Assemblyman Cameron Smyth just pulled a Strickland!
You may recall the battle in the SFV between two powerful liberal Congressmen : Brad Sherman (the balding one) and Howard Berman (the older one). LA Observed says the two are lining up Republicans to give their campaigns an edge seven weeks before election day, and it looks like Assemblyman Smyth went with Sherman.
For Smyth to endorse a Democrat takes some courage, especially since the local GOP club has tried to excommunicate members for doing the same thing. Not that he cares much since he's heading to the private sector, but still- way to go Smyth. If Sherman wins, I'm sure Smyth will be looking for an endorsement somewhere down the line when he chooses to run for Congress.
Smyth has also done some other progressive things lately. He was the only Republican to stand alongside Governor Jerry Brown when Brown signed into law the big pension reform bill, and he's pitched a bill that would exempt bike lanes from traditional EIR processes required by CEQA.
I'm going to miss this guy. Stupid term limit law.
UPDATE:
A reader writes in:
But yes, you're correct and I should have mentioned that under California's top-two primary system, there are no Republicans running for California's 30th district that Smyth could have endorsed. So technically he didn't endorse a Democrat over a Republican, but he did in fact endorse a Democrat.
What Strickland did, however, is simply unforgivable and deserving of our righteous judgment. Right?
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Smyth endorses Brad Sherman, a Dem, for Congress
Sherman backers include Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander, and his predecessor, Greig Smith, plus Burbank City Councilman Gary Bric and Assemblyman Cameron Smyth of Santa Clarita. That's a short list because much of the L.A. area, like the 30th Congressional District that Sherman and Berman are battling over, is strongly Democratic.
For Smyth to endorse a Democrat takes some courage, especially since the local GOP club has tried to excommunicate members for doing the same thing. Not that he cares much since he's heading to the private sector, but still- way to go Smyth. If Sherman wins, I'm sure Smyth will be looking for an endorsement somewhere down the line when he chooses to run for Congress.
Smyth has also done some other progressive things lately. He was the only Republican to stand alongside Governor Jerry Brown when Brown signed into law the big pension reform bill, and he's pitched a bill that would exempt bike lanes from traditional EIR processes required by CEQA.
I'm going to miss this guy. Stupid term limit law.
UPDATE:
A reader writes in:
Not quite, Jeff. Paul Strickland endorsed a Democrat over a Republican and broke a pledge to support the winning candidate in the Republican field. Cameron broke no pledge and did not endorse a Democrat over a Republican. Nice try.I'm a liberal in the SCV, you can't blame me for getting a little thrill up my leg when a Republican lends his support to a Dem.
But yes, you're correct and I should have mentioned that under California's top-two primary system, there are no Republicans running for California's 30th district that Smyth could have endorsed. So technically he didn't endorse a Democrat over a Republican, but he did in fact endorse a Democrat.
What Strickland did, however, is simply unforgivable and deserving of our righteous judgment. Right?
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