I think this is on the right track – and not just for California
Can the GOP win in California? I very much doubt it. But if they ever are to do so, I agree that this would be the right approach:
[In California] Prop 47 downgraded many felonies to misdemeanors and then freed those felons who had their charges downgraded on an early release program. It is also state, and in most cities, municipal, law that anyone can steal up to $950 worth of goods a day without prosecution. Yes, you read that right.
Laws that prevent cities from cleaning out homeless encampments in residential areas and in front of businesses and provide access to drug paraphernalia and “safe injection sites” encourage a never-ending influx of homeless addicts and drug dealers. There are only incentives to stay on the streets. There are no policies that de-incentivize criminal vagrancy…
The voting habits of many Californians aren’t based on ideology, but on ignorance. Ask around about Prop 47 and you’ll be shocked to discover how few people know what it is or what it does. Prop 47 is easily the most insidious state law to ever victimize California taxpayers and most people don’t know anything about it.
To my mind, this opens up an opportunity for the GOP. With a recall election on the horizon, Californians have politics front and center for a while. There are an estimated 2 million conservative votes that aren’t cast every year in this state. Most of us feel defeated before we even get to the ballot box, and thus don’t bother. Does that surprise you? Most Californians would be surprised to hear that, too.
California is winnable for Republicans, with effort. Things have never been worse. People of all walks of life are feeling the effects of awful policy, even if they don’t know what the policies are. I think Republicans have a unique opportunity to educate voters here, and piggyback on the dismal sentiment the current governor has inspired in his constituency. There are votes to be peeled off, but even more so, there are “sleeping” votes to be awakened.
Again, I’m not saying such as effort would be successful. It’s a steep uphill battle. But I think the reasoning is sound. Specifically – and this is not limited to California – I have observed that most of the Democrats I know are very poorly informed in exactly the manner described above.
Of course, explaining doesn’t necessarily lead to voting change. As I’ve often said, a mind is a difficult thing to change, and voting habits in terms of party affiliations are often very deeply ingrained. Nevertheless, for many people an “Aha!” moment comes at some point. Perhaps for some the point is now.
And yes, voter fraud is possible for 2022 and beyond, but that doesn’t mean that the above quote isn’t a worthwhile approach, as well. At least so far we don’t have HR1 yet, although it hangs by a thread. There is no time to waste.
[NOTE: In that last paragraph of mine there’s a reference to HR1, and I assume most people who read this blog know what that’s about. Here are some of my previous posts about it. But it occurs to me that most people in general don’t know, and if they knew some of the details they would be incensed.]
My conservative California relatives say pretty much the same thing. They don’t think there’s much point in voting; they think the Republicans gave up on California and it’s lost. The rest of the family, Left Coast leftists, never make the connection between all the problems and the way they keep voting.
Kate – you have to keep reminding your progressive family members. “You should be happy. You voted for it!” These are laws and regulations passed by your elected representatives.
Tell your conservative compatriots that they shouldn’t give up the fight. But they have to get involved and get active. I was just an election time worker until 2020. Now I am a full time activist here in Michigan. There are many of us now. We know the steal was in and I saw it at TCF. Tonight I meet with another group to sync up and move towards a common objective.
It was the darkest time for the United States in the winter of 1776. But with work and pluck we ended up winning. Determination and perseverance has to be in our code now.
I read that article and it lays out the roadmap. But it isn’t going to be the comfortable party establishment that is going to have it happen. It will have to be activist groups like the Tea Party.
It can be done but it takes work.
LA cousins, whose parents fled the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, are rocked-ribbed Republicans. Undoubtedly their memory of what California used to be, and the Democrats’ role in ruining California, is one reason why they vote Republican. My brother’s children, all born and raised on the East Coast, now live in California. As they have no memory of what California used to be, they have no problem in voting Democrat, just as they and their parents did back East.
I cannot believe that “conservatives” would not bother to vote just because they think that they cannot win.
What kind of “along for the ride” attitude is that?
I do have a suggestion for youth in California. Go steal from a Starbucks, or any other woke corporation. They brought it on? Well then they bought it for you, too.
