Proposition 14 was passed by angry voters looking to screw the political parties. Proposition 25 was passed by people looking to penalize the legislature for partisan gridlock.

Paradox – those same voters were too stupid to realize they’d been had.

Prop 14 will make it even easier for the rich to buy elections and for the smoke-filled rooms to pick nominees.

Prop 25 created a simple-majority budget – effectively handing complete control of the state’s finances to special interests.

And Republicans are hell-bent on fighting each 0ther.

In 2011, I learned what politics is all about – a large group on both sides of the aisle of narcissistic self-serving primadonnas that forget who brought them to the dance, or worse yet use and betray people to get what they want. Power.

The flip side of Prop 14? No incumbent is safe. The days of being able to “reign” while in office are over. Prop 34 (donation limits) and Term Limits started that process – now Prop 14 finished that process.

You can’t grandstand on issues you know nothing about anymore without consequences. You can’t claim to be a conservative while refusing to lead without consequences.

The world is turned on its’ ear – you no longer run for Congress / Senate / Assembly or State Senate as a member of a political party. Your strategy has to be different and your decisions have to be wise – everyone votes in the General Election Primary and in the top two runoff.

Wisdom means publicly owning up to your decisions.

Wisdom means making your own decisions in the first place – based on conviction not calculation.

Wisdom means honoring friendships and alliances.

As a member of a political party – you have to face down voters in the other parties in June and can no longer hide behind rigged lopsided registrations in many districts to avoid the tough choices.

California can be healed and repaired, but only with a generation of benevolent, wise leaders.

In 2012, the GOP has an opportunity to replace Dynasty with Accountability, the GOP has an opportunity to raise up a new crop of leaders that will help build the infrastructure.

That choice is yours voters – and stay tuned to this blog for more info as events unfold.

2011 was a stormy year for me personally in politics. I got to live through the full force of an attempted political assassination.

2011 started with the Sacramento Bee/Auburn Journal, apparently being spurred by David Stafford Reade/Karen England etc into writing hit pieces against the Placer GOP Central Committee. There were allegations of bribery, extortion, money laundering, embezzlement and an FBI Investigation. Tea Parties were  brought in to the fray, consultants were brought in, emails were sent out en masse – but we are still here and they are not.

2011 closes with two of the primary accusers off of the Central Committee.
2011 closes with no evidence ever presented of the alleged wrongdoing.
2011 closes with dozens of phone calls to the FPPC and no response or action from them in 4+ months.
2011 closes with 14+ months passing since Karen England alleged an FBI visit to her house – no one else has been contacted since.
2011 closes with the CRA having fought a successful war to rid itself of corruption.
2011 closes with Ted Gaines drawing a formidable opponent and Beth Gaines staring down the barrel of her own challenge.

The following are the 5 top events of 2011 in the Political Life of Aaron F Park:

5. Broke the news about the David Stafford Reade led effort to use the good name of Doug LaMalfa to serve his liberal master’s desire to destroy the GOP Platform. The effort was thwarted, but not before David Stafford Reade scored a huge payday.

4. Mere months after attacking the Placer County Republican Party in concert with Doug LaMalfa – Ted Gaines draws a primary opponent. Les Baugh for State Senate, Baby!!!

3. October 27,2011 – celebrated the self-termination of Karen England, the primary accuser with no evidence of the Placer GOP. After not getting her way (aka control), she accumulated 4 absences off of the Central Committee and was removed for it. In addition, 10/27 will forever be known as “FBI DAY” in Placer CRA Circles as this is the day of the alleged visit by the FBI to Karen England’s house – as of the writing of this post… nope, no FBI visit.

2. Beth Gaines files for Assembly. Anyone who missed the point of Ted Gaines’ run against John Doolittle could not miss the ramifications of this move. Beth Gaines won after an apparently coordinated independent expenditure came in late in the race and creative financing from her consultant allowed her to basically spend double her opponent John Allard.

1. The April 2011 CRA Convention. Karen England took her local dispute with Tom, George and I statewide to the CRA convention – we were treated to a consultant-driven smear campaign, a drill that involved 4 members of the state legislature and Saul Alinsky-like tactics at the convention. We Won, they lost – so they took their ball and are trying to form a new organization of their own.

