Yesterday, Mexican President Vicente Fox continued to demonstrate his willingness to actively represent his constituents in America. That’s right – President Fox has millions of his country’s citizens in the United States, and he is intent on representing them while they are here. I am sure that Fox spoke about many things in his address to the state legislature, and in his private meeting with the Governor. But I have to admit, and this is speaking for myself, that after Fox came out in support of the President’s amnesty program (you know, where we let those who illegally cross into the country pay a couple thousand bucks and call it a day), I really didn’t care what he had to say about anything else. As far as I am concerned, we should cut off any foreign aide to Mexico(whether direct from the U.S. or via the U.N. or World Bank) and start to make up a penalty list of how to make Mexico realize that we are not pleased with their Chief Executive’s aggressive pro-illegal immigration posture. I was particularly proud of the dozen-or-so California legislators who chose to boycott Fox’s speech out of principle. I also… Read More

As Vincente Fox, the President of Mexico, comes to speak to the state legislature, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is preparing to allow the California national guard to be deployed along our state’s border with Fox’s country.

This will pit Fox against Schwarzenegger, as Fox has been a vocal critic of creating a wall or strong border enforcement between the two nations.

Tonight the Governor will have ample opportunity to hit a ‘home run’ with conservatives should he choose to take it — either by deciding not to attend Fox’s speech — or by taking the opportunity to vocalize public criticism of Fox for his hypocritical position. As Assemblyman Chuck DeVore points out below, Fox supports Mexico’s law making it a FELONY (punishable by two years in prison).

Well, we hope that the Governor will take this opportunity to use his office to give Fox a swift kick in the butt and use some public humiliation as a way to encourage "El Presidente" to stop criticizing the efforts of America to secure our borders.

I have to run, but I will leave you with some fine reading from Assemblyman Chuck… Read More

As Vincente Fox, the President of Mexico, comes to speak to the state legislature, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is preparing to allow the California national guard to be deployed along our state’s border with Fox’s country.

This will pit Fox against Schwarzenegger, as Fox has been a vocal critic of creating a wall or strong border enforcement between the two nations.

Tonight the Governor will have ample opportunity to hit a ‘home run’ with conservatives should he choose to take it — either by deciding not to attend Fox’s speech — or by taking the opportunity to vocalize public criticism of Fox for his hypocritical position. As Assemblyman Chuck DeVore points out below, Fox supports Mexico’s law making it a FELONY (punishable by two years in prison).

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

I’m not sure how I missed this one — but it is significant:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto a bill passed by the Senate and pending in the Assembly to revise California’s school curriculum to include the contributions of gays and lesbians to the state and nation, a gubernatorial spokesman said Wednesday.

"The governor believes that school curriculum should include all important historical figures, regardless of orientation," said Schwarzenegger’s director of communications, Adam Mendelsohn. "However, he does not support the Legislature micromanaging curriculum."

Wednesday’s announcement signaled a death blow to the efforts of state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, the… Read More

… Read More

The late hit is the fear of every consultant, candidate and spouse of a candidate. And I am sure, whatever form it takes, mail or TV or radio or phone call, the late hit will always be in play as long as there are elections.

However, I believe, and it seems every other consultant I talk to, thinks the late hit is ineffective and often times backfires.

To illustrate this point, does anyone remember that just days before the Presidential election in 2000, it was released that George W. Bush had a DUI back in 1976? Most American’s don’t. But at the time it made Bush, a responsible father and husband and governor, into a sympathetic figure, being attacked by those who wanted to bring him down. Ostensibly to help the other guy he was running against, who ever that was. I can’t remember.

So if you (read your consultant) has ‘the silver bullet’ hit mail piece on your opponent printed and ready to mail just days before the election, think twice. It could and probably will backfire. And condemn you to be… Read More

There is a controversy in Mill Valley over a physics teacher who annually fires a gun into a piece of wood as a hands-on way to teach his students how to calculate the speed of a bullet. For more than 10 years, teacher David Lapp has brought his M-1 Carbine rifle (leftover from Lapp’s days as a military police officer in the Korean War) to school to conduct one of his many unusual physics experiments. Lapp has had the approval of his principal, but apparently the district was not aware of it. Critics say that he is violating state law by bringing a gun to school.

I’m a big supporter of gun rights, but I honestly don’t know if I’d want my kids’ teacher bringing his gun to school. It’s not that I wouldn’t trust the… Read More

Reps. Ken Calvert and Gary Miller both Republicans representing parts of Orange County are fed up with OC 5th Dist. Supervisorial candidate Cassie DeYoung’s antics.

DeYoung, is a councilwoman in Laguna Niguel running for the south county seat against former Assemblywoman Pat Bates (a client of my firm). Bates is well liked and has virtually all the local elected and partisan endorsements.

DeYoung has been sending mail knocking Calvert and Miller for supporting transportation solutions that she says would be bad for Orange County.

Its a bold move on the part of her consultants. And it backfired. First the chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority Art Brown release a letter pulling his endorsement (one of the few DeYoung had) because, and I am paraphrasing, it’s pretty stupid to attack two sitting Members of Congress that represent big chunks of Orange County and who have huge say over federal dollars coming to OC. I think Congressmen Calvert and Miller who have both been Probolsky Research clients would have let the first mail piece slide. But the … Read More