Posted on 02/11/2005 6:13:53 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - A proposal that would let the California Republican Party make an early endorsement of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and allow early party contributions to his re-election campaign led a longtime activist to resign from a key party committee Friday.
Dora Kingsley said the rule proposed by party Chairman Duf Sundheim for consideration at the party convention this weekend in Sacramento could bring criticism of Schwarzenegger.
The state Democratic Party allows such preprimary endorsements, but Kingsley said the GOP rules prohibit them "in order to protect the integrity of the nomination process."
Changing the rule could "lead to loss of the voters' confidence," she said in her resignation letter.
Schwarzenegger's record-setting fund-raising already has drawn criticism, while his California Recovery Team is joining a lawsuit seeking to overturn limits on how much donors can give to ballot measure committees run by officeholders.
Kingsley's objections are "completely without merit," said party spokeswoman Karen Hanretty. "These are one-time rules that would allow us to support Gov. Schwarzenegger and his reform agenda."
The procedural change "will basically allow the governor's and the party's infrastructure to merge" should Schwarzenegger seek re-election, an announcement he has yet to make. Besides discouraging challengers, Schwarzenegger could take advantage of the party's fund-raising and bulk mailing privileges.
Sundheim raised the idea, which Schwarzenegger supports, Hanretty said. The governor's office declined comment, and Schwarzenegger's political aides did not return telephone messages from The Associated Press.
Hanretty said the party "welcomes Dora Kingsley's resignation," and accused her of "trying to draw attention to herself" by releasing the letter publicly and resigning instead of working within the Rules Committee against a change she opposes.
Kingsley, however, said she was appointed to the seven-member committee by Sundheim and felt it was better to resign than to vote against his proposed change.
"This is not about Gov. Schwarzenegger, this is about Duf Sundheim jumping the gun," said Elizabeth Blackney, a spokeswoman for Kingsley. Kingsley, a conservative, is aligned with former party chairman Gerald L. Parsky, who has been in a yearslong running battle with Sundheim.
Parsky, who is President Bush's point person in California, did not return a telephone message from The Associated Press.
Mike Spence, president of the conservative California Republican Assembly, acknowledged "there is a downside," but predicted the change will pass when it comes before Rules Committee Saturday and the general convention on Sunday.
So Spence plans to urge rules committee members to broaden the rules change to also permit the party to endorse conservative state Sen. Tom McClintock of Northridge for lieutenant governor.
"That way the top of the ticket is unified," Spence said. But, he said, "the last time we did this was for Dan Lungren in '98, so I don't know that we have that good a track record."
Lungren lost handily to Democrat Gray Davis, who was then lieutenant governor.
It's Duf's idea, btw, per the article.
Besides, the dems do it.. so it's OK.
The primary process has been a big ongoing joke on the CA GOP side for years anyway, like the CA GOP supports their duly elected primary winners as a rule anyway since Parksy Firestone commandeered the party leadership role..
And you wonder how the unions and such got so powerful ij cahoots with the dems, it ain't all the dems fault., trust me. lol
"This is not about Gov. Schwarzenegger, this is about Duf Sundheim jumping the gun," said Elizabeth Blackney, a spokeswoman for Kingsley. Kingsley, a conservative, is aligned with former party chairman Gerald L. Parsky, who has been in a yearslong running battle with Sundheim.
If Parsky/Firestone commandeered the party before, based on what is reported does that say Sundheim is trying to comandeer it now? (or has?) I know nothing about party politics (obviously! lol).
FRankly, I don't know what the heck they are trying to accomplish. a show of unity?
It isn't like they were trying real hard to win statewide general elections the last few go arounds, that seems to be their normal mode of operation, aRnold or not.
It is amazing that the ruling US political party is so poorly organized in the largest state in the union. It comes as no surprise that the group which fractured the party in the late 1990's is also the same group that hijacked the fractured party in 2003.
Should we name names?
Parsky, Rove, Firestone,, a whole bunch of New Majority folks no one knows that much about except they are for the most part , wealthy and connected.. and desirous of ignoring the grassroots as much as they can..
Yup, real die-hard conservatives, everyone of 'em, huh?
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