There are signs that November is turning into a blow-out election for the Republicans and a blow-up election for the Democrats.
One sign is a hot take by Steve Lopez, a columnist for The Los Angeles Times. He had the audacity to blame the Republican Party for the state’s issues with drug abuse, crime, homelessness, poverty, and other issues.
While Lopez did note his state is run almost entirely by Democrats, he reasoned that the milquetoast Republicans in this state were too far right to get elected. Ergo, the epic failures are entirely the fault of the GOP.
So maybe you’re reading this and saying, “OK, but Reagan and Nixon and economic shifts are old stories. California’s Dems have been in the driver’s seat for years, and they’re soft on crime and the border, full of empty promises and way too woke.”Fine, but if that’s your perspective, whose fault is it that in California, Democrats are in charge?I have the answer for you.It’s Republicans.In a state that proudly celebrates inclusion and leads the resistance to the politics of race-based scapegoating, climate change denial and the stripping of women’s reproductive rights, the out-of-touch GOP has been hell-bent on shrinking its tent. Reagan, who signed an abortion rights bill as governor and an immigrant amnesty bill as president, would be booted out of today’s GOP…..Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican, left Sacramento in 2011 and no GOP candidate has won statewide office since then. None of them has offered winning solutions to deep-seated problems, and it might be too late for a party resurgence because as the electorate has grown more diverse, GOP voter registration has dwindled to roughly 25%.You can’t blame Democrats for that.
Here is the reality:
The reason for the Democrat domination is the jungle primary system, which California voters agreed to in 2010. Many warned that it would lead to a one-party state. However, voters were gullible and believed moderate policy-makers would ultimately be elected.
The system has its drawbacks, such as inviting mischievous tactics. For instance, operatives of one party sometimes clandestinely recruit multiple candidates in the other party to fragment the vote and help two candidates of the same party finish 1-2 in the primary. It’s happened a couple of times.
But change is afoot. Longtime former California Democratic legislative leader Gloria Romero has just announced she is leaving the Democratic Party for the GOP.
Gloria Romero, who served as the state Senate majority leader for three years of her more than 10-year stint in Sacramento, slammed the current state of her former party.Romero said she had been a delegate to the Democratic National Convention for both Jesse Jackson and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., adding that many Latinos and Latinas are leaving the party for similar reasons.”Today, I say ‘Goodbye – adios’ — I’ve had enough,” the former San Gabriel Valley lawmaker said in her announcement.”I am now another near-lifelong Democrat who is joining the growing number of people … who are leaving the Democratic Party.”Today, I join the Republican Party to make America great again, and I am ready to do my part as America prepares to vote,” Romero said, adding she has received a warm reception from her onetime political opposition.
Romero is another addition to the “trades” that show a political realignment is occurring.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY