“Aside the from the endorsement of Congressman Wally Herger, the Enterprise Record endorsement is a huge windfall for Doug LaMalfa.” Jack Lee
Chico Enterprise-Record
Posted: 05/20/2010 12:08:53 AM PDT
Our view: Rick Keene is more comfortable in the Capitol, while Doug LaMalfa seems more at home out in his district. Voters need to decide which kind of leader they want.
At first blush, there’s very little separating Doug LaMalfa from Rick Keene politically. Both are conservative Republicans who served six years in the Assembly and brought badly needed rural, pragmatic sensibilities to an out-of-touch state Legislature.
They railed against state spending, repeated the mantra that “it’s a spending problem, not a revenue problem,” complained about government regulation and red tape, fought to preserve jobs, stood up against taxes, tried to argue for more reservoirs and generally behaved like Republicans are supposed to behave.
They served in two different Assembly districts, the farmer from Richvale and the attorney from Chico, and were both termed out at the same time. All along, they both had an eye on their next job, the state Senate seat that would become vacant when Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, is termed out in December.
The Senate district is much larger than their Assembly districts. It encompasses 12 counties, from the Oregon border down to suburban Sacramento. And it’s a real shame only one of them can win.
We like them both. Republican voters can’t go wrong in the June 8 primary.
But you can’t vote for two. Here’s what it comes down to for us.
Keene has more experience and seems to be more of a statesman. He was asked to take a leadership roles in the Republican Assembly, in part because he’s intelligent, in part because he elucidates his ideas well, in part because he can talk to Democrats. He participated in important negotiations for the budget and for workers’ compensation reform. He’s a person who knows how to get things done in Sacramento.
LaMalfa unfortunately lives up to the stereotype of Republicans as the party of no. If Democrats like an idea, you can bet LaMalfa will not. But while Keene is comfortable in the Capitol corridors, LaMalfa is comfortable out in his district.
His Assembly district included Tehama and Shasta counties, and people up there swear there must be two of him. He was everywhere — county fairs, community organization meetings, and so forth. He’s a person who knows how to get things done in the district.
In the end, both would be a reliable vote for conservative interests. Both would be a lonesome voice in the liberal Sacramento wilderness.
Keene wants to take bold ideas to the people in big cities, hoping to sell them on conservative values. He hopes to win them over.
LaMalfa wants to keep going to county fairs and community meetings in his district.
When he has someone in the Legislature he needs to win over, he says he’ll invite them up here, to show them how a farm works, how timber is harvested and what urban water uses do to a place like Lake Oroville.
Keene talks better. LaMalfa listens better. He seems more approachable.
You can’t go wrong with this choice, but we believe LaMalfa will serve his constituents differently, and better.