DiFi v. Mountjoy

DiFi v. Mountjoy

This November, California will barely notice as many Republicans cross party lines and vote for a Democrat likely to get more votes than Arnold could ever dream of. It is already a foregone conclusion that Dianne Feinstein will return for another term in the US Senate.

Opposite DiFi, the most popular politician in California, the GOP has endorsed former California State Legislator Dick Mountjoy. Despite the funny jokes we can make about his name, little good has ever come from this man. In fact, this man characterizes everything that I believe to be wrong with my party.

Mountjoy is most notable for writing Prop 187 to deny all government services to illegal immigrants. Fortunately, that proposition was overturned by the courts before it prevented innocent children from being denied an education or service at public hospitals.

Further, Mounjoy is Dubya's ideological twin. He is against Gay rights, maintains that we are doing a wonderful job in Iraq, and claims to be a veteran. However, President Bush has a less dubious military record than Mountjoy's.

However, the worst product of Mountjoy is his own son, termed-out Assemblyman Dennis Mounjoy. Assemblyman Mountjoy, who bears a strong resemblance in appearance and mannerisms to the late Chris Farley, made headlines earlier this summer when he offended several of his colleagues by calling all Gay people sexual deviants and related his views that we deserve fewer rights in this society.

On the other hand, DiFi has been a remarkable voice of reason in the Senate. Far more moderate than her colleague, Babs Boxer, Feinstein has been a critic of the war in Iraq insofar as we must develop an exit strategy and eventually leave. Further, she is a notably strong supporter of Gay rights and of equal marriage. But she is no liberal!

Feinstein is well known for working both sides of the aisle to get the good work of the Senate accomplished. She has no fear in antagonizing her Democratic base by pushing for a more moderate agenda and criticizing the harsh and quick politics typically played by the Democrats (a la Kennedy and Boxer). Also, you would be hard-pressed to find somebody who would really call her a fiscal liberal.

In short, my Grand Old Party is crazy for even trying this year against DiFi. Worse, my party's leaders should be committed to a mental health hospital for trying to run Mountjoy against the most popular politician in the state. At least the GOP donors aren't wasting much money on him--his campaign so far consists of an answering machine at his Monrovia home.

I will leave you with this funny story that I read in the paper today about an event Feinstein spoke at recently. She asked the crowd of Democrat supporters if anybody had ever heard of Dick Mountjoy and not a single person raised their hand. She responded, "Good. And I want to keep it that way." She didn't mention him again in her talk.