No incumbent deserves re-election. They have to earn it. Period.
John Moorlach is selfish and does nothing to help anyone but himself. Moorlach is also reputed to be acerbic and aloof to people he deems unimportant and he also holds life-long grudges so the story goes. That was the nexus of Don Wagner’s run against him.
Mimi Walters is a freshman Congresswoman whose inaugural Heritage Score was a “D”. Apparently, this is the nexus for Greg Raths to run against her.
Hold the above thoughts for Dana Rohrabacher’s Press Release:
Statement by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher
I intend to run for re-election in 2018.
I very much enjoy and am honored to represent my constituents in the 48th Congressional District. My only plans are to continue to do so in 2016, 2018, and beyond. There has been some recent speculation as to appointments if there is a new Republican Administration. They are simply speculation at this point and not part of my plans. I can think of nothing more important than serving my constituents and my country in the United States Congress. It’s an honor and a privilege.
I am disappointed to hear that Scott Baugh has been raising money for a 2018 campaign against me. Scott Baugh represented to me and many of my supporters/donors that he would never run against me and was only raising money for when I retire. Baugh now seems to be evolving out of that commitment. I hope that he would return contributions from those who were assured it would never be used in a race against me.
I am proud that I have served our country and my constituents with integrity and will continue to use my experience and my seniority to look out for their interests.
Scott Baugh is a hypocrite. Fred Whitaker is a hypocrite. Many others in OCGOP Leadership are hypocrites.
Whitaker and the OC GOP leadership are attempting to hold up chartering two local volunteer clubs because they don’t like what I am writing on this blog. I am not sure how I, living 440 miles away have gotten so much power that a few small minded people that can’t handle accountability want to hurt other people to vent their frustrations about what I am writing.
Orange County is turning Blue under their watchful eye. I know some that are trying to stop it – but the institutional inertia for the status quo outweighs morality, innovation and any vision for the future.
Scott Baugh is a former Chairman of the OC GOP. He and others on the OC GOP (including current Chairman Fred Whitaker) in their attempts to defend the status quo pointed out that the over $300k raised by Don Wagner, including the 30+K in recent years directly to the OC GOP did not matter. John Moorlach deserved re-election at all costs.
One such cost will be that $30k that Wagner raised is now gone and Moorlach will not raise a dime. He has told leadership as such – even as they were preparing to try and save him from Don Wagner! Apparently, the OC GOP leadership does not need the $30k, a small price to pay to maintain the status quo.
Mimi Walters was defended by Fred Whitaker in a conference call. His primary defense WAS ALL THE MONEY MIMI WALTERS RAISED FOR THE PARTY. Don Wagner raised more. He does not matter, he is not an incumbent.
Real people don’t look at incumbency. Only other incumbents worried about the precedent and what it means to them. We call this self-serving party organizational suicide.
If Mimi Walters deserves re-election because of her fundraising and recruiting of other candidates – then John Moorlach (the double-dipping, pension-spiking “conservative”) deserved to go.
Nope. The OC GOP has no moral high ground to stand on or credibility in my opinion and I write this as some of the same power brokers are rigging the election of the upcoming Orange County GOP Central Committee.
The OC GOP has no moral basis to oppose Greg Raths or attempt to bully him. They need to stand up and be counted as a part of the establishment that has brought us the rage-based coalition of Donald Trump. Trump’s rise is 100% due to the epic moral failure of GOP leadership characterized by situational ethics and prizing the status quo more than anyone or anything else.
This leads us to Dana Rohrabacher. Rohrabacher was FORCED TO DEFEND HIMSELF. Why? The OC GOP actually looks like they did not defend one of their incumbents!!!
So, I can’t even say the OC GOP are denizens of the Status-Quo? It appears that the desire to avoid conflict took them in to a state of paralysis.
Dear Congressman Rohrabacher. I don’t know you. I have met you only once. I will defend you. You deserve better than to be discarded by a new generation of self-serving pseudo-conservative opportunists.
Not everyone in the OCGOP are bad people. There are many good, solid people there. It is time to discard Scott Baugh. It is time to discard Fred Whitaker and let’s get leadership with consistency to principle and a spine.
As a concluding note: To my friends in the newly forming OC GOP volunteer clubs, my apologies if the leadership of the OC GOP uses me as an excuse to protect the status quo. If they deny your charter because of me, that’s on them, not you.