RIP, California GOP: Republicans lash out after midterm election debacle

[DemocratSinceBirth]

LOS ANGELES — In the wake of a near-political annihilation in California that has left even longtime conservative stronghold Orange County bereft of a single Republican in the House of Representatives, a growing chorus of GOP loyalists here say there’s only one hope for reviving the flatlining party: Blow it up and start again from scratch.

That harsh assessment comes as Republicans survey the damage from the devastation of a “blue tsunami” in California which wiped out five GOP-held House seats — with more still threatened — while handing every statewide seat and a supermajority to the Democrats in both houses of the state legislature this week.

The latest blow came Thursday, when Democrat Katie Porter, an UC Irvine professor, defeated Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in a district which represents the beating political heart of Orange County.

“I believe that the party has to die before it can be rebuilt. And by die — I mean, completely decimated. And I think Tuesday night was a big step,’’ says veteran California GOP political consultant Mike Madrid. “There is no message. There is no messenger. There is no money. And there is no infrastructure.”

...

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/17/rip-california-gop-republicans-lash-out-after-midterm-election-debacle-1000481

[malaise]

1. Good

Rec

[brush]

27. Now we have to just push the stake thru the heart to be sure.

[LBM20]

2. You must wholeheartedly abandon Trump and return to SANITY and MODERATION. Good luck!

[dalton99a]

3. Yeah, just find a celebrity or billionaire

Heck, dig up Ronald Reagan

[empedocles]

26. Oooh

[DBoon]

33. is Arnold still available?

nt

[dalton99a]

34. Ahnuld is busy with his $264K Bentley

[Xolodno]

37. Even Ahnuld doesn't want to be associated with the current....

...GOP. He had to distance himself from Bush to get elected, now....he's openly against Trump and current GOP policies.

Which makes sense, he liked Nixon...the guy who started the EPA.

[VOX]

42. Californians won't make the same mistake twice.

We had our little dance with a Republican celebrity, and it wasn’t so great. We remember, and Californians are pretty savvy now when it comes to politics.

Republicans are not welcome here, to be honest. They have their little clusters in the less-populated eastern part of the state, and in the Central Valley, but other than that, they have little-to-no power in the state’s day-to-day politics.

[saidsimplesimon]

4. Sounds like to GOP needs some magic

to replace the voodoo they have been promoting for years.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, Californians deserve our gratitude. What they accomplished is nothing less than incredible.

[pazzyanne]

6. Just a reminder,

New England did the same! Wipe out on both coasts! YEA!!!

[saidsimplesimon]

9. Arizona had a big win with Sinema.imo

I think we all did our part to GOTV and should have a block party, dancing in the streets.

Thank you everyone for all that you do.

[pazzyanne]

10. What fun!

A National Block Party.

[AZ8theist]

25. Yup. Next target? Collins.

"Target" is a metaphor for the right wing trolls who may read this and who don't understand, well, anything...

[wryter2000]

16. Unfortunately, we started this madness

When we elected Reagan governor.

[VOX]

43. That was 52 years ago. 18 year-olds couldn't vote.

And Reagan’s two-pronged campaign was "to clean up the mess at Berkeley" and "to send the welfare bums back to work.”

There was a lot of old money in California back then, and the state was home to the John Birch Society and other right-wing cranks. The student unrest at the UC and Cal State campuses had their knickers in a complete twist, along with the youth movement in general. They were deathly afraid of hippies, the Black Panther movement, and cultural change in general.

We’ve come a long way. Most telling is that EVERY congressional district in the former far-right bastion of Orange County is now SOLID BLUE!

[workinclasszero]

5. The Trump cult will fight you every step of the way assholes!

Hardcore right Barry Goldwater warned you idiots but Rayguns ignored that and took the first giant leap into the beginning of the end of the GOP!

Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.

Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed.

I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass.

You don't need to be 'straight' to fight and die for your country. You just need to shoot straight.


https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Barry_Goldwater

[Hermit-The-Prog]

36. thank you!

I disagreed with Goldwater on tons of things, but never considered him a danger to democracy. Can't say the same about nearly every GOPer today.

[woodsprite]

7. That makes me happy!

Wish all states could have had such a victory over those dipshits!

Yeah, single party rule isn’t exactly the way it’s supposed to be, but until they can be a a valid, serious representative “guest at America’s political table”, they don’t deserve to win, and they shouldn’t be welcome. They need to get rid of their baggage and suffer the consequences of their greed, cheating, and their silent and/or not so silent support of fascism, bigotry, hatred, and constant lying.

I certainly don’t feel we should feel obligated to let them pull us across the aisle to meet their version of “bipartisanship”.

Wonder how my CA repub vice chair of the central coast Repub party and high school friend is doing? He was singing Trump’s praises and calling me delusional right up to Election Day. Haven’t heard a peep since.

