The Trump camp recently gained another member — this time, a former Democratic State Senate leader from California, of all places.
Gloria Romero, the former majority leader in the California State Senate, announced that she was jumping ship at a press conference at the capitol building. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Romero had represented the state's 24th District, which includes the San Gabriel Valley and parts of East Los Angeles. On Wednesday, Romero stated:
Today, I say ‘goodbye, adios,’ I’ve had enough. I am now another near-lifelong Democrat who is joining the growing number of people … who are leaving the Democratic Party. This is not the Democratic Party that I once championed. I do not recognize it anymore, and I cannot continue. I changed my voting registration today as the sun was rising to Republican, which has, under Donald Trump, become the champion of working people, the big tent. And indeed, I will vote for Donald Trump this fall.
She added:
The Democratic Party has turned its back on the working class, becoming the party of the elites and big buck donors. We see Democratic leaders lecture the people as to how to live their lives under the burden of COVID-19, climate change, and rampant inflation. While the out-of-touch Californians feast at the French Laundry, crime has spiraled out of control, grocery prices have soared.
Romero also cited the border situation, the loss of parental rights, the homeless situation, and rising crime rates in the Golden State, along with funding allocated for foreign wars, as reasons for her defection.
While members of California's GOP cheered her announcement, including Larry Elder, her former comrades on the left side of the aisle were not impressed. Referring to Romero's support for Elder's gubernatorial run, the former chairman of the L.A. County Democratic Party, Mark Gonzales, commented, "We knew then about Gloria what California Republicans know best: the grift is real. While Republicans are catching up to years-old news, trying to stay relevant, Democrats have been working to keep them from hurting the same communities that Gloria used to champion.”
Says a man from a state that has seen the biggest exodus since, well, the Book of Exodus, not to mention the state in which some of its most glamorous and legendary cities now look like war zones, complete with refugees. Let's not forget this is the same state in which businesses are shuttering due to rampant crime and rising costs.
The fact that Romero waited so long to "come out" is hardly surprising. As a convert to conservatism myself, I understand how difficult it is to wait for your party to live up to its legendary hype. At some point, you do not really lose hope in your party. Frankly, you often have to reach a point where you realize how angry you are and cannot in good conscience sit down and tuck into yet another BS parfait. You can't avoid reality and become exasperated that your "friends and allies" continue to engage in what amounts to political D&D, albeit without the cool dice. Oh, and all the charisma points are fake.
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