Brian Nestande - Perfect! Just who I need to go after President Obama and his damn caring. *Ahem* Damn Obamacare law. You don't like my decision? Talk to the hand!
What people don't mention here much is that prior to being elected Congressman, Darrell Issa back in the 1990's was very active in fundraising for the Republican Party. Since then, he has never failed to disappoint on that front.
In fact, Issa's arguably the most powerful Republican in California, more powerful than even House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy.
However, if I were Brian Nestande, Republican Congressional Candidate running to challenge Democratic Rep. Raul Ruiz in California's 36th Congressional District, I'd want to not associate myself with Issa, given his controversial and divisive nature.
Sadly, Nestande seems all too willing to let Issa fundraise for him:
http://www.latimes.com/...
Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista will hit the campaign trail early on behalf of a GOP challenger in what is expected to be a hotly contested Riverside County congressional district seat.
The Brian Nestande for Congress campaign said Issa would headline an event Saturday in Palm Desert.
Nestande, a state assemblyman, is challenging freshman Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Springs), an emergency room physician who defeated GOP Rep. Mary Bono Mack last year.
Both major parties are expected to battle for the 36th Congressional District seat. The area was once a strong bet for Republicans, but changing demographics and a growing Latino population helped Democrats take the seat last year.
Now don't get the wrong impression here. The GOP actually sees Issa as a great fundraiser for the party so no matter how trigger happy he is with his investigations or subpoenas (like a kid who gets a sweet toy gun for Christmas and plays with the fire button constantly).
But in Brian Nestande's case, he's a moderate Republican who has ties to Mary Bono Mack and in 1995-1998 served as then-Congressman Sonny Bono's Chief-of-Staff until his death and resumed in the same role for Bono Mack when she took over as Congresswoman.
He's also not been exactly the most loyal with the GOP in CA State Government and has pulled a Ronald Reagan by voting with Democrats to raise taxes via AB 1500 back in August 2012, causing a friction with the CA GOP base to the degree where Nestande had to resign as Republican Caucus Chair in the CA State Assembly:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Another Republican legislator is paying the price for voting with the other side of the aisle.
California Assemblyman Brian Nestande (R-Palm Desert) committed the ultimate Republican sin and voted with Democrats to "increase taxes" with AB 1500 Monday. Less than 24 hours later, he stepped down as Republican Caucus Chair.
Nestande declined to say whether he chose to step down or was asked to by the Republican Assembly leader Connie Conway. Instead, he told the Sacramento Bee, "I understood the ramifications when I took the vote."
The assemblyman, along with assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, who recently left the Republican Party to become an independent, was the only non-Democrat to vote for the bill. Nestande said his was the deciding vote, giving Democrats the two-thirds majority they needed to send the bill on to the Senate.
Assemblyman Nestande's statement at the time was as follows:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Today I am stepping down as Republican Caucus Chair. I cast a vote yesterday as the only Republican to level the playing field for California businesses, so we have the same corporate tax policy as Texas, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Mississippi, Michigan, Indiana, Utah, and 10 other states. I specifically named those states because they have Republican Governors that are considered leaders in our party today. They gave their home-based corporations an advantage and so should we.
That is why the California Business Roundtable supported this vote, which includes 21 of the largest California-based companies. I put forward my vote in good faith that, in its final form, this bill will be part of a comprehensive regulatory reform package to put Californians back to work. With my vote yesterday I decided to take the side of my constituents and California businesses.
In addition, Nestande got into a snag just recently with his office sending taxpayer-funded mailers on behalf of the CA GOP's efforts to highlight the Affordable Healthcare Act.
http://www.mydesert.com/...
State Assemblyman Brian Nestande sent out taxpayer-funded mailers to the Coachella Valley as part of California Republicans’ effort to highlight the federal health care law.
The “resource guide” mailer — sent to a targeted group in the 42nd Assembly District — includes information about the nationwide launch of the Affordable Care Act and touts Nestande’s effort to have California lawmakers use the insurance marketplace to obtain their own benefits.
Instead of sending people to the state exchange, it encourages residents to check out a website with a similar name that is operated by the Assembly Republican Caucus.
Assemblyman Nestande got chastized royally by state and national Democrats (including Congressman Mark Takano) as a result and issued this response:
http://www.mydesert.com/...
Nestande, a Palm Desert Republican running for Congress, dismissed the Democrats’ accusations as “absurd.”
“I would have voted against it. But as a state legislator … my obligation is to help constituents understand this law,” Nestande told The Desert Sun Tuesday.
“It’s offensive for someone to say there’s some nefarious plot here. I’m providing a constituent service.”
I don't know about you but given pretty much the majority of Darrell Issa's base is conservative and Tea Party-based (including his 134,000+ Twitter followers), they might be wondering why Issa is supporting someone who isn't known to pandering to what the GOP really wants done with regards to President Obama and Congress.
Then again, it appears Issa's support for Brian Nestande in his Congressional campaign is all about Obamacare and nothing else:
http://voices.mydesert.com/...
“Brian is the type of partner I want in Washington working with me to fight the big-government status-quo that took three years and $600 million of your money to deliver a healthcare website that doesn’t work,” Issa said in a statement.
“In Washington, there are a lot of Democratic leaders who said one thing when they were running who, two years later, are now trying to hide from their record and re-write history.”
I think I get it now: Darrell Issa's agenda is now fighting Obamacare no matter what, even if it means getting a not-so-consistent-with-what-the-GOP-wants moderate Republican like Nestande elected just so he can help Issa get rid of it. Or delay it. Or chastise it. Or whatever else works to bring in Issa and the GOP campaign contributions.
Now I REALLY don't understand this Issa man.
If you're tired of Darrell Issa and want more information on his Democratic challenger, Dave Peiser, and voter registration statistics numbers of CA-49, links are below:
Dave Peiser for Congress: http://www.peiserforcongress.com/
Donate:
ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/...
Nationbuilder: https://peiserforcongress.nationbuilder.com/...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/...
Dave Peiser on the Issues: http://www.peiserforcongress.com/...
Contact Information: http://www.peiserforcongress.com/...
Here's the voter registration as of February 2013 by the actual CA-49 Congressional District, which combines parts of San Diego and Orange County. Note the number of Decline-to-State/Independents:
http://www.sos.ca.gov/...
Orange County:
Democrats: 22,239
Republicans: 44,833
Decline-to-State/Independent: 19,077
San Diego County:
Democrats: 84,282
Republicans: 107,221
Decline-to-State/Independent: 70,938
Total:
Democrats: 106,521
Republicans: 152,054
Decline-to-State/Independent: 90,015
Here's the recent polling per PPP showing Darrell Issa vulnerable thanks to the government shutdown:
http://s3.moveon.org/...
Disapproval: 49%
Approval: 43%
If you live in or near California's 49th Congressional District and want a reason to start voter registration drives or take part in them, note that San Diego County Democratic Party has a calendar that keeps track of all activity going on, whether local Democratic club meetings or voter registration drive events:
http://www.sddemocrats.org/...
Start firing up the base in CA-49!