SEPT. 19, 2011
By BRIAN CALLE
The California Republican Party’s fall convention over the weekend focused on a theme of moving the party forward and substantial hope for national victories in the 2012 elections. It was held at the J.W. Marriott Los Angeles Live Hotel.
Several unexpected occurrences at convention signaled some shift within the party, including a substantial presidential straw poll victory for Rep. Ron Paul of Texas; a long-time party official’s scathing, center-stage criticism of “moneyed interests” and the infiltration by liberals into the state GOP; and a lackluster keynote speech by a spiraling presidential hopeful.
California GOP Straw Poll
Perhaps the most substantial highlight of the GOP convention was the decisive victory by Ron Paul in the first-ever presidential straw poll hosted by the California Republican Party. With a stunning 45 percent of the vote, Paul walked away as the favorite presidential candidate for those in attendance.
Paul gave a speech at a breakfast event early Saturday before the Los Angeles Lincoln Club. The audience was rabid and excited for Paul’s appearance and his raucous activists infused the convention with energy. A buzz followed Paul wherever he went in the hotel and convention center. Paul’s usual message of unabashed free-market capitalism, non-interventionist foreign policy and limited government ignited his supporters.
Undoubtedly, Paul’s appearance at the venue helped propel him in the straw poll. Although Michele Bachmann, who was also in attendance, finished a distant fourth in the poll.
Jon Fleischman, publisher of the California FlashReport and a long-time state GOP official, told me Paul’s victory was a result of money spent by supporters of Paul, rather than an honest reading of what California Republicans are thinking about the candidates for the GOP presidential nomination. He said that a Ron Paul donor paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $26,000 in registration fees for Paul supporters to vote in the straw poll.
Nonetheless, Paul’s victory speaks to the commitment, energy and loyalty of his supporters.
Texas governor Rick Perry finished second in the straw poll with 29 percent of the vote. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney finished with a mere 8 percent of the vote, right ahead of Bachmann’s meager 7 percent.
Here is the final tally:
Ron Paul (374, 44.9 percent)
Rick Perry (244, 29.3 percent)
Mitt Romney (74, 8.8 percent)
Michele Bachmann (64, 7.7 percent)
Jon Huntsman (17, 2.0 percent)
Herman Cain (15, 1.8 percent)
Newt Gingrich (14, 1.7 percent)
Thad McCotter (7, 0.8 percent)
Rick Santorum (7, 0.8 percent)
Gary Johnson (2, 0.2 percent)
Fred Karger (1, 0.1 percent)
Write-ins (15, 1.8 percent)
Fuentes Blasts Arnold
During the luncheon at the convention, party veteran Tom Fuentes excepted a lifetime achievement award. The cancer-stricken Orange County Republican Party chairman emeritus offered a “fond farewell” to the Republican Party in which he had worked for the past 50 years. But he also took the speaking opportunity to blast some of the state GOP’s more prominent figures, including former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman and major party donor Charlie Munger Jr.
Fuentes said, “When next you see the likes of an Arnold Schwarzenegger, do not be afraid to reject him. He and his circle were a cancer in our party — a cancer far worse than mine — for which we will long pay a price.”
He went on, “When next you see a candidate who thinks that only money is the way to win, like Meg Whitman, do not be afraid to tell her and her paid henchmen so. Remind her that ideas are demanded by the people. Not platitudes.”
Perhaps the most poignant shot Fuentes took was against Charles Munger Jr., who has been spending substantial time and money to make the California Republican Party’s platform more moderate. He is the son of Charles Munger Sr., the billionaire investor.
“Remind Mr. Munger,” Fuentes said of Charles Munger Jr., “that he has only one vote in the ballot box, just like you and I do. Sustain our platform as a true conservative Republican platform.”
Fuentes’ warning for attendees of the convention was simple, “When moneyed special interests are set to gut our party’s traditional conservative platform, do not be afraid to stand firm and tell them that we are not just a party of big business and special interests.”
Bachmann Keynote Speech
Presidential candidate and Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann had the prime speaking spot at the CRP convention during Friday night’s opening dinner festivities. Bachmann, whose campaign has been on a downward spiral since she won the Iowa Straw Poll, gave a lackluster speech, perhaps another indication that her campaign is on the verge of falling into the political abyss.
During her address to the convention, Bachmann’s remarks did little to inspire. She grabbed some applause for comments about support for Israel, but did not incite the same type of energy and emotion that Ron Paul did during his speech Saturday morning.
In fact, Bachmann was also a little too optimistic, and perhaps out of touch, when she suggested the GOP presidential nominee would win California’s electoral votes against President Obama in 2012.
“I believe that 2012 will be a wave election that goes all across the United States, and will even take in the Golden State,” she said. Her remarks are a bit of a stretch for even the most optimistic Republican. Not to say the Republican Party is doomed from winning elections in California, it just has some groundwork to do first.
Even though she was the keynote speaker, Bachmann finished in an embarrassing fourth place in the convention’s straw poll, perhaps yet another indication that the Minnesota congresswoman will soon drop out of the race for the presidency.
