20% of Voting CA Democrats said — HELL NO TO BOXER!

Dear Readers: As I have often said, one of the sole joys of being a Democrat in California is that I get to vote against Boxer — twice.

I know many of my Tea Party compatriots are less than thrilled at some of the primary results. In fact, some are in despair, as indicated by this Hot Air commenter: Conservatives have no home in California. I’m not even gonna bother voting. My views have no impact so it doesn’t matter. It’ll be whatever. I’m just gonna shelter my assets as best I can.

I would like to be a small voice of optimism, even if we Tea Party aficionados did not get all that we hoped for!

The one results I wanted to obtain from the Secretary of State was this: HOW MANY DEMOCRATS CHOICE A NON-BOXER CANDIDATE? The answer — 20%. I think this reasonably represents the body of independent Democrats in this state. Mickey Kaus described quite succinctly the mood of many Democrats, like myself, in this state:

Now, I haven’t traveled around the state on a “listening tour.” I’ve been living my life here in Los Angeles. But almost every day I run into someone–my doctor, maybe, the friend of a friend, a neighbor walking his dog–and I hear a version of the same thing. “I’m a good Democrat. I’ve been a Democrat all my life. I’m for all the good Democratic things–ending discrimination, fighting poverty, health care, the environment. But I don’t like what’s happening. I don’t like what the unions are doing to the schools.” … Or “I think we’re going broke because we’re paying too many government employees too much money to retire.” … Or “I don’t like what the Democrats are doing on immigration.” … Or “this isn’t the Democratic Party I signed up for.”

I call these people Common Sense Democrats. I’m running for the Senate to give them a way to make their voices heard. They’re not being heard now.

(MUT NOTE: The rest of his essay, Where I am Coming From, is essential Tea Party reading).

I think these Common Sense Democrats will help ensure Boxer is forced into retirement this November.

Trust me, Fiorina was not my first pick — my heart belonged to Chuck (who I think will have an amazing political career that will conclude in the White House). However, as I commented to W.C. Varones in the midst of his despair:

I will remember 2 specific things about Babs Boxer when I pull the November ballot lever: Her insulting treatment of General Walsh and her aggressive support of economically toxic cap&trade. Once we remove Boxer, we are on-top of the new Senator continuously — and working on promoting a conservative challenger next time.

I also found a somewhat smaller percentage of California’s Democrats said no to Former Governor Moonbeam: 15% of California’s Democrats went for someone else — and I will note that my pick, Richard Aguirre, was the top of the pack for second place.

While neither my beloved husband, Horemheb, or my Tea Party friends are particularly jazzed about the GOP selection of Whitman for the Republican slot on the November ballot for Governor, I wanted to restate the best case I hear in support her win: Independent Conservative radio pundit Tammy Bruce says that she is told there is an “evil Meg”, who makes grown men quake in their boots. Tammy also indicated public sector union leaders are a personal target Whitman has. I think Tammy hopes Meg will take the aggressive tact of New Jersey Governor Christie, which is making him popular with conservatives of all stripes nationwide.

I think my Tea Party compatriots should applaud themselves for a job well-done. Even if we didn’t get all that we wanted, we developed networks, communicated ideas, and built a foundation for the November election and 2012 — which will be truly critical.

Those people who want instant results, like the Hot Air commenter I quoted, will be doomed to disappointment. They also condemn our incipient movement to failure. The entire system is damaged; it will take several election cycles — perhaps a dozen years’ worth — to undo the worst of it. The only way to succeed, and actually embrace your responsibilities as a citizen as the Founding Fathers envisioned, is to stay engaged.

Other members of the San-Diego Local Order of Bloggers (SLOBs) weigh in with worthy insights:

• Left Coast Rebel: Election Night Review
• The Liberator Today: Primary Election Night – How the Unions Did UPDATE(Short answer — not well, which should be another sign of hope).

Also:

• Michael Barone has a summary about what the results, nationally, mean — especially as a verdict on the unions.
• Michelle Malkin also has news and analysis.

One more reading suggestion (also by Michael Barone), which I hope will further inspire my Tea Party frieds: The transformative power of Rick Santelli’s rant

UPDATE: Congrats to Kevin Beiser, who won the race for San Diego Unified District Education Board.