Calf. State GOP losing ground

[Omaha Steve]

I posted on Thursday how Texas R's were losing power too.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/07/BANA14I7MF.DTL&tsp=1

John Wildermuth, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, December 7, 2008

With their registrations sinking and their political clout withering, California Republicans have come out of the November election in danger of slipping into political irrelevance across much of the state.




"There's been a broad repudiation of traditional conservative Republicans in California," said Tony Quinn, a former GOP analyst and co-editor of the California Target Book, which focuses on political contests in the state. "There are almost no areas in the state that can be considered safely Republican anymore."

Since 2004, Republican registration has dropped by more than 317,000 in the state, while Democrats have picked up 563,000 new voters. Five previously GOP counties, including San Joaquin, Stanislaus and San Bernardino, now have more Democrats than Republicans.

Things aren't any better in the Legislature, where Democrats hold commanding majorities in both the Assembly and state Senate. The Democrats picked up three seats in the Assembly last month, including the last partisan post held by a Republican in the nine-county Bay Area.

And with Democrats moving to eliminate the two-thirds requirement for passage of a state budget, the GOP could lose the last bit of real power it holds in the Legislature.

Ron Nehring, chairman of the state Republican Party, doesn't paint nearly as grim a picture for California Republicans, especially in the wake of the pasting the party took across the nation in the Nov. 4 election.

FULL story at link.

[EconomicLiberal]

1. The California GOP's best bet is to become more sane and less wingnutty

I wouldn't hold my breath though.

For such a Democratic state, California sure has quite a few pockets of strong conservatism.

[BlooInBloo]

2. You mean we won't have Mr. Manboobs to flopping around any more?

I'm crushed.

[tularetom]

3. South end of the Central Valley and the whole area north of Sackatomato

Check the presidential election results. Many of these counties were still pulling in 55 to 60 percent majorities for McCain.

Foothill areas like our county have very few voters but the pubs still manage to pull a majority up and down the mother lode.

They may be dead in the populated areas but we haven't wiped them out yet here in the boonies.

[TahitiNut]

5. Orange County is still batshit insane.

:shrug:

[Peace Patriot]

4. San Bernardino has gone Democratic! Hallelujah! I'm from there,

and I remember a vibrant, labor-oriented, civil rights-oriented, leftist Democratic Party when I was young and first became a party activist (in the JFK 1960 campaign). The leftist California Democratic Council had me out "bird-dogging" (canvassing) neighborhoods, for voter registration and the Democratic ticket (the first Gov. Brown and JFK), and I attended the CDC convention. San Bernardino became more and more rightwing freakish after I went off to college (and never moved back). I am overjoyed to hear that registration now favors the Democrats. I hope San Bernardino can now get rid of its obnoxious, pro-Diebold Registrar of Voters, who has been doing things like suing good, vigilant Secretaries of State (both Kevin Shelley, and our current SoS Debra Bowen) to prevent reform. I have a lot of relatives and friends in Sam Berdoo--all Democrats! This is great news. The Democrats in the majority once again! I think it's been over 30 years that the fascist party has been in control of things there.

Thanks for this news! I hadn't check stats there this election. What a delightful surprise!