Potential Snare For Republican “Moderates”

In all likelihood, out-of-power California Democrats could be expected to lament the state's continuing financial crisis as if it mysteriously began on the very day of the new Governor's inauguration. For those who might consider such a suggestion to be excessive, Democrat portrayal of the nation's recent economic woes serve as a sterling example. For although every indicator of a slowdown in America's economy pointed to early 2000 (the latter part of Clinton's second term) as the time when leading indicators began to droop, to this day among Democrat politicians and the liberal media the nation's financial problems are invariably labeled as “the Bush Economy.”

Likewise, these same liberal mouthpieces feign complete ignorance of the manifold breaches in America's national security apparatus during the 1990's, since any attention to those incidences would lay the blame squarely at the feet of the Clinton Administration where it clearly belongs. Instead, in the wake of September 11, they have repeatedly raised questions regarding “lapses” in the effectiveness of the Bush team to take preemptive action to avert the attacks.

Therefore, in the likely event that a Republican succeeds Davis as Governor, that individual had better be ready to decisively change the direction of California's government. And such a feat will not be easy to accomplish, considering that state's absurdly leftist, Democrat-dominated legislature will undoubtedly do everything in its power to thwart such change. But failure to resolutely act in a manner that proves the new governor to be sufficiently courageous to face the state's problems will only serve to make that individual the target of criticism for all past and present fiscal turmoil, despite the fact that the groundwork for the present calamity was laid during Davis' administration.

In such a setting, the ascension of a so-called “moderate Republican” to California's highest office could prove, in the long run, to be a bigger win for the Democrats than any benefit they might reap by maintaining their present hold on the governorship. The experience of recent years has shown an appropriate definition of a moderate to be someone who, in the political sense, would attempt to put out a fire by throwing equal parts of water and gasoline on it. Invariably, such token efforts fail to correct the situation, and the problem simply gets worse. All too often this is followed by a repudiation of the supposed “fix” as being excessively “conservative.” Were this scenario, or some similar one, played out in the upcoming year and a half in the Golden State, any possibility of its November 2004 presidential vote going to George W. Bush would be effectively eliminated.

Furthermore, across the nation California's problems would undoubtedly be spotlighted as proof of the inevitable disaster that can be expected to befall any state attempting to revert to “Republican fixes” for its problems. Thus the potential exists for the President to lose not only California's electoral votes, but those of other states as well.

The gravity of this situation cannot be minimized, in particular since past patterns of behavior show the California GOP to be predisposed towards seeking the “safety” of the middle ground by consistently supporting so-called “moderates.” Furthermore, White House political strategist Karl Rove, who regularly undermines conservatives by urging the President to move left, will likely play a major “behind the scenes” role in the upcoming electoral jockeying. But the unintended consequences of such efforts could reverberate all the way into next year's Congressional and Senate elections, not to mention the presidential race. If Republicans fumble this one, the aftershocks will ultimately be felt far beyond the borders of California.

Growing up during the turbulent decades of the ‘60's and ‘70's, Christopher  Adamo saw, to his dismay, the nation's moral foundations being destroyed  before his very eyes. But even then he was a staunch Conservative at heart,  and rejected outright the tenets of America's counterculture revolution.

 After a hitch in the Air Force, where he specialized in airborne  electro- optical systems, he pursued a career in the field of aerospace,  working for major defense contractors in California, Florida, and Colorado. But his career plans abruptly changed during the industry-wide downsizing that followed the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Presently he is working in the field of industrial instrumentation in the state of Wyoming. Concurrently, he has become involved in that state's political process, attending state GOP conventions as a delegate, and serving as a member of the Wyoming Republican Central Committee. He has also aided in the candidacies of local legislators and state senators, as well as a U.S. Senator and Congresswoman.

From 1993 to 1996, he edited and wrote for “The Wyoming Christian”, the state newsletter for Christian Coalition of Wyoming. During that period, he developed an acute awareness of the harm being done to Conservatism by liberal activists within the Republican Party as well as the Democrats. This remains a favorite theme of his articles, which now appear as a regular feature on GOPUSA.