Goldwater in 1964 Created Trump and Status of California Republican Party Today

Exclusive to the California Political News and Views 11/5/19

The California volunteer of today believes the situation in California just happened and no one knows why the State Party stopped registering voters, does not seem to have an interest in the re-election of President Trump. The Establishment are looking to keep control of the Party. The conservatives want to win everything, from city council, to the legislature, Congress and President. The Establishment in 2019 has the money and the conservatives have the volunteers. At this point there is only one active effort to promote the President, that is a series of Statewide leaders, in every county, working with volunteers. They have already put out a game plan.

The fight between Goldwater volunteers/conservatives and the Establishment has continued. The Establishment has controlled the Party for the past eight years. We all know where the Party stands today.

Remember we are 363 days till the November, 2020 election—and just 119 days till the March primary. If we are going to organize for the Primary it has to happen now. The State Party has a neat program called CARES. I am told by a CRP staffer, “we will have fun with CARES”. It may be good, but few know about it and we are three weeks before thanksgiving and the start of the Holiday Season.

Looking at 1964 and 2019, the California political scene is the same—the Establishment controls the system—the volunteers control the ground. One difference between the Establishment running the Trump re-elect in California and the volunteers is simple. The volunteers include Republicans, Democrats and Decline to State. The CRP effort is only going to have Republicans—and they will be busy with helping win Assembly, Congressional and State Senate seats—as they should be. In 2016 the State Party had almost nothing to do with the volunteer effort for Trump. The Trump people had an email list of California volunteers—Rounded off, 336,000. Those folks are not being incorporated in a joint Trump/GOP effort to elect a slate of Republicans.

Goldwater, while he did not win the 1964 general election created Ronald Reagan—and the rest is history. While rich people were behind Reagan—they were not part of the California ruling class. Salvatori, Tuttle and the rest were either conservatives or friends of Reagan—not GOP’ers. It was the trained Goldwater volunteers that took leadership of the Reagan campaign—in the Primary they defeated the Establishment candidate, Mayor George Christopher of San Francisco. The Reagan volunteers did what the Trump folks did in 2016—rallies, events, door to door, with little direction from the campaign.

In fact, the GOP, to win needs a coalition of conservatives and Establishment. When a Pete Wilson or Arnold is nominated, we are told as conservatives it is our duty as Republicans to fight the good fight. Yet, we are told that if a conservative is in leadership the GOP Establishment will take a walk.

The fight of ’64 continues 55 years later. Until we are able to have everyone at the table, California will continue to be a One Party State—and more people will leave the Republican Party. We even have a talk show host in Fresno, Trevor Carey forming a Central Valley “conservative” activist precinct operation—away from the GOP. . The volunteers are not waiting for the Establishment to act. They did not on 1964 or 1966, they didn’t in 2016 and won’t in 2020.

Hopefully this article will remind the Establishment they have the responsibility to unite the Party and give everyone a role. Failing that, 2018 will be repeated in California. Goldwater and Reagan proved the value of the volunteers. The 2020 California Trump volunteers have already started the effort. Will the Establishment join, sit on the sidelines or try to stop them? Watch Kevin Faulconer. His decision to endorse Trump or not will be the signal as to where the Establishment is going in 2020. GOP groups should ask him if he is fully supporting President Trump for re-election. If not, it shows how he and the Establishment disrespect volunteers, the Republican Party and President Trump.

What do you think?