It is not really even immoral.
Now the question is: Is that $950 free stuff from Target, Ben and Jerry’s etc,. per day? Or is there some cumulative limit?
Hell, you could make a life off of 900 bucks worth of free stuff a day. That’s 300 k a year. All you have to do is make your rounds.
Gringo on May 10, 2021 at 4:55 pm said:
Do they have anything that we could steal? Or does the law just apply to businesses …
“Steal from a Liberal” the law says it is ok.
DNW
Do they have anything that we could steal? Or does the law just apply to businesses …“Steal from a Liberal” the law says it is ok.
A brother-in-law of my brother made big bucks working for a biotech firm in California. Like his sister (my sister-in-law), he’s a yellow dog Democrat from Massachusetts. He retired at 55, and he and his wife turned some of those biotech bucks into rental properties. Live Republican, vote Democrat. I hope that some of those rent-control laws that Democrats love to pass give him some problems with his rental properties.
That’s an interesting suggestion for dealing with “woke” companies in the state that made stealing under $950 a misdemeanor. You could probably find some underworld “godfather” to organize such a gang. OTOH, I have read that gangs are already doing a lot of the shoplitfing in Cali.
All the D friends I know have totally stopped paying any attention to any of the developments since Orange Man Bad has left. It’s going to have to hit them very close to home before they will start to react.
I see it happening her a bit in CT with the proposal of every town must have a set percentage of “multifamily housing” . Starting to infringe on their own territory and they are reacting. Nationally, not so much.
A big part of the problem in California is the jungle primary system. Top two vote-getters run in the general election, and since these are almost always Democrats, conservatives who don’t happen to live in a conservative locality often have literally no one to vote for.
I’m a conservative in the Bay Area and I always vote, even though the mail-in vote procedure now discourages me. I used to enjoy the pageantry and formality of the in person vote on election day. In San Francisco I once had a poll worker scream, “A Republican?” as he handed me my ballot. All the other voters looked at me and I glared back. Anyway, people here know they are governed terribly, but things for most have not gotten so bad that they will leave their tribe. They move first. I was hopeful that the homeless problem would change votes, but with so many working from home the problem is easier to avoid.
Remember Fabio, the dashing cover guy on the bodice rippers? I’m sure the average California woman dreams of Gavin rather than Fabio. He will rescue them from their dreary lives and take them to The French Laundry without reservations. And stop by one of his wineries on the way home. He will be very hard to beat with his appeal to the women voters.
The only way liberal/progressive control can be removed from California is with guns. Ugly and awful and unlikely to happen, but “Datz da factz Jax.”
I was born in California and now I am back and vote in California and have been tracking it for decades and I wish I was wrong but I am not.
There is NO Republican Party in California. There may be things that accept donations but they are just money toilets.
If you explain Prop 47–or any other idiocy–to a previously ignorant democrat, their response will likely be that it’s a good idea because…… But, since the dems proposed it, and the conservatives don’t like it, it’s GOLD, man.
I used to live in the Oakland hills, down the long road from Jerry Brown. Home break-ins were commonplace, and almost a matter of community fellowship. Everybody I knew in the area — without exception — had been victimized at least once. Even Jerry was not exempt, losing his Prius in the middle of the night. Nonetheless, not one of my friends or neighbors, almost all of whom are on the Left, had any sort of political epiphany, and most were surprised when I moved out of town.
Ca Gop winning elections has a couple of challenges:
1. State gop party is headed by a never Trumper. It shows in their outreach, plus who wins the primaries. And her election I heard used a lot of delegated votes. And the gop Ca party is pretty out of touch / clueless. Affirmative action initiative – silence by the gop. Critical race theory in schools – more silence. My guess is they are afraid of being labeled mean, uncaring, or horror of horrors, a racist. Or even worse – a Trump Supporter!
