The biggest pro-family victories in California so far this month are the successful campaigns to put “In God We Trust” on police vehicles in Kern County, just north of Los Angeles County.
Enjoy these photos from my two-day tour to battle alongside these three pastors who spearheaded their city campaigns and won great victories. I highly commend them for being outstanding examples of “standing your ground and not backing down.”
Godly pastors: Justin Medlock of
Shafter, David Vivas of Delano, Angelo Frazier of Bakersfield, and myself, on
June 4, after we testified to the Shafter City Council.
Bakersfield’s ‘In God We Trust’ leader: Pastor Angelo Frazier, doing a TV interview, on May 22, the day he proposed adding our national motto to police and fire vehicles.
Encouraging Christians to put their light on a stand: Here’s Pastor Angelo Frazier with a Christian man prior to the June 5 Bakersfield City Council meeting. He encouraged this man to speak, which he eventually did in front of the council, audience, and media.
Public perseverance: Both Christians and atheists at the June 5 Bakersfield City Council meeting. You can see Pastor Frazier and me in the first row. After 2 hours of testimony, the council voted 4 to 2 (Republicans for, Democrats against) to place “In God We Trust” on police and fire vehicles. The news quickly spread nationwide.
Even liberal media get to see ‘In God We Trust’: Bakersfield TV news people were waiting to interview Pastor Frazier after our great moral victory inside City Hall.
Basking in victory: Caring enough to show up for this winnable battle, these Bakersfield Christians celebrate with Pastor Frazier, along with me and Pastor Medlock from Shafter.
Glorying God in Shafter, California: On June 4, Pastor Justin Medlock testified, sharing how a Christian cop helped him repent from drug use and clean up his life with the help of Jesus Christ’s Holy Spirit. He knows that “In God We Trust” on police cars will do good!
Christians are coming out of the closet: Here’s Pastor Medlock with two brothers who own a design and print shop, who’ve offered to pay for the “In God We Trust” decals in both Delano and Shafter, overcoming an atheist objection of taxpayer expense.
He started it all: Pastor David Vivas used his influence with his city’s mayor to propose that Delano be the first California city to place “In God We Trust” on police vehicles. Like the spark of the American Revolution, Pastor Vivas’ bold action on April 2 was a “shot heard round the world.” Pastor Vivas says his Christianity compels him to publicly shine his light.
Christian values benefit everybody: On June 5, I had the privilege of meeting with Pastor Vivas and Delano Mayor Joe Aguirre, a very strong advocate of “In God We Trust.”
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they slight a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, in Matthew 5:14-15
Friday, November 30, 2018, 11:12 am | Randy Thomasson
It’s a radical question and I’m “just asking.” But is it time for moral Californians to consider replacing the California Republican Party?
Please understand that I am NOT calling for an immoral political party that is devoid of moral values and socially conservative values. That’s what I’m afraid liberal Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chad Mayes — and Mayes’ good friend Kristin Olsen — want.
To be clear, I want a political party to belong to that is constitutional and pro-family, and does two new things: 1) expose the chronic problems of California created by the Democrat politicians, 2) articulately explain evidence-based, practical solutions that help responsible Californians and their families.
Over the past few decades, a growing number of California conservatives have already personally left the Republican Party, by registering with the American Independent Party, the Libertarian Party, or as “No Party Preference” or “NPP.”
I’m one of them, since I’m much more constitutional and conservative than the current California Republican Party. You see, many of their elected legislators don’t speak out for, but increasingly vote against, family values.
For example, a growing number of Republicans in Sacramento are voting for (and none are speaking out against) the transsexual, cross-dressing agenda to “advance the cause of [LGBT] equality,” and labeling pro-family opposition as “prejudice and discrimination”:
The last Republican presidential candidate to win California’s winner-take-all electoral votes was George H.W. Bush in 1988.
The last time that Republicans gained seats in the California State Legislature was 1994, on the coattails of Newt Gingrich’s well-articulated “Contract with America.”
But since then, it’s been downhill for Republicans in Sacramento due to lack of messages that hit home with voters.
Fast forward to 2018. Before Election Day, there were only 25 Republicans in the 80-member State Assembly and 14 Republicans in the 40-member State Senate.
