Republican candidates for governor highlight divisions within California GOP

Sacramento Bee ^ | March 16, 2014 9:42pm | David Siders

[blueplum]

BURLINGAME -- Booze-fueled parties Neel Kashkari and Tim Donnelly hosted at the California Republican Party’s biannual convention stretched into the early morning hours Sunday, their supporters dancing in ballrooms within steps of each other at the conference hotel.

Yet the gulf between the two candidates for governor could hardly be wider, and a weekend of campaigning laid bare not only the differences between them, but persistent fissures within the GOP. A vocal, conservative base rallied for Donnelly, the tea party favorite, while Kashkari lobbied a more moderate segment of the electorate, including young Republicans, minorities and the party’s donor and professional class.

:snip: The same Republicans who cheered Donnelly on Sunday sang “God Bless America” in the hotel the previous day, and they marched through the lobby chanting “Taxed enough already.”

Mike Spence, president of the Conservative Republicans of California, said, “This is a place that Kashkari doesn’t understand.”

:snip: Among the tea party activists who marched at the hotel was Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly, who held a sign urging party leaders to “listen to the people.”

She said Donnelly, unlike Kashkari, is “not just spewing forth the party’s talking points,” adding, “We’re not interested in obedient puppets." ...

[blueplum]

I'm betting on the pickup truck folks

[zeestephen]

If they both run for governor, and if they combine all their votes, the GOP would still lose by 20 points.

[SoConPubbie]

If they both run for governor, and if they combine all their votes, the GOP would still lose by 20 points.

Yup.

All of the blame lies at the feet of Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In a replay of what Governor Mitt Romney and his progressive liberal policies did to the Massachusetts; he and his progressive liberal policies destroyed the MA GOP, just like his counter-parts in CA did.

There is a direct line of causation between the failure to support conservative policies (failure to stand for anything but corporate and personal donor bottom lines) and the destruction of the GOP. We are seeing it played out at the national level right now.

[ScottinVA]

Cali still has a GOP? It so, what’s its purpose? It sure as hell isn’t to win elections.

[RginTN]

Doesn’t Kashkari learn from history? The CA GOP went moderate and the Dems control almost everything in CA now.

What’s this guys platform? Dem lite?

[zeestephen]

Here's a remarkable statistic from 2012.

White California voters supported Romney 53% to Obama 45%.

The white Liberals who created this catastrophe have all moved out of state!

[aumrl]

yes - I remember how dominant the Mass Rep party was before Romney

[oldplayer]

Forum Moderator, I want to report abuse of the English language! The reporter’s first sentence is pathetic. Grammar is more than a nice idea!

I’m sorry, it ruined my mood for the rest of the article.

Oldplayer

[EricT.]

Cali still has a GOP? It so, what’s its purpose? It sure as hell isn’t to win elections.

The first sentence of the article gives the purpose:

"Booze-fueled parties."

It's a country club.

[staytrue]

“Booze-fueled parties.”

My opinion is the booze fueled parties are better than the pot and cocaine fueled parties the democrats have.

[staytrue]

Oh Yeah

Conservatives Bruce Hirshinsohn, Bill Simon and Dan Lundgren did SO MUCH BETTER winning elections.

[Herodes]

Cali still has a GOP? It so, what’s its purpose? It sure as hell isn’t to win elections.

This. There is no GOP in Cali.