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Carlos Bustamante Votes For Pro-"Card Check" Resolution
By Matthew Cunningham | 05/11/09 | 01:59 PM EDT | 25 Comments
I learned this morning the lone Republican on the Santa Ana City Council, Carlos Bustamante, voted at the May 4 council meeting in favor of a resolution supporting the federal Employee Free Choice Act, otherwise known as "card check."
For those who haven't been following the news, the intent of "card check" is to change how workers decide whether or not to organize with a union. Currently, it is done by secret ballot, in keeping with American tradition.
The Orwellian-named "Employee Free Choice Act" is aimed at replacing the secret with a system whereby a workplace is unionized if a majority of workers sign their names to a card supporting unionization -- hence "card check."
It also imposes mandatory federal arbitration after just 120 days of bargaining, a system that has served the teetering auto industry so well in labor relations for the last 60 years.
Now, under which system do you think a free choice is made: one in which a worker's choice to unionize or not is known to him or her alone? Or one in which workers are subjected to union organizer pressure, and everyone knows whether or not they support unionization?
If supporters of "card check" were honest about it, they'd admit that the secret ballot has become an impediment to unionization efforts, and so they want to abolish it.
There certain bright-line issues that separate Republicans from Democrats, conservatives from liberals -- and between those who support individual liberty, and those who support government control.
"Card check" is one of those issues, and I do not see how any politicians thinking to call thinking to call themselves Republican -- and expect the support of other Republicans -- could possibly support "card check."
I am hugely disappointed in Carlos's vote. In the past, he at least has opposed left-wing outrages such as the council's rigid opposition to allowing "big box" stores -- i.e. affordably-priced, non-union stores -- in Santa Ana.
I've e-mailed Carlos asking for an explanation, but I cannot see what rationale can be provided that makes any sense from a conservative or Republican perspective.
TAGS: Carlos Bustamante, card check, Employee Free Choice Act, Santa Ana, liberty
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25 Comments | Related Topics »Orange County (CA)
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Comments
Jubal,
I concur wholeheartedly with your comments in this post. It saddens and troubles me greatly to know the lone Republican on my City Council can't be counted on to stand on Republican Principals of protecting the indiviudal freedoms of the little guy against big government or powerful union leadership - either one commonly known as "Thuggery."
Shame on Carolos for voting this way! I can assure you the 69th Assembly Caucus of the OCGOP has taken note and is non too pleased with this. It will come back to bite him when he seeks Party support for anything in the future.
Semper Fi,
Tim
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|In 1860, The Illinois Republican Party convention began with a grand gesture. At the invitation of the chairman, Governor Richard Oglesby, two childhood friends of Lincoln carried in two wooden rails he was said to have split thirty years earlier. Delegates then carried Lincoln to the stage and dubbed him the Rail Splitter.
Meeting just a week before the Republican National Convention, the state convention helped propel Lincoln to the presidential nomination:
"Abraham Lincoln is the first choice of the Republicans of Illinois for the Presidency and their delegates are instructed to use every honorable means to secure his nomination, and to cast the vote of the state as a unit for him."
This image of Abraham Lincoln the Rail Splitter was a signal that, unlike the Democrats, Republicans revered the free market system and people who worked for a living. It also contrasted Lincoln's working-class sensibilities with the elitism of his Democrat opponent, Stephen Douglas, owner of a slave plantation in Mississippi.
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|I ran into a OC legislator today and told him the news. His take: Carlos is finished in OC GOP politics.
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|As a Republican and long time Santa Ana resident I have also been saddened to find out how very liberal Councilman Bustamante has turned out to be. I wonder how the Lincoln Club members and other O.C. GOP faithful who supported him during his quixotic run for County Supervisor feel when they see votes like this. If Carlos cared at all about the GOP he could have easily been the lone no vote and his fellow Democrat councilmembers would have let him slide with a throw away vote that did not matter. To vote this way on a core Republican issue like this tells me Carlos will soon go Arlen Spector on us and change political parties. When he was seen as the "Great Brown Hope" Bustamante was happy to switch from D.T.S. to Republican to create some kind of political identity before running for office for the first time. OCGOP fat cats hangers on like Dale Dykma and Manny Padilla were only too happy to buy into his act. History tells us a lot about the future. Former Santa Ana Councilmembers Dan Young and Dan Grisett went from Dem to Rep in the 1970's because of the change in political winds and it sounds like 30 years later Carlos Bustamonte will soon officially become the Donkey he may have been all along.
