Poizner speaks on water, unions, immigration

I’m listening to Steve Poizner speak to the GOP convention in Santa Clara. He points to the state’s economy and the level of misery here caused by unemployment and underemployment. Where are the jobs going? He points to Nevada, where the electricity stays on, workers compensation isn’t a mess and where the state has a SWAT team to recruit businesses from California. He points to 3,000 Californians who leave here a week. He calls himself the “game changer” candidate who isn’t looking for incremental change. He’s talking about the “man-made water crisis” that is devastating the Central Valley and says as governor he will sue the judge based on the concept of states’ rights. He proposes across-the-board tax cuts. How can he do this during the deficit? “Lower tax rates will make the tax base grow larger,” he said.

“We have to curb the power of the public employee unions period,” he added. He supports the Paycheck Protection Initiative. He promises to “stop illegal immigration once and for all.” He wants to turn the magnets off — the taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigration.

There is a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party, he said, between those who want to “rebrand” the party and those that want to stand for the party’s core principles. His principles, he said, are individual liberty, personal responsibility and free markets. The trouble comes from electing Republicans who don’t stand up for these principles.

That’s that. He’s done.