Today's Guest Blog comes from Patricia Welch, Chairperson of the Humboldt County Republican Party, who served in the Victory 2006 effort to re-elect Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and currently serves as a Board Member of the California Republican Party.


A little over a year ago, Governor Schwarzenegger told a group of GOP activists at the State Convention that the 'Republican Party is dying at the box office.'  The gist of his speech, which by the way was NOT well received, was that the Party needed to move more to the center. 
 
On November 16th of this year,  he appeared on ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos and  said he didn't "care about anyone's political philosophy" and that if "[Republicans] want to talk about core values, I think it is all nonsense talk."  I wonder what core values, exactly, he is calling nonsense?
 
In that same interview the Governor states, "I don't want to do it. I hate taxes. I hate the word "taxes" and all of those things. But there's certain times when you have to forget about the ideology, and, you know, all of this, and fix problems." 
 
Now California is in a 'fiscal emergency' and Democrats want to remove the 2/3 vote required to raise taxes so that they can raise our taxes with a simple majority vote--you do the math--in the Assembly 51 Dems to 29 Reps and in the Senate 24 Dems and 15 Reps.  I guess we know what our legislators' 'fix' is to our 'problem.'  
 
I think I remember a Schwarzenegger who ran for Governor in 2003,  a Schwarzenneger who promised no new taxes, less debt financing, and spending cuts. When he ran for reelection in 2006 his opponent Phil Angelides was a 'tax-aholic.'  Remember that?
 
Now it's 2008 and the Gov's 'fix' is to impose a 1.5 % sales tax increase over three years putting some areas in California paying almost 10% in sales taxes and, AND triple the car tax. Hmm...tripling the car tax..that seems to have a familiar ring....oh yeah..it is the same reviled tax that got Governor Davis recalled from office, and got Schwarzenegger into office.  Nonw, the Governor even boasts that his tax plan will "invigorate our economy and generate jobs."  Yeah, right; the answer is to tax us into prosperity --- kinda' like throwing a drowning man a block of cement.  Really, somebody ought to check his cigars; if I didn't know better, I would think the governor has been visiting my neck of the woods-- he's smoking some strong hallucinogen.
 
So, Republicans core values are nonsense and Republicans are dying at the box office? Really, Mr.. Schwarzenegger?  I think it is you who are dying at the box office and frankly, and with all due respect, it is the pot calling the kettle black.  

The intention of this truly is not an attack on the Governor, but rather an expression of my frustration that he is not holding to his original promise of no new taxes.  Other members of the CRP Board are concerned as well, evidenced by a 14-2 vote (with 1 abstention) by the Board two weeks ago on a Resolution calling on the Governor to keep his campaign pledge against higher taxes, and to withdraw the proposed taxes; as well as praising our GOP legislators for their resolve and urging them to oppose these new proposed taxes. 
 
We should all be concerned---this a not only a problem for the Governor, it is a problem for the state of California.  Democrats don't trust the governor, and according to a recent CBS13 poll only 6% of Republicans support the Governor, thus turning him into a lame duck governor with limited power.
 
Several other CRP Board members have been very vocal on this issue.  Perhaps it would behoove us to keep our opinions to ourselves, but I think the 14-2 vote says it all.  
 

Patricia Welch is Chairperson of the Humboldt County Republican Party.  She also serves on the Executive Board of the California Republican Party, as well as the Party’s Budget, Platform, and Volunteer Committees.  She served on the successful California Victory 2006 effort to elect Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2004, she was Regional Chairman of Orange County for Bill Jones for U.S. Senate. She was Precinct Coordinator for the Republican Party of Orange County in 1999 and has served as Volunteer Coordinator for numerous City Council and Mayoral contests in her hometown of Orange, CA.  She has been active in the California Federation of Republican Women for nearly 20 years, holding leadership positions including her current Chairmanship of Leadership Development and as Region XIII Director for CFRW's Northern Division. She is also a graduate of CWLA's Inaugural class of the Marian Bergeson Leadership Series.