Inapt Message from Mike Stoker
Lately I’ve been inundated once again with junk email. This time it’s coming from a self-proclaimed Central Coast favorite “SANTA BARBARA CURRECT.”
So, against my better judgement, I scanned thru the latest editorial output. This time it’s from Mike Stoker, another of the Republican Party’s interesting characters, who some may remember served as county supervisor in 1986 and 1991-1994 and was fired as former Trump West Coast Regional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator.
Stoker’s editorial “Political Malpractice in the Third District Race” starts by referring to the 1st District race as akin to an “Olympic Ice Hockey version of ‘Miracle on Ice’ when a bunch of young kids beat a professional, well-seasoned Russian team to win the Gold at Lake Placid in 1980.” And to that I say, “Really?!” As someone who had personal knowledge of the 1980 Olympic hockey team, I can assure Stoker he’s beyond off base with that analogy. Lee’s, most likely to date, victory over Williams was nowhere near the “upset” the USA hockey victory was. Not even close because the writing was on the wall long ago for Williams’s departure, so a loss wasn’t too much of a surprise.
As for the 3rd District race? What race! This so-called race was over before it started. Why? Because once again the S.B. County Republican Central Committee thought to use the “Trumpian” method of trying to win the hearts and minds of 3rd District voters by throwing at them an unqualified candidate “Trumped up” as a highly successful businessperson in Frank Troise. Embarrassing loss? Stoker states. That was an understatement, and Lompoc Mayor Janelle Osborne didn’t fare much better in the ability-to-win department.
Of course, the same GOP committee once again relied on unreliable polling showing the majority of 3rd District voters believed the county was on the wrong track. What wrong track? You mean the less than 40 percent voter “wrong track”? As opposed to the over 60 percent of voters for Hartmann’s “right track”?
Yep! The effort failed all right! The effort to re-district the 3rd District failed predictably. Why? Because as long as the GOP, either locally, statewide or nationwide continue to cult-follow a pathological lying narcissistic sociopath named Trump, and continue to use the “Trumpian” GOP playbook by throwing unqualified candidates (all while “trumping” them up as better qualified candidates) then don’t blame anyone but yourselves for racking up loss after loss. And good luck winning any local elections other than a few “miracle victories” from time to time. Perhaps the local GOP should spend more time and effort studying 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson’s path to success.
Continuing along, Stoker states, ” A lot of work was expended a couple of years ago by a lot of people in the re-districting process to get Isla Vista and UCSB out of the third district to go into the second district. Those efforts proved successful, setting the stage for what many political observers — myself included — thought was a new district where a more conservative and pro-business, pro-taxpayer, pro-law enforcement, and pro-property rights individual could be elected to replace the incumbent, Supervisor Joan Hartmann.”
Unfortunately for the GOP all that hard work performed by a bunch of folks who thought they knew what they were doing was squandered, (mostly Stoker’s words, not mine), and the 3rd District voters stood steadfast in support of their current Supervisor Joan Hartmann. So, a Political Malpractice in the Third District Race? Sure, why not Mike! But get used to it, because as long as the GOP, either locally, statewide, or nationally, continues to follow the Trumpian political ideology of false embellishment of candidates, your losses will continue to become commonplace and your wins could feel like Olympic upsets, but not like the Olympic Ice Hockey version of upsets, because those guys weren’t embellished into being anything other than what they really were.