The Issa (And Blue State Republican) Dilemma: Stand Right or Get Left

Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) faced the closest race of
his career in 2016.

I was not completely surprised.

In 2013, one article polled public attitudes about the
Congressman, who had a net negative, just 43%. Issa’s standing with Republicans
in general had wavered as well, since many people see him as more of an
Establishment get-along/go-along type.

But all of that startling negative polling was just hot air,
at least for that year. Election 2014 was beyond any kind of outlier that I had
ever seen. The turnout was so low, that long-standing Democratic lawmakers like
Lucille Roybal-Allard won with 58% of the vote—startlingly low considering her
previous record of carrying away at least 70% of the vote in on and off years.

Then came Election 2016.

Once again, California got the dwindling end of Presidential
primary season. By May 3, the Republican primary was over, when US Senator Ted
Cruz got flattened by Donald Trump in Indiana.

Already, Republican primary voter turnout was not looking
good. It only got worse with the increasingly contentious Democratic Party
primary. This was the worst thing that could have happened to the Republican
Party of California, made worse by our new Prop 14 jungle primaries.

As for Congressman Darrell Issa, he topped out in his
primary with just shy of 51%. Unheard of outcome, and very low. His close
contender was relatively unknown Douglas Applegate with a striking 45%. The
Democratic Party across the country went ballistic with joy! Imagine a prize
trophy on their wall like Congressman Issa, the former House Committee Chairman
for Government Oversight, now facing sudden extinction from Congress.

After all, he’s is a formidable power player in California
politics. He was a kingmaker of sorts during the Election 2014 gubernatorial
election, when he had deemed Tim Donnelly unfit to serve as governor following
remarks about Republican contender Neel Kashkari and the former TARP manager’s
comments about Sharia Law.

Not a smart move. Issa alienated conservatives then.

He also flirted with a version of a DREAM Act bill that
year, when illegal immigration needs to be curbed in California, not
accommodated. Bad idea, Darrell.

But it’s not like Issa has been all bad.

As ranking member of the Oversight Committee, he is the only
Congressman who stood up to Henry “Ratface” Waxman. Check out that video here.

He was bad-ass when he became Oversight Chairman. One of my favorite
political YouTube videos has him chewing out the Attorney General’s office for
stalling on document discovery.

He
also kicked Former Attorney General Eric Holder around the block many times. 

During his final months as Oversight Chair, he investigated
rampant voter fraud with the help of True the Vote. He also put IRS hatchet-woman
Lois Lerner in the most precarious position in her career as he followed up on
the horrific and malicious When ranking member Elijah Cummings wanted to throw a fit because
Lerner kept pleading the Fifth (that means she was guilty, Eli!), Issa did not
hesitate to take back control
and shut down the hearing. All we got was “I’m tired of this” from the
corrupt Democratic minority, but Issa never tired in his fight. Republicans
even escorted him out of a hearing once because he was getting too
involved.  But that’s the kind of
Congressman we need representing We the People.

Then came 2016, and the closest race of his career. You know
that your rep is a good guy when
Kurt Schlichter gives him a special shout-out. After Election Day, Issa’s
campaign and Orange County Republicans were sending out notices to other SoCal
activists to ensure an accurate and acceptable voter tally, which lasted three
weeks.

Issa won, thankfully, but the fight for the state and the
conservative movement has only begun. Now, after the closest race of his
career, the former gubernatorial candidate and Oversight Committee chairman is going
left? At least that’s what the
Orange County Register reported. Some of the chief comments from the
article restated Issa’s changing, center-left views, including:

Oh brother, Darrell, do you really think that these little
tacks to the left are going to bolster your re-election bid in 2018? And forget
the argument that the President’s party tends to lose seats in off-year elections.
In 1998, Republicans lost house seats (Clinton), and in 2002 Republicans gained
seats under With Bush 43 as President! Following two years of Trump’s victories
helping working people and Independent skeptics, Republicans will probably gain
seats in the House (they are all but certain to gain 60 seats in the US
Senate!).

So, let’s get to the real reasons why Issa struggled this
one time.

His support for Trump did hurt him in deep blue California,
followed by an even bluer wave in 2016. That’s the biggest reason his final
victory was so close. Trump is now President, so that won’t be an issue.  What other issues have hurt Issa? In the past,
staffers never answered my phone calls to his office. Like other entrenched
incumbents, he wasn’t making routine visits to the district, most likely
because of his chairmanship.

The solution to Issa’s razor-thin situation is not tilting
lift, but restoring constituent contacts and fighting for all Americans—as he
has done in the past. The California Republican Party has embraced key aspects
of the Trump Agenda by resolution (I know, because I seconded the resolution at
the last convention).

Congressman Issa, you stood strong against the corrupt Obama
Administration. You voted against fiscal cliff deals and the TARP bailout. Now
is not the time to go center or left. It’s time to fight harder—just make sure
to bring your constituents along for the ride.