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|Yes, his vote is disappointing and one he may not (or may) be proud of. But give him a chance. There was a lot of momentum from the labor movement in the room that night with all kinds of speakers. The resolution would have passed anyways, so it wasn't like he pushed it over the top. There is a lot of good that Carlos does in SA, so lets not rush to judgment. Perhaps some would prefer a pure left winger who is out pumping up the labor movement and registering more democrats. Carlos is probably doing the best that he can, remember it is six democrats against one republican.
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|Exactly! The reso would have passed without Carlos' vote -- and he voted for it anyway.
He was just re-elected, so it's not like he needed to suck up to the unions. The only plausible explanation is he believes in card check, and that is incompatible with being a genuine Republican.
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|Methinks Carlos thought this vote would go unnoticed!
Good catch, Red County.
Carlos had a lot of promise. What a waste.
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|"Carlos is probably doing the best that he can, remember it is six democrats against one republican."
Yes, and let's all review and pinpoint the reason why this is: Tim Whitacre supports Democrats as an elected GOP Central Committee member. He doesn't allow any credible Republican to run there he doesn't like -- and will do everything in his power to make sure they fail if they don't pass his smell test.
Anyone have a new registration form, folks?
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|Hey Anon @ 9:31PM,
You're funny! How can I "not allow" anyone to run...???
That being said, sorry, but someone has to have more than just an 'R' by their name to earn my endorsement and support.
Having clarified that, I've NEVER met a credible Republican I didn't like. :-)
Anon, When you find someone who actually lives in the area and has a verifiable track record; some money in the bank to help fund their campaign or the proven ability to raise the money to run an effective campaign; and the willingness to listen to those who know how to run a campaign and work their butt off to get elected, THEN I will be glad to consider giving my endorsement and support - first as a Santa Ana resident and then as an Elected Member of the O.C. Republican Party Central Committee.
Anon, if you consider yourself a "credible" Republican stop taking pot shots and contact me to help put our Party back on track.
Semper Fi,
Tim
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|I remember when Carlos ran the first time and sent out his own mail and all those GOP slate mailers claiming he was a rock solid Republican. He even claimed to be a "businessman" even though he work for the County of Orange. I remember seeing him being paraded around by members of the Lincoln Club and other GOP leaders who claimed Carlos was a Mexican Repubican who would help us battle the Democrats stranglehold on the Latino vote. I was willing to forgive him the "water bra" comment but when he lied to Mr. Jubal about making the statement which Jubal himself heard...well that was when I began to those hope in Carlos. Now that he has own his second term, and can run for a third in three years, Carlos knows he doesn't have to play the part of the Hispanic Republican any more. He knows he can never be elected to higher office as a Republican and he know that Dale, and Doy, and Scot, and the others in GOP leadership can't do anything to help or hurt him anymore. As for Mr. Whitacre, I appreciate his willingness to sign his posts and always stand up for what is true and right even when it's not popular. He stood up against Nativo Lopez, and Carona when no one else did. He helped Carlos get elected the first time but we were all fooled that first election. Mr. Bustamante should leave our Republican party. We have a big tent but we don't have room for elected officials who live there lives sucking up to the Labor Unions while those very unions are breaking our State, County, and City budgets.
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|Tim, I'll contact you and see if you have anymore Jennifer Villasenor, Tino Rivera, Lou Correa, or Jose Solorio signs to put in my yard. 2010 is right around the corner, pal.
Carl
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|"Carl,"
LOL!!! Come on by the house and I'll see what I can find in the garage for you; I still might have a few sitting around somewhere...
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|Dear RINO Guard, Thanks for the trip down memory lane with the reminder of how Dan Young and Dan Grisett switched from Democrat to Republican when they thought it would help them get elected. Sadly, that same Dan Grisett is currently appointed by the Santa Ana council to represent the city on the Metropolitan Water District board (MWD) and has voted over and over again to raise our Water rates. When will they stop using these old politcal re-treds to do their dirty work. With a city of over 350,000 they couldn't find anyone else to represent us?
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|I don't care who Tim Whitacre or "Car" or any other bloggers support for local office. What I do care about, as a Repubican, is how guys like Bustamante vote on core Republican Issues when something is on the line. It's easy to attend the flag day dinners or go to Washington D.C. (on the taxpayers dime I might add) to rub shoulders with Republicans or pose for campaign photo op's but you prove your Republican manhood when you vote on real agenda items and Bustamante just failed another chance to show us if he is an homre or not.
