These are but symptoms of a demographic problem which is about to erupt out of California like a virus.
Posted on 07/02/2012 9:44:24 PM PDT by Cronos
AFTER weeks of squabbling, California’s politicians managed to get a budget approved this week. Their dispute had followed a familiar pattern. One side, spooked by yawning budget deficits, wanted to make deeper cuts to welfare payments. The other, fearful of the effects on California’s army of unemployed, sought to find savings elsewhere. It sounds like a classic Republican-Democrat ding-dong. In fact, the row pitted one Democratic force (the governor, Jerry Brown) against another (the state legislature). Shut out of the talks, the state’s opposition Republican legislators were reduced to boycotting budget hearings and issuing sulky statements.
..California gave America two of its five most recent Republican presidents. But the state party has fallen on hard times since the days of Nixon and Reagan. After having fallen for decades, the number of registered Republican voters in California now stands at just 30%
...The picture is no prettier when it comes to elections for national offices. Republicans have not won a Senate election in California since 1988. The party now accounts for just 19 of the state’s 53 congressmen. The last Republican presidential candidate to take California was George Bush senior. As the most populous state, California holds over one in ten electoral-college votes. But neither Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, nor Barack Obama will bother to campaign here—although both regularly drop by to raise funds.
..What seems clearer is that the array of fiscal problems California faces is forcing at least some Democratic officials to tilt in a Republican direction. Voters in San Jose, recently approved cuts to pension benefits for city workers by 70% to 30% . Last year liberal eyebrows were raised when Gavin Newsom, the Democratic lieutenant-governor, journeyed to deeply Republican Texas, along with several Republicans, to uncover the secret of the Lone Star state’s job-creation record.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
Correction:
Republicans: Fading into irrelevance
I’m not a Republican Californian. I’m a conservative.
Thesis: CA Republicans are too conservative.
Solution: CA Republicans should act more like Democrats.
No thanks.
There... I fixed it for you.
The time has long since passed for conservatives in California to look outside the Republican Party for candidates to support. The State GOP is overrun with countryclubbers who have no interest in reducing the size of government or protecting individual liberty. The same GOP powerbrokers who seek conservative support every cycle despised Reagan and do everything in their power to prevent conservative candidates from winning. The result is year after year of losses with no end in sight. I think that we should be looking for conservative Democrats to support or to another party.
The California GOP no longer deserves the support of conservatives. It's time to face up to that fact and look for allies elsewhere. It's time to think outside the Republican box.
Republican nominee, nor Barack Obama will bother to campaign here
Too funny!
Most people I know here, figured out long ago, this is all one big Democan party sham. They'd be better off selling their lies in North Dakota or Florida...There's a sucker born every minute.
To be blunt, I don't believe a word either of them say.
This is what happened by California Republicans compromising on Illegal Immigration, limited government, Abortion, and to some extent, gay issues.
I've been there for years now.
I doubt I'll ever again vote for another Republican. Getting gang raped repeatedly by habitual liars and corrupt political insiders has a tendency to do that to ya.
Thank you sir, but for you I would have had to type it.
I'm a old fashion Republican or a present-day Libertarian. I like Ron Paul's ideas on the Government except for his nutty foreign policy.
I like Newt since he knows where the bodies are buried!
Forced secession.
I’m in CA. Even with the low Rat turnout in 2010, the GOP got slaughtered here. We are “ahead” of the demographic curve here. The Latino pop is huge. The GOP is, effectively, dead in my state. Sadly, the last nail is going to be in Nov.
Anchor babies born before 1994 are now able to vote Democrat.
Solution: CA Republicans should act more like Democrats.
No thanks.
Ironically, it was because so many California Republicans acted more like Democrats that the party faded into irrelevance. Karl Rove and his buddy Gerry Parsky were the ones behind this cowardly suicide. Congratulations to them. Great strategy.
Past a certain point, the only viable option is to abandon ship. Come on guys - the stern is pointed skyward!
Republicans are fading into relevence from sea to shining sea.
The mass emigration of East Coasters in the 50’s and 60’s included a a preponderance of liberal Democrats and their tame RINO Republican friends.
Once a Conservative bastion, California became a New York clone through massive emmigration 60 years ago. It is just as hopeless as any east coast state...
Yep...Even the party pom pom wavers, what’s left of them, are having difficulty selling this two party con-job.
During the socalled crisis of 2008 more than 130 congress jerks made more than 600 trades in two days. From both parties. All said it was just coincidence.
Both parties are there to cash in and build a big nest egg for the next four or five of their generations. I’ve been saying the republicans should introduce a bill removing congress’ exemption from the obamacare law. It won’t happen because the republicans don’t want to have to show their true colors. They get the same perks the dems get and they want to keep it that way. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that all of them have stashes for extended families to be taken care of in a crash....probably on some tropical island being waited on hand and foot by Phillipino slaves.
As you can tell, I despise both parties. And I don’t see how anyone is going to stop this boulder from rolling on down the hill. The gop had the WH, senate and house. They could have made laws that it would have taken Pelosi and Ried and obama decades to undo. But they didn’t. And I don’t have to wonder why.
These are but symptoms of a demographic problem which is about to erupt out of California like a virus.
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