California Republican Assembly

The CRA bore its greatest philosophical and structural changes during the decade from 1962 to 1972. The founders and builders of CRA were dedicated, astute and certainly most effective. However, their original vision of a United States Republican Assembly had eluded them. When the bylaw change was adopted to require paid memberships to units, some... were outraged and felt betrayed. Dr. Robert Craig, one of the founders, feels to this day that this single bylaw change crippled the whole original concept of what CRA should have accomplished. Nevertheless, they had accomplished the gargantuan task of a statewide effective volunteer organization. CRA's founding fathers were of a liberal philosophy, and therefore, CRA was liberal, as were the men they elected to public office. Unfortunately for Republicans, Roosevelt and World War II made the national political scene impenetrable for 20 years. By contrast, in California the CRA endorsed and elected candidates, and changed the state's political history as no other volunteer organization has done before or since. Circa, 1955, there were people within the ranks of CRA whose philosophy was diametrically opposed to that of CRA's founders. From "militant forward-thinking liberal" in 1962, CRA became "moderate" by 1963 and "conservative" by 1972. Fred Hall was elected President of CRA in 1962, and it was the beginning of the end of the domination of the liberal element in CRA.Read More