Setting the Record Straight

Getting back to our roots as a red state

By Ben Chapman
From the November 2005 Print Edition

It’s taken for granted that California is a blue state. Hell, the blue in our school’s colors may as well refer to the Democratic Party rather than to Yale. But has it always been this way? Let’s switch on the ol’ flux capacitor and take a look back to determine just how “blue” California really is.

The great state of California was founded by American explorer, abolitionist, and U.S. Army Major John C. Fremont. At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, Fremont was off duty, but rose to the occasion and served his country when needed (he just “happened to be there”), leading the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846. He was appointed the civil governor of California, and then elected one of California’s first two senators.

Fremont was a staunch Republican. In fact, Fremont was the very first Republican presidential candidate, in 1856. In 1860, California’s electoral votes proudly went toward a Republican you might have heard of: Abe Lincoln.

So California was an anti-slavery state. But that doesn’t mean the people of the Golden State really espoused conservative values, does it? Well, actually …

Republicans, and Californians, stood for a lot more than just abolitionism. They also stood for the interests of the average farmer, pioneer, and explorer — essentially, those who were willing to work hard and make the American dream come true. And so, in 1862, amid the Civil War, the Republicans in power passed the Homestead Act, which gave any head-of-household 160 acres of land for free, as long as he could develop the land and prosper, transferring ownership from the government to the private citizen. It empowered the common American, giving the people land they could call their own. What impact did this have on California? It was pioneers seeking opportunity who came West, and this was the carrot on the burgeoning stick. That legacy of providing opportunity to the average American is still with us today — a legacy begun by Republicans.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that part of the Republican land-grant plan used certain sections of land for educational purposes. The University of California was formed as a land-grant college. That’s right! Cal was founded under Republican policy.

Moving along in our trek through California history, we see the Golden State leading the charge of reform during the Progressive Era, after decades of solid support for the Republican Party. It was Governor Hiram Johnson who, nearly 100 years ago, put in place the initiative and recall systems we know today. He championed the spread of democracy, and believed in the power of the common Californian to rule himself. He was a Republican. Like conservatives today, Republicans like Johnson had a vision of empowering the individual over the bureaucratic state.

Johnson’s legacy was far-reaching. The most famous proposition in our history was probably Proposition 13, in 1978. Over the head of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, the people of California cut their property taxes by two-thirds, ensuring that retired workers wouldn’t be taxed out of their homes. In the history books, it’s known as the great “tax revolt” and it happened in California.

Many liberal historians would counter with this: California is home to the Berkeley Free Speech Movement and subsequent hippie hissy fits in the Bay Area. But what was the response of the people of California? They elected Ronald Reagan for governor in 1966, by more than a million votes. Part of Reagan’s platform was to restore order to Berkeley.

And I take great satisfaction in the fact that, in 1996, Californians passed Proposition 209, legally ending racial preferences. The people, time and again, keep on using Johnson’s initiative process to pass conservative measures. California even has a ban on same-sex marriages! So much for progressivism.

In the events of 2003, we again see the Republican legacy at work. The recall was used for the very first time in our state’s history, sweeping a Democratic governor out of office, and replacing him with one of the biggest personalities in the Republican Party today: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not only that, but Californians are once again being called upon to vote on initiatives in the upcoming November election. And the issues are far-reaching, from Paycheck Protection, to Parental Notification, to Redistricting. It’s hardly surprising. Our state has a proud Republican tradition. The people will rise and reform their government. And empowering individuals is what Republicans, and Californians, have always stood for.

And of course, no history of California is complete without rubbing in the fact that the only two native sons we’ve ever sent to the White House were Richard Nixon and former Governor Ronald Reagan, both of whom earned our electoral votes, twice!

So California isn’t quite the bastion of liberalism it’s made out to be. Liberals in this state have nowhere to hide. Despite what a small band of old, frustrated Berkeley hippies may say, the people of California will reform their state yet again. On that note, happy voting this November!

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