Facing the Facts: One-Party System for Orange County

Last Sunday (Dec. 10), The Times ran an editorial stating, basically, that we Orange County Democrats are dead in the water; that for the “good” of the “two-party system” we should get our act together.

We know The Times is well-meaning, but it is a bit out of touch (as they say) with reality. The voters of Orange County do not want a two-party system. They want a one-party system, and we propose to give it to them.

We propose the Orange County Democratic Party officially declare that Orange County is run by Republicans. Even more revolutionary, we propose that the Republicans accept responsibility for running it.

By officially withdrawing, Democrats no longer could be used as scapegoats. This would create big problems for local Republicans who need scapegoats very much. They need scapegoats to rail against, and harangue about, and blame for all the evils of society. They need this very badly so no one will notice one small fact: For the last 10 years, Orange County has been represented almost solely by Republicans, and they’ve fiddled while the county has deteriorated.

That this is true is self-evident. Just drive on a freeway or consider the county’s failure to deal with (much less solve) any one of a hundred other specific problems.

You see, Orange County Republicans do not deal with problems. It is against the primary Orange County Republican rule: The best government is no government. After all, if you try to use government to solve a problem, you have to admit that government has legitimate function.

Instead, Orange County Republican leaders have mealy-mouthed their way to victory for years. All they had to do was claim Orange County Democratic candidates were communists and spendthrift idiots and that they, the Republicans, would get government off everyone’s back and off into a sunny fantasy land we all would ride.

So, we Democrats propose that reality be recognized. We propose everyone admit that our Republican friends run the joint. And we propose that they, and we, ask one simple question: What do the Republicans intend to do with it? So far, they never have said. Nor accepted responsibility. Nor have they done squat as the county’s quality of life steadily has declined.

Special Note to The Times (for publication): We would like to take this one step further. Please ask the Republican Party why it took no position at all on the traffic initiative, Measure M, which narrowly lost in the last election. The Democratic Party endorsed it and the Democratic Foundation actively campaigned on its behalf. We do not state it was a perfect initiative. But at least it was an attempt to deal with our worst problem, traffic.

The Republican Party here in Orange County did not endorse the initiative. It did not oppose the initiative. Instead, the party (and most Orange County Republican officeholders), when faced with our single most important issue and with a real solution, did what they usually do.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Why?

AUDREY REDFEARN

Chair, Democratic Foundation of Orange County

Editor’s Note: This letter was also signed by 13 other foundation board members.