I used to have mixed feelings on the topic of whether the county party should endorse candidates in local races.
After watching how their endorsement committee has cluster f-ed the process in Huntington Beach, I don’t anymore. Just take a look at this rundown of how various candidates fared in front of the OCGOP:
Matt Harper—Endorsed
Clearly, Harper is the single most desirable candidate in this race. He has proven during his time as an elected trustee of the HBUHSD that not only is he a high thinker, he will be a consistent advocate for limited government and fiscal prudence. They managed to get this one right.
After reading the rest of this post, you’ll see what a miracle it is that they did.
Billy O’Connell—Denied
Was this fiscal conservative turned down by the committee for some philosophical shortcoming? Maybe it's just because he’s relatively new to politics and isn’t considered a frontrunner?
No.
Billy’s transgression was that in the past, he had written campaign contributions to a handful of Democrats and the OCGOP has a new rule: write a check to a Dem, get excluded automatically.
What sort of idiotic criterion is that?
Personally, I have written checks to a number of appalling candidates over time. Why? In most instances, it was a trade-off with a Democrat friend of mine who would also at times be raising funds for a particular candidate on his side of the aisle… I write a check to Villaraigosa, you write a check to my guy. In another instance 6 or 7 years ago, it was because I was part of a donor group for AIPAC, which is non-partisan in its ongoing mission of fighting for a secure Israel, and I had committed to donating $10k over a cycle to support one of their donor programs-- a grand at a time to 10 different members of Congress, regardless of party.
So if I were to run for office—relax, everyone, not happening—I’d be excluded from gaining the endorsement of my county party? Are you bleeping kidding me?
Who the heck sits on the OCGOP’s endorsement committee, anyway? That moronic rule had to have come from someone who has never written a check to a candidate. Had to have.
Did they even know that O’Connell runs a non-profit women's shelter, that he needs to get in front of politicians on both sides of the aisle to help advance the interests of his business? More broadly, is there no room for political converts? What if the simple story had been that he used to be a Democrat? That's not the case with O'Connell, but is there no room for Ronald Reagans in the Orange County GOP? Give me a break!
The rule that barred him from receiving your endorsement is ridiculous on its face.
Just. Plain. Stupid.
Barbara Delgleize—Denied
Why was this fiscal conservative sent packing by the all-knowing endorsement committee? Her stances on abortion and gay marriage.
Precisely when would an issue concerning abortion or gay marriage come for a vote before the Huntington Beach city council?
Never, that’s when.
And if you talk to a couple endorsement committee members off-the-record, they’ll admit to that.
In their clairvoyance, however, their reasoning behind denying Delgleize was that city council candidates sometimes become candidates for higher office, so it’s best to shut down such social-policy infidels in their political cradles.
Bravo.
If the endorsement committee is so full of foresight, shouldn't it have been easier for them to envision a run for higher office by current council member, Don Hansen, even perhaps as soon as the next cycle? Since he is one of the two good votes on the H.B. dais today, wouldn’t they want to try to help give him the working majority he needs to rebuild this city? Along with Harper, he supports both O’Connell and DelGleize. Wouldn’t you want to support this solid Republican's favored candidates?
And like O'Connell, Delgleize was told specifically by the public safety unions she could dream on about their endorsement because of her views on pension reform and her support for Measure O, the infrastructure charter amendment on this year's city ballot.
Again, the reasoning behind this candidate’s denial is absurd.
Fred Speaker—Endorsed
Fact: Fred Speaker was endorsed by the public safety unions in Huntington Beach before receiving the OCGOP nod.
Fact: Along with the union endorsement comes a wave of financial support for the candidate.
Fact: Fred Speaker is the only candidate who’s going soft on Measure O, one of the year’s defining taxpayer vs. union battles anywhere in this state. Indeed, it is highly likely Speaker has made an explicit deal on this issue with the unions in return for their support.
Fact: The OCGOP has a rule that says it will oppose any candidate that receives union contributions.
Yet they endorsed him anyway!!
Am I the only one whose head is exploding here?!
If this guy gets to send out flyers with both the endorsement of the big unions here AND the Republican Party, he'll be a virtual shoe-in. If they don’t reverse this decision-- so far, he has only passed through the endorsement committee and faces the full county GOP next-- on Monday night, the county party may have handed the balance of power the the county's 3rd-largest city to those public employee unions it claims to so adamantly oppose.
Dear OCGOP: regardless what you do with O’Connell and DelGleize— my understanding is that it's "too late in the process" for them to be re-considered, whatever that means-- at least pull your heads out and kill the endorsement of union favorite, Fred Speaker.
