Wealthy Republican Women Gather

Even as the Republicans are conspicuously silent about the Bush years, they spout the very same themes, policies and ideology that Bush and his cohorts did.

On the need to be free of government regulations, it's just like Enron and the mortgage crisis never happened.

On taxes, it's just like 8 years of borrow and spend Republican policies never happened.

On Mideast fundamentalism, it's just like our war of convenience in Iraq never happened.

Republicans talk a lot about individual responsibility but seem to exempt themselves from taking any.

Instead, Republicans are fixated on castigating Obama, who most regard as a centrist - willing to include more drilling and nuclear in his energy policy.

And calling Andy Caldwell a Republican is pretty funny - he is a bought and paid for lobbyist, a propagandist for agribusiness, that's about it.

Republicans, you can handle the truth, but first you need to face it.

So this is what the republican party has to offer.

Mike Stoker, the 'spill baby spill' lobbyist.

Recalcitrant ideologue Andy Caldwell, who should consider changing his watchdog group name to the Coalition of Lobbyists And Buttheads is a 'lobbyist' and often purports a far right mean and hateful agenda. Caldwell is narrowly focused and has been watch-dogging the wrong people!

I don't know how the scapegoating Gregory Gandrud can faithfully run the office of the County Treasurer when he has adopted the anti-USA and secessionist State of Texas education board's newly adopted "free enterprise" economic model when the United States of America historically uses a 'capitalist' system. Besides he may be far too busy using his office exploiting himself in a follow up episode of his televised dating adventures.

Heather Bryden is confused and working to convert to the wrong lord. David Horowitz transposed President Obama for Dick Cheney as Cheney admitted "We also have to work sort of the dark side, if you will." The "dark side" is the strategy or mode of operation of the twisted, regressive and tyrannical republican party leadership. Tea Party members are often mis-informed or confused.

Um, so the bomb scare in Times Square didn't happen?

Um, like the massive "stimulus" (pork) packages passed by the Obama administration are doing any good here on Main St.?

Um, like everyone at this meeting was a wealthy Republican woman? (What a hoot-LOL-wish I did live on an estate in Montecito!)

There was a point made by Caldwell that bears reapeating. FIND THE COMMON GROUND PEOPLE - because we are all in this together. It's our state that's the laughingstock of the nation, our state that employers are fleeing because of our own prohibitive form of Cap & Tax, our schools that are the worst in the nation, and infrastructure?!?

Ay ay ay ay...

The Bush admin went to Iraq with full compliance from Kerry, Clinton, et al. BOTH PARTIES ARE ALL TO BLAME. The Bush admin tried to reform Fannie/Freddie, the Dems in Congress blocked reforms. BOTH PARTIES ARE TOO BLAME. And BTW, what about Afghanistan? That's OBAMA'S baby, eh?

Get off your talking points and start working to fix our state. From now on when I hear one of you undereducated mindless repeaters of liberal talking points I'm going to say Shut Up Stupid!

Yeah, I'm calling you names. Get educated for God sakes!

Where are the poor, working-class Republican women?

That is rich! Okay, for you sensitive types, what I was said was the "poor working-class Republican women" are busy working, you sorry (fill in the blank.)

Better now?

When is the homeless Republican meeting?

Too many regulations caused the current economic crisis?
That was rich. :-)

When people such as "Maximum" weigh in, I am left to wonder whether they are

1. sincere and misinformed (Afghanistan is the war Obama had to clean up because BUSH invaded and, rather than finish the job, went off to attack and occupy Iraq, despite a lack of WMDs.)

2. delusional

3. party hacks who are reading from a script

Have Republicans no respect for the truth and for accepting responsibility? Or are they just out of touch with reality. Either way, it's a bad recipe for our fragile democracy.

One has to stand in awe of wealthy Republican dinosaur women as they willingly head to the socially quaint SB Yacht Club to thrash about in ideological tar pits of their own making, especially as they death-throe so close to our seeping and beloved Channel.

I say "stand in awe" because the unmitigated hubris and utter lack of conscience required to do such a thing (given our recent national history) in the year 2010 is truly dumbfounding.

Evolution remains a dynamic force, folks, and as we watch it slowly suck down those who refuse to evolve, the popcorn will bloom as we gleefully witness an "end of the line" that will come not too quickly.

I mean really---the yacht club?
Hello, Gilligan?
Is this thing on?
LOL

You can always tell when the conservatives/independents are scoring points and resonating with what most people think: the lefties come squealing out of their holes whining the same tired rhetoric and personal attacks against anyone who disagrees with them.

We must all get past the rhetoric and hatred and move forward.......

Our city, county and state are bankrupt....unemployment is at an all-time high....businesses are leaving SB and CA at a record rate.

In California WE NEED CHANGE!!!!!!

I was at the meeting you are referring to as "Wealthy Republican Women"...

I am not sure when you started to generalize about concerned citizens, but I am not "Wealthy"...not "Republican" and not a "woman"

This organization welcomes all..... even you, Seth....who just popped in at the last minute, ate lunch without paying for it and then slandered everyone in the room.

This speaks volumes for the author of the article.

Still laughing at the title.. I'm a member and not wealthy... but maybe that's because I paid for my lunch. What is wealthy? Someone who doesn't take state money then gets loaded for the rest of the day? Is having a job and making money a bad thing?

