Analysis
GOP Is Dead in California. A New Way Must Rise: Kristin Olsen
The California Republican Party isn’t salvageable at this time. The Grand Old Party is dead — partly because it has failed to separate itself from today’s toxic, national brand of Republican politics.
Painful though it was, that was the message I delivered at the California Priorities Summit, sponsored by The Sacramento Bee in Sacramento last week.
By Kristin Olsen
Special to CALmatters
I’ve spent my entire adult life in Republican politics, so for me to make such a comment wasn’t easy.
But it doesn’t make it any less true. I and others have been warning people for years that this day of reckoning was coming if we didn’t do something different.
California’s Blue Tsunami
And as Election Night proved, that day has come. While the rest of the nation saw a mix of Republican and Democrat victories, we in California experienced a blue tsunami. It looks as if
Democrats will win nearly every target seat, including some in districts that have been historically considered “safe” for Republicans.
Republican principles used to be about helping other people. We believed in lifting people up out of poverty by giving them robust and free economic opportunities and by providing a world-
class education. We stood for giving people the freedom to run their own lives and businesses without undue government interference.
We welcomed people from all over the world who sought to live the American Dream and contribute to the economy and society. They could be secure in knowing that they would not be persecuted for
who they are and that they could build strong families and vibrant neighborhoods.
President Trump Hurts GOP in California
Unfortunately, tragically, that is not the Republican Party promoted by President Donald Trump and his brand of national politics today. We have lost our way, and it’s killing any opportunity for
political balance and thoughtful debate in California, elements that good public policy relies on.
One party rule is not good for any community, state or nation, but that’s what we have in California today. It’s because the Republican Party has failed to adapt to changing demographics and to get
back to our basic fundamental belief in liberty and responsibility, freedom, economic opportunity, and educational excellence.
Without a viable second party to voice concerns about increasingly progressive policy proposals and to advance alternative policy solutions for addressing the many challenges facing California, our state
will continue to veer leftward.
“Unfortunately, tragically, that is not the Republican Party promoted by President Donald Trump and his brand of national politics today. We have lost our way, and it’s killing any opportunity for political balance and thoughtful debate in California, elements that good public policy relies on,” writes Kristin Olsen.
A Third Party Perhaps?
It is time for a New Way. And if the Republican Party can’t evolve, it may be time for a third party, one that will appeal to disenfranchised voters in the Republican and Democratic parties who long for better representation and a better California for all.
Individual Republicans are good, conscientious people dedicated to serving their communities, but they belong to a brand and a national party that is toxic and growing more toxic by the day.
Millions of Californians, millions of Americans, want and deserve leaders who will shake up establishments and help those who have felt ignored for far too long. These leaders must understand that words matter, that healing and unity is important to the sustainability, strength, and growth of our nation, that end goals do not justify vindictive or hateful or ill-conceived means.
As Californians and Americans, we must work together to find and promote such leaders — people with the courage to help us return to bold and civil discourse and who value and promote the fundamental principles and values of our American Republic and constitutional democracy.
Govern, Tell the Truth, and Be Civil
We must hold people in both parties accountable for governing, truth-telling, and civility.
For Republicans, the first step is to acknowledge that we have a serious internal problem. Ignoring the toxicity is not enough, as California’s election results demonstrate. We must call it out and model a different and better way because that’s what our fellow Californians deserve.
Kristin Olsen is a Stanislaus County supervisor and former Assembly Republican leader, kristin@kristinolsen.org. She wrote this commentary for CALmatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.
Martin Querin
November 14, 2018 at 9:26 am
So CA republicans need to become more like “democrats” in order to oppose their “…increasingly progressive policy proposals” and to “… to advance alternative policy solutions” and halt the, “…veer leftward”. While I agree that the present public political dialogue at the national level does not recognize the true economic value of responsibly managed immigration; I also have to say we haven’t had responsibly managed immigration for over 50 years.
The response at the National level is in recognition of the fact that it has been hyperbolic progressive policy-makers that have pushed the envelope so far that it has engendered this hyperbolic response. In a tug of war, you may not be able to win because the other side is bigger, or stronger; but if the entire team pulls together with all of their combined effort and passion and commit to the struggle…there’s always a chance you may gain ground, they may slip, or you may just “play” over-your-head and win. I can guarantee you will lose if you push in their direction instead of pull.
The problem here in CA is not the national tone, it is the fact that it is a State with two major urban hubs. In most states, even the “RED” states, their large urban cities “veer left”. Here over half of the State’s 41-million people live in the 3 major metro areas (LA, SF/San Jose and San Diego) and you can throw in the Sacramento metro region, since it is dominated by people that work for the BLUE State. These metro areas dominate CA’s State politics. The only way to turn that tide would be some cataclysmic event that caused them to recognize that their policies are nihilistic. So suck it up, it’s going to get way worse before it gets better. The only thing “looking more like them” will do is speed it up.
Michael Pistoresi
November 14, 2018 at 9:30 am
Unfortunately for conservative Californians, politicians who promise “free stuff” to gain votes know that an uninformed electorate will continue to vote for them. There is no such thing as “free stuff”. Someone has to pay for it and unfortunately it always seems to be paid for by those who produce. The liberals never met a tax that they did not like and now that they have a “Super Majority” Proposition 13 will fall like a rock as they continue to need more and more revenue to cover their utopian dreams. Hold onto your pocket book!
Wayne Steffen
November 14, 2018 at 4:54 pm
Sadly, while the Democrats are known as the tax-and-spend party, the GOP has become the borrow-and-spend party, with the deficits to prove it.