The One-Eyed, One-Horned Flying Purple Moderate Voter of California?

A commenter on an earlier post of mine commented that:

California isn't purple, it's Blue. I'm a Democrat and I voted for the Repub. candidates for governor and for insurance commissioner because I thought they would do the best job. I'd caution you not to read too much into the election, especially as any kind of an endorsement of the Republican party. As you said earlier the California Republican Party is still way too conservative for most Californians, including me. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Shane, my point is that California voted Dem this year because it had little other choice. I still maintain that it is a Purple state because that is where it would fall on a Red-to-Blue spectrum.

Why is it that California thought Arnold would do the best job as Governor? He certainly wouldn’t have won the election by such a large margin if he had campaigned on star power alone. The reason is that he is reasonably in line with what most Californians are looking for, politically. This is the same reason Dianne Feinstein remains such a popular figure here. Both are political moderates that lean left socially and lean right economically.

California tends to vote Democrat because voters are left little other option. The California Republican Party is too conservative for voters. Economically, the state is moderate to right. Socially, the state is moderate to left. For the record, both of these generalizations are on the whole of the state.

My point is that because the California Republican Party keeps putting up such conservative candidates, Californians won't vote for them. The Democrats are not highly favored in this state, either. Economically, few are really in line with the sentiments of voters. However, outside of political blogs, academic settings, and financial institutions, who considers fiscal matters sexy? People can get riled up over social issues.

If the California Republican Party downplayed the social issues or moved a little left on them, it could gain a lot of power in statewide races. Local districts are very gerrymandered and it would take a whole new strategy for Republicans to win a majority in the California Congressional Delegation, the Assembly, or the state Senate. But that doesn’t mean California is Blue.

This election (and others before it) show that the median voter theorem is heavily at work in California. For statewide office, voters prefer a moderate candidate that is neither socially conservative nor economically liberal. This is why moderate Arnold handily beat tax-hiker Angelides. This is why moderate Democrat DiFi beats just about everybody. This is why pro-choice Pete Wilson won so often.

California’s median voter isn’t to be found in the San Francisco Bay Area or in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area any more than it is to be found in the Fresno/Clovis area. He (or she) is a strong moderate looking a little like Ahnold and DiFi.

Caution: Intolerant, Liberal, Heterophobe Post Ahead

Despite the inevitable criticism that I am an intolerant, San Francisco, Left-wing, Liberal, Heterophobe, I want to draw some attention to a great column I saw in the San Francisco Chronicle today. Jon Carroll penned a fantastic article explaining that what Pete Wilson referred to as Bevan Dufty and Rebecca Goldfader's "experiment" is really no different than what every other parent experiences, and is better than most.

That is, every venture into parenting is an experiment. Sometimes, the experiment is successful and sometimes not. The goal is for parents to make more sucesses than failures...or to at least make enough successes that the child develops into a normal person. An experiment involving two parents that adore the child that they brought into the world together is much less risky than many of the minor parenting experiments that are tried each day by countless parents worldwide. Ranging from deciding what to feed a child to deciding whether the child is ready to operate a walker/tricycle/bicycle/automobile.

Unfortunately, most children seem to be born without instruction manuals that list precisely how to care for a child. Worse, most children are born to people in my age group. Frankly, I am barely able to care for myself enough to stay alive and healthy and I can't imagine being responsible for the life of a helpless infant. Then again, I have known many young people that have had children on "accident." While the parents certainly love their children, the family didn't exactly plan on bringing a child into the world.

How then is it more wrong for a man and a woman with more than sufficient life experiences and financial resources who want to bring a child into this world to have one than a couple of foolish young adults?

I Am No Liberal!

In my life, I don't think I have ever been seriously called a liberal! In fact, I am unaware of many gun-toting, Reagan-loving, pro-life Republicans out there that are included among the leftists.

Somewhat hilariously, I have gotten a few hits from a conservative blog that has characterized the Land of the Fruits and Nuts as a part of the "Intolerant Left in San Francisco." His portrayal of my blog was because of my earlier post on talk show host Pete Wilson homophobic rants on his radio show blasting Bevan Dufty. If only the folks over at RightLinx knew how much I have supported and aided the Conservative Movement, they would see that my comments on Bevan Dufty certainly fit under the Big Tent of the Republican Party. Or not.

As any good GOP historian could tell you, our party has been in dire troubles before. There was a time when we went decades without controlling Congress and could scarcely pull enough votes for President to justify running a candidate. Great men, not the least of whom was William F. Buckley, Jr., met and developed an unlikely coalition to regain political dominance. This coalition included the Religious Right, Classic Liberals, Libertarians, and Moderates all under one Big Tent. This coalition gave rise to such great leaders as Ronald Reagan and continues to bolster the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and John McCain.

Unfortunately the religious zealots on the far right end of our tent have forgotten the deals we made. Under the big tent, we fight for a moderately free-market economy as well as a few moderately socially conservative issues like abortion. However, the current Republican plan seems to call for lots of socially conservative issues without much concern about a functional budget. It should come as no surprise that the Grand Old Party is struggling to maintain control of Congress in this election cycle.

Instead of calling my end of the tent a bunch of intolerant leftists, perhaps the GOP should be reunified again. We were once the Party of Lincoln and could be again!

Pooch!

Pooch!

I am probably the only Gay man in California actively supporting Chuck Poochigian. Granted Poochigian doesn't have a stellar record on Gay rights (ok, his record on Gay rights sucks), he is still the best candidate available for Attorney General. Moreover, Jerry Brown is a kook that should be kept away from politics for good!

