Posted on 05/07/2005 7:26:44 AM PDT by calcowgirl
EUREKA -- Republican State Sen. Tom McClintock spoke to a riveted crowd at OH's Town House Friday, covering everything from what he called an out-of-control public employee lobby to illegal immigration and environmentalism.
McClintock, widely considered to be one of the most conservative nominees to replace Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, lost that race to a more moderate Arnold Schwarzenegger. He received 13.5 percent of the vote, roughly a quarter of what Schwarzenegger received.
He's now set his sights on becoming lieutenant governor in 2006 and beyond that governor.
Roughly 100 people filled the restaurant's banquet room as McClintock and others gathered for the Humboldt Taxpayer's League Annual Dinner.
In his introduction, league President Leo Sears noted what he said was a "banner year" for the group with the defeat of Measure L, the proposed one-cent sales tax that went down in flames during the last election.
McClintock linked the defeat of Measure L to an overall effort to take back the government from what he said was a bloated an powerful public employee lobby that has hijacked the process.
"It has become fight or flight time," he said.
He hearkened back to the mid-1960s and the administration of Democrat Pat Brown, when he said the state was booming and well-managed. He said infrastructure at the time was growing to meet and exceed the demands of the state population.
Liberals say that at the time people were willing to pay higher taxes for better services, McClintock said.
"Reality is 180 degrees different from that," McClintock said.
The tax burden has actually grown since then, he said.
State government is spending $9 out of every $100 you earn, he said.
"And of course it's delivering diddley-squat with it," he said. "The only thing that's changed in those years is public policy and the good news is it's within our power to change back."
He said many of the state's current problems could be placed at the feet of radicalized employee unions, which he called "corrupt' and "tyrannical"
They have damaged the political process and abused state authority, he said.
"It has to be stopped," he said.
He advocated heavily for the governor's proposed initiatives, saying they will help set the state on the right path for once again becoming a a desirable place to live. Recent years have seen California citizens move in droves to Arizona and Nevada, he said.
"That is the only part of the continent that can actually be improved with atomic bombs," he said.
In response to a question over what can be done to overcome environmentalists who seek to restrict development, McClintock went after what he said was the so-called environmental movement, the purveyors of which he called Luddites who fear progress.
"These are not environmentalists and we should no longer allow them to masquerade as such," he said.
On immigration, McClintock said the state and federal government need to take immediate action to protect the borders.
This is a nation of immigrants, he said, but assimilation is must be achieved.
If he had won in his effort to become governor, he said one of his first acts would have been an executive order to all state departments requiring that they report any suspected illegal alien.
The existence of such a policy would have "brought to a screeching halt" the demand on state services by illegal aliens, he said. Such demands cost the state between $5 billion and $10 billion a year, he said.
McClintock ping
tom's a very knowledgeable guy.
if california gets desperate enough, eventually he might make it into the gov's seat.
it's the burdens of illegals, unions, trial lawyers, and the welfare state that brought california down.
BTTT
Given that Arnold has continued Gray's horrid performance, well almost as bad, we might as well give Tom a chance at running the place one day.
remember, comrade grey davis' first public act, after being sworn into office, was to go down to
mexico city and get his marching orders from (then) el presidente ernesto zedillo.
si.
it's always nice to have a governor on your side. (/s)
Thanks for the ping!
BUMP!
"These are not environmentalists and we should no longer allow them to masquerade as such," he said.
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Bump That! Wish a certain GReeno Gub could see the forest for the trees ...
Hope it happens while California can still be saved. (I might say the same sort of thing about the United States, for that matter.)
Tom blasted the state employees unions as the cause of most of our problems at this time and said we must pass the redistricting measure to start the process of gaining some control of our lives.
I spoke with him after dinner and told him that there were many FReepers supporting him on this forum and that I will continue to contribute to his Lt. Governor run.
Arkley is a recent local multi millionaire and put $500,000.00 in a 527 PAC to help defeat Tom Dashle. He is buying most of the distressed property around Humboldt Bay and cleaning it up to develop it and they have donated millions to the city of Eureka...
Thanks for the update. Hopefully Tom will make it over this way one day.
I probably shouldn't mention this on this thread, but Arnold sure looked fatigued on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace! Verbally, however, he did a good job, in spite of an intense, no holds barred questioning by Wallace!!!
Chris even asked him if he was going to be another Ronald Reagan, or... Another Jesse Ventura!!! That's exactly the question I hoped someone would have the guts to ask him!!! He handled it faily well. I gotta give him credit. Maybe some day Chris Wallace will interview Tom!!!
I'm sure it was tongue in cheek, but he shouldn't have suggested that Arizona and Nevada would be improved if atomic bombs are dropped on them. It's not true, doesn't set well with those residents, and is likely to come back to haunt him in future campaigns.
Don't give ammunition to your enemies.
What a stupid analysis; They might have also reported:
McClintock, widely considered to be one of the tallest nominees to replace Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, lost that race to a much shorter Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Lazy political analysis -- and they wonder why no one reads the papers any more.
Was that in the article? I didn't catch that!!!
McClintock supporters should wake up and stop bashing Arnold -- now that McClintock is running for Lt. Gov., he is now kissing up to Arnold, so if you support McC, you might want to follow his example. He knows that the only chance for Lt. Gov he would have only, if Arnold would throw his support behind McC.
"I'm sure it was tongue in cheek, but he shouldn't have suggested that Arizona and Nevada would be improved if atomic bombs are dropped on them."
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Did McC actually say this?! I would much appreciate it, if you could find the exact quote with link.
I didn't think even McC could do such a stupid thing.
You're right! He shouldn't have said it, but hell!!! You can't say anything in public these days!!! Everybody is just wound way too tight!!! Just looking for a fight!!!
He was referring to the desert test site
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