Letter from a Republican: Why I am Voting for Jerry Brown for Attorney General
By Becky Mocciaro
I am a registered Republican female living in the shadow of Eli Broad's house in Mandeville Canyon, and on Gov. Schwarzenegger's route home, on the westside of Los Angeles. Check my registration if you don’t believe that someone can live in Brentwood for 24 years and not be a Democrat.
I’m voting for Jerry Brown for Attorney General, for many reasons, not the least of which is that his opponent apparently has hired idiots to run his campaign. Why should I be surprised? Other than my neighbor Arnold, Republicans in California have political tin ears and a collective political death wish.
Most Californians, I’m convinced, do not agree with most of what our elected officials do in Sacramento, but the Republicans can’t seem to capitalize on the silliness that the Democrats insist on doing year after year. Gray Davis loses his job over drivers’ licenses for illegal immigrants, yet the Dems continue to push the point. Mayor Villaraigosa can’t stop crime or vandalism or even graffiti, but the Dems give him more things he won’t get done by handing LAUSD over to him.
If Republicans could stop talking about issues that they can’t address on a statewide basis, like abortion rights, being against human and gay rights, etc, they could win. If they showed us, pie charts and all, where all the money is being misspent by the other party, they could win. But they don’t, so they lose, time and time again.
The most glaring example of my party's incompetence is the candidacy of Mr. Poochigian. His campaign ads are beyond offensive. They are childish and shallow, and make all kinds of untrue statements about Mayor Brown. The one they play on the radio, with people apparently talking at some social gathering about Mayor Brown, is really awful. I called State Republican headquarters and expressed my distaste. I was told that I was one of many who had done so.
I've always like Mayor Brown, even when we don't agree on policy. I suspect that I'll disagree with him in the future, too, but he is light years ahead in terms of what this state needs for attorney general than Mr. Poochigian. He is pragmatic and experienced. I'm sure Mr. Poochigian has some good points, but approving such false commercials shows me that he is not someone with the judgment we need in this office.
I do hope that you realize that many California Republicans are complex, intelligent people who are craving candidates who can win statewide office and help stop some of the socialist fervor in Sacramento.
Thanks for letting me have my say.
Becky Mocciaro is an attorney in Los Angeles. She is a 'reformed' Democrat/registered Republican, and the mother of two liberal sons. She graduated magna cum laude from UC Berkeley with a degree in Journalism and Political Science, and from UCLA School of Law.
