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Would you believe it? Republican mega-donor Howard Ahmanson has quit the GOP! Steven Greenhut broke the story over at his Orange Punch blog. Here is an excerpt from Greenhut’s post:
Philanthropist and political activist Howard Ahmanson has often been portrayed in the media and by his critics as a one-dimensional right-wing religious figure, but I’ve found him to be an independent and unpredictable thinker. For instance, Ahmanson and I have gone round and round over the issue of New Urbanism — he is sypathetic to it, and I am hostile toward it. Although he helped fund the Prop. 8 campaign, he also has been involved in various property rights endeavors. Well, I just received a fascinating short column from him in which he declares that he registered as a Democrat. He makes a great point about the GOP and its only principle these days: opposing tax hikes. I always oppose tax hikes also, but there is something intellectually dishonest about a party that opposes tax hikes while voting for things that mandate higher debt or tax hikes down the road.
And here is an excerpt form Ahmanson’s column:
About six weeks ago, I, a known leader of the Religious Right in California, decided to reregister in the Democratic Party. Why did I do this?
Well, I think I was reading about the budget struggles and threatened purges in the Legislature, and I was getting more and more tired and disgusted of it, and I realized that, had I been a Republican assemblyman, I could have hardly escaped being purged myself. The Republican Party of the State of California seems to have decided to narrow itself down to one article of faith, which may be described as NTESEBREE: No Tax Shall Ever Be Raised Ever Ever. Now, I’m concerned about this constant tax ratcheting, but I don’t think this is the answer. The Democratic Party in California, however, is now so big and diverse and all-inclusive that it has ABSOLUTELY NO PRINCIPLES WHATSOEVER. The Hollywood and San Francisco establishments within the Party may hold to some pretty detestable principles, but the party as a whole? I have not changed any of my opinions. There is not a single right-wing opinion I hold that some section of the Democratic Party doesn’t support it. Opposed to “marriage equality” and freewheeling abortion rights? A lot of Democrats of color will agree. And also many of them will agree on the importance and social justice of vouchers and tax credits for non-government schools. Opposed to fiscal irresponsibility? A lot of Silicon Valley Democrats will probably agree. Opposed to “urban redevelopment” schemes that run small business and residents out of the way for the benefit of the politically important? Got a high view of property rights? Lots of Democrats, including Robert Cruickshank and Senate President Darrell Steinberg, agree with me to a considerable degree.
You know the red ship is sinking when major GOP donors like Ahmanson are getting off! Not only is the California Republican Party in its death throes – now it just isn’t cool to be a Republican anymore.
Ahmanson made headlines last year when he donated to State Senator Lou Correa’s campaign fund. I ripped Correa for taking that money – but in retrospect it is clear that there was more to that transaction than just a check. Ahmanson was starting to think even then of bolting the GOP, I think.
Of course Ahmanson ended up giving a lot of money to the Prop. 8 campaign. I think in retrospect that the hateful Prop. 8 campaign was engineered to bring Republicans to the polls, to vote for John McCain. Well, folks voted, but McCain got blown away in California. It wasn’t close.
Memo to Ahmanson – when you realize that the blue crowd is no better than the red one, try freedom for a change. The Libertarian Party awaits – but you’ll have to leave the Talibani agenda at the door. If you are looking for something to back, I suggest you get involved with the Tax Revolt. Viva la Revolucion!
“GOP donors like Ahmanson!” must have wised up!
Poor Howard….now that Joan Irvine Smith has
joined with Donald Bren….”The Broadcom Boyz”
and ….. and…..well, the parties have dried
up and he would rather go where is old pals are
now! Things change!
I would only point out to Howard Ahmanson that that Republicans are NOT tax cutters, but tax INCREASERS. So their whole tax-cut pose is a lie.
Arnold Schwarzetaxxer just jacked up taxes, and wants more.
Bush’s celebrated tax “cuts” are expiring next year. So they were phony, too. The only real tax cut is a permanent one.
Bush’s inflation — the dollar has lost 2/3 of its value against gold since 2001 — is inflation, pushing everybody into higher tax brackets, eroding the value of our salaries.
And Bush’s war, war, war and spend, spend, spend, were paid for through record borrowing (until Obama’s own record borrowing), which only means delayed tax increases.
GOP legislators in both cases, Arnold and Bush, went along with the tax increases and wild spending and the wars, with only a few exceptions such as Ron Paul.
Like Howard is going to take any advice from you, Art!
Probably a lame attempt for Arty to suck up to Howard and maybe get some of Howard’s do-re-mi. Art could use the money.
“Bush’s celebrated tax “cuts” are expiring next year. So they were phony, too. The only real tax cut is a permanent one.”
Oh, that makes a lot of sense, John. So when a store puts an item on weekend sale, I buy it, and those items revert to their original price, then the sale was “phony” and I didn’t really get it for a lower price?
So the actual money I don’t pay in taxes because of the Bush tax cuts isn’t real?
Your bitterness is affecting your reasoning.
It would be a great mistake and disservice to the country for financial conservatives to abandon the GOP. They need to clean out the self-serving and dishonest from party leadership and get it back (in my opinion) to what it was in Eisenhower times. Reagan himself was a fine man, but already his party leadership was marbled with scoundrels. Without strong opposition from the Right, and without a need to fight for the political center, the far lefty fringe of the Democrats will gain far too much influence. Stay engaged, we need you guys!
All this political stuff is academic.
The dude totally looks like Bobby Wier in that picture!
*It was odd…after Arnold captured the Primary, the Fund Raising was incredible. People came out of every cubbie hole.
The Republican problem is attracting celebrity
candidates that could unify the party. Tom Selleck is such a candidate…..but most want to settle for Poizner is guaranteed to lose against: Brown, Newsome or Garamendi!
Martin,
Don’t be silly. Howard is his own man. He grew tired of the Reeps and it is a matter of time before he realizes the blue party has no answers either…
The answer is freedom – and it is in short supply in both the red and blue parties.
Why would Ahmanson be tempted by the Libertarian Party when his only beef with the GOP is with our unwillingness to raise taxes? He reminds me of Huckabee, a religious conservative with no real principled opposition to the rise of Big Government. Does his call for ‘fiscally responsible government’ mean raising taxes so increasing levels of government involvement can be funded with fewer deficits? I don’t see him looking around the Silicon Valley for folks in favor of “limited” government.
And what exactly is the difference between abortion rights and “freewheeling” abortion rights? There is no wheel on an abortion right, I’m not getting the metaphor at all.
Right. The whole idea of “abortion rights” is inherently freewheeling, to say the least. And that’s putting it mildly!