But today, California Republicans are weaker than ever. The November 2018 election handed Republicans losses of 4 Assembly seats, 3 state Senate seats, and 7 U.S. House seats. It’s a new low for the Republican Party in California.
Yes, there was a “blue wave” in California, powered by pro-Democrat unions and bureaucracies, and helped by politically-irrelevant pastors who can’t seem to even remind their congregations to “remember to vote.”
This is a problem that’s motivating me to think deeply, and I hope you’re thinking too.
Not just about “Republican” or “Democrat”
Because, as you know, it’s not just about “Republican” versus “Democrat” seats. It’s about what our elected representatives actually stand for, which determines how they vote, which determines the laws we have to live under. Because values matter.
As a family values leader in California since 1994, I’m grieved about the growing number of Republican officeholders that vote against The Natural Family.
Assemblywoman Catharine Baker of Contra Costa County*
State Senator Andy Vidak of Hanford*
Former assemblywoman Young Kim of Fullerton*
State Senator Janet Nguyen of Garden Grove**
Congressman Jeff Denham of Modesto***
Congressman Steve Knight of Palmdale***
These types of Republicans are a turn-off to principled, pro-family voters.
** Nguyen at least twice voted in favor of transsexuality, to “advance the cause of [LGBT] equality,” and saying pro-family opposition was “prejudice and discrimination”
SR 46 text | votes / SB 111 text | votes
In light of the painful reality of Republicans losing seats in California (and abandoning tried-and-true family values), some are calling for a brand-new party to replace the Republican Party in California. I’m open to it as well.
On the one hand, a new conservative party could win on issues without the Republican label. If, for example, it were the “People’s Party” or the “Family Party,” moral or common-sense or conservative voters who’ve been trained to hate “Republican” might just vote for it. I’m thinking about Latinos and blacks who are either Catholic or Protestant churchgoers.
On the other hand, given the likely excesses of Gavin Newsom and the 2/3rds majority Democrats, could the California Republican Party return with strength in 2020? It would require aggressive voter registration efforts and a strong, articulate message from both the Republican Party and from individual Republican candidates.
But the question about the California Republican Party’s viability is a valid one. Before the election, California voter registration numbers had Democrats at 44%, Republicans at 25%, and “No Party Preference” at 27%.
Can Republicans get better and stronger and win in 2020? Or it is time to tip over the game board and “get a new game with a new name”?As I’ve written earlier, California is in a dynamic, the Democrat-union grip can indeed weaken, and liberal policies are ripe for taking down.
Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Psalm 94:16
Thursday, November 8, 2018, 5:56 pm | Randy Thomasson
SaveCalifornia.com provides this solely for educational purposes and does not support or oppose candidates for public office
Behavioral experts describe it as freeze, fight, and flight. These are three possible responses — a combination of God-given and environmentally-shaped emotions — that rise up within us when we perceive a danger. The danger may be true or false — but initially, we’re going to either freeze, fight, or take flight.
No matter your initial reaction to the just-concluded Midterm Elections, please join me in fighting. Because when evil dominates, it must be exposed and resisted. God always wants His people to steadfastly defend all that is good, right, and true. I aim to do that — how about you?
Here are 3 important things to know, which matter for your values:
1. Nationally, this election was very good news:
a. In the 100-member United States Senate, the Republicans have increased. They’ve gone from 51 to 52 in number, and could go to 53 if Martha McSally wins in Arizona, and up to 54 if Cindy Hyde-Smith wins Mississippi’s U.S. Senate special election on November 27.
b. The Senate Republicans have become more constitutional. Strong conservatives have replaced wishy-washy Republicans such as Bob Corker, Dean Heller, John McCain (and if Martha McSally pulls it off, Jeff Flake). This principled increase means hundreds of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees will have no problem being confirmed, despite any grumblings from pro-abortion Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska or Susan Collins of Maine. And given that 85-year-old ACLU anti-religious-freedom, pro-abortion attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg might be next to depart the nation’s high court, the Senate’s confirmation of yet another constitutionalist/originalist to replace her is imperative.
c. The Democrats’ outrageous personal attack upon U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh backfired. In the Senate battleground states of North Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, West Virginia, and Florida, all the anti-Kavanaugh votes were booted out of office, while pro-Kavanaugh Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia survived).
