Here's the backstory. The senate has 4 year terms with half of the seats open each election cycle. Everyone knew the dems would use their power to reapportion to get their Sacramento based district back. So Doolittle and H.L. Richardson made a deal to renumber the districts so that Doolittle could stay in the senate even after Leroy Greene beat him. The districts were drawn so that incumbent Republican Ray Johnson would have to run against Doolittle. The old Johnson district was Chico and the upper Sacramento valley. They drew a district that snaked around from Chico through the foothills to Orangevale (an area they still call the Doolittle dip - I think it's his mormon church parish). Johnson's old district wasn't in the Sacramento media market so a majority of the voters in the new district had never known him. Ray Johnson was so mad at the senate leadership that he quit the party and ran as an independent. Doolittle won. But we had one less Republican in the senate.
In 1991 when Doolittle tried to make a deal with Willie Brown the entire party opposed him. The floor fight was led by CRA, YAF, CYR and county committee leaders. It looks like we're in for a repeat of that fight and I wouldn't be surprized if the same people are leading the charge.
Prop 77 has nothing to do with smearing Doolittle. The party regulars have been trying to pass a fair redistricting initiative for over 20 years. They know that nothing is perfect, but you've got to pass the best thing you can because the current system is completely and utterly horrible. Any active party member who opposes Prop 77 will be attacked. I think Congressman Doolittle knows this but he doesn't care what the party regulars think.
Would you please describe a CA "party regular" for me? Examples would also be helpful, oh! And please advise what keeps Doolittle from being considered a "party regular." And do you have anymore of these "backstories?" I find them extremely entertaining!!!
I just got back from a weekend on the houseboat on Shasta and missed your most intensely interesting reply from the end of last week till right now!!! Please provide more data, facts, feelings and rumor, if you will. It is intensely interesting!!!