Big Changes Coming for California Politics, Says Blogger Jon Fleischman

The way Republicans choose their future politicians will be the "best of two evils," Vice Chairman, South, of the California Republican Party told about 20 members of the Saddleback Republican Assembly Thursday night at Atria del Sol.

Jon Fleischman, who also founded state conservative news blog flashreport.org, talked mostly about the effect Proposition 14 will have on state politics in future elections. He also named conservatives he doesn't care for (Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee) and gave at least one reason he actually prefers Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown to former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Fleischman, whose term with the state Republican party ends in a month, said he got involved with Republicans to protect conservative values. He listed those values as "faith, freedom, family, free enterprise and firearms."

He said Proposition 14 would allow "big business" and "big labor" to "monkey around with" the primaries that political parties use to choose candidates for state and federal office.

Fleischman said that has forced state Republicans to change their bylaws. Instead of choosing candidates out in the open, they will have to pick them in the "back room" in small caucuses, he said, rather than at large public assemblies. He said that he was against such a system but that it was made necessary by Proposition 14.

Proposition 14, approved by voters last June, allows all registered voters to vote in one big primary election before the general election is held. Under this system, two candidates from the same party could be pitted against each other in the general election.

As for Gov. Brown, Fleischman pointed out that the Democrat has met with state Republicans five times since taking office Jan. 3. He also pointed out that Schwarzenegger hadn't met with his own party's representatives since 2007.

The meeting was attended by Mission Viejo City Council members Kathy Schlicht and Rhonda Reardon, as well as former council member John Paul Ledesma.

The next SRA meeting will be held on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, at 7 p.m.