Letters to the Editor: Democrats must thin the primary herd in order to defeat Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

As opponents of the Trump Administration look forward to a “blue wave” of victories in November, they can’t overlook June’s “Jungle Primary.” Without realistic, hard-nosed strategic thinking, it is possible that the November race will be a run-off between two Republican Trump supporters.

Under the jungle primary rules, the top two vote-getters will face off in the November election. Sounds simple and fair, but here’s the problem: With the advantages of incumbency, name recognition and Republican fundraising, the incumbent, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa), seems assured of one of the two top spots.

But who will get the other one?

The June ballot will have eight Democratic, six Republican and two independent candidates. If Mr. Rohrabacher takes one spot, 15 candidates will be competing for the other one. And with 15 competitors, anything can happen.

Right now, Democratic candidates are aggressively campaigning against each other, and early polls suggest that a second Republican is likely to sneak into the second spot.

So, even if 60% or 70% of voters cast an anti-Trump vote, the two candidates in November will likely be Trump supporters.

Yes, there are differences among the Democratic candidates. But one thing is clear: Democrats need to pick up 24 seats in order to flip the House of Representatives from Republican to Democratic control. Our congressional race represents 4% of that goal.

A Democratic-controlled House of Representative will undertake a genuine investigation of the Trump Administration. Instead of the feckless ineptitude of Rep. Devon Nunes (R-Tulare) and House Republicans, Democrats will ask real questions and will demand that witnesses answer them.

If you care about government accountability, reasonable gun regulation, healthcare, women’s reproductive rights, climate change, fair taxation or a host of other issues, we need a Democratic House to counter the out-of-control Trump train.

In sum, Democrats need to settle on a candidate.

Yes, I have a favorite candidate, but right now, that’s less important than having at least one Democrat face off against Mr. Rohrabacher. And, I think any of the Democratic candidates can flip the district.

So my message to Harley Rouda, Hans Keirstead, Michael Kotick and the rest of the candidates is this: The Democrat who leads the polls in June will get my vote. Longshot Democrats who fail to drop out in May will earn my disdain.

A few days ago, one of the candidates recognized this problem and withdrew from the race. She asked supporters to back the campaign of one of leading candidates. It is time for others to follow her brave and honorable example and narrow the field so that voters have a real choice.

For the rest of us, be careful. It’s a jungle out there.

Tom Persky

Laguna Beach

Team Newport takes sides by not taking sides

In touting a recent Newport Beach resolution barring use of public funds to advocate for local tax hikes (“Cities must stop using tax dollars to advocate under the guise of education”), City Councilman Will O’Neill ignores the substantial thumb that he and four of his five fellow council members placed on the electoral scale when they adopted that resolution.

If, as O’Neill claims, the resolution was intended to close the loophole that enables public entities, under the guise of “educating” the public, to instead “advocate” for a particular position on an issue, it would have barred use of public funds not only to promote but also to oppose tax hikes.

By only barring the former, and implicitly permitting the latter, the ordinance violates the “fundamental precept of this nation’s democratic process” that O’Neill himself describes as having been “resolutely” articulated by the California Supreme Court — that the “government may not ‘take sides’ in election contests or bestow an unfair advantage on one of several competing factions.”

Confining public advocacy only to opposing tax increases may be consistent with conservative anti-tax orthodoxy, but it is most certainly unfair. And it is inappropriate in the context of what is supposed to be nonpartisan municipal politics.

James R. Percival

Newport Beach

The AR-15 is the GOP’s Achilles heel

For the first time in years, I believe there is a real chance to flip the House from red to blue. All the Democrats have to do is be willing to fight like Republicans.

Democratic challengers need to be armed with the appropriate firepower to counter GOP incumbents and their talking points. For the millions of Americans who were paying attention to the March For Our Lives, this translates to gun safety.

For the past year, I have been asking gun owners if they believe the AR-15, or anything like it, should be sold or not. Almost without exception, their collective answer is no. In fact, they laugh when they hear the NRA say it’s a hunting rifle. My own feeling is if you have to use a weapon like that in the woods, you must be a really lousy shot.

The AR-15 is the GOP’s Achilles heel. So much so, Democrats should be able to tie Republican incumbents so visibly to this hideous weapon their own children won’t vote for them in November.

Hyperbole? Maybe, but, my point is this: You don’t bring a knife to a gunfight, especially when you are looking for significant change.

Denny Freidenrich

Laguna Beach

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