Reading the Union Tribune I noted an article that said Santee Mayor Randy Voepel announced a couple days ago that he was leaving the GOP because the Republican Party wasn’t conservative enough. I thought this was a little odd, timing wise. After all, the national party basically picked up what 63 seats this time RETURNING to the conservative fiscal values that they had all but abandoned during the end of the Presidency of George W. Bush. One would think Voepel would have left 2 to 4 years ago, during the era of Republican Big Government, not now. Voepel notes that he is sick of the earmarks and taxes – but the new Republican Congress is all over the papers opposing both. What gives? Maybe Voepel will explain? I’d be interested in hearing his thoughts.
The Union Tribune reporter Michele Clock added to the confusion when she wrote that Voepel was becoming an independent. Really? Voepel is joining George Wallace’s American Independent Party? That’s the only “independent” party recognized in California. Maybe Clock was just inaccurate, and that Voepel was merely declining to state his party affiliation in the future, becoming a “DTS” voter. Big, big difference, and one that the Union Tribune editors surely should have caught. Note that DTS DOESN’T mean “independent” – it just means the voter doesn’t want whatever partisan affiliation they have, or don’t have, made public. Maybe Michele Clock could clear that one up for the readers. Thus independent is NOT the biggest growing faction of voters, voters who don’t care to share their partisan affiliation are. Michele?
One more request from the Union Tribune: I’m not a huge fan of everything the local GOP does, but please find a better source than Michael Crimmins.