I’ve been watching MSNBC’s day-long coverage of the debate tonight, and many of the Democraticpundits who’ve been interviewed have made mention that none of the GOP candidates can compare to the legacy of President Reagan, and will all pale on the stage in his library tonight. But I disagree…I dug through my bookshelf this morning and pulled out three books: “The Greatest Communicator” by Dick Wirthlin, Reagan’s chief political strategist; “American, Beyond our Grandest Notions” by Chris Matthews; and “Hardball” also by Chris Matthews.

Chris Matthews will moderate the debate tonight, and he knew President Reagan up close and personal when he served as Tip O’Neill’s chief of staff. In both his books, Matthews speaks with respect for President Reagan on a number of characteristics: his rebellious nature to buck conventional political wisdom; his status as the perennial “outsider” vs. the career politician, though he had been involved in politics since the Goldwater days; and his ability to communicate to Americans in a “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” style. Reagan was eternally patriotic, and loved Americans as much as he loved… Read More

Okay, okay. After some e-mails for pictures, I’ve slowed down long enough to pull one off of the camera. I stopped in to chat with Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines yesterday… … Read More

Late this afternoon, ten GOP contenders for the White House will be trying their hardest to make in impression at a debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. The fact that the debate includes all ten candidates, and not just the three front runners, means that no single candidate is going to receive a significant amount of exposure during this event. You can be sure that each of the campaigns has figured out what message or theme they want to try to strike in what will be just a very few minutes. Don’t look to be overly impressed with the perfomances as I think that with 10 people vying for time, there will be little chance for anyone to really make one. I guess, especially with the lesser-known contenders, it will be fun to see them try to pick up some momentum by being a little bit more ‘outlandish’ — which should provide some interesting moments. As for McCain, Giuliani, and Romney — expect them to continue to emphasize the same campaign points that they have been making on the trail… As it has been said, Fred Thompson, who is speaking to the annual dinner of the Orange County Lincoln Club tomorrow night, is more likely to… Read More

On Tuesday Orange County Register columnist Frank Mickadeit wrote about the failed effort of state senator Jenny Oropeza to ban outdoor smoking on state beaches and in state parks. Mickadeit who is most concerned that enjoying a cigar on the beach could become illegal, quipped that had Oropeza found the votes for her bill he would have unleashed me on an "Oropeza Oppresses Girl Scouts" campaign. The reason…camp fires are far more noxious and produce much more lung damaging toxins. Perhaps camp fires are next?

The following well illustrates what my message/campaign would look like if I were to run such an effort.

Just in case the Senator decides to bring the issue back…she knows what she could be up against.… Read More

Late this afternoon, ten GOP contenders for the White House will be trying their hardest to make in impression at a debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. The fact that the debate includes all ten candidates, and not just the three front runners, means that no single candidate is going to receive a significant amount of exposure during this event. You can be sure that each of the campaigns has figured out what message or theme they want to try to strike in what will be just a very few minutes. Don’t look to be overly impressed with the perfomances as I think that with 10 people vying for time, there will be little chance for anyone to really make one. I guess, especially with the lesser-known contenders, it will be fun to see them try to pick up some momentum by being a little bit more ‘outlandish’ — which should provide some interesting moments. As for McCain, Giuliani, and Romney — expect them to continue to emphasize the same campaign points that they have been making on the trail… As it has been said, Fred Thompson, who is speaking to the annual dinner of the Orange County Lincoln Club tomorrow night, is more likely to… Read More

Today Fleischman and I had the opportunity to debate Former Secretary of State Bruce McPherson and Former CRP Chairman Duf Sundheim at the “Voices of Reform Project” forum in Sacramento . At issue was whether the California Republican Party should change its bylaws to allow Decline to State (DTS) voters to participate in Republican Presidential primaries.

I will mercifully spare you the host of arguments made in support and opposition to such a suggestion, if only because it really boiled down to two fundamental considerations: The practical reality that allowing DTS voters to participate would likely increase the number of votes cast in support of Republicans and, in contrast, the belief held by Fleischman, me and many others in the party that electoral gains are not a sufficient justification for diluting and, in… Read More

I am flying to Sacramento this morning to participate in a forum to discuss whether DTS voters should be participating in selecting delegates to the RNC convention (of course they shouldn’t!).

Every time I fly to and fro from the Capitol City, for a few years now, there is always some familiar face (or ten) on my flight. This morning I was able to say hello to former California Education Secretary and State Senator Marian Bergeson. She flying up for a California Transportation Commission meeting – she is a member…

We’ll see if anyone of note is on my late afternoon flight tomorrow afternoon!… Read More

I’ve received dozens of emails, calls and comments regarding my first post regarding potential candidates in the Doolittle District. And no, they weren’t all because I quoted Eminem.

I received a hilarious message from Congressman Doug Ose (pictured to the right) — lets just say, he was flattered to be on the list but is definitely not running. Doug would have been a great candidate, he’s been through these competitive primaries in the past and knows what it takes to win. He has a solid base of supporters that are willing to donate, volunteer and even though he didn’t live in the district, he had lots of friends that did.

Local reader Meredith Turney posted Eric Egland as a strong candidate — I’d never heard of him until last week so I did some research. Turns out he served in… Read More