Cross Posted from Daily Kos

I realize that Calitics is an exception to this and there are many here focusing on local issues and politics.  I just thought I’d share my big orange rant which went virtually unnoticed of course.

Crazy isn’t it?  Local State and Congressional candidates are also running for office and they need your help.  Many of the States have already had their Primary and I’m sure some of you who are still on the fence can’t wait to start working for the eventual nominee, but have you thought, you could be working for local candidates?

I know, many of you do and I commend you for that.  As someone who is trying to run their first Statewide contest the tasks are formidable and the chances slim for us but we have to fight and the Primary battle between the potential Democratic Presidential nominees feels like static.

But please remember this, 2008 represents a year that could change the political landscape for local communities, especially those who have been red for a long time now and the help from local activists could make the difference between winning and losing.  I believe this to my very core.

Today, Gary Pritchard for State Senate released it’s first press release.  The Republican candidate in our district just doesn’t get and is running on the same failed policies of the National Republican policy, these policies have done damage from every town and city and every State in the Union.  Small change must come with our anticipated big change.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gary Pritchard for State Senate

Today Gary Pritchard has announced that he has NOT been endorsed by the Orange County Young Republicans. (H/T to OC Blog)

http://www.redcounty.com/orang…

Citing the last seven years of the Bush administration’s dismal record for the country and record number of defections from the GOP ranks, Gary Pritchard celebrated his no endorsement by the GOP Young Republicans.  “I can’t believe Mimi Walters made such a blunder. Who in their right mind would want the Republican stamp of approval?” The economy is in the tank; Republicans have mismanaged the mortgage industry, The Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, The national debt, which is owned by China (What happened to “fiscal responsibility”?) and so many more things, why would Mimi Walters want to associate herself with so many disasters?  I have heard the Walters campaign is in crisis mode and are holding late night meetings to do damage control to figure out a way to distance themselves from the Republican taint.

At the state level the Republican Governor is laying off teachers left and right and closing State beaches because the budget doesn’t have room for lifeguards.  Locally they have Former Sheriff Corona on his way to the Clink, The Inmate Scandal at the Jails, Mike Schroeder and his endless number of frivolous lawsuits, Dina Nguyen’s suspect fundraising, and former Rohrabacher staffer convicted pedophile Jeffery Nielson in jail, who would want to be associated with that, how embarrassing.

I, Gary Pritchard, Democratic Candidate for the 33rd Senate District, am proud to say that I am endorsed by the Democratic Party of California and I encourage disaffected Republicans, Declined to State Voters, and Democrats to vote for me this November.

But get this, not only is Mimi Walters having her far right conservative endorsements endlessly paraded on the local blogs she’s embracing the hypocrisy that is hurting every working family in California.

Governor Schwarzenegger was scheduled visit and attend a “pep rally” for a South Orange County PRIVATE School yesterday afternoon.  Some of you are aware that California is facing a huge budget crisis and public schools are giving pink slips to many of their teachers, much to the detriment of their students and the public education system that so many working families rely upon.  I wrote about this at The Liberal OC…

The Governator visiting South County Tomorrow, Privately…

Yes, you read that right. The Governator is going to be making a public appearance at a private school in Orange County and to add insult to injury, thousands of parents of children in public school plan on protesting this appearance. Do you blame them?

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Hundreds of parents, students and teachers from across South County are expected to surround a private school where the governor is rumored to be making an appearance Thursday to protest his proposed $4 billion cut to K-12 education.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is widely believed to be making an unannounced stop at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano for an afternoon pep rally.

St. Margaret’s spokeswoman Anne Mack referred all questions about the appearance to the governor’s office, which would not confirm his attendance.

“We respect the right of people to express their concerns through peaceful demonstration … and we want the very best for all students in Orange County and California,” Mack said in a prepared statement.

OC Register

The OC Register fails to point out the irony regarding the planned visit to a private school while the Governor puts forth that the best way to deal with the budget shortfall is to cut public education. South County schools are expected to lose a total of 46 million in funding to Capistrano and Saddleback School Districts which educate 85,000 children. What would this private school need a “pep rally” for? Are they laying off teachers and scaling back on their educational standards because of the Governor’s badly managed fiscal plan? Probably not.

So why bother Arnold? Why do you need to be shoring up support with private schools when the bulk of your constituents have children in public schools? Maybe Arnold will be urging this and other schools to hire the laid off teachers since they will probably have a complete landslide of applicants for private education. Can’t have their classroom sizes affected, now can we?

As Robert in Monterey has pointed out, Arnold could easily reinstate the Vehicle License Fee which would cost the average two car household an extra $300 a year and raise over an estimated six billion in revenue and short circuit these cuts (although the pink slips have already been handed out and the students have already been affected by the threat of cuts). For most families with multiple children, three hundred a year is much cheaper than having to send your child to a private school. I personally believe that public education is one of those things that warrants such action, but then you would probably just call me a liberal.

So, we know that Republicans don’t get the double standard but the level of cluelessness is astounding.  Arnold was going to attend this pep rally at the request of the Republican Candidate for SD-33 Mimi Walters because her children attend this school.  Yes, you read that right, the Republican who is currently serving in the State Assembly and promising not to raise taxes at any cost has her children in private school

Look, they think we aren’t paying attention, that’s the only way I can describe this hubris, blatant and insulting to all of those people who work hard every day and who depend on the public school system.  Parents of children in this private school were actually upset that the visit was canceled because of the planned protests.  Yes, it’s absolutely true.

Apparently Arnold’s planned visit to St. Margaret’s was organized at the request of Mimi Walters, whose kids go to the school. (She’s responsible for what’s probably the largest education budget in the world but she can’t be bothered to send her kids to south OC’s public schools, which have some of the highest test scores in California.)

According to the Capistrano Dispatch, which is unequivocally the BEST local newspaper on the PLANET: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s motorcade pulled into downtown San Juan Capistrano Thursday evening amid hundreds of protesters criticizing his support of the Foothill-South toll road and deep cuts to education. Schwarzenegger entered the back room of El Adobe through the side gate and did not acknowledge about 300 people lining both sides of Camino Capistrano. There was no way he missed the sign-waiving, whistle-blowing crowd, that broke into chants of “Shame on You” and “Save Our Schools” when the CHP-escorted black SUVs arrived.

The demonstrations started at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School earlier in the afternoon: Schwarzenegger was supposed to attend a rally there in honor of the CIF-champion football team, but canceled because of the protests. A St. Margaret’s spokeswoman, who had declined to even confirm the governor was set to appear, said the school supported the right to protest. Not everyone did, though: Some motorists slowed, rolled down their windows and yelled at the protesters because of the cancellation.

H/t to Gila Jones

Please, prove Republicans wrong and start paying attention to local races and write your local papers and call them on this, it has to be done, just as McCain is getting a free ride from the media, so are all Republicans as long as the Democratic Primary keeps chugging along.  We have a chance to change things not just nationally but locally.

And to add, both Gary and I support Obama, not only has he run a far superior campaign, he’s going to have coattails and he’s going to bring a lot of good Democrats with him, as well as moderates and disappointed Republicans.  But no matter who the nominee is, I will work for either, we won’t see anything change with four more years of BushMcCain.