One of the major questions swirling around Washington is who will get the coveted Appropriations Committee seat vacated by Duke Cunningham.

The Appropriations Committee, the prime vehicle for dishing out “pork” has ten subcommittees. Each subcommittee chairman is commonly referred to as a “cardinal” and they are unrivaled in their power over the purse. Cunningham sits on the Defense Subcommittee as well as the Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis favors fellow Californian Rep. Ken Calvert for the vacancy. One of the arguments is that this is a “California seat,” which it is. Before Cunningham took the seat, it was occupied by former Rep. Bill Lowery of San Diego. Lewis, as chairman, and a member of the House Republican Steering Committee (the committee on committees) holds… Read More

EARLY THIS MORNING I WOKE UP RESTLESS…MY THOUGHTS WERE ABOUT 1992…. AND A FINE, WONDERFUL MAN NAMED BRUCE HERSCHENSOHN… OUR REPUBLICAN NOMINEE AGAINST BARBARA BOXER… I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE ROLE IN THAT OF SUSAN KENNEDY… READ ON…

Since even before the recall, I have had many opportunities to meet and get to know Arnold Schwarzenegger. I’ve come to know the Governor as a man of principle, integrity and honesty. There is a demeanor about him that I am not always sure how to describe – it is a mix of aggressiveness, intelligence and optimism As someone who is a lot more ideologically conservative than Schwarzenegger, I have accepted the fact that the he and I are going to agree strongly in some areas, and disagree in others. To be honest, my opportunities to work with and for him (I serve as a commission appointee) as well as with some of his team… Read More

Things have been hectic since Arnold turned on all of us. I meant to post this a little sooner.

The 59th Assembly District is one of those districts drawnin a very gerrymanded way.It goes from Monrovia in LA County along the 210 to the San Bernardino County Border. It then shoots north through the Angeles National Forest over to Hesperia.

Dennis Mountjoy is termed out. There are four candidates at this point running in the GOP Primary. No Dems need apply. You can read Brad Mitzelfelt’s take here.

I have endorsed no candidate. I know or have met with them all. CRA has not endorsed a candidate. Obviously, that could put one over the others.

Bart Doyle is a former Sierra Madre City Councilman. Nice guy.He has ties to Antonovich and a small base in the murky world of transportaion and government committees. To be honest I don’t see how he gets to 1st in a GOP Primary.

Chris Lancaster is a former Covina City Councilman and son of former Assemblyman Bill Lancaster. Bill represented much of the LA County… Read More

A relatively peaceful balance of power has existed in North San Diego County for some time, with general cooperation between Supervisor Bill Horn, Assemblyman Mark Wyland, Assemblyman George Plescia, State Senator Bill Morrow, Congressman Darrell Issa, and Congressman Duke Cunningham. With seats opening rarely in this solid GOP turf, there was little reason for the party organization and the elected officials to concentrate on anything but cleaning out pockets of local Democrat officeholders, or running up the region’s vote tally with solid GOTV programs. But like in WWI, the Duke (I guess the historical figure was actually an Arch Duke) is gone. This is combined with various partisan seats which were opening regardless, and a challenge to the sitting Supervisor from a former legislative member. Meaning: Flanders (no Probolsky, not Homer Simpson’s neighbor) and the Somme are yet to come, and the political graveyards are… Read More

OK – the headline should have read: RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, speaking at the RGA Meeting in San Diego County, criticizes anti-war Dems.

It would be nice if Chairman Mehlman would explain why the RNC raised so much money out of California but made no transfers of cash (that I know of) to the Caliornia GOP to assist with GOTV efforts in our statewide election. The RNC shares a portion of the responsibilty for that defeat. But I guess that will be a different speech on a different trip. He will give that one flanked by the only nine Republicans in California who opposed redistricting reform (coincidentally, all Members of Congress!).

Ok…ok… Back to Mehlman and the Republican Governor’s Association meeting. The GOP Governors are meeting at the posh La Costa Resort and Spa near Carlsbad for a few… Read More

John Fund and Brendan Miniter weigh in from Manhattan with their talented pens…

December 1, 2005

In today’s Political Diary: Darn It, He Just Can’t Resist Anyone Named Kennedy

An episode of the TV political drama "The West Wing" could never top the bizarre appointment Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made as his new chief of staff, the top administrative post in his government. Susan Kennedy is the former deputy chief of staff to Gray Davis, the discredited, spendthrift governor whom Mr. Schwarzenegger replaced after a… Read More

INFRASTRUCTURE, YES! MEGA-DEBT, NO! With all of the ‘noise’ of the Governor’s controversial pick for Chief of Staff, the FlashReport is committed to keeping our eye on the ball of exposing the lousy idea of floating mega-billions of dollars in bonds for infrastructure needs. We’ve already heard from Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, and from State Senator John Campbell, both expressing their strong opposition to such a scheme.

Today in the FlashReport, we feature a column from George Passantino, a senior fellow with the well-respected Reason Foundation. In this piece, George also lays out a… Read More

I don’t think I’ve been this angry with a Republican Governor since Pete Wilson came out against Prop. 174 (the school voucher initiative) back in 1993.

Like Adam, I am one of those conservative Republicans who supported Arnold in the recall. I have defended him to my conservative friends since then. I believe he waged a valiant fight against the power of the public employee unions during the special election. That took moxie, and I had built up a huge reservior of respect for him as a result.

The Governor’s actions in the immediate aftermath of his special election defeat began the process of draining that reservior, and the appointment of Susan Kennedy as his chief of staff open the flood gates. There’s nothing left.

It’s as if George Washington, in the darkest days of the American Revolution, went before the Continental Army and and said, "Boys, I’d like you to meet my new second-in-command, Lord Cornwallis."

Why should any Republican activist follow the Governor back into political battle following this slap in the face? Why should they care whether or not he is re-elected? For all the deliberation… Read More