Democrats in the State Capitol Should Listen Carefully to U.S. Rep Lou Correa (CA-46)

If they aren’t busy screaming at him and calling him a heretic, that is.

U.S. Representative Lou Correa, an Orange County Democrat, along with 34 other Democrats, voted with all of Republicans in the House to reject the extreme ban on the sales of gas-powered cars in California starting in 2035. I wrote about that yesterday.

In a statement printed by the Orange County Register, Correa had this to say:

“As Americans, we all want to do our part to protect the environment. That’s why for decades, I have been driving a hybrid car,” Correa said. “As a lawmaker, my primary job is to listen to my neighbors and respect their choices to do what is best for their families and their circumstances. That means protecting consumers’ rights to drive whatever vehicle makes sense for them and their pocketbooks.”

No doubt Correa’s words are akin to heresy to the kind of Democrats who run the State Capitol today — so left-wing that they think Bernie Sanders is too moderate.

I have personally known Correa for a long time. He’s definitely more moderate than Sacramento Democrats, relatively, but of course partisan politics tends to pull Republicans to the right, and Democrats to the left. It’s a testament to how wacky this car ban is that dozens of Democrats, along with Correa, voted against their own party leadership.

How do you know if Correa’s position here is heartfelt, versus a crass attempt to woo centrist voters, if you don’t want to take my word for it? Correa’s seat is a D+23 seat, meaning there are 23% more Democrats than Republicans. It could not be any more “safe” for him. Last November Correa won reelection with 63.4% of the vote.

Again, California Democrats would be wise to listen to Correa — but you can be sure they won’t. Their feckless and quixotic efforts to reduce manmade carbon emissions is ingrained in their progressive psyche. No matter the imprudence of it all. And no matter the economic hardship, and stifling of liberty caused by their regulatory fanatacism.