Granted that Poochigian seems to be running an abysmal campaign right now, he has a remarkable history when it comes to public safety and criminal justice. Before serving in both houses of the California Legislature, Pooch served in Governor Wilson's administration to appoint justices to the bench. Later, he worked to establish stronger criminal penalties for violent crimes and has tirelessly promoted sensible public safety reforms.

His opponent, Moonbeam, had a job where he appointed judges, too. His most famous appointee, Rose Bird, was the key justice responsible for overturning the death penalty. Despite the public outcry, Brown packed the California Supreme Court to ensure that the death penalty would be stopped. He is the reason notorious murderers like Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan are still alive today. After his term as governor, he called on Governor Wilson to allow the Freeway Killer (aka William Bonin) to live.

As I mentioned earlier, Poochigian tended to favor the Republican party line on Gay Rights legislation. He certainly doesn't earn many points in my book for his record on failing to support the GLBT community. Brown, however, deserves no respect in this regard either. While the Knight Amendment, Prop 22 defined marriage in California as a union between a man and woman, California law had already been amended to deny our community the right to marry. In 1977, Governor Jerry Brown signed California's first openly homophobic bill into law. Prior to Governor Moonbeam, California law defined marriage as a relationship between two "persons." Thanks, Jerry!

Another issue that is important to me is gun rights. Supporters of the Second Amendment have a friend in Chuck Poochigian. In a state where the right to bear arms is severely impeded already, Poochigian has attempted to preserve the rights of Californians to safely and legally possess firearms with sensible restrictions. Brown would have you believe that Pooch wants to arm every man woman and child with .50 caliber Browning Machine Guns. This couldn't be further from the truth. The vote Brown refers to in his attack ads is in regards to a ban on .50 caliber rifles. Already, .50 BMGs are banned in this state as are all assault weapons. Firearms larger than .50 caliber are made illegal by federal law. And, frankly, .50 caliber rifles are too big, heavy, and cumbersome for most people to use at all. Californians are in practically no danger from being shot with a .50 caliber rifle. In fact, we are all at a much greater risk of being shot and killed with a .22 caliber round fired from a handgun.

Brown opposes the Second Amendment. He doesn't believe that law abiding citizens should be allowed to purchase, own, and use firearms for our own protection. While I doubt he would support an outright ban on firearms in California, he has yet to meet an anti-gun bill he didn't like. But as we all know, laws restricting firearms only affect the people who follow the laws. Criminals, by definition, do not abide by the law. Murderers do not care whether the gun in their hands is legal or not. While Brown has attempted to restrict firearms in Oakland, along with other measures intended to fight crime, the murder rate has increased dramatically. The only people he is disarming are the good guys!

While I certainly have my issues with supporting Poochigian given that the Attorney General will likely be representing California in some important Gay Marriage cases in the next few years, Jerry Brown is the absolute worst person to elect. Frankly, I care more about public safety and criminal justice more than I do about same-sex marriage. That is why I am supporting Pooch for AG.

For Pete's Sake!

For Pete's Sake!

I had plans tonight to write a short recap of last weeks glorious victory against Oregon, a preview of this week's football game, a political opinion piece on .50 caliber rifles, and why we should all support Chuck Poochigian over Jerry Brown. Unfortunately, you will all have to wait for those posts.

Tonight, I was told to check out the KGO radio archive and listen to Pete Wilson's radio show. Unfortunately, KGO archives its shows only for 24 hours, so I am unable to provide a link. If the particular show I am interested in is podcasted elsewhere, I will give you a link later.

Today, Wilson (not to be confused with former Governor Pete Wilson), started his show with a discussion of Bevan Dufty and Rebecca Goldfader's new bundle of joy, Sidney. Unlike most local media that have congratulated the two coparents on the birth of their daughter, Wilson criticized the two in a bigoted tirade regarding their sexual orientation and marital status.

Best friends for more than 10 years, Dufty and Goldfader are both homosexual. The two plan to live side-by-side in a duplex that they plan to purchase. They intend to raise their daughter, Sidney, together in the duplex.

While it is now common in San Francisco for same-sex couples to raise children together, it is apparently taboo for two opposite-sex individuals that happen to be gay to raise a child together, or so says Wilson. The radio talk show host expressed his outrage that the two would have a child together by calling little Sidney "a potential travesty."

While it is true that the ideal situation for raising a child includes two married parents that both love and care for the child in a stable environment throughout the child's development, such situations are frequently unavailable. For example, gay couples are barred by law from marrying which can lead to partnerships that are less legally binding than a conventional marriage. Further, many children are born to single parent homes or may otherwise lose a parent prematurely. Such arrangements are so commonplace in our society that one hardly gives a second thought to a single parent caring for children. Certainly, these situations do not merit specific discussions on radio talk shows. Frankly, nobody cares when two straight people decide to have a child together and not marry each other.

However, when two gay people of the opposite sex decide to have a child together and not marry, it is apparently an outrageous affront to society. While Wilson unapologetically claims that Goldfader and Dufty's child is being treated as a toy instead of a new human being, he fails to recognize that this child of a popular San Francisco Supervisor and a Nurse Practioner will be extremely well cared for and loved by two parents that have remained close for more than a decade. If only more children could be so lucky!

I won't go so far as other bloggers and call for the resignation of Pete Wilson from KGO radio. He should, however, try to remember that the newborn he claimed could be a "serial killer" is a real human being with a real family who loves her. His comments and reactions were hurtful, not only to Dufty and Goldfader, but to many others in the San Francisco Queer Community.