Bullfight

This particular matchup, while not really our area (I can't vote in it) will be a lot more interesting than the other races we have going. Oller and Ose are veteran campaigners and this will be a real fight.
It's not unusual for the other legislators in the area to take sides, and not unusual to see Keene endorse Oller, as they're both conservatives.
But Doug Ose is very liberal for a republican. For Lamalfa to go against his conservative base and support a former congressman who received a D rating from the NRA has got to be very risky. One has to wonder what he expects to get in return?

Dane,

LaMalfa really went out on a limb to support ultra-liberal Doug Ose.

He probably feels like he's sticking his political neck out there alone, along with a few other liberal Republicans listed below.

Okay, I'm being facetious. You probably know better than me, Dane, but can Ose really be that more liberal than Oller with the backing of conservatives like Herger, Lungren, and others? Are the differences that stark?

I have no idea what LaMalfa expects in return for endorsing Ose. Maybe he just feels Ose is the stronger candidate.

But maybe you can enlighten me and others about this primary race by answering a similar question: what does Keene expect in return for endorsing Oller?

WE SUPPORT DOUG OSE FOR CONGRESS

ORGANIZATIONS

California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights

INDIVIDUALS

Congressman Dan Lungren
Congressman Wally Herger
California State Senator Dave Cox
California State Assemblyman Roger Niello
California State Assemblyman Doug La Malfa
National Tax Limitation Committee President Lew Uhler
KFBK Talk Show Host Tom Sullivan
Placer County Supervisor Rocky Rockholm
Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt
Placer County Supervisor Jim Holmes
Placer County Supervisor Kirk Uhler
Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz
Placer County Sheriff Ed Bonner
Placer County Treasurer-Tax Collector Jenine Windeshausen
Placer County Water Agency Director Gray Allen
Placer County Water Agency Director Mike Lee
Roseville Mayor Jim Gray
Roseville City Councilmember John Allard
Roseville City Councilmember Carol Garcia
Roseville Joint Union High School District President Jan Pinney
Roseville City School District President Susan Goto
Lincoln Mayor Primo Santini
Lincoln City Councilmember Tom Cosgrove
Lincoln City Councilmember Kent Nakata
Lincoln City Councilmember Spencer Short
Rocklin Mayor Brett Storey
Rocklin Vice Mayor Peter Hill
Rocklin City Councilmember Kathy Lund
Rocklin City Councilmember Scott Yuill
Auburn City Councilmember Bob Snyder
Auburn City Councilmember Mike Holmes
Auburn City Councilmember Bridget Powers
El Dorado County Supervisor Rusty Dupray
El Dorado County Supervisor Helen Baumann
El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Neves
El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson
El Dorado County Auditor-Controller Joe Harn
Lincoln Club of El Dorado Hills President Greg Jones
Sacramento County Supervisor Susan Peters
Sacramento County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan
Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness
Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully
Sacramento County Republican Party Chair Craig MacGlashan
Sacramento County Republican Party Vice Chair Carl Burton
Lassen County Supervisor Brian Dahle
Plumas County Supervisor Rose Comstock
City of Oroville Vice Mayor Jamie Johansson
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California, State Commander David Norris
Crime Victims United Board Member* Nina Salarno-Ashford

(partial list) *For identification purposes only

Well, I can see your point by putting the question back on me. Keene gets the same thing as LaMalfa if his horse in the race wins, a friend in congress to back him up later.

But my question is still unanswered partly. LaMalfa could have also endorsed Oller along with Keene, thereby promoting his conservatism and perhaps making Oller neutral to the two.

Doug Ose, by the standards of those right of center, is a liberal republican. It makes sense to me that you wouldn't see that so much because you're on the other side of things. Hillary and Obama likewise look equally liberal to me, even though some activists might see a true difference.

So I'm still not sure why LaMalfa went with Ose, as it seems to go against his personal values to do so, but the old adage here is probably true: politics makes strange bedfellows.

Dane,

You're right. You have a different perspective of the various competitive Republican primaries than I do.

Did Herger and Lungren go with Ose because of their personal relationships formed during their days together in Congress, or do you feel their support for Ose goes against their "personal values" - as you feel about LaMalfa's endorsement of Ose?

Just curious...

Dan:

The record is pretty clear. Legislators highly ranked by the California Republican Assembly (CRA) line up with Ose.

I checked out the CRA website this week and found out something very interesting.

According to the CRA’s own scorecard, Ose has lined up more conservative support than Oller. Check it out:

2007 Scorecard for Team Oller:
-Gaines 95%
-Keene 80%
-Nakanishi 89%
-Aanestad 95%
---Average CRA conservative rating 89.75%.

2007 Scorecard for Team Ose.
-La Malfa 95%
-Niello 85%
-Cox 95%
--Average CRA conservative rating 91.66%.

The conservative advantage goes to Ose.

Is this a fluke? Are Ose supporters more conservative than Oller's supporters?

So I checked 2006.

2006 Scorecard for Team Oller
-Keene 71%
-Nakanishi 76%
-Aanasted 82%
---Average CRA conservative 76.33%.

2006 Scorecard for Team Ose
-La Malfa 100%
-Niello 71%
-Cox 82%
---Average CRA conservative rating was 84.33%

Again, the conservative advantage goes to Ose.

So the next time someone (like Dane...or the Keene camp) tells you that Oller is the conservative in this race, make sure he/they know that according to the CRA, more conservatives are lining up behind Ose.