Rebuilding a Republican "big tent" in the 66th Assembly District

By David Frederick Hadley

The job of the Republican central committee is not to divide the activists or to settle policy disputes within the party. Our job is to grow the party and articulate the principles that we all support.

That is intentional.

I believe that my job as a grassroots Republican leader is to grow the party and to focus on the issues that unite us, not those that divide us. Let's face it, the center/right in California is badly outnumbered by the loony left that is currently governing the state. Whatever differences exist on the right, they pale in comparison to the differences between how California is currently being governed and what we all believe.

If I ever run for elective office, feel free to ask me hard question about the tough issues. But for now, we can work together if you believe in the following:

- Representative government with limited power under our Constitution

- An opportunity society of free markets whenever possible, reasonable regulation only when necessary, robust economic growth, and a safety net that provides temporary support rather than a lifetime of dependency

- The traditional American values of personal responsibility and support for the family vs. the aggressive nanny state

- Taxing and spending that are modest, that encourage economic growth and that do not bankrupt our children

- America is not perfect by any stretch, but for most of our history the US has been a force for good in the world and we have made great progress in overcoming slavery, Jim Crow and racism by relying on the positive features of our culture and our government, not by overthrowing them

If you believe in the above, we share the same CORE values (Constitution, Opportunity, Responsibility, Exceptionalism). And I believe that is the basis on which we can begin to rebuild the forces for freedom and prosperity in California.