Posted on 02/13/2004 11:32:09 AM PST by TatooChick
Republican Family Feud
Party solidarity? Ha! In the wild and woolly primary for California’s 3rd Congressional District, a trio of Republican candidates are engaged in a pitched battle.
By Jeff Kearns
Rico Oller clearly was in his element in the gun store, even if he looked a little out of place as the only person wearing a suit and tie. Walking into Badger John’s Huntin’ Stuff in the Arden-Arcade area, he greeted a group of supporters with enthusiastic handshakes and then gravitated to a counter. An array of guns was displayed on the wall behind it, and the Republican state senator asked to see one of the shotguns. Store owner John Barritt, wearing a camouflage vest, handed it over. Oller examined the gun, a new Beretta model, the Xtrema.
“Outsells every shotgun in the store,” Barritt said.
“Oh, I love it,” Oller replied.
A lifelong outdoorsman who likes to tell stories about hunting trips and the dogs that accompany him, Oller is tall, fit and broad-shouldered and still looks somehow boyish at 45. Throughout the years, he’s earned a reputation among Republican peers as someone whose strong, tenacious campaign style is driven by ceaseless ambition.
Holding the gun, Oller examined it expertly, checking its sights and feeling its weight, and then he passed it back to Barritt. “I have a whole bunch of the Browning humpbacks,” Oller said.
Oller, who is now running hard for Congress, was not there to pick up a shotgun, but to pick up an endorsement from the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA).
The NRA is now backing him over two Republican rivals in the March 2 primary: former Congressman and state Attorney General Dan Lungren and multimillionaire businesswoman Mary Ose. The seat is being vacated by Ose’s brother, Doug, who is sticking to his pledge to serve only three terms.
With its endorsement, the NRA mailed thousands of postcards urging members in the congressional district to support Oller, and helped round up 60 volunteer precinct walkers.
Political junkies have been watching the race take shape for weeks, but as election day nears, it’s going to be hard for even the most tuned-out voter to avoid drinking from the firehose of political advertising that will spew. Local media will be devoting plenty of ink and airtime to the race. All three candidates and the interest groups that back them will be flooding the airwaves with ads, as well as filling mailboxes from the Delta to the Sierras with junk mail--some of it inflammatory.
As it unfolds, observers will have front-row seats for a great bout that pits two sides of the party against one another. For years, moderate and conservative factions in the California Republican Party have been wrestling over the steering wheel. Some of the conflict died with the ascent of the new governor, a social liberal whose power keeps hardliners quiet. There’s also a new state party chairman, Palo Alto attorney Duf Sundheim, who’s less interested in right-wing dogma than in winning a few races for a change. But in this race, the fight over who really owns the soul of the Republican party will be waged.
This primary is one of the most contested in the country, and some influential Republicans in Sacramento and Washington have taken the unusual step of choosing sides in it. The vacancy is one of just 13 Republican retirements this year, out of 228 GOP House members. Campaign spending by candidates and interest groups during the primary will total several million dollars.
The 3rd District is solidly Republican. So, whoever wins the primary almost certainly wins the seat. Congress doesn’t have term limits, so an officeholder who doesn’t get arrested probably can occupy a safe seat indefinitely.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsreview.com ...
Looks Like the Sacramento News and Review Actually got something right!
Oller/Kaloogian for President!
Has Harley ridin guverner RINold endorsed any of THEM? Rico sucked up to the Guv as hard as a conservative dared without running the risk of having to give up his "conservative" cloak!!!
He carried SBXXX1, and that repealed SB60.
I hardly call that "sucking up". I call that "using your head".
Funny, Lungren wants to throw open the boarders and then grab our guns so that we have no way to protect ourselves.
GO RICO!
Rico and Howard in D.C. at the same time?
Those Yellow bellied squishes would never know what hit them!
2 REAL conservatives. Both from California, AT THE SAME TIME! who would have thought?
Dan Lungren. The man with enough guts to take a principled stand on Prop. 187 THE DAY OF THE ELECTION.
Pfft!
I KNEW you would want to know that this was up!
Really? I must have missed that. Not surprising. I did have to go into Mary Ose's headquarters and tell them to hang the flag correctly. Have not re checked to make sure they did.
I have no problem with political competitors in primaries until they start trying to bury each other in manure piles. I don't expect competitors to be nice, but I do expect them to not wantonly slime each other like Demonicrats!!!
There's only one reason he did it, in my humble opinion, and that was to obliterate a serious error in judgement on his part while he was a mature adult. What he dumped on Kirk about was in Kirk's youth. Big distinction!!!
Oh well... Whatever... He got away with it... I just can't forget what should not be forgiven.
It's ok for him to "use 'em" (The Repubs), but what I see coming is NOT ok when he's got 'em into position to "abuse 'em!" If Prop 56, 7 & 8 pass, that's exactly what Arnold will do is abuse them... BIGTIME!!!
Did you listen to Mark Williams today? He had McClintock on and I only wish Tom had been as passionate and articulate during the campaign as he was today. Then, again, I understand why he couldn't be, since Arnold hadn't proposed and misled everyone about these damn bonds, yet!
Mark was all over the Governor as he feels betrayed, too! He kept talking about the cartoon in last Sunday's BEE with Arnold looking at a picture of Gray on the wall, carrying suitcases stuffed with money and Arnold only saying one word... "Amateur!"
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