From The Orange County Register:
Philanthropist and political activist Howard Ahmanson has often been portrayed in the media and by his critics as a one-dimensional right-wing religious figure, but I’ve found him to be an independent and unpredictable thinker. For instance, Ahmanson and I have gone round and round over the issue of New Urbanism — he is sypathetic to it, and I am hostile toward it. Although he helped fund the Prop. 8 campaign, he also has been involved in various property rights endeavors. Well, I just received a fascinating short column from him in which he declares that he registered as a Democrat. He makes a great point about the GOP and its only principle these days: opposing tax hikes. I always oppose tax hikes also, but there is something intellectually dishonest about a party that opposes tax hikes while voting for things that mandate higher debt or tax hikes down the road.
Maybe I’ll join him and we can start a liberty caucus within the Democratic Party. Nothing else has worked, so why not this?
Here is the column. (He describes it as a rant!):
WHY I REGISTERED DEMOCRATOkay, maybe it's an April Fools' joke? On the other hand, I love this quote: "The Democratic Party in California, however, is now so big and diverse and all-inclusive that it has ABSOLUTELY NO PRINCIPLES WHATSOEVER. "
By Howard Ahmanson
About six weeks ago, I, a known leader of the Religious Right in California, decided to reregister in the Democratic Party. Why did I do this?
Well, I think I was reading about the budget struggles and threatened purges in the Legislature, and I was getting more and more tired and disgusted of it, and I realized that, had I been a Republican assemblyman, I could have hardly escaped being purged myself. The Republican Party of the State of California seems to have decided to narrow itself down to one article of faith, which may be described as NTESEBREE: No Tax Shall Ever Be Raised Ever Ever. Now, I’m concerned about this constant tax ratcheting, but I don’t think this is the answer. The Democratic Party in California, however, is now so big and diverse and all-inclusive that it has ABSOLUTELY NO PRINCIPLES WHATSOEVER. The Hollywood and San Francisco establishments within the Party may hold to some pretty detestable principles, but the party as a whole? I have not changed any of my opinions. There is not a single right-wing opinion I hold that some section of the Democratic Party doesn’t support it. Opposed to “marriage equality” and freewheeling abortion rights? A lot of Democrats of color will agree. And also many of them will agree on the importance and social justice of vouchers and tax credits for non-government schools. Opposed to fiscal irresponsibility? A lot of Silicon Valley Democrats will probably agree. Opposed to “urban redevelopment” schemes that run small business and residents out of the way for the benefit of the politically important? Got a high view of property rights? Lots of Democrats, including Robert Cruickshank and Senate President Darrell Steinberg, agree with me to a considerable degree. . . .
