Jeff Solsby

Jeff Solsby is a public affairs professional who has worked in D.C. and California.
Recent Posts
- Today's Commentary: Poizner Should Reconsider Creation Of His Own "Do Not Invest" List For Private Insurance Companies
- AG to CalPERS: Divest from Iran Now
- NTLC's Lew Uhler Urges Rejection Of Maldonado As Lt. Governor
- CRA Statement on Maldonado Confirmation Vote
- Slate mailer racks up $84,000 fines
- Projections Moving Faster than the Trains
- Statewide proposition lineup
- Sunday San Diego: Napping in AD 77, Waking in AD 78, CalPERS says Pound Sand on Divestments, and More
- Carly Fiorina On President Reagan's Birthday
- CRP Chairman Nehring's Statement In Response To SacBee Story
Commentary Library
Authors
FR BlogScan
Commentary: Poizner Should Reconsider Creation Of His Own "Do Not Invest" List For Private Insurance Companies [By Jon Fleischman - Publisher - Flash Report] (Source: FlashReport)
Today's Commentary: Poizner Should Reconsider Creation Of His Own "Do Not Invest" List For Private Insurance Companies [By Jon Fleischman - Publisher - Flash Report] (Source: FlashReport)
The Lite Guv Intrigue Continues (Source: KQED's Capitol Notes)
February 8 Open Thread (Source: Calitics)
As Some Hesitate, Laird Says He Can Win Maldonado's Seat (Source: Calitics)
The Lite Guv Intrigue Continues (Source: KQED's Capitol Notes)
Recount of Mission Viejo recall announced (Source: OC Register Total Buzz)
If GOP Doesn't Want Maldo as LG, Have a Primary (Source: Dem Majority Report)
Go To BlogScan PageFR BlogScan
Commentary: Poizner Should Reconsider Creation Of His Own "Do Not Invest" List For Private Insurance Companies [By Jon Fleischman - Publisher - Flash Report] (Source: FlashReport)
Today's Commentary: Poizner Should Reconsider Creation Of His Own "Do Not Invest" List For Private Insurance Companies [By Jon Fleischman - Publisher - Flash Report] (Source: FlashReport)
The Lite Guv Intrigue Continues (Source: KQED's Capitol Notes)
February 8 Open Thread (Source: Calitics)
As Some Hesitate, Laird Says He Can Win Maldonado's Seat (Source: Calitics)
The Lite Guv Intrigue Continues (Source: KQED's Capitol Notes)
Recount of Mission Viejo recall announced (Source: OC Register Total Buzz)
If GOP Doesn't Want Maldo as LG, Have a Primary (Source: Dem Majority Report)
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Recent Comments
Katie Teague on CRP Chairman Nehring's Statement In Response To SacBee Story
Katie Teague on CRA Statement on Maldonado Confirmation Vote
Robert Bosich on NTLC's Lew Uhler Urges Rejection Of Maldonado As Lt. Governor
Robert Bosich on CRA Statement on Maldonado Confirmation Vote
JIm Lacy on Statewide proposition lineup
Tom Kaptain on Statewide proposition lineup
Larry Urdahl on Money "Trail" in Open Joel Anderson AD 77 Seat
Matt Munson on Statewide proposition lineup
JIm Lacy on Ballot Designation Junkies Get Excited
Cliff Unruh on Rest In Peace Ethie Radanovich
Chris Lauer on Chief of Staff for Senate Republicans Off To PG&E
JIm Lacy on Ballot Designation Junkies Get Excited
Ken Hunter on An Open Letter to Senate Republicans
Howard Epstein on Today's Commentary: South Lake Tahoe Transit Chief Embroiled In Controversy
Sean Loranger on Sheriff's union biggest loser in Mission Viejo recall election
FlashReport Weblog on California Politics
Thoughts on Internecine Party Conflict
by Jeff Solsby - D.C. "Beltway" (bio) (email)(print)
And while the media may focus on this as if it's big news, the reality is that political parties are messy; representative democracy and a two-party system is messy business.
The internecine battle (in both political parties) is nothing new. I was reminded of a distantly similar example of this recently when I stumbled across a biographical listing for Peter Robinson, former Reagan speechwriter who hosts the excellent "Uncommon Knowledge" broadcast produced by the Hoover Institution and viewed via National Review Online. What I read about Robinson, didn't strike me until I read something this morning from former senior Reagan official Ken Duberstein. Quoted in a Politico email update about this new book, he said, in effect, that Reagan will be remembered by most Americans for one moment: the "Tear down this wall!" line in his 1987 speech at the Brandenburg gate.
So if Duberstein is right, that for which Reagan will be remembered best, was an incident that provoked a division in the party similar to the one seen in recent days.
Which brings me back to the Robinson biographical listing.
On his own Wikipedia page, and a similar "Tear Down This Wall" speech page, a conflict over that famous line is noted, sourced to a 2007 US News & World Report article. It was reported, that after visiting Berlin, speaking with residents and getting a sense of the dynamics on the ground, Robinson pushed to include the line. White House Chief of Staff (and former Senator) Howard Baker--and Colin Powell, then Deputy National Security Advisor--both objected to including the line in the speech out of fear that it could stir the pot and needlessly upset Soviet leader Gorbachev. Reagan insisted, and the rest, pardon the cliche, is history.
So what's at stake in the party battles today? Not much really. Except the comfort and power that comes with complacent incumbency.
The other night, I skimmed through George Will's "Restoration" the book he wrote about term limits. In it, he charted the increasing predominance of multi-term incumbents retaining seats in Congress. Despite the book's age (late 80's or early 90's, I believe), the trend still holds true.
It's not about guns, or abortion or even health care and taxes. These issues all orbit around the center of what's really driving the skirmish with the party. It's about people being fed-up with complacency, the establishment, backroom deals--conciliatory compromises and D.C. bargains. To the activists, they're fighting because their governing officials have forgotten to whom they report.
And while a turnover in incumbents may be tough to take for the media and their long-cultivated sources, it's also not a bad thing for constituents looking for something new. Too often we see politicians inherit seats for life. And from time to time folks rally up to remind politicians that maybe they should return to that which they did before politics. Sadly, there are a whole lot who will find there's no place to go because politics is all they've known.
There's nothing to fear in turning over the crop of politicians from time to time, and maybe even a little to celebrate in the reminder that the republic still functions as it was designed.











































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