[workinclasszero]

11. Romney wing GOP civil war with the Trump cult is going to be wonderful to see

[llmart]

12. Let's not forget Michigan's contribution.

[GoCubsGo]

8. Couldn't have happned to a better bunch of assholes.

[calimary]

13. As long as they're anti-choice, they'll NEVER get my vote.

NEVER. Not EVER!!!

CANNOT happen.

Won’t EVER happen.

That’s the Number One dealbreaker for me. Followed closely by the climate crisis and the reckless attitude toward guns.

[SunSeeker]

21. +1

[RainCaster]

14. Thoughts and prayers for the GOP

Sad.

[wryter2000]

15. Love my state

This is going to happen in more states.

[central scrutinizer]

17. The blueprint already exists

The 1956 Republican platform. It has paragraphs like these:

We believe that basic to governmental integrity are unimpeachable ethical standards and irreproachable personal conduct by all people in government. We shall continue our insistence on honesty as an indispensable requirement of public service. We shall continue to root out corruption whenever and wherever it appears.

We are proud of and shall continue our far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs—expansion of social security—broadened coverage in unemployment insurance —improved housing—and better health protection for all our people. We are determined that our government remain warmly responsive to the urgent social and economic problems of our people.

Revise and improve the Taft-Hartley Act so as to protect more effectively the rights of labor unions, management, the individual worker, and the public. The protection of the right of workers to organize into unions and to bargain collectively is the firm and permanent policy of the Eisenhower Administration.

[AZ8theist]

24. the irony..

Eisenhower would have a hard time in a Democratic primary today, much less a Republican one.
He'd be shellacked in a Repuke primary...

[Zambero]

18. The party already blew itself up by embracing Trump

A delayed detonation to be sure, but the results are now manifest. Amazing that these people would not approach their current debacle in the manner of "putting the pieces back together again". No, just proceed to blow up what's already been destroyed. "Smart"!

[workinclasszero]

30. Trump is the logical end result of the GOP's madness

It started with Saint Ronnie actually.

[world wide wally]

19. No message, no messenger, no money...

But they still y?tried to win the election.
WHY?

[hvn_nbr_2]

20. No message, messenger, money, and infrastructure aren't the GOP's problems

Their problem is: no decency.

[SunSeeker]

23. Exactly. Rohrabacher had PLENTY of money.

My mailbox was littered with his propaganda. My phone was besieged by his fake push polls. My TV was flooded with his attack ads spreading nasty lies about Harley Rouda.

Rouda still won, because he is a decent Democrat, not a Trump humping Putin puppet.

Because in California, there is no gerrymandering and voter suppression. And we COUNT EVERY VOTE.

[karin_sj]

29. That's for damn sure!

[AZ8theist]

22. boo fucking hooo

[Honeycombe8]

28. Sweet. All the while, Trump sits in his bubble eating burgers & tweeting. Their "leader." nt

[Hotler]

31. The repug party or any of its forms will not...

die. It's the only place where bigoted, hateful and selfish people can feel at home.

[NNadir]

32. A sane opposition is good for everyone. In a way, it's tragic that among the many ways...

...the Republicans have avoided their responsibility to our country, the provision of a sane opposition was the first to go.

This erosion of sanity actually began in California, when it elected a man named Richard Nixon Senator.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

35. K&R

[Cha]

38. And, "by completely decimated" that means

trump and his doormats

[Xolodno]

39. For the GOP to win elections in CA...they will have to move left...and most important...

....not goosestep with the rest of the GOP in Congress. They need to be the ones that cannot be counted on to fall in line in Congress, force the right to compromise...move away from their no compromise, scorched earth, etc. stance. Make both the GOP and Democratic party compete for their votes, that aligns to their constituents. Ignore the Whips and threats of funding pulled...they are already dead if they ignore whats going on at home.

This is anecdotal, but, in my opinion, what is happening in the ground game. A friend of mine who is Republican....and voting "D" for the past few elections, stated this, "I'm fiscally conservative and progressive about social issues, but the party seems more interested in social issues and hasn't been fiscally conservative in ages. I'm not against taxes, if they make sense, I'm for them at the same time, look at revising older taxes which don't make sense anymore".

He voted against the gas tax repeal as he understood that as more cars need less gas, revenue to repair roads, etc. will decrease. Oh and he works in the oil industry.

In essence, the GOP in CA needs to become an unofficial minority party, a separate wing if you will, like the Freedom Caucus can torpedo legislation they see that will hurt them at home.

Yeah, I know, I shouldn't be giving this type of advice...but I'm not a fan of one party rule...even when I'm left of the Democratic Party.

[Jamaal510]

40. They MIGHT have a chance

to regain some power here if they ditch the socially conservative, anti-science stuff and instead just run on cutting taxes.

[DFW]

41. Like their Terminator governor: They'll Be Back

Some of our elected reps will underperform, burn out or mess up. Some always do. Trump will not be around forever to disgust half the Republicans in Orange County.

We should enjoy the moment, but never once be under the illusion that California will become a one-party State. We busted our collective asses to get this far. We'll have to do it every cycle to keep it.