It is true that currently the GOP in California is hitting third party
status, outdone by the "Decline to State" moniker which a growing
number of Golden State reps are adopting.
However, I do not espouse the cynical view that the GOP is DOA in CA.
On the contrary, the open primary system is doing more damage to the
Democratic party, in which the rift between establishment and reform Democrats
is sure to split the vote in a growing number of contests.
In some districts, distrust with the Democratic majority in Sacramento,
especially the entrenched union interests which are holding the budget hostage
to power interest groups at the expense of the state's budgetary present and
fiscal future, has turned many Democrats toward supporting independents or the
Republican on the ticket in Assembly or Congressional races.
Republicans can take advantage of the widening rift in the Democratic party
and their soured influence with public sector unions. The 2012 campaign will
show the state and the country that conscientious voters are not afraid to buck
trends of years past to send responsible, limited government legislators who
respect the wealth and health of the voters instead of the large and monied
interests which have dominated Sacramento for too long.
The Open Primary was the project of Moderate Republican Abel Maldonado,
whose pragmatism may have offended his party, yet whose stance on the issues
plus prominence in the state, both as a Republican and a Hispanic, will help
pave the future for the GOP. A growing number of Hispanics are tired of the
disastrous effects of illegal immigration. Blacks in this state are more
conservative than most party operatives have yet acknowledged. Voter turnout in
this state can flip, California can become a two-party state again. As long as
the Republican party holds to the values of constitutional rule, limited
government and fiscal and individual responsibility, the positive affirmations
of this message can resonate with future voters from Ukiah to San Diego.