Republicans ponder big loss in California

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 11/4/10 | Joe Garofoli,John Wildermuth, Chronicle Staff Writers

[SmithL]

alifornia 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....

Democrats' registration

Part of the reason, as Fiorina said in her concession speech Wednesday in Irvine, is that "we could not overcome the (2.3 million) registration advantage the Democrats have, particularly in Los Angeles."

Whitman started making in-roads among Latino voters by spending $12 million in Spanish-language advertising and outreach. But any goodwill evaporated in October after Whitman struggled to handle revelations that she had employed - and fired - an undocumented immigrant as her housekeeper for nine years.

"It's a white party" in an increasingly diverse state, said Robert Huckfeldt,... "What you saw in this election was a lot of partisan voters coming home to their party."

Every Republican paid for the Legislature's agreement to raise taxes as part of the 2009 state budget deal. "It damaged the brand,"

[Schatze]

They might as well elect leaders of drug cartels next.

Why should they bother running for election? Threats of cutting people's heads off (as has been done in Arizona) might be enough for them to just take over.

[tennmountainman]

Not my state. I live in Tennessee.

[kbennkc]

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

Nonsense. Repugnicans know exactly why they lost in Califa. No true Republican would change his conservative/libertarian positions to get elected.

Rats make the majority of Califa voters happy.

"Operant conditioning", as Dr. Skinner used to say to me while I was sweeping up. I would say back to him, "B.F.", (he asked me to call him B.F.), "I want those monkeys to like me. What if I just give them the banana?"

I'll never forget what he said.

"Bad janitor, bad! Adverse Consequences! Didn't you ever wonder why they call me B.F., when my name is Jeff?"

[Old North State]

This is actually good... I tend to agree, California, and to a lesser extent New York, are in denial. They refuse to believe there is any need to return to fiscal sanity. It is ironic that they elected Jerry Brown to lead them out of this mess, as he is the one that led them into it by letting the State Employees organize. For all I know Meg Whitman is a great manager, but California is not a management problem amenable to managerial solutions. The Democrats who live there refuse to believe the State can ever run out of other people's money and that the Government can go on raising taxes forever.

[lowbridge]

Meg Whitman couldn't win the governorship despite straddling the political middle

Despite or because of?

[Cicero]

Nobody said it would be easy. There was one window of opportunity to try, because Gray Davis was so bad that even the California voters understood that change was needed. But whoever was elected to as a Republican governor would have to fight and argue and persuade full time every day.

I think Bill Simon had the principles and the determination to do that. Arnold just didn’t. So he eventually caved in and gave up. The voters don’t entirely understand why things are so bad, but they do see that the state is much worse off after a Republican governor than it ever was before, so they decided to try the Democrats again. Arnold had the chance, a difficult chance, and he blew it.

[kbennkc]

Karl Rove, who persuaded Bush not to back Bill Simon

After Arnie's speech at the repugnican convention, Orrin Hatch started talking about amending the Constitution to allow naturalized citizens to serve as POTUS. That's when I knew it was time to put Orrin to sleep.

[LottieDah]

“...CA would have been a different scene if he had been Gov. instead of Schwartzenkennedy.”

What about the Democrats in the State house? Would McClintock have been able to keep them in line? I am not a Californian. I am just asking.

[A CA Guy]

Simon wasn’t the issue, that election against the unions where the unions won was the Alamo of that time.

[henkster]

You are correct. California is a lost cause. Let it die. At least with a GOP Congress fighting its own deficit problem, there should be no bailout when Gov. Moonbeam bankrupts the state next spring. After all the businesses shut down and the rioting subsides, maybe we can salvage something from the wreckage. But for now, let it burn.

[Paul8148]

Good news is Clooney is likely to pull it out for AG when the Absteene ballots get all counted. He started 25,000 votes behind and is down to only 9,000 votes with still tons more votes to go, atleast 100,000 plus in Orange Country alone.

[EyeGuy]

“After all the businesses shut down and the rioting subsides, maybe we can salvage something from the wreckage.”

###

Perhaps.

But to return California to its past American magnificence and glory, would require a ....ahem....shift in its demographics.

[Bitsy]

The dwindling productive class is no longer in control of its own destiny if it stays in California.

It is amazing how leftists, liberals and muslims can take a beautiful place and bring it to ruins.

[Niteranger68]

It's official....compared to the other states in the nation, California is severely retarded. Personally, I hope all the dependent parasitic leeches consolidate in CA. Then they can all suffer together.

[pacpam]

McClintock could not get elected when he ran for a state level position.

Brown will destroy Prop 13 to balance the budget. Just watch and weep.

[calcowgirl]

Part of the reason, as Fiorina said in her concession speech Wednesday in Irvine, is that "we could not overcome the (2.3 million) registration advantage the Democrats have, particularly in Los Angeles."

Hogwash. She couldn't overcome the largely apathetic voters who are sick and tired of being given the choice between a communist and a terminally flawed big government Rockefeller Republican. There are 17,285,883 registerd voters in California. Only 44.2% of them bothered to vote. When the Republican candidate runs endless ads claiming they will oppose their party, advocates for the DREAM Act and repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, won't denounce the global warming hoax and talks of how "green jobs" will save the economy, the thinking-class tunes out. Her backers and campaign advisors were the epitome of arrogance thinking they could overcome her horrendous record in California (HP/Lucent) if they just spent millions more. As Meg has proven, like Huffington and Checchi before her, money cannot buy elections in California.

To say that Fiorina is a conservative is a joke. She ran a campaign far left of Schwarzenegger and gave every indication she would act as a John McCain or Lincoln Chaffee "Republican."

Time to get our pitchforks and oust the GOP "leadership" that forced these worthless candidates. Note to Karl Rove: quit recruiting Democrats!

[A CA Guy]

We’ll take what we can get. Did any of the Republicans win dog catcher?

[A CA Guy]

We’ll take what we can get. Did any of the Republicans win dog catcher?

[A CA Guy]

We’ll take what we can get. Did any of the Republicans win dog catcher?

[A CA Guy]

We’ll take what we can get. Did any of the Republicans win dog catcher?