Posted on 05/19/2018 7:06:32 AM PDT by Kaslin
A brief direct message on Twitter gave me the grave news I feared the most: President Trump endorsed John Cox, a Chicago-born businessman who carpet-bagged to California five years ago, for Governor of California.
I am stunned, and it made me sick to my stomach. Full disclosure: I support Assemblyman Travis Allen for governor, the candidate who has been outspoken about his support for Trump and his agenda from the beginning.
But the bigger issue comes to the following questions:
The first question stems from a basic fact about John Cox: He didnt vote for Trump in the 2016 primary nor the general election. Having voted for Ted Cruz and then Gary Johnson (who was as libertarian as Hillary Clinton is principled), Cox has struggled since then to engage with conservatives throughout the state. He has recently admitted regret for not voting for Trump, but thats not enough for the base. Cox has a Big Money establishment veneer about him, too Romney-esque, and many conservative activists have confided to me that they dont trust him. California doesnt need another big money outsider who will get pushed around by Deep State Sacramento interests in the state capitol. Look at Illinois RINO Governor Bruce Rauner to confirm these suspicions.
Cox isnt a shining conservative by any means, either. He opposes the death penalty. He has gone on record during debates that he supports Agenda 21 style constructions, including high density housing. Yes, the California housing crisis has reached unsustainable proportions, but the problem is government overregulation and corporate cronyism, not just a mere lack of housing.
Cox has received a few endorsements from pro-life groups, but then has falsely charged that his rival is pro-choice with a dismal record on defending life. After reviewing five years of Planned Murderhood records on this issue, anyone can see that Allen received a 0% rating from the baby-killing organization for three years, then received a failing grade and a 60% rating for two years because of legislation supported by PP, but which had nothing to do with abortion in the first place.
Cox has stood on different sides of the immigration issue, too. On Spanish-language media, he has dismissed the idea of a border wall, then he favored it as his conservative rival picked up steam in the primary. Recently, he shied away from emphasizing the wall in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune. Cox is running to be competitive in the general election, in that he wants to find a comfortable spot for conservative voters to like him enough, and then he can appeal to independents and moderate Democrats in the general election.
In sharp, stark contrast, Assemblyman Travis Allen is charismatic, approachable, exciting. He lights up a room with stump speeches that stress every issue that Californians care about. He is strong, strong, strong on illegal immigration. He wants the wall, he wants illegal aliens deported, and he has not shied away from slamming Democratic rivals Gavin Newsom (former mayor of San Francisco) and Antonio Villaraigosa (former mayor of Los Angeles) for promoting sanctuary city policies and endangering American citizens. Allen stood his ground without hesitation or reservation on illegal immigration, socialized medicine, high taxes and fees in the midst of the extravagantly left-wing, biased Telemundo-sponsored town hall. Did I forget to mention that he is an outspoken Trump supporter keen on Californias maintaining a strong relationship with the White House?
So, why would Trump support Establishment-leaning John Cox? One clear reason is that Cox has more money, mostly his own. He has attracted heat from Democratic and independent PACs, which signals that a candidate is gaining in the polls. Former House Speaker and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich endorsed John Cox a few months earlier, too.
Trumps decision is not helping, though, as far as one can tell, but no one should doubt President Trumps motives. He cares about California and has praised the states conservative grassroots groups major successes to stop the Sanctuary State law. This past week, he sat down with elected officialslegislators, county sheriffs and mayorsto talk about the growing unrest and outrage against Californias unpopular, dangerous, and unconstitutional sanctuary policies.
Surely the President knows that Californias open primary system has endangered California Republicans, nearly 24,000 registered voters away from third party status behind Democrats and Decline to State voters. The Top Two means any top two, and that could be two Democrats, as happened with the US Senate race in 2016. Surely Trump knows that California has turned into a fundamental battleground for national Republicans in their efforts to hold onto the House of Representatives. No doubt Trump is thinking about Washington DC, and he wants to hold onto both chambers of Congress, filled with more MAGA candidates. There needs to be a Republican contender at the top of the ticket in California for the November election.