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|Matt,
Maybe you should have supported me last year against Busty. I am against card check.
But no, you ripped me instead and now you are stuck with the union shill Busty. Good luck with that!
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|Art, you're assuming you had a chance to beat Carlos. If given a choice between a Republican whose votes I sometimes disagree with, and an unstable, flip-flopping, pathological liar -- I'll take the imperfect Republican every day of the week.
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|I agree with Mr. Cunningham's evaluation of Art Pedroza's past campaigns and flip-flopping nature. Pedroza didn't even get 20% of the vote (if just his friends and family had voted for him he should have received that much!) when he ran for City Council and just barely nosed out the Ketchup Kleptomaniac aka Rocco! When Pedroza ran for school board he did even worse. He would have been against card check right up until the point he decided to support it which with Pedroza could happen 10 or 15 times in any given 24 hour period. I guess his Blog ratings must be dropping so he has to come over here to Red County to try and dig up a few readers!
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|One night after the election at Drinking Liberally I overheard Art Pedroza telling anyone who would listen that he lost the election because of Ryan Gene Williams. Perhaps if Ryan Gene Williams had helped Carlos in his campaign we would be taking orders from Councilman Rocco! Could a guy really just get 19% of the vote because of his campaign consultant?
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|Carlos Bustamante should not be allowed to get away with this vote in Republican circles. This is outrageous! How does one call himself a Republican and vote this way? "RINO Guard" is absolutely right - this vote would have cost him nothing as the lone Republican vote - it would have passed 5 to 1 anyway. Obviously the man is selling out to the unions; that's the only logical explanation under the circumstances. What a weasel!
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|I wish the O.C. GOP would spend less time giving pre-election endorsements and more time punishing elected officials like Bustamante when they go off of the reservation. The County Republican Party is like the toothless lion at the zoo that still likes to roar but but most who see it feel pity rather than fear or respect. Why isn't Bustamante made to stand in from of the County GOP leaders and explain his actions? Did Scot Baugh call him and call him on the carpet for his vote? I'm guessing the answer is no. Is it any wonder that we are in the political wilderness at the National level when our local GOP is even in the state it is today? Let's hope it doesn't take us 40 years to reach the promised land.
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|And why is he even relevent to this conversation? Besides, I thought Art's campaign was managed by that Sarah Michele lady. What ever happened to her?
Either way, Art has always been one to talk to good game but has never delivered on an electoral success or promise.
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|"I thought Art's campaign was managed by that Sarah Michele lady. What ever happened to her?"
The "her" was not a "she." It was a transgender dude who was hiding from some trouble he was in back in Mass. As I undestand it, he was either running from the law or a scorned lover, or maybe both... Anyway, he and Art broke up...
Art, care to fill in the blanks here for us?
Shame on Bustamante for voting to take way constitutional rights!
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|While I'm not a big supporter of Bustamante or Pedroza I just want to set the record straight regarding a previous post, Sarah is a pre-op Transgender individual who just happens to be one of the best campaign managers and bloggers in Orange County today. He/She and Art become good friends while working together on Art's blog and later while working on Art's campaign. Like Sarah, Art is open to new people and new ideas and is no longer bound by Judeo-Chrisian ethics or morals. Art has come a long, long, long way since the days when he opposed the Artists Village in Santa Ana because he thought it would bring in too many of the wrong type of men to Santa Ana. While I would never vote for Art for anything, I do respect that, as a married man, he still feels comfortable breaking free from his religion and following his heart when it comes to the way he chooses to live, vote, and run his business. While Ryan Gene Williams deserves some credit for his role in Art's and other campaigns, it was Sarah who put in the long hours doing whatever it took to make sure Art was ready for everything that came his way during the campaign. Bustamante may have won by a huge number of votes but Paul Glabb, his consultant, is no Sarah, transgender, or not.
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|Any contact from Councilmember Bustamante yet?
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|Dear Mr. Gordon,
Mr. Bustamante should be having Ms. Jill Arthur contact you regarding any potholes, graffiti, gang crime, or other problems in the near future. For political questions, please direct them to his campaign staff or Scot Baugh at the O.C. Republican party. On behalf of Mr. Bustamante I hope this has been helpful to you. Have a nice day.
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