The Republican Party of California does not have a lot of fighters in Sacramento right now.
Most of them are content to get elected, vote "NO!" on all the bad bills, collect their paycheck and their pension, then find another non-partisan job to drift into.
I have found very few lawmakers who fight for the issues which I care about.
But I don't see them doing much else.
Republican lawmakers will make big speeches against liberal causes.
But when it comes time to vote, some California Republicans taper off and vote for tax increases, or they vote to allow for more benefits to illegal aliens, or they vote for other statist legislation.
All of this is just crazy.
And disappointing.
We the People of the state of California did not sent up Republican representatives to get along and play nice with Democrats. When Assembly minority leader Chad Mayes chose to second the motion appointing Anthony Rendon as speaker of the State Assembly, it was a horrid and sad display of needless, feckless compromise.
I have met minority leader Chad Mayes personally, and I have found him to be all too eager to avoid conflict or discussion of controversial matters. That is not leadership. That is not what we need right now in California.
Then his latest press release, which shamed Trump as well as Democrats, was just plain poor taste. We have a new President, one who respects the rule of law and intends to see our laws enforced. The state of California, and the Democratic majority, have no interest in moderating their views or their values.
They want to fight, double-down, and force their agenda down everyone's throats.
Republicans in the state capital need to understand that they are not interested in playing fair. They have this corrupt, corrosive, Big Government tyrannical world view, all of which is dedicated to crearing power and privilege for a selected class of individuals at the expense of everyone else.
The labor unions, the amnesty advocates, and the big corporations who maneuver through loopholes with an army of lawyers love business as usual in Sacramento.
For the small business owners, for the soccer Moms, for the farmers, and for all other citizens, business as usual has met little or no business at all for them. This is wrong.
And where are the Republicans? Still playing nice instead of fighting back. Where is the bold legislation to make the Democratic majority look bad if they refuse to pass it? Where are the smart legislative suggestions which even the Democratic majority cannot ignore, even though it would making Republicans look effective?
Why aren't Republican lawmakers in Sacramento coordinating with bloggers, writers, and social media personalities to inform the California Republic (that means all legal residents.)
We need more legislators like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and the rest who are not afraid to make some noise and fight. We need legislators who will kick butt rather than kiss butt, who recognize that true power is not about making nice, but doing right.
I want legislators who will take advantage of the longer potential terms in office to raise their voices and reject and frustrate the Democratic majority at every turn.
Above all, I want legislators with a long-term vision for the state. One lawmaker confided to me that he would win his next election bid, but he would probably be the last Republican representing the seat. That is patently unacceptable. Every lawmaker needs to team up with grassroots leaders, activists, any conservative authority interested in expanding the brand as well as engaging the base.
A state representative–whether Democrat or Republican–does not go to the state legislature to collect a paycheck, pad his resume, then descend into semi-retirement in a county government post. We don;t need anymore government welfare queens.
I echo the sentiment of other leaders in the state of California, and direct my remarks to the entire GOP delegation who is not willing to punch back twice as hard:
Get off your candy asses and fight!