Yet I doubt the wisdom of this move. Cox will trumpet for the next two weeks that the President endorsed him instead of the candidate who has not stopped endorsing Trump and his agenda. This is the California version of Luther Strange, in which Trump goes with the Establishment candidate because of bad advice. Cox is not a strong draw for many Republican voters. He is not charismatic, and with all his money, he couldnt purchase enough delegates at the CAGOP convention to win the state party endorsement! Hillary Clinton outspent Trump nearly two-to-one, yet we all know how the election ended.
Perhaps we grassroots conservatives need to reconcile the fact that once again Trumpism, conservative populism with an edge toward helping working Americans and stopping globalist, establishment policies, will Trump the Donald once again. Lets hope that this national-statewide divide doesnt hurt our state and our national chances going into November.
I would think Cox and Allen will be defeated in weak third or fourth placed finishes.
Reconcile that no Republican will be elected governor in CA.
“...a Chicago-born businessman who carpet-bagged to California five years ago, for Governor of California”..........
So what’s the big deal? A Chicago born female, the “Pant’s Suit Hag” carpet-bagged to New York and ran for president.
Could it be that Trump picked the most liberal Republican specifically because he had the best chance of winning and turning back the political dictatorship the Democrats have established in California?
Maybe he thinks he knows how to handle someone like this RINO.
Actually, both are likely to be true. RINOs are stupid and easily malleable based on external pressures.
There will most likely be a “choice” between two far-Left candidates for governor in California’s rigged election system.
Strong national security, immigration, language, employment, and benefits policies could have saved California if they had been implemented three decades ago.
I live in California and the clear choice is Cox vs. Allen.
Allen’s deceit is becoming legendary. When asked to support the movement against Gov. Brown’s gasoline tax...he refused.
Cox was all in from day 1.
Now in ads, Allen says he was not only for the repeal, but led the charge.
Neither are perfect, but Allen is a clear POS.
Swamp vs Not Swamp?
It’s California, which is a goner anyway.
Electing RINOs to support Rat policies is in no meaningful sense "turning back the political dictatorship the Democrats have established in California."
In CA, any statewide R is a throwaway candidate anyway.
What difference does it make who Trump endorses?
CA is gone for good, even for RINO candidates.
We tried that with Schwarzenegger, and it didn't work.
We need to not pay attention to California and save our ammo for November.
Gavin will be the next Governor regardless....
I just saw an anti-Cox ad on TV. It was paid for by supporters of Villaraigosa.
Newsome is running ads against Cox as well...no mention of this guy Allen anywhere.
Townhall is Salem Radio who locally support Allen. So now their house organ Townhall features some dirtbag writer no one has ever heard of writing a column talking trash about a guy they dont support. Salem Radio needs to be bankrupted
Cox ain’t no liberal. I don’t know a ton about Allen but I’d have guessed Cox was to his right. Cox was the most conservative of the candidates when he ran for Senate from IL in 2002.
I didn’t know Cox was a never Trumper though.
Weird.
Allen certainly seems to be a stronger candidate.
One of them needs to drop out to have a decent chance of making the runoff.
Defeatist bovine scatology... Just like the entire "Solid South" was a Democrat stronghold where Republicans had no chance.
Just like West Virginia was a union owned Democrat stronghold
Just like Wisconsin was the center of "Progressivism" and Republicans had no chance.
Politics is dynamic, not static. We should not surrender a single inch of territory. Fight for conservative constitutional principles across every single elected office in the 50 states, D.C., and the five territories.
Beat a Democrat with a RINO, then beat the RINO with a conservative. Leftists play the long game, always pushing, they have been after single payer socialized medicine for over 100 years. We need to focus on the long term, and stop stupid squabbles that let leftists like Clinton '92 and Obama win.
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