OC Blog

And From A Delirious Precinct Of The Right...

The Left has Daily Kos. The Orange County Right has Powder Blue Report. Here's the latest fevered fulmination from the land where the only thing separating America from achieving utopia is stopping illegal immigration:

Welcome To Orange County DC GOPers
That sure was nice of John Campbell to fly all of you guys out here for a little GOTV effort. Make sure to let all the voters know that John voted to give illegal aliens tuition benefits and matricular consular cards for valid IDs and see what their reaction is. You'll probably get a polite no thank you or the door slammed in your face. Well I guess it doesn't matter because the Gilchrist team has every precinct covered with walkers and we will be letting all the good people know the facts about John Campbell's voting record. So enjoy Orange County for the next couple of days and tell President Bush not to give amnesty to illegal aliens when you back to DC.

Allan, no one in this race denies that illegal immirgation is a major problem that needs to be confronted, controlled and brought to an end. But by characterizing anyone who may not be 100% with you on this issue as a running dog of La Raza, you alienate those who would be your allies.

From The Fever Swamps Of The Left...

Check out this thread from Daily Kos, where some hardy left-wing souls continue to believe, even in the brutal face of reality, that Steve Young has any kind of chance of winning the 48th CD special election. Their hopes seem pinned on a phantom army of RINOs materializing on Election Day to cast their votes for Steve Young.

Dream on, wayward brothers.

But hey, Young manage to cop a contribution from the mighty Kos himself.

And Nativo Uno Mas...

Here's Michael Fumento, a columnist who researches rather than simply bloviating (as too many columnists on both sides of the ideological divide tend to do), on Nativoism.

And Nativo Again...

I'd like to give better play to this mui excellente graphic of Cockfightin' Nativo by the OC Weekly's Bob Aul, and this Geoff Metcalf flogging of OC's dandy race-baiter.

Nativo Lopez Shrinking From The Light

Steve Lowery at OC Weekly did some follow-up on my story about Nativo Lopez's labors to entertwine MAPA with the bloody underground sport of cockfighting. Mr. Lowery reports that the attention attracted by my post and Gustavo's coverage have had an effect:

Though it’s difficult to question the logic of a person/weather system who believes that laws regarding a “sport” where small animals outfitted with tiny razors fight to the death amount to “atrocities,” the fact is that MAPA may have already retrenched from its earlier, Lopez-inspired position of support. Apparently Arellano and Jubal’s pieces made it around the Internet. Now the MAPA website, which once called SB156 “unnecessary” and “mean-spirited,” does not mention cockfighting at all.

Chris Norby On North County Islands

Supervisor Chris Norby sent out his latest Norby Notes, in which he discusses the fate of north OC island residents:

North County Islands: Transition Time

Of Orange County’s 3 million people, 96% live among our 34 cities. That leaves 112,850 residents living in unincorporated areas administered directly by the County of Orange. For them, the Board of Supervisors is their city council.

Some live in distinct urban communities like Midway City, Sunset Beach and Rossmoor. They generally resist annexation but lack the tax base to be cities of their own. Some, like Coto de Caza, are part of private associations providing many municipal services. Others are rural communities like Silverado, Modjeska or Trabuco Oaks whose residents seek little from government other than to be left alone.

Many are in so-called “county islands”. They are pockets of county territory totally surrounded by adjacent cities. These islands range from just a few homes to areas of several thousand people. For historical or political reasons, they remain unincorporated.

It is on these islands that Board policy is increasingly focusing attention. It is becoming more difficult for OC Sheriff’s deputies, building inspectors, code enforcers and street sweepers to serve these scattered and isolated islands. Annexation to adjacent cities would consolidate and make more efficient municipal services.

Annexation, however, can be a prickly issue. Some island residents fear greater code enforcement and higher taxes, while others welcome the greater city services that might be received. Many cities see annexation as a drain, as the islands have no sales tax base and could require costly infrastructure upgrades. Typically, the County offers financial incentives to cities to annex these islands.

 

Governator: Yes on 73, No on 79 & 80

Per Dan Weintraub's California Insider blog, we find out Arnold's stance on the lesser known Props:

The governor has announced his position on each of the measures on the Nov. 8 ballot. In addition to backing 74-77, as announced earlier, he supports Prop. 73, which would require teenage girls to notify their parents before getting an abortion, and Prop. 78, the voluntary prescription drug discount plan. He opposes 79, which would require the drug companies to negotiate discounts, and 80, which seeks to make it illegal for Californians to buy and sell electricity outside the regulation of the Public Utilities Commission.

Petracca Backs Brewer?

Village idiot and UCI Associate Professor Mark Petracca has this to say about Marilyn Brewer in the latest OC Weekly: Democratic Realpolitik.  In part,

Democrats need to vote for Brewer. If Democrats vote impulsively for a Democrat to fill that seat—and there are good ones—they’ll find themselves Oct. 5 with their thumbs in their bottoms and a hardcore conservative in the U.S. Congress.  It’s all about mathematics. Under no reasonable circumstances can a Democrat win this district, which includes the Republican strongholds of Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, El Toro, Tustin, Newport Beach and Irvine. In the 48th, Republicans outnumber Democrats by about two to one; the district has more registered Republicans than any other California congressional district and the lowest percentage of registered Democrats in any state congressional district.  So the choice for Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans is easy: knowing that a Republican is going to win, would you rather have Marilyn Brewer—an unpretentious, pro-choice, small-business owner—or John Campbell, an ostentatious, pro-life, wealthy car salesman?

"Thumbs in their bottoms?"  It's more like Petracca's got his head up his butt, as usual.  He also had this to say about Campbell:

Campbell is more at home in the rabid right wing of his party. He’s opposed to gay marriage and stem-cell research, for more war and guns, for less health care, and regards environmental protection as needless regulation. It’s safe to say that if it’s for death, Campbell is for it.

For a Political Science teacher with a liberal Democratic agenda, he's not coming across as very bright -- or very loyal to his party. 

With all your ideas, Mark, why aren't you running and carrying the flag for the great unwashed instead of screwing your party pals by actually suggesting for a Republican (albeit, a RINO)?  Wouldn't you really be more comfortable in Berkeley?  Or East L.A.?

Greenhut On Brewer's "Hapless" Campaign

Over at Orange Punch, OCR editorialist Steve Greenhut today blogged an excellent post about Marilyn Brewer's campaign in particualr and about RINOs in general:

Thoughts On Brewer's Hapless Campaign

One local activist, getting a laugh out of Marilyn Brewer's list of endorsements, sent me over to her Web site. The list is funny. OK, she scored big with John McCain's support. It's not secret, however, that McCain has moved to the left on domestic issues, often supporting Democratic ideas and causes rather than Republican ones. Beyond that, there aren't too many local officials behind her, beyond Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher, the liberal supporter of eminent domain, corporate welfare, Smart Growth, etc. Former Assemblyman Ken Maddox backed her, but it's no surprise he is still bitter over his loss to John Campbell in the GOP primary. Maddox lost largely because he became a shill for the unions. Speaking of unions, they are on the Brewer bandwagon, along with pro-abortion groups, feminist groups, etc. The list of endorsements is quite small. It it were not double-spaced, it would not top one page. You'll find the New Majority, the Republican group formed to moderate the party, has supported John Campbell. I suppose that's because the group is run by adults, who recognize that Campbell will do the best job championing the causes they care about -- business issues. It also shows what a strong candidate Campbell is: he has credibility among moderates and conservatives.

I'd rather have a Democrat in Congress than Brewer. At least then the Republicans could fight back against the candidate. It does the party no good to have such a big tent that those within the tent undermine or oppose most of their values and policy positions.

It's ironic that the lefty Republicans always claim to want to expand the party's appeal. They often cite diversity and attracting minorities as reasons to vote for them. But these type of Republicans have zero appeal in working-class and minority communities. They represent the liberal elite. The eminent domain issue is instructive here. John Campbell, as a real conservative, has been active in trying to stop its abuse. Even some Democrats, such as Lou Correa and Tom Umberg, are against eminent domain, recognizing that it gives wealthy people more power over poorer people. The liberal Republicans tend to love eminent domain, because they represent the status quo business establishment that doesn't like to be bothered by those pesky homeowners who value their neighborhoods.

Liberal Republicans also are pro-abortion, which alienates them from many minorities, who tend to be pro-life. They often are hostile to religion. They want to limit growth, and micromanage development through Smart Growth and various environmental policies, which benefits the wealthy over the poor. These retrictions make it harder for, say, the Latino working class to afford to buy homes.

Liberal Republicans claim to be taking the GOP back from the far-right, by sticking to economics and avoiding the social issues. But I rarely hear conservatives talk about abortion, while the liberal Republicans are fixated on it. When push comes to shove, the liberals are squishy on budget and tax issues, and are on the wrong side when it comes to property rights issues. They claim to be principled, yet note how Brewer and other RINOs are always pretending to be conservatives, afraid to let on that their philosophy is closer to the left than the right. How is that for principle?

Posted by Steven Greenhut -- sgreenhut@ocregister.com at 12:30 PM

GOP Ballot-Crowder Drops Out of 48th CD Contest, Endorses Campbell

I just received this press release from the Campbell campaign:

Republican Candidate Dr. Don Udall Drops Out, Endorses John Campbell For Congress

(Irvine, CA)  Republican congressional candidate Dr. Don Udall has dropped out of the race for Congress in the 48th district and has announced his endorsement for John Campbell.

“It is clear to me that, of the most active candidates, John Campbell is by far the best for our party, district, and our nation,” said Udall.

“John Campbell believes in a limited role for government, lower taxes and understands the importance of reforming the legal system and ending lawsuit abuse through proposals like “loser-pays” legislation. I’m confident he will be a very effective member of Congress,” Udall said.

Udall’s name will remain as one of seventeen to appear on the ballot, but he will now campaign for Senator Campbell. “I hope everyone will vote for John Campbell on Tuesday so we can avoid an expensive and unnecessary runoff election and have immediate representation in Congress on important forthcoming legislation,” Udall concluded.

“Dr. Don Udall is a patriot and a veteran. His family has served our community and our nation well and continues to do so today. I am very happy to receive his support,” said Campbell.

Practical effect: Campbell picks up the votes of Dr. Udall and his friends and family who are registered voters in the 48th CD.

But it does highlight the interesting issue of the impact of the more than half-dozen unknown GOP candidates on Tuesday's ballot. Whether each of them gets 1% or 2% of the vote will likely spell the difference between success and failure in John Campbell's quest to win 50% plus 1 of the vote on October 4.