(Correction: This article was modified on Oct. 17, 2011 to clarify that Fuentes was talking about Charles Munger Jr. The original article confused him with his father.)
Tags: Bachmann, Brian Calle, California Republican Convention, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Tom Fuentes
Brian,
What is the traditional conservative platform that Fuentes wants to defend from Munger? The Republican Party is at a crossroads. The older and closer to death crowd seem to have been converted to neo-conservatism and central planning of social issues. The younger crowd of Republicans seem to want liberty and limited government. Which conservative platform does he want defended? Does it need defended from gay conservatives, the insane marriage defense crowd, the pro abortion crowd, or maybe realists who believe immigration policy will keep CA Republican’s away from power?
With regard to applause for support for Israel when will Republican’s learn that Israel is not the 51st state. They spy on us, they influence our internal politics and they use the neo-con crowd to send our boys to die in their dirty work.
I strongly believe in Israel’s right to exist, to defend itself, and to carry out its foreign policy as they see fit. I am equally opposed in the way our government, Republican’s and Democrats alike, have made Israel our bed partner.
I’m with Dave on all his points.
May the younger crowd of California Republicans hold sway, and move the party and state to liberty, limited government, well-defended property rights, and defense limited to protecting our borders from incursion.
What Vince Lombardi said about football is equally true of politics: “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing!”
As long as the Republican Party refuses to understand that most Californians
–indeed, most Americans–are moderates and fails to recognize that people want more choices than either “central planning” or Tea Party ideology, the silent majority will either vote Democratic or sit at home.
I agree with the first three posts. The right-wing-whackos have driven the CRP into the ditch. These “freedom loving” nut cases wrap their butt in the flag and declare freedom for you as long as you agree with their social conservative mindset: abortion, drug prohibition, no gay marriage, etc. Clubs like the the Lincoln Clubs and the New Majority must speak up against right-wing extremism before the CRP becomes less meaningful which is difficult to see.
“With regard to applause for support for Israel when will Republican’s learn that Israel is not the 51st state. They spy on us, they influence our internal politics and they use the neo-con crowd to send our boys to die in their dirty work.”
And let’s never forget what Israel did to the USS Liberty.
And inspite of what Israel has done and continues to do when the Israeli lobby says jump Congress asks how high. So expect tens of billions of your tax dollars to continue to flow to the Israeli government.
The first and last word about Paul: paid votes. That does not a “victory” that speaks to the commitment of his supporters. It is a fraud. If that is how they expect to win, good luck.
Tom Fuentes is a great guy who had his finger on the pulse of the CAGOP particularly in Orange County. He will be missed as a stabilizing presence in the party.
Michell Bachman? Don’t make me laugh. She started strong but anyone who doesn’t know history (and it seems there are a number of them in the presidential lineup) shouldm’t even be running. Go home and let the big boys play.
The GOP will have to come up with a strong candidate that is not out in right field somewhere. Paul’s idea of how to run government is a lot different than how he would be able to run it, even with a republican led congress. Good luck on his ideas. And what will happen when things don’t go his way? He’ll blame the ultraliberals that have infiltrated the GOP.
No wonder I went Libertarian
I think the author is wrong about the Republican nominee winning in Cali in 2012. Does NY-9 mean nothing to you? Do you see the desperate Barak Obama floundering and accusing as the deficit grows, bankruptcy looms and the economy sinks? The Dems have had a free ride in this state because most people here want to keep abortion legal but no one is going to give a rat about abortion in 2012, or gay marriage or any of that other irrelevant court-ordered social hogwash. Latinos are starting to be very disillusioned with the Dems and a Republican candidate who presents a clear choice to the people of Cali, not a Republican liberal but a conservative who has a clear pro-business agenda, will wipe the floor with the Dems and pull a lot of people downticket into office with him. The senescent Feinstein, so feeble that when her entire campaign war chest got ripped off her only thought was to get a dispensation so her maxxed-out donors could recontribute, is extremely vulnerable to a conservative upstart. The Ron Paulians get to have their straw poll victories but the guy who agrees with Rev Wright that America’s chickens came home to roost on 9/11 will not ever be the nominee of this party. We already have someone who thinks that way in the White House.
Skep 41 go ahead and mock Ron Paul for his position on 911. You have lots of company with the likes of Mitt Romney, John McCain and the cheerleader for American Exceptionalism Rick Santorum. You can hold hands with Lindsey Graham and Joseph Lieberman.
Keep in mind however, that the mindless blather these imperialists speak has led to countless deaths, a diminished standard of living for the average American, reduced security and American bankruptcy. If you read Paul’s position beyond the 15 second sound bite that excites the pro war crowd you may find it the most realistic of all candidates.
The RepuloCon party does not deserve Ron Paul. Like the Demoncrats the RepubloCon party is corrupt to the core. There’s no way an honest, decent, non-criminal clown can win the nomination of either party.