Posted on 11/20/2006 8:12:08 AM PST by SmithL
As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut deal after deal with the Democrats this year, Republicans in the state Assembly watched with frustration. The tension grew when the governor's chief of staff compared their leader, George Plescia, to a startled deer.
"It upset a lot of people," said Assemblyman Michael Villines, R-Clovis. Susan Kennedy's comments were made in private last spring but later leaked to the press. The administration, Villines said, "basically viewed us as being irrelevant."
The fallout continued last week when Assembly Republicans ousted Plescia, of La Jolla, as their leader, replacing him with Villines. His charge now is to reclaim some relevancy for the GOP in the Democrat-dominated Legislature.
Villines, 39, is an unabashed fiscal and social conservative who represents a heavily Republican district in the central San Joaquin Valley. But his ascension to leader has more to do with his style than his politics, supporters say.
"I don't think it's so much a move to the right as a move to be heard," said Assemblyman John Benoit, R-Bermuda Dunes.
A former public relations executive, Villines is seen by colleagues as someone willing to stand up to the governor and Democrats on GOP demands such as keeping spending in check and taxes and borrowing low.
"He's a strong guy in terms of expressing his opinion, and he's articulate," said Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks.
The son of a Dust Bowl migrant from Oklahoma, Villines was born and raised in San Jose and graduated from California State University, Fresno. He got his start in politics as an "advance man" for former Gov. Pete Wilson, a job that gave him the responsibility of coordinating public appearances.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
California Conservatives struggling to be heard Ping.
He's not going to make the GOP relevant again. The only thing that will make the GOP relevant again is if the people of CA get fed up with the Dems. And that may take years. If you project out how long it will take before the State will have to default on its debt, that's about how long it will take to make the GOP relevant again.
Why do they think we are irrelevant? Because the Dems won by a .03 percent?
Deck chairs. Titanic.
The California GOP ran a terrible campaign in California for this election at the state level.
If they had put forth more effort, there would have been more Republican candidates elected.
No debates, hardly any issue ads, it was lackluster in the extreme. Even so, many of the races were VERY close.
I have to tell you, though , I worked in the California Assembly in 1990, before term limits, and it is SO nice to read stories about the legislature now and see some new names. If it weren't for term limits we would still have Willie Brown running over Ross Johnson. Let's give the new Republican leaders a chance; at least they have a nominally Republican governor to work with, who is not runing for anything else. I am hoping that Arnold will realize that his one chance at leaving a lasting legacy is to help the Republican Party in California to become competitive again and relevant to the voters throughout the state.
I am hoping that Arnold will realize that his one chance at leaving a lasting legacy is to help the Republican Party in California to become competitive again and relevant to the voters throughout the state.
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Don't hold your breath..
He is not here to help the Ca GOP rebuild and has openly admitted that is not his job. He is a TWirP, nothing more
And even if he were trying to rebuld it, it will only be rebuilt as a centrist party if he and his handlers has any say about it. You know what that means as far as where they would shove the Big tent party poles, in any case.
This election,
and the one before that,
and the one before that,
and the one before that,
and the one before that,
and the one before that,
and the one before that, . . .
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