Here is the historical trend for statewide registration numbers for the two incumbent parties (Source here):



Notice the downward trend in Republican registration over the last 25 years?  Me too.  Why could that be?  Why ever could that be?

Here’s part of the reason:



That is, of course, from the website of the Sacramento County Republican Party.

And today’s Republican Party fun:



That is from the October newsletter of the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated, apparently reproduced from a bunch of email forwards that are going around in conservative circles.

This is the Republican Party, that through its own actions, has marginalized itself in California, losing registered voters and legislative seats.  

But Proposition 11 gives the Republicans equal weight with the Democrats in drawing legislative districts, power that the Republicans themselves have decided they don’t want, because (as we see above) the Republicans themselves, with all of the advantages they had as an incumbent party, have chosen to become extremists, out of step with mainstream Californians.  

If the Republicans want more power in the State (other than the extortionist veto right they have over our fiscal health, thanks to gerrymandered budget and tax requirements), they should reform themselves.  It is not the responsibility of all of the rest of us to give the “party of personal responsibility” a helping hand just because they’ve chosen to make themselves profoundly unappetizing to the voters of California.

I should note that I would favor actual reforms that allow for actual competition for voters — public financing, multi-representative districts, and instant runoff voting would all be interesting and might create actual competition, not just between the two incumbent parties and their power brokers, but against the two incumbent parties and their power brokers.  But Proposition 11 is fake reform.  It is designed to set up districts that are “competitive” between the two incumbent parties, where one of those parties simply hasn’t earned that right.  

They’re not just economic royalists and Yacht Tax Loophole lovers anymore, they have graduated to out and out eliminationist status:

Sacramento County Republican leaders Tuesday took down offensive material on their official party Web site that sought to link Sen. Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden and encouraged people to “Waterboard Barack Obama” – material that offended even state GOP leaders.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has pushed the party to try to broaden its appeal, took issue with the site. “In the governor’s view, it’s completely and totally inappropriate,” said Julie Soderlund, a Schwarzenegger spokeswoman […]

Taking credit for the site (sacramentorepublicans.org) and its content was county party chairman Craig MacGlashan – husband of Sacramento County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan.

The Bee asked MacGlashan about the content after seeking his reaction to hate-filled graffiti that was spray-painted over an Obama display on a fence at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Garfield Avenue.

In recent weeks, MacGlashan, an attorney, joined local Democratic party officials in condemning vandalism to political displays.

The vandalism to the Obama display appeared to have been done overnight Monday. A racial epithet, profanity, “KKK” and the words “white power” were clearly visible from the roadway. Six of the nine fence panels were defaced.

“What you are describing to me is not free speech, it’s vandalism. We don’t condone it,” MacGlashan said.

But he defended his Web site. “I’m aware of the content,” he said. “Some people find it offensive, others do not. I cannot comment on how people interpret things.”

Republicans have been taught for 30 years that the Presidency is their divine right and any Democrat who accedes to the office must be illegitimate.  Compounding this is the fact that this next President is a black man.  The hatred is welling up from everywhere and the resultant anger will make the Clinton Years look like the Era of Good Feeling.

Alternatively, the Sacramento GOP might have gone with “Waterboard Obama” just to follow the lead of their current President’s explicit approval of torture.