By Steve Thompson, Chairman of the Butte County Republican Party
In politics there are generally three types of politicians. The first is the one who will say whatever you, their audience, want to hear. They will tell you what you want to hear, and then five minutes later tell their next audience what they want to hear, even if they completely contradict what they just told you. Anything to get your vote. Good examples of this would be Bill Clinton, Barbara Boxer, and John “Flip-Flop” Kerry (all democrats, although there are certainly some republicans who have behaved the same way).
The next politician is more of a consensus builder. They will not lie to an audience and say what they want to hear, but they might not bring up issues of disagreement either. Instead they find common ground and build on it, if it exists. These types of political leaders can be good or bad but tend to survive longer. I think maybe John McCain would fit this bill. Arnold Schwarzenegger actually wanted to be this kind of politician but he did a terrible job of it. There are good leaders on both ends of the spectrum who lead this way, not just moderates.
The third type is the opposite of the first. This is someone who will tell you EXACTLY what they think even if you hate them for it. They’re loved by those who agree with them, but they have a tendency to tick other people off. Still, they’re far more respected than the first type who will lie and tell you anything you want to hear.
is known to be the third kind of political leader. He will literally walk into any room and tell people exactly how he feels on a given subject, even if it’s not what they want to hear, and it doesn’t matter if they’re republicans or democrats. This has angered even some lobbies who agree with republicans most of the time. It may not be everyone’s favorite style of leadership, but make no mistake, Sam Aanestad is a leader.
I’ve sometimes wondered if he got this from being a dentist. Frankly, dentists tend to make me cringe. I would rather be water-boarded than have my teeth drilled into (have you ever wondered why we can’t pour water on the face of a terrorist but we let dentists drill into the teeth of children?). But the good dentists usually tell it to you like it is and don’t try to candy coat it. Sam strikes me as the kind of dentist who would say “this is going to hurt and you won’t like it, but it needs to be done or it will only get worse.” I think we need more politicians like that.
In the years I’ve known and watched Sam in office, he has always been a strong conservative. He is steady and unwavering. He has resisted tremendous amounts of pressure and always stood his ground. Which is why it’s exciting to see Sam Aanestad now running for Lt. Governor of California.
Let’s face it, part of the challenge our party faces in winning big-ticket elections is that we don’t have a bench of candidates in waiting. We need more Republicans in the constitutional offices to stand up to the liberals running this state into the ground. We do actually have some interesting candidates this year though (like Damon Dunn).
Sam is supported by some real conservative stalwarts as well. He’s endorsed by the National Rifle Association, Congressman Tom McClintock, and even former US Senator Fred Thompson.
Sam’s primary opponent is Abel Maldonado, a republican senator from southern CA. Abel is known for being one of the republican legislators willing to crossover and vote with democrats for tax increases in order to pass a budget. He usually gets something in return to help himself politically, and apparently he doesn’t care about the damage he does to our state or his own party. He’s been labeled a “serial tax-raiser” by taxpayer proponent groups throughout the state.
Should Sam Aanestad win the primary over Abel, he will have an exciting race against none other than Gavin Newsom, democrat and posh San Francisco celebrity (you won’t catch Gavin in cargo pants). Gavin is known for his expensive parties and stealing his staff members’ wives. This race could actually prove to be more interesting than seeing Whitman or Poizner face off against the incredibly boring and outdated Jerry Brown.
So, if you still haven’t filled out your ballot, vote for Sam Aanestad for Lt. Governor. He has my 100% stamp of approval, is a tried under fire conservative, and believe it or not, he’s a very warm and friendly person too, for a dentist of course.
Thanks again to everyone who stopped by, if Jack lets me maybe I’ll post more recommendations before Tuesday. Don’t forget to vote!