#CAPANDTRAITORS $300B Tax Increase Passes, Time to Burn it all Down

If you care about what is left of the CAGOP, stop and take a moment to read.

As most of you know, the Assembly GOP Leadership provided 7 critical votes to pass AB398, a $300B tax increase to extend the onerous Cap and Trade program until 2030. It also empowers the California Air Resources Board with unilateral power to ban products, set utility rates and jack up taxes on energy. It is estimated that a short-term impact of this will be  $.72 a gallon gas tax and doubling of utility bills.

Business groups supported this move as higher prices and artificial scarcity created by over regulation will drive up their profit margins. This is a reason why PG&E dropped in $1 Million to oppose the attempt to overturn SB32 upon which AB398 was based, creating the original global warming regulation hysteria.

Here are your #CAPANDTRAITORS:

In the State Senate, Termed out Senator Tom Berryhill voted yes as he had nothing to lose. He is out of office in 2018. Berryhill was supported with tons of establishment cash in his original election.

The establishment donors who line up behind liberal Republicans that will negotiate on everything are typically: PG&E, Chevron, CREPAC (the Realtors), the Dental PAC and the Spirit of Democracy PAC which is almost entirely funded by one donor Charles Munger.

When you take a closer look at the 7 Republicans that provided the deciding votes in the Assembly, 6 of the 7 received massive financial support from that cartel.

Heath Flora received almost $1 Million in support over San Joaquin County Supervisor Ken Vogel. Vogel was eviscerated with attack ads while the liberal Heath Flora cruised to victory. In his first term, Flora has responded the way his masters hoped he would.

Jordan Cunningham is a liberal Republican in a soft district on the coast. He was bolstered by hundreds of thousands in spending on his behalf.

Catherine Baker sits in a dem-leaning district in Contra Costa County. She openly campaigned as a supporter of Cap and Trade. She has received massive, in excess of $3 Million at this point support from the establishment.

Marc Steinorth sits in a swing district and this vote will likely cost him re-election in 2018. He was helped in to office by about $1 Million, kept in by another Million and I am not sure if $2 Million will save him in 2018 after this.

Rocky Chavez is a liberal Republican in a safe Republican Seat. The establishment spent about $500k trashing Sherry Hodges on his behalf. Chavez took the lead on this issue and likely has alienated a ton of people. It is unclear if he will face any sort of real threat as a result.

Brian Manschein is in San Diego, he voted yes on several procedural items, yet voted no on the final bill. It bears mention as I had been informed he was in the bag for the bill.

Assembly Permanent Minority Leader Chad Mayes was a the ringleader of the effort. He is awash in establishment cash

Lastly, and most perplexing, Devon Mathis voted yes. Mathis stunned the establishment with his victory in the Tulare County District he is in. Of all the above, I would think Mathis would be the most vulnerable to getting defeated in a primary.

Understand that about 30 years ago there was a shift where consultants and the donor community started to take over undue influence in the outcome of legislative elections. Term limits were installed, thus enabling the donors and stakeholders more influence and control of the election outcomes. When you have term limits experience goes out the door.

For those of us left – the only hope of dealing with this stuff is to burn down the CA GOP. Those that supported this measure need to be taken out in their upcoming primaries. Party leaders that did not stand up against AB398 need to be removed.

I’ve heard that many tea parties are fixated on Central Committees – taking over central committees will change little. Hitting the establishment in their pocketbook will. Taking out a few Republican incumbents would be a much better and much more effective way to deliver a message. The Republican establishment know that the Tea Party / Trump supporters are disorganized, like to in-fight a lot and are focused on things that don’t matter. This empowers them to do what they do.

Only when the establishment have a legitimate fear they will actually lose something will it cause change. If any of you reading care about my opinion and are willing to think this through, it is time to rally behind primary opponents for (all, including democrats) those that supported AB398. #BURNITDOWN