You honestly believe that a candidate who is anti-abortion, anti-illegal immigration, anti-homosexual and pro-gun has a chance to change this state? I don't think such a person could even get elected, much less force the state to swallow the much needed medicine.
61 posted on 08/28/2003 11:33 AM PDT by hoosierskypilot
Your first statement on California's current political make-up bothered me. I think the questions you pose here are valid, but let's ask this same question about any state. How many states could a gubenatorial candidate campaign on these issues and be certain to win election? I don't think it's as many as you might think. If these issues weren't skillfully promoted, you'd simply lose the election.
When you raise the issue of choice, a lot of women write you off. You'd be surprised how many women who consider themselves to "Conservative" are influenced by this issue. I have family members that vote Republican all the time. If this issue was raised prominantly and addressed unskillfully during a campaign, I'm not sure they would.
Each of these issues are very important. It is very criticial how you address them. For example, if you address the issue of 30 million abortions, 70% of women think there should be far less. You have to appeal to the core area where people can identify with what your goals are. If you come out and say I want to stop women's access to abortion, it's like committing political suicide. Of course that's what your target is, but let's get as much of the way there as we can before we cause voters to dig in their heels and oppose us.
If you approached illegal immigration on it's criminality, negative impacts on society and acknowledged the positive things illegals do, you'd be surprise how many hispanics would support you, even in California. Hispanics are the most adversely affected group by illegals. Most folks completely ignore that fact. Utilize it in your presentation. It's the truth and hispanics know it. On top of that they think the US is nuttier than a mad hatter to allow what is going on here. Still, Conservatives fail to capitalize on this. A broad spectrum of the populace is just waiting for the right guy to come along and propose legtitimate measures to end illegal immigration and repatriate. Sadly nobody skillfully broaches this subject.
Look, you may think California is beyond hope, it isn't. Hispanics are God fearing family oriented people. Hit them where they live. Promise them less government intrusion into their lives. Promise them taxes will decrease if we reduce the presence of illegal aliens and their children in our schools. Promise them you'll help new immigrants assimilate and become prosperous. Dont' give away the farm!
I can't tell you how poorly the California republican leadership has represented us. It's been an utter failure. You're perceptions are living proof. Did that leadership propose solutions to state problems like 27, 189 and 207? Hell no. If they had you'd have known about it. The candidate who proposed those issues would have reached the national level by now if they had. Sadly these folks grasp of reality has led them to shun any (what they think would be) risk taking. They just have no connection to reality whatsoever.
A Governor McClintock would change that. He'd set a model for other states to follow. I think he'd challenge George Bush to either get off his duff and address illegal immiagration, or suffer the consequences of opposing what actions McClintock took. It would make for great political drama to say the least.
If you want to look for someone to hang this election on, you should go no farther than California's present and past Republican leadership. I'll bet there was a national component to this as well. They were the drivng force behind bringing in Schwarzenegger. They knew it would place a sheet of ice under McClintock's political feet. It's time for California's rank and file to tell the national republican party to go to hell. It's time for them to rise up and force the in-state leadership to walk the plank.
You'd be surprised how conservative the Young Republicans group and even rank and file republican party actives are. For the last fifty years, whenever the state leadership was threatened by the rank and file conservative, the national RNC would recorganize state leadership to defeat that eventuality. This happened just a year or so again.
That's it in a nutshell.