Rick and Doug
The two staunch conservatives have nearly identical voting records, though LaMalfa’s conservative scorecard is a bit higher than Keene’s.
The winner is expected to replace Sam Aanestad in such a heavily Republican District. Democrats can forget about this one.
You may have seen the Keene and LaMalfa campaign signs by the freeway in Nevada City, at the end of the lot owned by Robinson Enterprises. It’s prime campaign-sign real estate.
LaMalfa’s sign, “He’s one of us,” is the same campaign slogan used in his previous assembly race more than five years ago, which stirred up some strong emotions then, just as now.
“Every time I see one of Doug LaMalfa’s campaign signs – ‘He’s One of Us’ – I am transported back to the sweet, sacred days of my boyhood in the deep South. Oh, those were simpler times,” said a sarcastic letter writer in the Chico News and Review back in 2004, when the signs first appeared.
“Doug longs for the old days, when a man could hop in his 357 Boss Mustang after work, take Mary Jane for an evening ride by the levee, and only pay 25 cents a gallon for this basic American right.
“Today, we have to invade dinky towel-head countries to keep them from extorting American dollars for oil. Homos want to get married. Federal agents want to take our guns.”
Added another: “I am confused by Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa’s campaign signs, which proclaim that ‘He’s One of Us.’ Excuse me? Us? Does he mean the handful of federally subsidized millionaire rice farmers in our district? He’s definitely one of them.”
Said another: “Now if I could only figure out who ‘us’ is.”
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It does seem to be an appeal to tribal xenophobia.
Is this perhaps a referral to Sarah Palin’s “real Americans” remarks back during the Presidential primaries? This element, in which she so strongly figures now, which has identified itself by its Tea Bag symbol, emphasis on the Constitution and the part of American history which saw the Revolution, and America of that period, with a power structure which was white male, and which was in its nature racist as slavery of blacks was legal and very much a part of American values of that period, appears to be the far right wind of the Repuclican Party as it is today. This group appears to be trying to set itsel apart from the main Republican body, which at least seems to be trying to be inclusionary with a black man heading the NRC. If this is the case for LaMalfa’s sign and campaign, one wonders how far the exclusivity of this Republican branch will go in promoting a man with a surname not to be found in the ranks of early American patriots and signers of the Declaration, all primarily English, or western or northern European.
“We has met the enemy… and he is us.”
—Pogo
Very creepy… reminds me of the clan.