The moral of 2011 – it is a year that would have broken many an activist. I got to see the worst of the GOP – be it Ted Gaines betraying still more people or his creating a political family dynasty, Karen England’s moral corruption, exposing the corruption that had beset the CRA or putting up with the abuse for standing my ground and not allowing these people to go unchecked?

That’s why we ended up in the newspaper, in emails, etc etc etc. David Stafford Reade, Karen England and their crew attempted to take our integrity away. It didn’t work and it won’t work when they try it again.

2011 also reminded me of why I stay and fight for the soul of the GOP – seeing the actions of David Stafford Reade who actively works to undermine Conservatives for pay and the actions of Karen England who appears to be in on the deal… or the people including the previous two that were expelled from CRA for their gross fraud related to CRA.

But the biggest lesson of 2011 was this – I learned through the actions of the electeds that were involved in the attempted takeover of the CRA the most important lesson of all.

To many in elected office – the facts don’t matter, period. They are prima-donnas of the highest order and the only thing that does matter is what affects their next election campaign.

I got in to politics in 1997 to influence elections and I choose to stay and fight for the soul of the GOP against this sort of elected that infest so many offices around the country.

GOP Central Committee – the Committee voted Wednesday night to ask Jim McCauley to put 7 seats per Supervisor District on the ballot.

At January’s Central Committee meeting – the Placer GOP Cent Com will consider SD01, AD05, AD06 endorsements.

Left-Wing and recent “Republican” Pam Tobin has declared against Kirk Uhler. Tobin lost 70-29 against Ted Gaines several years ago for supervisor. Look for Tobin to be financed by Labor Unions.

No word on whether Jan Pinney, Garry Genzlinger or Paige Stauss are running for re-election on the Roseville Joint Union High School District.

Expect a union-funded challenge to two Republican Incumbents on the Eureka Joint Union School District.

Extreme Left-Wing Homosexual activist Gary Miller is up for re-election on the Roseville City School District.

Bonnie Gore has announced for the Roseville City Council seat John Allard is being forced to vacate by term limits. Bonnie currently works for Kaiser and used to work for Conservative State Senator Rico Oller.

No word on the status of Peter Hill or George Magnussen in Rocklin. There are three Rocklin City Council seats up for re-election – expect a free-for-all. Brett Storey is retiring for sure.

I am supporting Greg Janda in place of Brett Storey.

Rocklin Unified School District – Democrat Camille Maben looks like she is going to run for re-election after all. Look for a Republican challenger for sure. Republican Greg Dailey is also running for Re-Election.

Lincoln? I’d expect that the tea party up there is going to field some opponents for the people they just tried to recall.

Last night the Placer GOP Central Committee met. They endorsed Assemblyman Dan Logue for re-election last night. As usual, the liberal Republicans voted no: Auburn Mayor Mike Holmes, Jon Green, Liberal Tax-Raising Lincoln City Councilmember Spencer Short, Cheryl Bly-Chester, Senator Doug LaMalfa (via alternate Murriel Oles) and one or two others. Senator Ted Gaines and Assemblymember Beth Gaines both courageously abstained via their alternates.

In addition: Karen England’s short and miserable career on the Placer County Republican Central Committee came to an ignominious end last night, when her position became vacant because she has missed so many meetings.  Reasonable people everywhere are breathing a collective sigh of relief…

In the California Republican Party – Karen England would be the political equivalent of the St. Louis Rams (who are 0-5 this season and are looking to join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only 0-16 teams in NFL history)

Karen England has now been kicked off the local Central Committee, kicked off the California Republican Assembly’s State Board of Directors, kicked off the National Federation of Republican Assemblies’ National Board, and formally expelled from the California Republican Assembly organization for delegate fraud and other well-documented offenses too numerous to mention here.  In 2010, she resigned from the California Republican Party’s State Central Committee, in time to avoid being removed from that body for running a “campaign” against the nominee of the Republican Party.  Years earlier, she had even resigned from the Placer County Republican Assembly’s Board of Directors.  I could go on, but I think readers are sensing a pattern already. . .