"Too many regulations caused the current economic crisis?
That was rich. :-)"

Yes, Bird, that is correct. Too many regulations caused the current economic crisis. The Government guarantees loans and this means that nobody cares who their bank lends money to, and the Federal Reserve artificially lowers interest rates. That allows big firms to gamble with supra-leveraged money created out of thin air which creates bubbles in certain sectors, and other big firms play off of these resonations until we have a gigantic crisis. It's not that difficult to see how the government is completely at fault for the crisis at all. Read one of Peter Schiff's books, he makes it simple enough for anybody to understand.

If you like government so much, then why don't you like George Bush? He doubled the size of government and has the same foreign policy as Obama. You people on the left are so hypocritical, just like these people on the right who are listening to people like Karl Rove and talking about Tea Parties. The Tea Parties were STARTED by military non-interventionists, who are apparently a rare-breed these days, it was not started by these neocons.

In describing a gathering of Republican Women the last two words would have been sufficient. It always used to be. Why the 'Wealthy" preface? What is this message, intended to catch and rivet the eye? Was it all Republican Women are wealthy? or all the wealthy women are Republican? A Republican for decades, my active senior neighbour cannot by any stretch of the imagination be called wealthy. After reading the headline, she roared with laughter, and wondered when and where the next meeting of The Republican Female Poor Old Geezers would take place.

Draxor: Why not the Yacht Club? It's just a place to rent a room for a meeting,an activity many organisations in town can do.

The writer's characterization of attendees as "wealthy" borders on hate speech. Is he trying to incite class warfare? Think about it.

Carelessly used words of a provocative and suggestive nature used to label groups can be counter productive. Clearly we need a multitude of diverse groups to survive in this town,including the well to do. "Wealthy" was a poor choice and should have been proof - read out.

What a fascinating bunch.

Gregory Gandrud, a man who opposes all taxes, wants to be Treasurer and Tax Collector? That is rich.

So what would be the grand implementation of Mr. Gandrud's philosophy, refuse to collect them?

But, oh yeah, he's a CPA. He makes a living off the tax code, you know, the one he wants to eliminate. So a man who rails against government spending is eager to grab himself a government paycheck. What a case study in contradiction.

Andy Caldwell always used to maintain his Democratic party registration and lord it over people just so he could goose Democrats with 'friendly fire'. Did he switch his registration or has he simply come clean and registered in the lobbyist party of pure self-interest?

Matt Kettmann....it is hard to believe they would put you in charge of headlines if this is how you generalize.

You are actually making a pointed effort to discredit the organization and divide people by the "haves" and "have-nots" tactic. Very clever--you are a true student of Alinsky.

I am a small entrepreneur who has struggled to survive in this town, despite all the bureacratic regulations. The Montecito Hope Ranch Republican Women offer us a unique opportunity to hear from a whole spectrum of people.....something the Independent could learn from.

Matt,
I appreciate your admission to being "short-sighted" with the title of the article. I do look forward to more objective reviews in the future from the Independent, and I am also talking about the substance of the article. For your information the Montecito Hope Ranch Republican Women's club for formed from a merger of two of the oldest clubs, but most members do not live in these areas. Residence who have lived in this area for years have not had to pay the inflated mortgage prices we have now, and in fact probably could not afford to move here in this today. Most importantly, why is it important to bring income to describe our group? This is a local club, and a local paper, aren't we all fortunate to live here? Why not describe the events of the meeting or highlight the scholarships? Again, I appreciate your response and look forward to more unbiased reporting in the future.

@RichardSaunders: I am of a different opinion from you about the war. The war had a LOT of Democratic Party supporters and given Obama's support of the reauthorization of the Patriot Act in 2006 I think he's much more mainstream that many of his supporters would care to admit.

I would add that I have not heard one word out of the Left-wing celebrities who bash Bush for the Patriot Act.

Silly Saunders will not admit that Clinton botched Afghanistan, and that our Republic (not Democracy= three wolves and a sheep deciding on dinner) is fragile because Reps and Dems are eating away the Constitution.
Matt, I know many people in Montecito who are not wealthy, and I lived in Hope Ranch for $400/ month 15 years ago. And when did it become a bad thing to be successful in America?? Are you just envious because you chose a profession that you like instead of one that makes money?

Jerry Brown Comes To Town. See article in The Independent May 18,2010. No mention of wealth here. Although anyone who wanted to attend (and eat) had to pony up $10,000 dollars a plate! No mention of wealth when naming the hosts of this fundraiser, at their home in Montecito. The double standard that is utilized by "news" outlets like The Independent when "reporting" events is so blatant. Republican/conservative. Make sure you talk about their supposed,stereotypical, awful wealth. When describing democratic functions wealth factor is of no importance. Dare we mention Ophrah's fundraiser for Obama. $2,300 a plate. No wealth mentioned in any headlines. Reality this was an event that gave money to deserving students.

It's amazing to me the acute sensitivity as shown by the majority of responses here: it's almost as if they never read beyond the headline:

-- One mention -- and one only -- of "wealthy" in the headline (for a meeting of a group self-identified as the "Montecito Hope Ranch Republican Women's Club," the two neighborhoods well-know as the richest neighborhoods in Santa Barbara).

-- the rest of the article, all 475 words of it, favorably details the club, it's program, the award-winning students, and the presenters. Most importantly, the opinions were presented without comment or differing opinion by the writer or others.

I suppose the grossest mistake the writer made was leaving out the appropriate descriptor "wankers," when detailing the whining, wealthy women.