Will David Dreier Come Out Against Dirty Tricks

LOS ANGELES--Courage Campaign today called on California Congressman David Dreier (R- 26th) to come out against the so-called "Presidential Election Reform Act" which would dictate the re-allocation of approximately 20 Electoral College votes from California to the Republican presidential nominee. Dreier is chairman of the California Republican delegation to the US House of Representatives.

A powerful New York Times editorial titled "Stacking the Electoral Deck" explains that this cynical scheme by a "shadowy group" of California Republicans will "do serious damage to our democracy". And California newspapers in Republican-leaning areas have already come out against the initiative, including the Stockton Record and Orange County Register.

Still, California Republican Party Chair Ron Nehring is pushing this dangerous initiative forward at this weekend's California Republican Party convention. “We've received a request and there's been a great deal of interest among our members," party chairman Ron Nehring told Capitol Alert on Wednesday.

Nehring called a potential endorsement a "significant step" and that the party could provide money or help gather signatures to qualify the measure. “Cynical ploy orchestrated by the blah blah blah," said Nehring to the Capitol Alert. "The vitriol and overreaction from the Democrats caught a lot of people's attention from the party."

Nehring made these comments, even though Governor Schwarzenegger earlier said the thinking behind this initiative reflects a “loser’s mentality.”

Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Chair, said:

“David Dreier is a leader among California Republicans. We just want him to come out on against this initiative to show that he cares about all the people of this state, not just a few Republican cronies. Is it too much to ask for a leader like David Dreier to be honest and truthful about where he stands on key issues?”

To increase the pressure on Rep. Dreier, the Courage Campaign has launched the following web page.

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DavidDreier

The page request that readers call Rep. Dreier's Chief of Staff Brad W. Smith at (202) 225-2305 and ask for the Congressman to come out publicly with his stance.