For those who don’t know Karen England, I should explain that her sole “contribution” to the Placer County Republican Party has been making vicious personal attacks, supporting liberals, spreading false accusations, as well as drinking beer and getting belligerent at Central Committee meetings.  She has consistently opposed conservative candidates for Central Committee positions, while claiming to be a conservative herself.  Once, she even set a new record for hypocrisy by nominating two different conservatives for a single vacant position on the Central Committee, and then she voted against both of them and supported the liberal alternative.  Even her liberal allies on the Central Committee are unlikely to miss her!

It would be tempting to call her just plain nuts, but there always seems to be a method to her madness.  Her strange behavior seems to be closely correlated to the fund-raising operations of the Capitol Resource Institute and its various front groups and affiliated entities.

Just this morning, the newspapers reported that her StopSB48 campaign had failed to raise sufficient signatures to force that horrible new law onto the ballot as a referendum.  The failure of the campaign came as a surprise to absolutely no one, other than the unfortunate donors to the StopSB48 campaign itself.  That campaign may not have achieved its alleged purpose, but it certainly raised a great deal of money for those affiliated with the Capitol Resource Institute, which Karen England runs.

I suspect that we will hear more about that later, since there was a recent press conference stating that the Capitol Resource Institute is being investigated by the Fair Political Practices Commission and perhaps other law enforcement agencies.

Karen England herself admitted to having been questioned by the FBI, although at various times she has pretended that the FBI was questioning her about Central Committee activities from 2008, which is nonsensical because she was not even affiliated with the Central Committee back then.  Two of Karen’s allies who are also Board members of the Capitol Resource Institute even accused this blogger of being investigated by the FBI, but I called the FBI myself and confirmed that I am not under investigation for anything.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the “visit” from the FBI to Ms. England’s house. I have yet to see Mulder and Scully show up at my door.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for Karen England to apologize for anything that she has done.  That is not her style.

Via their alternates on the Placer County Republican Central Committee – the above three abstained on a resolution in support of the Current Republican Party Platform vs the new gutted platform put forth by liberal Billionaire Charles Munger…

Those of you the read this blog know that the Placer County Republican Central Committee is a mess.

The mess was created by a self-styled “Conservative” activist with a personal axe to grind who used her media savvy to spread her vitriol. This same activist has deep ties to Gaines/Gaines/LaMalfa and has aligned herself with the small moderate minority on the Central Committee.

Therein lies the rub – at the time of my writing this post, I do not have a copy of the roll call on the resolution the Placer GOP adopted in support of the Conservative California Republican Party platform – but I do have several eye-witness accounts of the behavior of the alternates of the three electeds.

Doug LaMalfa appointed a known moderate activist Murriel Oles – who I endorsed for a leadership position in the California Federation of Republican Women. Murriel is a great activist for the GOP – but is not a CRA type Conservative. Her appointment by LaMalfa is consistent for two reasons:

1. LaMalfa’s allies in the North State are Moderates
2. LaMalfa is 100% opposed to the current conservative leadership of the Placer GOP Central Committee.

I have been able to ascertain through anecdotal evidence that Karen England was responsible for getting Ted Gaines to appoint a known moderate, Carole Valliancourt as his alternate.

Again – this is an extension of Karen England’s alliance with the Moderates in her personal war against the CRA and the CRA – backed leadership of the Placer GOP Cent Com.

Beth Gaines? She is still trying to settle in to office and has given her alternate direction to abstain on everything unless directed to do otherwise.

For as much as I’d like to claim that this is Doug LaMalfa showing his true moderate convictions – this vote is not an indication of that. I believe that LaMalfa at his core is a conservative – but he has thrown in with the liberals because the Conservatives support other candidates and LaMalfa was/is a product of the Bernie Ricther camp.

LaMalfa is also motivated by revenge as much as Karen England is.

Ted Gaines and Beth Gaines are still embroiled in the middle of the ongoing war in the Placer GOP Central Committee.

The Conclusion?

Ted Gaines and Doug LaMalfa appointed Moderates and gave them no direction as to the platform issue – there was no other logical thing for those alternates to do other than abstain.

This is a sad, sad by-product of the war they have decided to get involved in at the Placer County GOP Central Committee level – they have allowed themselves to get painted in to a corner.

Beth Gaines will abstain until the cows come home.

And so continues the leadership vacuum in the Republican Party at the state elected level.

Meantime – the Placer GOP Central Committee will accomplish its’ mission with or without those that seek to dismantle it to serve their own ends.