What follows is an exclusive commentary penned for the FlashReport by Senator George Runner. Runner is Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus…
Appealing to the independent voter has
been a means of success for the CRP for years
I agree with the governor’s contention (delivered to Republican conventioneers on Friday) that the California Republican Party should embrace independent voters if we want to increase membership.
But I don’t agree with his strategy.
His recent actions (his health care plan that would create a new tax on employers, consumers and hospitals; and the not-so-well-thought-out Global Warming Solutions Act, which will have negative effects on our economy) reach beyond the independent voter and land him squarely in the liberal realm.
That is a slippery slope for him to navigate and one that might lead to alienation of the Republican base.
There is a different path that the governor and all Republicans should follow – one that we have taken in the past, and one that has been a means of success for California Republicans for years.
Republican governors George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson took this path and managed to serve consecutive four terms thanks in large part to their wide appeal to independents (made up of Reagan Democrats and moderate Republicans) and conservatives.
These Republican leaders rarely strayed off course from the values that most Californians hold dear – tough-on-crime policies, lower taxes, smaller government and secure borders.
Republicans might be the minority party, but a 2006 Field Poll showed that 63 % of Californians support capitol punishment; and most people want stiffer penalties for criminals, which is why Three Strikes and Jessica’s Law passed by respective whopping margins.
Governor Schwarzenegger is in a position to be a champion and leader of public safety and use his megaphone to bring real reform to criminal law. Occasionally he has worn this crown during his tenure, but there is so much more he could accomplish – such as putting his name behind comprehensive gang legislation to save countless lives and restore many of our dangerous, dilapidated neighborhoods to the safe communities they once were.
We need the governor to continue to uphold his pledge to avoid new taxes because Californians are sick and tired of being taxed to death.
Voters spoke loud and clear when they resoundingly rejected Proposition 56, which would have reduced the Legislature’s vote requirement from two-thirds to 55 percent regarding budget and tax-related issues. In other words, voters did not trust the majority Democrats to hold the lid on tax increases. They depend on Republicans for fiscal accountability.
Most Californians agree that less government is better. We hope the governor will revisit his plan to reduce the size and scope of government, not increase it. Since he took the gubernatorial reins, California government has grown; the budget alone has increased by 25 percent.
We would also like to work with the governor on solving California’s illegal immigration problems. Californians have identified immigration as the most important issue in every survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California since April, 2006.
According to a PPIC study, 39 % of Republicans and 25 % of Independents call immigration the state’s number one issue – above education, health and public safety.
If 2007 is the year of health care reform, perhaps 2008 will be the year to bring true change to the way California handles illegal immigration – particularly in our prison system.
I am hopeful that Republicans and the governor will get back on the right path; not solely to grow our party but also to improve the way of life for Californians, present and future.
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