2. Jungle primary
3. Huge money / power of various unions, from police, prison, nurse, and teachers.
4. GOP got outplayed on the supposedly non partisan redistricting.
5. Term limits – it’s just empowered the lobbyists.
6. Legalized ballot harvesting
7. Refusal, except when forced, to clean up voter rolls. It’s hard not to get registered to vote when you get a driver license, which anyone can get.
8. Very expensive media market to compete in.
9. Lack of voter id requirements.
10. Primary date. By the time Ca happens, the party nomination has been decided.
11. Winner take all electoral vote – do we are treated as an atm machine.
12. Lack of charges for the assaults and vandalism that happened at the San Jose Trump rally.
13. Requirement for any donation over $50 is a public record. Brendan Eich got canceled over this.
14. Tech oligarch money in political process. We are home of Facebook and Google.
Ray SoCa said everything I planned to type, and more.
The State Party is horrible and we have not been able to derail the NeverTrumpers yet. There seem to be lots and lots of grassroots activists, though. A lot of citizens affected by wacko Dem policies. Look in that direction for a future.
“[Newsom] will be very hard to beat with his appeal to…”
Nonetheless, he feels it necessary to open up the taps and let the free money flow:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/french-laundering-ca-gov-newsom-turn-tax-revs-cash-giveaway-ahead-election
“E pluribus unum” has become (in the age of Bidenomics, AKA modern-day Boss Tweedism) “If you can’t coerce ’em, just pay ’em”….
Retail Lawyer – In case Newsom does lose, he can get help finding a new job from J P Sears.
https://patriotpost.us/videos/79693-satire-gavin-newsoms-job-placement-specialist-2021-05-06
He’ll never replace Fabio, however.
This is also on the right track.
https://thefederalist.com/2021/05/10/more-than-120-retired-flag-officers-call-on-americans-to-save-america-our-constitutional-republic-and-hold-those-currently-in-office-accountable/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_federalist_daily_briefing_2021_05_10&utm_term=2021-05-10
Does this counter the letter last year from the Retired Officers blasting President Trump and lauding the Potted Plant Candidate?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/24/nearly-500-generals-admirals-endorse-joe-biden-blast-donald-trump/3503917001/
So I heard from my brother-in-law, a native Californian. His opinion is the same as Vanderleun’s, above, almost word for word. He thinks the recall will fail.
Thanks to Ray SoCa and Jim NorCal for the information that the state party is run by Never Trumpers. Good grief. People who live in fear of being criticized by the LA Times will not energize voters. Here’s hoping the grassroots insurgency catches fire.
Even if a wave of “sleeping votes” is awakened, the fact is and the fact will always remain, “mail-in = Democrat win”. No lead the Republicans could ever muster on election day would stand in the days (or weeks) of “vote counting” afterwards.
That is why I am dual tracking working on the Republican side and the grass roots. The hurdles are huge but like anything else you have to start somewhere like the Chinese proverb. The longest journey starts with the first step.
What has surprised me is the Ca GOP has not used the initiative process to fix any of the California election issues.
My guess is a state initiative getting rid of jungle primaries and ballot harvesting, and adding a voter id requirement would pass easily.
Ray SoCa, that’s a great idea! Much better than this recall, and look how many signatures that got.
The national Chamber of Commerce and “Never Trumpers” allied themselves with the Corrupt Democrats because the Compton experiment worked so well. Compton was a ~100% Black community with ~100 homicides per year. The Hispanics and their gangs moved in. Homicides surged to about 200 per year for a few years then dropped to almost none. Compton is now about 60+% Hispanic with lots of opportunity for grift and “urban” profit. The ghetto “refugees” are coming to a neighborhood and/or suburb near you. Enjoy your yard/patio while you can.
Does this counter the letter last year from the Retired Officers blasting President Trump and lauding the Potted Plant Candidate?
Note, that was an omnibus collection of ‘former national security officials’. They did list one person who was vice chief of staff of one of the services. I’ll wager if they had anyone in uniform more eminent than that, said person would be listed. I haven’t seen the list, but I bet if you drill down you’ll find a large mass of people who are (1) retired FSOs, (2) Ben Rhodes types, and (3) Miles Taylor types.