If you do, you'll at least retain some shred of credibility with conservative politicos on this side of Orange County.
Longer-term: since on the first pass you managed to get 75% of the possible Huntington Beach endorsements that came before you wrong, maybe you should get out of the business of endorsing candidates altogether.
I'm sure that one ranks as "fat chance" since holding this endorsement power is quite intoxicating for some of the folks on that committee, but seriously: maybe it would be better if you just stuck to raising money, registering more Republicans and getting out the vote on election day.
Those are all very important, valuable tasks.
And you'd piss off a whole lot fewer fellow Republicans along the way.
Comments
Mr. Hanlon makes some good
Mr. Hanlon makes some good points. While I still do not believe that public safety endorsements are the curse that Chip (and the OCGOP) claim, endorsing good Republicans over other equally good Republicans is quite troubling and distracts from the goal of actually getting more Republicans elected.
Understood on public safety
Understood on public safety union endorsements--at least, I realize it's often very difficult for candidates to win without them.
In HB in 2010, though, it is defining. We have a charter amendment on the November ballot they're going to spend like mad to beat, and their contracts will be coming up before the next council-- something they've been honing in on.
In our city, their support this year is very telling, as they were predicating their endorsements on where candidates stood on these issues.
Thus, in Huntington this year: if you have their support, that should be a big, yellow flag to voters that a candidate will be looking out for union interests, not those of taxpayers.
Voting By Party On The Local Level?
You make some excellent points in this post. Especially about contributions on the local level. But more importantly than that is the notion that party affiliation matters on a local level. Seems to me that we just want honest people who actually care about our city on our city councils. Heck if I had to vote party line around these parts, I'd never vote.
The entire notion is about as idiotic as Larry Gilbert, who actually stated on September 2nd, "You are truly an amateur in the world of politics. While this is a non-partisan race, you do not endorse a registered Democrat..." And the part that is non-partisan is anyone's guess at this point.
This "us and them" mentality has gone way too far in this country and it will be our downfall.
Thanks for this article.
You're right Chip.
And as long as the OC Republican Party continues this nutty endorsing thing, many of us will refuse to write checks for the party, but instead will support and fund Delgleize and other "rejects" who we've been encouraging to run for years and who will be outstanding leaders when they win.
What a losing strategy for OC Republicans.
speaking of helping democrats
Wasn't OCGOP Chairman Scott Baugh part of a lobbyist firm that included Willie Brown and that gave tens of thousands of dollars to Democrat politicians? According to their own rule, shouldn't Baugh be forced out as Chairman? It seems the height of hypocrisy for the OCGOP to deny endorsements to someone who donated to a single Democrat while electing a Chairman who was Willie Brown's lobbying partner!
enough already with endorsements
If the GOP would at least apply their new "rules" equitably they would be easier to swallow. But some are held accountable while others get a free ride, depending on who is in favor. The whole process is nutty, and the party's credibility may be even worse now than prior to the toothless, gutless Baugh Manifesto, (which I had cheered) since we see GOP candidates STILL accepting union help-and STILL getting the GOP nod!
Chip is right, enough already. The GOP is endorsing Republicans against Republicans, in many cases with no Dem in their races. It is stupid, and Ronald Reagan has to be spinning in that very elegant grave of his.
Central Committee needs to stop pitting us against ourselves, in what is sure to become a complete implosion, and focus on the fact that for the first time in history, DTS voters are the ones gaining ground. We are not losing Republicans to the Democratic party, but they are renouncing allegiance to the GOP.
GOP must focus on walking precincts, registering new voters, and quit devouring our own.
That's a switch
"The GOP is endorsing Republicans against Republicans"
HHmm...you thought that was just great when the Central Committee endorsed Shawn Nelson over Harry Sidhu. Is it only when they DON'T endorse your candidates that you to abolish the endorsement process, Cynthia?
That's a fair critique on the
That's a fair critique on the surface, and I bet Cynthia will both respond and at least somewhat agree.
Personally, I thought is was the most compelling argument of the pro-Sidhu folks at the time (I ended up endorsing Nelson). "What has Harry done so wrong as to be treated this way by the county party," some asked, fairly. Seems even more fair now in retrospect... very divisive.
But you're right: it tends to get you hot when it works against your candidates. In the instance I wrote about yesterday, the result of their horribly flawed endorsements/non-endorsements could severely screw up the results of a very important election in Huntington Beach.
oh no you don't!
