Republicans ponder big loss in California

[Liberal_in_LA]

Republicans ponder big loss in California
Joe Garofoli,John Wildermuth, Chronicle Staff Writers

San Francisco Chronicle November 4, 2010

California Republicans woke up Wednesday with a political hangover. Nationally, they celebrated the GOP's taking control of Congress, but their dismal showing in California gave them a lingering headache.

Many of them wondered how they missed the national wave - and differed on which direction to go next.

They lost nearly every statewide office, drubbed by double digits in most of the races. Meg Whitman couldn't win the governorship despite straddling the political middle and spending a record $160 million. Carly Fiorina couldn't roust Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, despite tacking right and exploiting Boxer's low approval ratings.

For months, party officials boasted that their ticket was its most diverse ever. It included a pro-choice former corporate executive (Whitman); an anti-abortion ex-CEO (Fiorina); a pair of very conservative legislators (Tony Strickland and Mimi Walters); a not-so-conservative Latino who had been appointed to the job he sought (Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado); and a charismatic African American former NFL player turned businessman (Damon Dunn).

All of them lost. The only statewide candidate with a chance of winning is Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, trailing San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris by a fraction of a percentage point in the attorney general's race.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/03/MNV41G6FQB.DTL#ixzz14L16adpY

[tridim]

1. Take away their HCR. That should work!

[malaise]

2. They were

Terminated

[county worker]

3. Repubs constantly run anti immigrant ads then have a couple of on air interviews in Spanish language

media and think that wins the Hispanic vote.

To win in the central valley Repubs have to bash immigrants who live there and pick all the produce. To win on the coast they have to appeal to the wine growers who also hire immigrants. Not all farm workers are illegals and they vote.

[Kurovski]

4. There's a lesson in there for Dems as well.

"Go left, young man." (Or woman, or older man, etc,.) :P

The loss of Blue Dogs across the country is another indicator.

[county worker]

6. Sometimes I think that Dems forgot how to show people that progressive

ideas are in their best interest. Nothing in the repub platform is going to create jobs but people buy into the no tax, smaller government, no spending, create jobs by reducing the deficit meme.

It is only common sense that the cash being horded is because there is no demand. Someone has to start spending to create demand. If it isn't consumers who else can?

The wealthy are ok so they stand pat. Yet the electorate thinks that giving them more money will somehow bring about a different result than it did for the last 10 years.

[Old and In the Way]

5. I'm counting on Jerry Brown and the people of California to put a progressive

economy into play. Building mass transit infrastructure and a decentralized, labor-intensive energy strategy (wind/solar technology). They have the vision, the leadership, and the political support to make it happen. Perhaps we can point to the progress California makes in the next 2 years as a blueprint for the rest of the country.

[county worker]

8. We don't have the revenue to do that. We would have to raise taxes and that takes a

2/3rds majority. The things you list are mostly paid for with federal dollars that are returned to the States.

[robdogbucky]

10. County, that apparently cuts both ways....

Darrell Steinberg signals midyear budget talks
Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

San Francisco Chronicle November 4, 2010

"...Meanwhile, Steinberg's counterpart, Senate Republican Leader Robert Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga (San Bernardino County) said voters' message was "they want us to live within our means and they don't want to hear the excuse anymore that you need a two-thirds vote to pass a budget." He predicted that the majority-vote budget measure is not "going to make that much difference."

"There might be some Democrats who feel like this will make Republicans totally irrelevant," Dutton said. However, he predicted lowering the threshold will make voters "realize that's not the problem."

That prediction is not shared among conservatives. Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said Prop. 25 severely limits the ability of Republicans to impact the formation of state spending plans.

"Their ability to affect the budget process is now zero," Coupal said. Conservatives did cheer the passage of the Prop. 26 fees measure, along with Prop. 22, the bar on taking local transportation and redevelopment funds, even though that puts the $1 billion hole in the budget."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/03/BAOV1G6FFL.DTL#ixzz14LHTUBTE

[David__77]

12. These things can be put to a vote.

And, in fact, if it is written well, it can indeed pass.

[county worker]

14. But they then would have to be paid for with revenue bonds.

Which are ok of the projects have a return on investment and that return us used to pay off the bonds and interest.

It is a good way to create jobs without raising taxes.

[SoCalDem]

7. how they missed the national wave

We pay attention in CA.. we HAVE to because of all the shitty "propositions" the rich out of staters throw at us every time..

[Bluestar]

13. You are so correct. I'm always amazed at how my fellow Californians

can sniff out the evil backers of these god-awful propositions. We are the target of every nutball group and corporate interest in the country.

[CanonRay]

9. They didn't spend enough money?

:shrug:

[David__77]

11. There WAS a trend toward Republicans in California as well.

The generic sort of legislative races no one payed attention to trending more Republican than usual: that just got, say, 42% instead of 35% of the vote. There were effects from an older, whiter, less progressive electorate, but not enough to translate into any Republican wins. In two years, we should pick up two-thirds in both state houses, and congressional seats as well.

[WI_DEM]

15. The west coast, NV, CO, NY, New England wasn't bad for the Dems

this is our base. The South was very good for GOP and PA/Mid west was good for them, too, and that is the toss-up area. The midwest is where much work will have to be done for '12.

[shanti]

16. Kamala Harris won too

by about 8000 votes, but hey, she won, so that makes ALL dems winning!

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. There are 1 million absentee and provisional ballots to be counted.

[Hepburn]

17. Steve Cooley is a fucking asshole...

...I hope to hell he loses and soon.