US Senator Dianne Fienstein offers Phil Angelides some very useful advice, which I doubt he’ll take to heart since hethinks he’s so much smarter thanher — and everyone else in the universe.

Caught On Tape: Feinstein Schools Angelides

(CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO Democrats have been giving Phil Angelides plenty of advice on how he can turn his poll numbers around and become California’s next governor.

In fact, a CBS 5 camera caught Sen. Dianne Feinstein giving Angelides some candid advice right into an open microphone, right after Angelides finished announcing his tax plan on Wednesday.

Feinstein told the candidate, "I have one suggestion: don’t let yourself smirk in between thoughts."

Right after that, they killed the podium’s microphone.

Watch it here.… Read More

REDISTRICTING NOT DOA? WE’LL SEE Just when we thought that redistricting reform was completely dead, yesterday Senate President Don Perata injected one last chance for an opportunity for voters to be able to shift the process away from a self-interested legislature to a non-elected panel. While I am not too hopeful that the Assembly will follow suit under the iron-hand of Fabian Nunez, we can certainly encourage him to do so. Today, State Senator Roy Ashburn, the Republican co-author (along with Democrat Alan Lowethal) of the bi-partisan redistricting reform bill has penned a great column for the FlashReport, and it leads the news on the main page. ANGELIDES ENTERS "DESPERATION MODE" In what is his latest attempt in an unsuccessful series of attempts to ‘reinvent’ himself, Democrat Gubernatorial nominee Phil Angelides released a ‘new plan’ yesterday that calls for billions of dollars in increases… Read More

REDISTRICTING NOT DOA? WE’LL SEE Just when we thought that redistricting reform was completely dead, yesterday Senate President Don Perata injected one last chance for an opportunity for voters to be able to shift the process away from a self-interested legislature to a non-elected panel. While I am not too hopeful that the Assembly will follow suit under the iron-hand of Fabian Nunez, we can certainly encourage him to do so. Today, State Senator Roy Ashburn, the Republican co-author (along with Democrat Alan Lowethal) of the bi-partisan redistricting reform bill has penned a great column for the FlashReport, and it leads the news on the main page. ANGELIDES ENTERS "DESPERATION MODE" In what is his latest attempt in an unsuccessful series of attempts to ‘reinvent’ himself, Democrat Gubernatorial nominee Phil Angelides released a ‘new plan’ yesterday that calls for billions of dollars in increases… Read More

SCA 3, the Senator AlanLowenthal bill to reform the way districts are drawn, passed off the Senate floor late yesterday, 27-11, with mostly Democrat no votes, and actually pretty strong Republican support. However, Assembly colleagues I talked to didn’t seem too excited about the quality of the package. We’ll find out more detailsabout it today….… Read More

From the AP wire, as reported in the San Jose Mercury News…

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he believes full immersion is the best approach to teaching English and will not support a Senate bill that would force the state Board of Education to approve bilingual textbooks in California classrooms.

"‘I learned English by immersion, and believe in my heart that full immersion is the best method of teaching language that exists,’ he wrote this week to Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland.

"The letter, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, is in response to a bill by Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Whittier, which would require the board to approve bilingual textbooks."

[…]

"Schwarzenegger said in his letter that he wants to see the board’s funding restored but won’t sign legislation segregating English learners. ‘I cannot … endorse any effort which may lead to the creation of separate… Read More

Part of the make-up of my Midwestern heritage is the deep desire to always do your best. I’ve struggled for some time with the knowledge that this is not what I do best…this blogging thing. I’m a political consultant, not some pontificating blogger. I mentioned that in my initial posts so many months ago that I wasn’t comfortable doing this public commenting thing… that I was more suited for being low profile. Bono was once quoted as saying that as soon as he believed he was putting out crap music in a crap band…he was outta here. I get that. (Mr. Justin, I know Bono, and you sir are no Bono). I wasn’t posting often and what I was posting wasn’t inspiring me…so Lord knows it must have bored you….and I didn’t sign up for that.

So…this is The End. (Normally I’d supply a hot link to something cool about this song…perhaps from its importance to the emotions of the movie Apocalypse Now, or to the gut busting humor of the SNL sketch where John McCain is driven to madness stumping for W….but sadly the lyrics are really offensive in one section…and…well…no link for this song… Read More

Part of the make-up of my Midwestern heritage is the deep desire to always do your best. I’ve struggled for some time with the knowledge that this is not what I do best…this blogging thing. I’m a political consultant, not some pontificating blogger. I mentioned that in my initial posts so many months ago that I wasn’t comfortable doing this public commenting thing… that I was more suited for being low profile. Bono was once quoted as saying that as soon as he believed he was putting out crap music in a crap band…he was outta here. I get that. (Mr. Justin, I know Bono, and you sir are no Bono). I wasn’t posting often and what I was posting wasn’t inspiring me…so Lord knows it must have bored you….and I didn’t sign up for that.

So…this is The End. (Normally I’d supply a hot link to something cool about this song…perhaps from its importance to the emotions of the movie Apocalypse Now, or to the gut busting humor of the SNL sketch where John McCain is driven to madness stumping for W….but sadly the lyrics are really offensive in one section…and…well…no link for this song… Read More

When he attended a rally in Los Angeles last month in support of Israel, Governor Schwarzenegger was making a moral statement.

Israel is a sovereign, democratic nation that is an ally of the United States. The governor has a long history of friendship with Israel, and he was defending his friend as she withstood the kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldiers and an arsenal of stockpiled weapons from Iran, which is an avowed enemy of Israel.

Because no good deed toward the democratic country of Israel ever goes unpunished by terrorist-supporting Islamic dictatorships, the governor now faces a full-court media campaign being waged against him by certain Muslim leaders in California who are irked that he didn’t express sympathies for Hezbollah.

"Muslim leaders on Tuesday called Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger disrespectful and insulting for ignoring their request to meet about the war in Lebanon so he could explain his appearance at a rally supporting Israel that was attended by thousands." (Los Angeles Times, Aug. 16,… Read More