#236 - I Love the Smell of CARP in the Morning!

Like most fish, carp have a horrific smell when they die and begin decomposing. Dad and I buried a small dogfish shark out in the backyard one day 35 years ago after a fishing expedition, and the smell lingers over the western edge of Simi Valley to this day.

So when we hear from BoifromTroy (via California Mafia) that the California Republican Party (or CARP, if you will) is refusing to issue press credentials for their upcoming convention except to only a couple of California-based bloggers, you can imagine the smell.

I am not personally interested in attending such a convention. I have long been of the opinion that the state-wide parties and their affiliates are only exceeded in their sloth and ineptitude by their national counterparts. And that's saying something. The state Party elite, however, have not learned the lessons of the last general election. Bloggers are a force to be reckoned with, and not lightly.

As KG over at the Mafia states, "Republicans don’t seem interested in running effective campaigns - let alone winning."

Too true.

Our races for U. S. Senator are case in point. If the state GOP were serious about taking the office away from the Liberal Sisters, they would have fronted serious candidates, and even helped them campaign, for Pete's sake. Instead, they throw their "backing" to some unknown white guy, and apparently spend their entire war chest on making sure that he stays unknown. Less collateral damage that way, I suppose. I mean, I voted for the guy, but heck if I remember what his name was. Bill Somethingorother, I think.

So, election season is upon us and, once again, the state "Party" has not a clue how to convince us to vote. Except, probably, to call my house and beg for money. This appears to be the Party's core competency. Once again, when called I will state, "I'll send you guys money when you do a better job with the money you already have." They have no response to that kind of circular logic, but it works for me.

Thus the tenor (so to speak) of my posts this election year will probably be along the lines of haranguing the Party for their inability to find and run a viable candidate who actually has a chance of winning the state. Schwarzenegger got in on an anti-Davis backlash, so he's not a shoe-in this time around. We have a golden opportunity to unseat Feinstein, but I doubt we'll find someone who can convince the liberal Coasties otherwise. In short, the only elected Republicans this state can count on are probably in those places where Republicans tend to win, like Orange County and parts of Ventura.

In the meantime, I need to go bury another fish. I miss the smell.