CRA Convention Wrap-Up - Winners and Losers
Posted by: Aaron Park | 11/11/2007 6:56 PM
The Biggest Winner- Mitt Romney.
Mitt Romney worked for it, got his delegates out there and secured the CRA endorsement. The CRA endorsement will be a major feather in the cap of Romney. The Guiliani representative attempted to weave a coalition of the delegates of the other Presidential candidates together into enough of a coalition to stop an endorsement to no avail. On only the second ballot, critical mass was achieved.
Dan Logue - he brought Chris Simcox, the founder of the minuteman to the CRA convention. Simcox was received like a rock star and the positive exposure put Logue in a good light.
The Placer County Republican Assembly - the host club received rave reviews from convention goers and the convention looks to have made a nice profit for the CRA.
Eric Egland / John Doolittle - Egland for acquitting himself well at his table and Doolittle for delivering an excellent, principled speech at the convention. CRA delegates commented to this blogger and others from the Placer CRA that they could easily understand why the CRA has supported Doolittle all the years we have.
Tom Mc Clintock - the CRA folk hero had his name used more than any single political figure at the convention. Of Course, Mc Clintock delivered the goods on Friday night when he spoke.
Rico Oller - the former State Senator made his first CRA appearance since Moderate Congressman Dan Lungren beat him in the Primary for the 3rd Congressional. Rico looked fit, trim and healthy. He introduced John Doolittle and made sure people knew exactly how he felt about "political opportunists". (Eric Kerry-Egland) He was quoted along those lines in the Sacramento Bee article in today's paper as well.
Losers - Alan Keyes, he gave a rousing and entertaining speech at the Convention, but spent most of his time railing on other candidates. His 8 votes in the first round of the CRA endorsing were all he could muster.
Big Labor / Thunder Valley Casino - they have put the gaming compacts of four rival tribes up for a referendum and the CRA recognized the Union led trick. The unions wanted to use smokescreens to conceal the fact that they were attempting to force "Card-Check" votes upon those four tribes. The CRA voted to take a yes position which is counter to a referendum.
Other notes - what did Egland accomplish by coming to the CRA convention? Not much once we informed CRA delegates that he was running against a sitting CRA-Endorsed Congressman.
The quote from Mike Spence in the Sacramento Bee article is referencing that the CRA was not going to endorse in the 4th Congressional this weekend. We will endorse in early '08 for partisan races that appear on the June primary ballot. (this includes 3rd and 4th assembly)
Ted Gaines came and spoke - he was as well received as any other legislator. He also showed why he was CRA-endorsed reminding everyone about the insanity in the capitol. Ted was not at the convention very long, as has been his recent pattern... he appeared and left quickly.
Eric Hogue was at the convention for a large part of Saturday and all of Sunday. He delivered the message at the prayer breakfast, he came with campaign literature in hand. So the 4th Assembly drama continues...
Assemblyman Rick Keene led music at the Prayer Breakfast and was very well received.
Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa was at the convention for the entire weekend. A really smart move if he is angling to run for State Senate when Sam Aanestad is termed out.
The aforementioned Sacramento Bee article is linked here.
I want a Karen England CRA report!
Aaron Kerry-Park you got all your talking points in, and you still jabbed Eric Egland. You have shown your true biased JD wet nurse. From this point forward I know that you are a JD hack. Your blogging means nothing from this point forward. You add nothing to forward any ideas to the dialog.
From this point forward every blog, sentence, word, letter, you write is like directly volunteering your voice to C. Brown.
Eric Egland represents the ideas, vision and future of this party and Aaron Kerry-Park is looking in the rear view mirror.
I believed that you of all people �Sergeant of Arms� would report the news not distort the events happenings with your blinded short sighted rose colored JD glasses.
You'll get a Karen England CRA report. Stay tuned..........
Hey "Blake Scribner,"
Lighten up on Aaron Park!
You have every right to support Eric Egland or whoever you want, but don't get so personal and snotty against Aaron. It doesn't help your candidate and it makes you seem pretty desperate.
I know Eric Egland and I know John Doolittle. They are both campaigning as conservatives. The real issue is who would better represent us in Congress and John Doolittle clearly has the edge there. You don't have to attack either candidate (who are both good men) to address the issues.
Primaries can be a lot of fun -- but let's not spoil this one with the traditional "circular firing squad" that Republicans are famous for. We need to be able to come together next November to defear the Democrat nominee.
