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>>> IN SEPTEMBER, 1984, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, WELCOMED A
SPECIAL VISITOR.
SPECIAL VISITOR. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES MADE A SWING THROUGH HIS
HOME STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO
OFFICIALLY KICK OFF HIS GENERAL
ELECTION CAMPAIGN A MERE TWO
MONTHS BEFORE ELECTION DAY.
NOTICE THAT I SAID TWO MONTHS,
NOT THE ENDLESS CAMPAIGNS WE
HAVE NOW.
HAVE NOW. BUT IT WAS DURING THAT TRIP,
DURING RONALD REAGAN’S BIG,
TRIUMPHANT CALIFORNIA RALLY,
THAT HE UTTERED THE PHRASE THAT
BECAME EMBLEMATIC OF THE
CONSERVATIVE OC EVER SINCE.
>> LIKE I’VE ALWAYS SAID, ORANGE
COUNTY, THAT’S WHERE THEY --
THAT’S WHERE THE GOOD
REPUBLICANS GO BEFORE THEY DIE.
>> CALIFORNIA CONSERVATIVES DID
NOT HAVE MUCH, BUT AT LEAST THEY
HAD ORANGE COUNTY.
INDEED, DATING BACK TO THE
GOLDWATER ERA, ORANGE COUNTY
REMAINED A REPUBLICAN STRONGHOLD
INSIDE AN INCREASINGLY DEEP BLUE
STATE.
STATE. THAT IS, UNTIL LAST MONTH, WHEN
ALL SEVEN CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS IN ORANGE COUNTY WENT
BLUE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE
THE 1930s.
THE 1930s. THIS YEAR, NOT ONLY DID RUBY RED
ORANGE COUNTY TURN BLUE, BUT
DEMOCRATS TOOK CONTROL OF THE
GOVERNORSHIP, EVERY STATE
OFFICE, AND BOTH HOUSES OF THE
STATE LEGISLATURE, BY A MILE.
IN JANUARY, SAN FRANCISCO
CONGRESSWOMAN AND FORMER FIRST
WOMAN SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE NANCY
PELOSI WILL ONCE AGAIN BE HANDED
THE GAVEL.
THE GAVEL. DEMOCRATS ARE NOT JUST WINNING
NEARLY ALL THE ELECTIONS IN
CALIFORNIA, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS
HAVE BECOME THE TIP OF THE SPEAR
FOR THE RESISTANCE AGAINST
DONALD TRUMP AND HIS
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. RIGHT NOW, CALIFORNIA HAS 44
ACTIVE LAWSUITS PENDING AGAINST
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ON
EVERYTHING FROM THE AFFORDABLE
CARE ACT TO PROTECTIONS FOR
D.R.E.A.M.ERS TO ENVIRONMENTAL
REGULATIONS.
REGULATIONS. CALIFORNIA’S GOVERNOR-ELECT
CALIFORNIA’S GOVERNOR-ELECT GAVIN NEWSOM HAS BEEN OUTSPOKEN
IN HIS CRITICISM OF THE
PRESIDENT, CALLING THE THREAT TO
SHUT DOWN THE BORDER, QUOTE,
IRRESPONSIBLE, IRRATIONAL, AND
ABSURD.
ABSURD. AND NOW CALIFORNIA HAVE TAKEN IT
ONE STEP FURTHER.
CALIFORNIA HAS MOVED UP ITS
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY.
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY. LATELY, VOTERS IN CALIFORNIA
HAVE HELD THEIR PRIMARY
ELECTIONS IN JUNE.
THEY’RE ONE OF THE LAST STATES
TO VOTE IN A PRESIDENTIAL
PRIMARY LEAVING CALI VOTERS
OFTEN TO FEEL LIKE AN
AFTERTHOUGHT.
AFTERTHOUGHT. BUT NOT ANYMORE.
THEY’VE MOVED IT UP OFFICIALLY
TO MARCH 3rd, WHICH MEANS
CALIFORNIA BEGINS EARLY VOTING
AT THE SAME TIME THAT OTHER
TRADITIONALLY EARLY STATES WILL
ALSO BE VOTING.
NOW, THIS IS HUGE DEAL FOR
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA. IT MEANS THAT PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATES WILL HAVE TO DECIDE
WHETHER THEY WANT TO TRY TO
COMPETE IN CALIFORNIA EARLIER
THAN USUAL TO GET THE SUPPORT OF
CALIFORNIA’S HUGE DELEGATION,
BUT IT ALSO MEANS CANDIDATES ARE
GOING TO HAVE SOME MAKE SOME
HARD CHOICES.
HARD CHOICES. CAMPAIGNING IN CALIFORNIA IS
EXPENSIVE.
EXPENSIVE. IT CAN COST AT LEAST $5 MILLION
FOR A CANDIDATE TO COMPETE
THERE, A NUMBER THAT MIGHT
EXCLUDE A NUMBER OF CANDIDATES
WHO CAN’T AFFORD IT AND MIGHT
STRETCH THE RESOURCES OF
CANDIDATES WHO ARE ALSO TRYING
TO GET AN EARLY WIN IN ONE OF
THE CRUCIAL EARLY STATES.
IT ALSO MEANS HAVING NAME
RECOGNITION IN CALIFORNIA CAN GO
A VERY LONG WAY IN TERMS OF
PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS.
PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, ONE OF
THE MOST RACIALLY DIVERSE STATES
IN THE COUNTRY AND ONE OF THE
LARGEST WILL HAVE AN OUTSIZED
IMPACT ON WHO GETS THE
DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION.
DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION. CALIFORNIA IS ABOUT TO MAKE ITS
MARK, SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR
2020 AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?
FOR THAT WE TURN TO JASON
JOHNSON, POLITICAL EDITOR AT THE
ROOT AND PROFESSOR OF POLITICS
AND JOURNALISM.
AND JOURNALISM. HEY, JASON.
HEY, JASON. >> GLAD TO BE HERE.
>> LET’S START GOING THROUGH
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA. SO, CALIFORNIA, FIRST OF ALL I
THINK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BEEN ANNOYED THAT IOWA AND
NEW HAMPSHIRE HAVE SO MUCH
POWER, 37% WHITE,
ASIAN-AMERICANS ARE 15.2%.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE 6.5%.
SO IT’S A VERY DIVERSE STATE.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> SO, IN THAT SENSE, HOW DOES
THAT CHANGE THE DYNAMIC FOR THAT
PRIMARY?
PRIMARY? >> WELL, WHAT IT DOES IS IT
MAKES YOU AS A CANDIDATE IF
YOU’RE RUNNING IN 2020 WITH THE
50 MILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING
TO BE RUNNING, THEY HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE I CAN
CONNECT WITH THESE DIFFERENT
PEOPLE EARLY ON.
THEY DON’T HAVE TO NECESSARILY
SAY, I CAN SHOW IT IN NEVADA,
THEY CAN SAY, LOOK, I CAN SPEAK
TO LATINOS, CENTRAL AMERICANS,
IMMIGRANTS.
IMMIGRANTS. BUT THE PROBLEM IS IT’S REALLY
EXPENSIVE IF YOU HAVE ANY MONEY
TO DO SO, AND THE OTHER ISSUE IS
THE MONEY WILL DRY UP FASTER.
NOW THAT CALIFORNIA IS PART OF
SUPER TUESDAY, IF YOU DON’T
WIN ONE OF THOSE THREE STATES --
>> IT COULD LITERALLY BE OVER BY
MARCH 3rd.
MARCH 3rd. THIS IS MARCH 3rd.
THIS IS SUPER TUESDAY.
YOU HAVE TO COMPETE IN ALABAMA,
CALIFORNIA, MASSACHUSETTS, NORTH
CAROLINA, OKLAHOMA, TENNESSEE,
TEXAS, VERMONT, AND VIRGINIA.
IF YOU CAN’T PLAY IN THE TWO BIG
STATES YOU’RE DONE.
>> NOT ONLY ARE YOU DONE BUT
THIS IS HORRIBLE MOVE BY THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY. I THINK THE DNC PRESIDENT PEREZ
SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT
THIS.
THIS. I KNOW STATES ALL WANT TO BE
IMPORTANT, BUT WHAT IT’S GOING
TO DO IS CURTAIL WHAT SHOULD BE
A LONG FOUGHT PROCESS.
YOU DON’T WANT TO HAVE THE
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE BY MARCH.
YOU WANT THIS TO BE A LONG,
COMPETITIVE COMPETITION.
COMPETITIVE COMPETITION. SO I THINK CALIFORNIANS, THEY
WANT TO HAVE INFLUENCE ON WHO
ENDS UP GETTING THE JOB BUT THAT
INFLUENCE MAY COME TOO SOON AND
IT’S NOT BENEFICIAL.
>> IT’S ALL GOOD UNTIL YOU GET A
JOHN EDWARDS AND HE’S A NOMINEE
AND THEN HE IMPLODES.
I SENSE THIS CLEMENCY FOR A
DEATH ROW INMATE WHOSE CASE IS
VERY CONTESTED, AND SHE NEEDS
HELP ON THAT CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SORT OF SITUATION.
BUT NOW THIS IS A STATE WHERE
SHE HAS NAME I.D.
AS LONG AS THE CURRENT GOVERNOR
DOESN’T RUN, OR INCOMING
GOVERNOR, THIS HELPS HER, RIGHT?
>> IT DOES HELP HER BUT IT’S NOT
AN AUTOMATIC, RIGHT?
YOU AREN’T GUARANTEED TO WIN
YOUR STATE, AND REALLY WHAT’S
GOING TO HAPPEN IS THE WINNER OF
CALIFORNIA IS GOING TO BE ONE OF
THE PEOPLE WHO’S WON ONE OF THE
FIRST FOUR STATES.
>> YOU CAN’T RAISE MONEY.
>> SHE WON’T BE ABLE TO RAISE
MONEY.
MONEY. SO I THINK THIS PUTS MORE
PRESSURE ON HER BECAUSE SHE
CAN’T SIT THERE AND SAY I CAN
BACK LOAD THIS.
>> I’VE GOT TO SAY ONE NAME THAT
RAISED A LOT OF MONEY IN TWO
STATES, CALIFORNIA AND TEXAS,
BETO.
BETO. JASON JOHNSON.
JASON JOHNSON. THAT’S NOT A PREDICTION, THAT’S
JUST A FACT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.