-I'm a conservative Republican in the most liberal and strongly Democratic of states, and I am fiercely proud of my place on the spectrum. That much has always been clear to those who regularly read my work. My ideological position, however, is also a source of frustration when it comes to California politics: while the GOP has a legitimate chance to reclaim the White House and a legislative majority on the national level this year, in the Golden State we risk backsliding into irrelevance. I'm bloody well aware I'm not the only one asking why. But I am concerned that I'm the only one asking why it has to be this way.
-On the face of it, the environment in which we have to operate isn't particularly encouraging:the Democrats have effectively created a machine in Sacramento to create a state-level equivalent to their virtual monopoly in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. I find it pathetic that a party consisting of socialists using environmental conservation as a front for their platform have more sway in San Francisco elections than we do-in the city where we nominated Barry Goldwater. Electoral regulations-regulations in general-are a nightmare, and the demographics do not favor us-those individuals and groups most likely to vote Republican or at least identify as conservative are fleeing the state for the likes of Texas, Arizona, and Nevada, seeking better opportunities and the possibility of escaping before their livelihood is confiscated to feed the voracious leviathan that is the state budget, which is already embarrassingly deep in the red. And the fastest-growing groups of the population-Latinos and the poor/working class-are decidedly hostile to the Republican Party.
-But that in turn can only explain so much. I believe the root of the problem lies in electoral lethargy. We are stuck with a permanent small chunk of the legislature that threatens to shrink as more of our traditional base continues to flee California's smothering grasp. And all we seem interested in doing is maintaining the status quo-simply pointing out what is wrong with the state and not bothering to seriously hit the circuit. Perhaps there is a token appeal to voters who would likely vote for us anyway, but I'll say this: Since I started seriously following California gubernatorial and senatorial races ten years ago, I can think of exactly two Republican running in any of those races who actually bothered to run a television ad: Bill Simon and Meg Whitman. There are perhaps a few dozen who remember that Carly Fiorina tried unsuccessfully to unseat the certifiably insane Barbara Boxer the same year Whitman went head to head with eventual winner Jerry Brown (if something didn't work twice before, why not try it again when things are even more desperate?); even fewer remember that Dick Mountjoy was our nominee in the race against Dianne Feinstein six years ago (and the odds suggest she will again cruise to reelection this year, too). Even I don't remember who Boxer's last opponent in 2004 was. It suggests that we've simply come to accept that we won't gain any ground electorally. We've accepted that we've lost the race before we've even finished lining up on the grid.
-And it's pathetic. The Democrats are going to have the chance to turn California into their own sociopolitical petri dish to try their multitude of "great ideas." And when the Golden State lies in ruins, any and all souls who could have done anything to stop the decay and repair the damage-or at the very least paid the bill-will be long gone and those left will not be able to wrest their captors from power. I've already written at length about how the Democrats have built entire platforms on the establishment of the underclass mindset with key groups of voters that will ensure them a permanent voter base and make good governance impossible. Rather, I want to inspire the leadership of my party to turn the tide and restore California to it's traditional place atop the pedestal. And the way to do that, standing on one foot, is: Build on commonalities and, for God's Sake, be proactive.
-As should be our strategy nationally this year, the economy needs to be our primary focus. In California, it will not be enough for us simply to point out that we're "broker than broke," as the saying goes, and complaining about welfare abuse-though complain we should. I honestly believe that black and Latino voters in California could vote Republican in greater numbers within the next ten to fifteen years if we adopted a policy of independent economic empowerment on the stump. Rather than simply decry the excessive amount of welfare money Sacramento lavishes on them and then leave it at that (which, to be quite frank, is a half-hearted strategy when it's pitched at it's intended audience of pissed-off middle and upper-class voters who continue to get the impression that their tax dollars are being pissed away-which they are), the GOP needs to actively go to the communities and demonstrate how the free-market approach will work to black and Latino voters' benefit and with it the sense of pride and independence that comes from being in control of your financial lives-something relevant to a Latino voting community that, by a 2-to-1 margin, said that the impression that Republicans were a "country-club" party were the main reason that they vote Democrat in spite of the long-term damage to their communities and their livelihood that does, rather than a tough stance on illegal immigration which most pundits and the fascists at groups like La Raza claim.
