government subsidies to help keep his farm business competitive! There is no greater sin in conservative circles than to accept, no, ask for goverment hand outs.

Dr. Sam’s street cred is in order. He served in the legislature for umpteen years until term limits forced him back to the business of pulling teeth. During that time, he endured the role of chief naysayer for the right, annoying the dominant Democrats but accomplishing little else. In Congress, he might actually get to pass a law if the GOP can hold on to their majority. He’s paid his dues and has come back to collect.

It’s pretty much a given that one of these two will grab the golden ring. Democrats have made some gains in Nevada County, but the district, which is rural and larger than some states, is still in the red column.

But here’s the conundrum for the Repubs; pushing for state’s rights will only make them more impotent in Ecotopical California. It looks like the Dems will gain the sweet spot of two-thirds majority in the State Senate, inching them closer to the dream of a one party state.

The Republicans are hoping that will change once the Democrats drive the state off a cliff into the Pacific, but if they’re driving a Chevy Volt, it could be years before it actually happens. And it is no guarantee that Californians embrace the puritan politics of the right. Like it or not, a new breed of Republican will have to emerge to capture the votes of the Golden State’s diverse urban population.

I sympathize with Republicans in their quest to stop the madness in Sacramento. I watched the Conservarama Summit of business owners held by Dan Logue, Tom McClintock and other dignitaries at the Rood Center last year, where struggling businesspersons vented their frustration with the volumes of regulations that spew forth from the capitol like vomit at a frat party. I agree that it’s a travesty that lumber yards must purchase a state-sanctioned tape measure that costs 800 times what a normal tape measure goes for. But it’s not going to change any time soon.

There’s a lot of praying going on in conservative circles right now. The presidential primary battle for the Reagan Legacy has taken some ugly turns. Those damn Ron Paul libertarians won’t go with the program. Every time Newt opens his mouth he sounds more like Caligula than Coolidge. Romney is as inspiring as yesterday’s broccoli. And Rick Santorum couldn’t get elected as dogcatcher, due to his objections to the unnatural acts of spaying and neutering. A divisive candidate at the top of the ticket could squelch any hope of defeating the hated Obama, and lessen the chance of gains in the House and Senate.

Things could change if gas prices escalate or we get sucked into another war, but that’s about all Republicans can hope for. Not much of a vision for the future.

 

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6 Responses to Is the party over?

  1. Todd Juvinall says:

    Now that was a fine article! Funny too!

  2. Douglas Keachie says:

    Gas prices have always favored Republicans at election time. They dropped even more after the Obama election, thus setting up the phony stats that are now being used to discredit Obama. Gas was at $4.00 in June 2008, and dropped steadily and even past the election.

    Look for $7 gas by October 31st.

  3. Michael Anderson says:

    Doug, what makes you think gas will be @ $7 by October?

  4. TD Pittsford says:

    I wonder if it really makes any difference whether fuel is $1.50 a gallon or $25.00 per gallon? No one, despite all the lip-service and righteous indignation, seems willing or able to do anything about it. The president can’t regulate the cost of fuel (but nonetheless vetoed the Keystone Pipeline) and no member of Congress wants to tackle the oil companies, probably because they own multiple shares of petroleum stock. Exxon, Mobile, Shell, Valero, and all the rest aren’t going to do a damned thing about it and cry “shortages” and “supply and demand” as excuses for raping the American people then virtually thumbing their collective noses by blatantly posting record profits. And while we’re at it, I don’t want to hear any more about how much other countries are paying for fuel. We are supposed to be one of the wealthiest countries on earth and yet we are paying more money for just about everything it takes to simply get buy and try to remain healthy.
    The “greenies” are a major stumbling block to any sort of legislation which would allow drilling or exploration for enough resources to last at least long enough to implement alternative measures. In the meantime advocates for drilling and exploration seem to thing that by passing any energy-specific legislation would result in immediate relief from high fuel costs.
    The problem here is that there seems to be no middle ground; neither side seems to be willing to at least make a minimal effort to arrive at any kind of equitable agreement for even a short term solution.
    Another aspect of the issue is that there are plenty of natural resources right here in our own country. Billions of gallons of crude oil are still in the ground beneath our very feet, but oil produces aren’t allowed to produce because there are elements in our society that realize the profitability of keeping those wells shut down or capped off entirely. It’s a game of money, politics, and plain old greed, and there’s absolutely nothing your or I can do except continue paying through the nose to pay for the fuel to heat our homes or put gas in our vehicles in order to get to work to pay the taxes our state and federal governments use for their own self-serving projects or send to foreign countries to ensure their questionable loyalty to the U.S.

    In the long run it’s We the People who have somehow been brainwashed into believing that our government is truly doing the job for which we hired them. It’s We the People who have allowed all this to happen because of this misplaced trust, a woeful lack of diligence, and a failure to participate in matters that affect us all as Americans. Somehow we have become complacent and allowed the schools to stop teaching history, science, math, the arts, physical training and a myriad of other life skills necessary for our survival. (I find it interesting that the phrase, “shovel-ready jobs” has become the symbol of the kind of jobs our politicians would create, and certainly not for the benefit of U.S. citizens, but themselves.)
    I think we can sum up a great deal of our financial woes in this and every other country in the world in two words: greed and the corruption that is it’s manifestation. Now, what do we do about it?

  5. Greg Goodknight says:

    Keach thinks gas will be $7 a gallon by election time because the Koch’s want Obama to lose, but doesn’t think Energy Sec’y Chu’s opinion that gas should be $8/gal has anything to do with it.

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