Don't you lift my quote out of context. I object to it when there is no Dem in the race. In the case of the 4th District, it was not a primary it was a special election, with one of the most liberal Dems in Anaheim history in the race. Hell yes we needed to be involved on some level. We also knew that Harry had been pandering to the unions, which we saw play out in the well-over-a-million-bucks expenditure from Nick and Company. Meanwhile the whole process has become so hinky that it is just not worth it. Get rid of the whole endorsement process, at the very least if there are only Reeps running against each other, and get back to the business of registering voters before we are over-run by the Green Party or every other party out there that is NOT pissing off their own people!
Oh no you don't!
Homey don't play dat, Cynthia!
There were two strong well-funded GOPers in that race, Cynthia, and three weak, underfunded Democrats, in a conservative, GOP district. It was obvious by the time of the OC GOP endorsement that Galloway couldn't win.
Like I said, you lose credibility if you only complain when the endorsement process goes against your side.
The feedback to this article
The feedback to this article has been overwhelming-- all offline or in one-off emails to me directly, like folks have been afraid to say this out loud. The information now pouring in to me on this is almost overwhelming.
I'm not done here, not by a long shot. Hang tight...
go Chip!
You go get 'em my friend. You have the guts to say what we all are thinking. And do not let up until the job is done, PLEASE. You want help getting petitions signed? Holler.
Glad to hear you're getting a
Glad to hear you're getting a great response, Chip. Nothing worse than the silence I encounter on my blog. LOL. Seriously, I am glad to hear it. Something needs to change in this country very quickly because the contingent you've pointed out here has zero interest in governing, as in the give and take between people of differing beliefs. They want to control.
God Bless Chip Hanlon!!!!
If anyone has been scratching their heads as to why Republican registration has been slipping, Chip Hanlon has hit it right on the head. With nutty, and in some cases vindictive, endorsements coming out of a completely unrestrained and disrespectful nominating committee, voters are confused and distrustful. I for one seriously considered changing my registration to DTS after the recent round of recommendations from the nominating committee's coven. WHY? Because in many cases it was clear that the "choices" were not choices at all but retribution toward political enemies or narrow personal philosophy. It has been made clear that those who hold the nominating committee by the throat have singular, myopic view of what makes a "pure" Republican and there is little or no room for the rest of us. I'm sure they are all quite happy to have the Big Tent cleansed but someone at the OCGOP has got to figure out quickly that a party ain't a party without people.
...said Karl Rove regarding
...said Karl Rove regarding Mike Castle/Christine O'Donnell
Cluster
I am furious with my party right now and any endorsement at this point in local races is going to be meaningless. I will work to be sure anyone on the central committee, that allows fringe single agenda people to sway the endorsement committee recommendations to continue as the position of the Central Committee, is eventually removed from the committee! Scott Baugh - get a grip!
Someone Call Todd
I hear Spitzer has time - do you think we could beg him to step up and run the OCGOP? Todd-O could put a stop to Deb Pauley's foulmouthed, evil vendettas.
So, the GOP is a party of a
So, the GOP is a party of a fiscal conservatism only? Last I checked, our platform included life, as well as other social issues. Until the party removes those planks, the social issues are just as valid by which to judge a candidate. I may not agree with every endorsement, but the cmte is well within their rights to consider social issues. Especially when it comes to barbara who is very left on social issues. just being fiscally conservative doesn't make you a bad republican necessarily, but it doesn't give you a right to endorsement either. as for writing a check for a dem or being a registered DTS, well I agree with you on that - those are minor, technical issues and wouldn't even give me pause.
Time for the OCGOP to stop endorsing?
Ya think?
I have never seen the party so fractured as it is now.
We don't need the democrats. We implode all by ourselves.
Republican youth POV
Years ago, I worked with many UCI students that professed the value of being a Republican during our discussion around election time. They stated it was a done deal. They had to vote and register as Republican to get a decent job here in OC. Now, I understand the importance of networking and ideology, but that was not the issue. The issue was jobs. I have been employed in OC for the last 40+ years some basic, some as a professional, and no one on the interview panel has asked me my political affiliation. I understand that Republicans and Democrats supposedly have a finite line of differences, but are we not all trying to have the best representation possible.
In Anaheim, I want to vote for the best candidate and for some reason all we can hear about is party affiliation and big war chests. What ever happened to voting for the person and not because of political backers, fear of going against big daddy, and ultimate war chests. It is a non-partisan race and somehow we have allowed all of this Chicago type election foolery take place. Take out the endorsements and let the people decide.
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