-Speaking of which-it will benefit the Republicans to stick to their guns on illegal immigration-but only if they can articulate the intellectual justification for it. Open borders hurt Latino communities far more than most people recognize-or acknowledge. Combined with the lack of entrepreneur spirit inculcated by existing state policies and attitudes, it is causing an economic stagnation in Latino communities in California that risks becoming a full-blown depression-which bodes extremely ill for California as a whole. Businessmen and community leaders-including pastors in Spanish-speaking churches-note the low occurrence of Latino ownership in small businesses, especially in farming, and also comment on a lack of ambition and sense of upward mobility within these same communities. This is disconcerting when you take into account that Upward Mobility is the prime mover of the American Dream. When people are satisfied with low-level labor in an economy where such jobs are disappearing and in a place where there is a glut of people who feel the same way competing for those jobs-the end result of California's careless open-border policy-the consequences just within this community are dire. It leads to economic stagnation, higher crime, and educational stunting. In other communities, it generates fear and resentment-which only makes things worse.
-The California GOP should place an emphasis on educational success. Native-born children of Latino ethnicity-who grew up speaking English as a first language-far too often go through kindergarten in California in the lowest quintile of reading proficiency, and then go on to be classified as English-learners all the way through high school. The values of prodigious study and educational application must be stressed as integral to success. Latino boys and girls need to get into colleges and leave with degrees to secure their foothold in the economy. But they must earn their slots in college, rather than rely on the devious machinations of groups like the Latino Caucus in the California legislature to force universities to accept them through racial quotas. Another problem that needs to be addressed is the problem of one-parent households. It is already a tragedy in my mind that too many black families in America are set up for failure because the father isn't there. It genuinely bothers me that in Latino households in this state are increasingly seeing the father abandon his responsibility to the mother and the child. A cultural acceptance of promiscuity is another tangent to this problem. We can't offer a solution-nor should we suggest we can, at least right now-but what we can do is get engaged in the communities and have honest discussions about it.
-Community engagement needs to be another plank for the California GOP platform-actually engaging the voters and finding out their concerns and listening to their suggestions as to fix any problems would go a long way towards developing policy that allows for the growth of successful and safe communities. This strategy was a key component in the revolutionary reform of the Los Angeles Police Department. And it ought to be something we run on anyway-governmental devolution; power to the people; government of the people, by the people, for the people-we profess these as conservative principles, why not actually use them?
-And speaking of principles, one we need to remember is one on the social front. Social conservatism is a force in this country for a reason, and the left's blatant disregard-if not outright contempt-for the concerns, worries, and objections of the social conservatives ought to be recognized as more disconcerting. But a majority of voters in this state won't acknowledge those concerns because they view us as soft tyrants. Witness all this traffic from women's rights groups accusing Republicans of waging a "war on women" when no such thing is taking place. It doesn't mean a damn thing if we're on to something about the cult of self-gratification that has a hold on young Californians; they will only see us as self-righteous and sanctimonious because of our attitude towards sexuality. Specifically, how to deal with homosexuals? Considering most social conservatives voice their objections to this lifestyle choice based on religious convictions, I say we keep two things in mind: firstly, remember Christ's lessons to Love Thy Neighbor and to Hate the Sin, But Love the Sinner. Remember the Christian ethic of tolerance-it's part of the foundation of western civilization. Secondly, while I agree with my more socially conservative brethren that sexuality is getting a tad too open these days, I think our calls for more modesty would be taken more seriously if we remembered our half of the whole "keep it private" mantra by not going out of our way to crane our necks over the fence and peek into the bedroom window. I think it's worth losing a couple of diehards to make inroads to the LGBT voting community by emphasizing the commonalities. Gay right-wingers exist here and elsewhere, I've seen and read the proof; I say, let's give them a reason not to be embarrassed about not drinking the progressive kool aid.
-Above all, though, what the California GOP needs, more than anything else, is a new generation of advocates. It might make sense for us to leave for the friendlier climes of the intermountain West or the Deep South, but we need to remember why our families came to California in the first place, and we need to acknowledge that the only way to stop this backwards slide into oblivion is to take on a herculean burden and actively work to change the political climate. We have an uphill battle against us. But we stand a much better chance of winning the battles we need to win-and perhaps winning over voters-if we not only go out and fight for our cause, but fight as happy warriors. Relish the challenge. Fight like we think we can win. Much as I dislike the cliche, it is true that a winning attitude can make a huge difference in whether you win or lose. So, I ask you, leaders of the California Republican Party-can you make my Grand Old Party grand again in the Golden State? I've given you my thoughts. The rest, for now, at least, is up to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment