CRA Endorses Mike Carona For Re-Election

This just came over the transom from the Mike Carona campaign:

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY ENDORSES SHERIFF’S RE-ELECTION

Carona gains key endorsement

Irvine, CA – The Orange County Republican Assembly on Monday night unanimously endorsed the re-election of Sheriff Mike Carona.  The CRA endorsing convention was held at the Irvine Atrium Hotel and more than a dozen Republican clubs from across Orange County participated in the convention.  The more than sixty delegates unanimously endorsed the Sheriff in a voice vote.

The California Republican Assembly is one of the most influential Republican organizations in the state, with a long history of conservative grass roots activism.  The CRA has additional clout because of its willingness to endorse in primaries.

According to Mike Spence, state Chairman for the California Republican Assembly, “The CRA endorsement will mean an even greater infusion of volunteers into the Sheriff’s re-election campaign.  The unanimous endorsement clearly shows that none of the Sheriff’s opponents have gained any traction what so ever.”

The endorsement is further evidence that the Carona campaign is running on all cylinders.  According to the Sheriff’s political advisor and former Chairman of the California Republican Party, Mike Schroeder, “The CRA endorsement shows that both the Republican elected leadership and grass roots volunteers support the Sheriff’s re-election.  The CRA endorsement is an indication of what will happen when the Orange County Republican Central Committee awards their endorsement as well.”

Comments

I think I underestimated the numer of voters it will be necessary to reach:

http://www.oc.ca.gov/election/General/1b-4.htm

This will be a daunting task.

[Betty Short]

"Bill never wavered from what he stood for"Which I respectfully disagree." Bill Hunt had so much respect for Carona that he sought his blessing and endorsement when he (Bill) thought Carona was not going to run for a third term.

The fact is when George Jaramillo was fired, and all the dirty Laundry aired (When was that March 17, 2005 or was it 2004 I forget) that's when Carona was knocked back a notch.

Carona did the right thing he fired Jaramillo, and replaced him with someone from within, the Used Car Sales Guy is gone.

He is trying to right the ship.

From what I am told, Hunt can not wait and will not wait four years because he will be to close to 50 and he will not get full Sheriff pay for retirment. It sounds like greed-and power on Hunts part. If he was truely concerned about "Integrity" he would fix it from the ground up-lead by example. Start with his Deputies-Sgt etc.

Did Carona ever actually indicate who he would endorse as his successor?

I do not think he'll make the same mistake as did Gates. People fail to grasp that Carona is 1800 because of Gates!

[$12,536.60 Reasons Why]

You go to a man with a gun call. Upon arrival you find out that the suspect has barricaded himself in his home with an AK-47. Do you storm the house with our deputies carrying their .40's and hope for the best because all that matters is courage, valor and integrity.

Or do you take cover, set up a perimeter and wait for superior firepower and manpower to arrive?

You all know the answer! You Hunt supporters have divided a department and AOCDS because you all think you're superior in brainpower and that because you believe Hunt is the best candidate all of Orange County must believe it.

Wrong. America's Sheriff knows what an election is and Hunt hasn't a clue. Carona has more money, name identification and incumbency. That is the reason Bill Hunt found it applicable to "adjust his principles" and ask our corrupt Sheriff to endorse his (Hunt's) candidacy.

If Hunt truly believed that Carona possessed integrity, honesty and etical issues why did Hunt suck up to Carona and as Carona to bless Hunt's candidacy.

Hunt showed his true integrity only after Sheriff Carona didn't endorse him because he was seeking re-election.

Schnapps, peach 1 1/2 oz.
Vodka 1 1/2 oz.
Cranberry Juice 2 oz.
Orange Juice 2 oz.
Pineapple Juice 2 oz.

12,000 excuses,

What the hell did you just say. Calm down a little, take a deep breath and then type. I know it is probably a little difficult to kiss Carona's ass while you type so stop trying to multi task.

Hey 12,000 plus,
Have you even noticed that the only posters here using the "fear and intimidation tactics" that some accuse Hunt of, are Carona & Martin people - like you?

You sure ignored Tim Whitacre's response to your hypocrisy rant. This post is completely about the hypocrisy of Carona and his campaign and the willingness of a few in charge of the County CRA meetings, to roll over like sheep from the lies and intimidation of Carona thugs.

It appears that a lot of CRA members are up in arms over the back room dealing that took place last week. Look for this "endosement" to be overturned as it should be. Hopefully, there are enough godly men and women unafraid to stand up and be counted.
Carona has no business seeking anything from CRA.

[$12,536.60 Reasons Why]

When Little Timmy W answers the following question, then he might have some credibility:

How is Candidate Hunt going to win a county-wide election with only $12,536.60 cash on hand?

Take off your girl scout uniform Timmy and answer the question!!!Save the loser speak of I would rather stand by a man of integrity b.s. and answer the question. OOH RAH!!!

[Green Machine]

I hate to engage in this obviously ridiculous thread, but I have to agree. John Fleischman is many things....but a thug?

If you Hunt supporters actually see Fleischman as a thug, then you've got much more serious problems than even I thought possible!

Okay...he is not a Thug...it was the JD talking!

[Tim Whitacre]

Anonymous at 4:21PM:

Great comments, I concur.

It's easy to distinguish the upset CRA members from the Team Carona members any day of the week.

I too, hope the CRA leaders repent and do the right thing this week. Otherwise, the various Units need to come together and denounce the bogus endorsement corporately.

Semper Fi,

Tim Whitacre

[Blog Watcher]

I agree, I have a hard time thinking of Fleischman as a thug. I saw him once in his reserve deputy uniform and I felt compelled to purchase some girl scout cookies from him.

That's gonna leave a mark.

[$12,536.60 Reasons Why]

Little Timmy W has finally lost it. He wants the CRA Leaders to "repent?" I had no idea that you could now tell leaders to repent! Repent from what? You just don't get it.

Cash on hand is one of the primary concerns any political organization considers before issuing an endorsement. Other issues such as incumbency, endorsements and name identification also influence a group's decision. Go ahead and compare America's Sheriff's qualifications against Hunt or Martin and it's plain to see why the CRA unanimously endorsed Mike Carona for Orange County Sheriff.

[Truth Seeker]

12,000 Excuses,

Tomorrow morning, Monday, there is a class at 0800 hrs, Santa Ana. I recommend you attend. The title is "Managing Change," ticket # 9808501, instructor M. Brown. The class description includes "Learning how to handle change successfully regardless of one's perspective."

Seriously, (although the class is tomorrow if interested), you are stating the obvious when you advise us that Carona has money, name recognition and incumbency. Tell us something we don't know.

As far as Carona doing the right thing when he fired Jaramillo, all he did was demonstrate his ability to use people. He knew Jaramillo was filthy when he met him. Didn't matter then and still wouldn't matter if George was not caught. Carona fired him out of convenience as he will to anyone in his way.

You are right about one thing, Carona does "know what an election is." That makes him a good politician. How about we try a dedicated cop as Sheriff. One who will stay in town, stop taking credit for other people's work and promote people based on ability.

You accuse Bill Hunt of dividing our department. Have you not been paying attention the last two years? We are not exactly a united agency. Members have had it with Jaramillos, Haidls, Murrays and others who have brought shame to us where ever we go.

Would you rather no one step up and we allow more of the same for the next four years? Probably so. Well, not going to happen. All ranks want change from the embarrassment we have evolved into. Other department leaders shake their heads in disbelief over the management style of Carona.

So you can attend the Monday morning class and prepare for change or learn to live with it. As Albert Einstein said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

From the Carona Chronicles Blog...

The Elephant in the Room
3/5/2006 9:17:32 AM

The Republican Party is taking it on the chin nationwide this year for a variety of ethical and criminal scandals. Just this week, former Republican US Congressman Randall “Duke” Cunningham from nearby Oceanside was convicted of bribery, (can you say Charlie Gabbard?), and sentenced to eight years in prison. You can never, EVER trust a politician with a nickname, right “Skippy”?

They are also saddled with the on-going saga in Washington and Texas involving former Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay who was indicted by a Texas Grand Jury for accepting illegal campaign contributions, (just like Skippy in the Charlie Gabbard “business arrangement”).

Right here in our own backyard yet another Republican scandal is breaking. The OC Republican party is being accused of illegally registering voters as Republicans. The story is just beginning to emerge in the press but it looks like documents are being forwarded to the DA’s office for investigation. That can’t be good for the Republican Party in an election year even with Tony “the Ostrich” Rackauckas in office!

That isn’t the only problem the Republican Party is facing here in the OC. They’ve got their very own scandal machine rolling along in the form of one Sheriff Mike “Skippy” Carona. It appears “Skippy” and “Duke” share more than just nicknames, Skippy’s former “brother, best friend for life” and hand picked “second in command” is facing similar bribery charges for accepting payments in a business arrangement with known felon Charlie Gabbard. The VERY SAME business arrangement by the by that netted Skippy over $29,000 in ILLEGAL campaign contributions, yet for some reason he has not been charged!

If Skippy is not guilty of accepting a bribe like his “brother” George Jaramillo, then he certainly is guilty of the same crime Tom Delay was indicted for, accepting ILLEGAL campaign contributions. It is an undisputed FACT that the $29,000 plus that Charlie Gabbard funneled into Skippy’s campaign accounts was in fact ILLEGAL! Gabbard’s own attorney admitted in a March 27, 2004 OC Register report that Gabbard “funneled at least $29,000 to Carona`s campaign in 2000 in hope of securing Carona`s support for his anti-crime product.” If that does not constitute a bribe what does? Regardless, the donations were illegal, Carona should be held accountable.

The Republican Party has some very real credibility problems they need to deal with fast. It will not help them to continue to rally around a corrupt county sheriff actively OR passively. The credibility of every elected official who has endorsed his campaign will be called into question. They can’t say they didn’t know. A casual perusal of the daily paper is all it takes to get the facts you need to make the right decision about supporting “America’s Sheriff”. If US Congressmen can go down for corruption, so can a two-bit county sheriff, despite their reluctance to address the elephant in the room, (pun intended).

Skippy is a very real liability to his party and ethical Republican’s should distance themselves from him as quickly as possible or they will be carrying his baggage with them right through the general election in November. Bribery and illegal campaign contributions aren’t the only problems Skippy and by extension his party will have to contend with, he’s good for a host of other scandals including sexual assault and sexual harassment allegations, misuse of inmate labor, misuse of county resources, selling badges and guns to unqualified and untrained personnel, and illegal reporting of campaign expenditures to name but a few. Skippy has got to be losing sleep over “Dukes” conviction and Delay’s indictment. He knows full well that the FBI, the Attorney General, the Grand Jury and the Fair Political Practices Commission are all looking at him very closely. They’re not doing it for fun.

[anon ii]

To all regular OC Blog readers/posters: On a scale of 1-10, how glad will you be when both Measure D and the Sheriff's race are over?

Please take as much time as you need to develop a correct response.

[CZ]

Truth Seeker,

It sure appears as though YOU had better be a student in the course you're advocating. Change, a buzzword for those who want to give the appearance of being astute, is obvious. It is only the phoneys of the world who need to attend such courses. For the rest of us, we deal with change every single day, from the latent to the pronounced!

Reference your most sententious:

"Seriously, (although the class is tomorrow if interested), you are stating the obvious when you advise us that Carona has money, name recognition and incumbency. Tell us something we don't know."

You especially ain't got a clue. You're one of those whose routine is to castigate those bearing facts. It is readily apparent you guys can't discern fact from fantasy. We've been writing here for some time now about Hunt's lack of resources, and you guys respond with the spot price of tea in China. No wonder no one takes you guys as being serious.

Anyway, it is enlightening to read that you're finally orienting your compass to reality. Without money, Hunt's campaign is nothing more than a pipe dream. How he got so many cops who demand to be taken seriously to following is tune is beyond me! I guess lemmings can be found away fromt he Artic!

Now let's see more of your nascent analytical ability: what are you going to do to overcome your candidate's obvious deficit? Tell me about this change thing of which you're learning.

CZ,

Move on.

[anon iii]

Little Timmy Whitacre is now serving as a political consultant for Lupe Moreno and her bid for the 34th.

Is Timmy W deserting Bill Hunt for Moreno?

Is he made of the right stuff to pull off two victories with virtually no money?

Tim is passionate about helping out non-carpet bagging, genuine Republican candidates - in other words, the best candidate in the race regardless of money. He pretty much works for free if he believes in the candidate and he loves the challenge of an underdog race.
Besides strategizing for Bill Hunt, he's the campaign chairman for Rosie Avila in the 47th, and helping Lupe Moreno as well. I’m sure he’s active behind the scenes in some other races too.
I've known Tim for a long time. He has stood tall in central OC without GOP help for too long. Nobody else would have taken it on the chin the way he has. If anyone can help a candidate do better, it's Tim. We could use a few more Tim Whitacres around the county.