Editor’s note: On Oct. 15, Uken Report published an article titledJ” Valley’s Republican Party Reportedly in Disarray.” The article included interviews with Coachella Valley Republicans, including Glenn Alan Miller, Lupe Ramos Watson, Richard Oliphant, and Jim Ferguson as to why the Republican Party once so prominent in the Coachella appeared split. Many Republicans contacted for the article declined to comment. Mayor Michael Wilson contacted me recently with some thoughts. This is his edited opinion.
I read your article with some interesting thoughts and feelings that I wanted to share….
If you had asked me the same question my answer would have been, “Just look at the conditions in Sacramento and Washington and look at the California political landscape.”
California has gone so far left it’s about to fall off the planet. No Republican wants to fight the daily grind in Sacramento with a Democrat super majority and nothing to really accomplish but watch the Democrats ruin a once great state that now harbors criminals as a Sanctuary State. Though (Republican) Sen. Jeff Stone gives it a great effort, he’s just drowned out by the other party that won’t even work with Republicans, really.
Who wants to be a part of that and subject yourself to that while sacrificing family, children, spouses, etc.?
State and federal politics has become such a nasty place to be. The personal attacks, the politics of personal destruction, the lies that people tell, etc. It’s just a very ugly place to be today. No reasonable person, especially someone who would be a great representative and leader, will subject themselves to that.
Therefore, nobody steps up to actively become a uniting force and an up-and-coming Republican leader to bring everyone together and run. It has become a situation where the local Republicans just find a name to throw into the ring knowing that it’s just someone to throw on a ballot so the other party at least has to run against somebody instead of being unopposed.
There are only a few small areas left in California that can elect a Republican to office at the state and federal level. So, in my opinion there are some very good leaders locally who just won’t sacrifice themselves, their families, etc. for an office that they have to literally go into full bloody combat mode to win and then accomplish very little.
The risk versus gain is just not there.
Image Sources
- Mike_wilson: Michael H. Wilson