Tom,
Agreed. That's hardly the harshest thing Aaron has posted about either Egland or Gaines. I'm inclined to take what we can get in that regard. Plus, i found a fair amount of common ground with Aaron on that post, and I prefer to encourage the common ground with fellow conservatives.
But it's odd that you just now chime in to suggest that an Egland supporter lighten up. You've never made a similar suggestion to your wife's coworker when he has repeatedly posted all kinds of over-the-top diatribes about anyone who questions Doolittle.
Hey Tom,
Ask Aaron Kerry-Park to take down his �Eric Kerry-Egland� website. I have asked Aaron Kerry-Park in multiple blogs to take it down. He never answers back; he just stops the blog string.
On the �Red County Placer County� website it�s listed as a blog but you can�t blog on the site nor contact the administrator. Why is that? Gee�maybe because the location where Aaron Kerry-Park is hosting the site doesn�t reveal who the administrator is or who pay for it. Why hide? So, ask Aaron Kerry-Park why he needs to have such a�lightened up hit site.
It�s great that Aaron Kerry-Park is loyal to JD�but at least he should engage and discus and we could ask each other Q&A�after all this is a blog. Just an idea.
And Tom, I too know Eric Egland well�and only asked and have always expected on this blog site a fair shake to share ideas, and voice why I support Eric Egland for Congress. And, share why like so many other Voters that I meet at events are ready for new blood with donations and eager to volunteer.
P.S.
Aaron Kerry-Park did say if Eric Egland does win the Primary he would vote for Eric.
Go figure.
Hey Tom,
You and Aaron Kerry-Park just both happen to stop this blog string. Tom, did you ask Aaron Kerry-Park why he still has up his Eric Egland hit website?
Has anyone on this Blog site ask Aaron Kerry-Park why he believes that a hit website against a fellow Republican work�s in this county�s interest?
Any thoughts, Tom?
The ERIC EGLAND hit site.....the question SHOULD be posed to Mr Flint.....WHY is allowed on HIS blog site at all?!
MR Flint?? Can YOU answer that question?
WHY DO YOU ALLOW IT TO STAND?
parks?? pfffffffffftttttttt.......twit.
The CRA endorsement for mitt romney shows just WHY that group of people are so doofus.
Small wonder, look at who they allow as Sgt of Arms.
Mr Hudson asks to lighten up on parks?
Ummmmmmm........why? He can't take the heat?
Leave.....sign off.......depart from the NET world.
parks plays at war on the net.....he makes outlandish accusations, plagerises hit sites if he doesn't outright OWN them, then whines like a baby when he draws heat.
Deal with it.
What do YOU know about Eric Egland, as you claim too? If anyone HERE hurts candidates? You'd best settle in for reading what parks says about ANY Republican who DARES to challenge herr doolittles right to rule....er, run.
But, to be fair, next time I see Mr Egland, I'll ask him, if he knows who Tom Hudson is.
The answer should prove interesting.
Thank you.
So the CRA has endorsed Mitt Romney. For those of us who have a great deal of respect for the CRA and their dedication to traditional conservatism, we are faced with a choice. Do we accept this endorsement of Gov. Romney?
There are some practical reasons to do so. In reality we are fighting for the soul of our party. There are many who would have us move toward the center on our social positions for the sake of �remaining relevant�. Rudy Giuliani is an example of such a compromise. The CRA unwilling to support the kind of left wing social policy has settled for Romney as the best chance we have of maintaining some vestige of our former Reagan selves.
Here is the problem. I do not believe that the CRA chose Romney because he best represents the ideas and positions of the CRA. I do not even believe that he is the candidate most capable of articulating and advancing those principles. I think that position falls solidly to Fred Thompson.
At this point what Romney has that Thompson does not, is a far better organized and funded campaign machine. While it would be ridiculous to ignore such a fact, should it really be a deciding factor this early in the race?
Money will flow to whatever candidate comes out of the first three primaries the front runner. So why are we not putting our best candidate out in the fore front. Fred Thompson is the only conservative candidate who was drafted in t this race. He is here by popular demand, and because of this it will take time to build up the money and experience that some of his opponents possess, by virtue of having spent most of their adult lives in politics.
I support the CRA, but I deeply regret this decision. I think it is below them, and I will continue to support Fred Thompson. I hope that decision will be shared by other traditional conservatives.