d. The loss of the U.S. House of Representatives to the Democrats was not as bad as it could have been. What’s more, the final count shows President Trump is more popular than President Obama. This election, Republicans have so far lost 30 House seats, but gained seats in the U.S. Senate. This is much better than Obama fared. As The Daily Signal (Heritage Foundation) reports: “The first midterm election under President Barack Obama in 2010 was a major electoral defeat for Democrats. Republicans gained 63 seats in the House of Representatives and six seats in the Senate while making significant gains in state houses and gubernatorial elections. The balance of power shifted Tuesday night, but not as drastically as Democrats had hoped.”
e. The Democrats winning back the U.S. House wasn’t because evil is too strong, but because Republican leadership was foolish. Moral conservative leaders with decades of wise experience held a post-election news conference to explain that the campaign advice of Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, California to run on local rather than national issues failed to energize conservatives. SaveCalifornia.com agrees. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are all about national issues anyway; they should be teachers and cheerleaders for issues of national importance that capture the public’s attention. Why do Democrats in Congress seem to understand this better than some Republican candidates?
2. SaveCalifornia.com’s mission is still for your cherished family values:
Despite the Democrat politicians’ union-funded grip* upon the State of California, our Campaign for Children and Families has survived three governors already (Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Brown). And with God’s help and yours, we’re committed to survive, expose, and oppose the guaranteed wicked policies of Gavin Newsom that harm individuals and families.
* So far this year, government unions have donated $13.8 million and private unions have donated $20.8 million to Democrat candidates in California: https://bit.ly/2JOMLyN and https://bit.ly/2SU1yfP
Our Campaign for Children and Families promise to you:
a. We’ll keep shining our light for positive truth for children and families
b. We’ll keep exposing the darkness so people who listen will stop being deceived
c. We’ll keep training constitutional patriots to do good in their families and communities
I need to know you want to fight rather than take flight.
Because every loss is an opportunity to learn how to be and do better. And given the myriad of public policy problems caused by California’s ruling Democrats, now is the time to expose them. Please realize that simply running from a problem tends to make us insensitive to love, responsibility, and solutions. Because love doesn’t drop out; it presses in and sacrificially gives.
3. California is in a dynamic and the Democrat-union grip can indeed weaken:
Lastly, I believe California is in a dynamic. Look at history. Communism was dismantled in Eastern Europe because it went against God-given human nature. Likewise, some governorships on the east coast of the U.S. have flipped in the last few years from Democrat to Republican (think Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont).
And this election, a big liberal “environmental group” bond (Prop. 3) went down in California, to the frustration of liberal operatives. What’s more, an anti-establishment, academic reformer, Marshall Tuck, might become California’s state school chief. And we’re just beginning to see union membership dropping since the June 2018 U.S. Supreme Court Janus decision affirming the free-speech right of government employees to not have their money coerced away by power-hungry union bosses. Remember, Liberalism doesn’t work; when pressure is applied, it can indeed break down.
Meanwhile, it’s clear to me that a lot of professing Christians (especially younger adults) and a lot of frustrated conservatives (also the younger ones) don’t vote. I keep meeting them. Now, can you imagine what a well-articulated conservative voter registration drive campaign in communities could do? And what if Christian church denominations held voter registration drives in all their member churches, which then would internally lobby churchgoers to “get out the vote” in the big 2020 presidential election? And what if Campaign for Children and Families received confidential pro-family donations totaling $1 million to powerfully promote your values statewide through cost-effective media buys?
Finally, what if major conservative donors had given the gas tax repeal (Prop. 6) $10 million to show California voters convincing messages like SaveCalifornia.com produced? And what if John Cox had also received $10 million to blanket TV, radio, newspapers, and the internet with months of his ads exposing obvious problems caused by Democrat politicians? We might have a profoundly different Governor-Elect today.
I believe the time to invest in California is now, because liberal policies are ripe for taking down. As famed investor Warren Buffett said, “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” This certainly applies to the ruling Democrats’ house of cards. If convincing evidence can be creatively presented, it opens people’s eyes. I’ve seen this happen individually, so why not change minds on a grand scale?
Thank you for reading this and thinking about the dynamic culture we live in and how you, with your faithful, principled stand, can make an impact. Thank you for standing strong for your moral values with SaveCalifornia.com and our ongoing Campaign for Children and Families!
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