In his syndicated weekly column published this morning, well known Washington D.C. political analyst Bob Novak reports about a secret meeting of the House Republican leadership at which discussions took place about whether California Republican Congressman Jerry Lewis should be stripped of his leadership role, that of being the top GOPer on the House Appropriations Committee, because federal authorities are in the midst of an investigation of Lewis and allegations of corruption surrounding one of the House’s most prolific pork-a-holic spenders (so much so that he has been dubbed, "The King of Pork"). Here is what Novak had to say:

Chris Cillizza is one of the more respected political analysts/pundits inside of the Beltway, writing his very high profile, The Fix, for the Washington Post.

Today he published a list of the top ten districts House Districts that he believes are most likely to switch from one party to another. You would think that topping this list would be one of many "Republican" districts that elected a Democrat last year since the GOP took a wholloping at the polls.

But from sea to sea, Cillizza looked at all of the seats, and has ranked California’s 4th District, currently held by Republican John Doolittle, as the most likely to turn over.

This highlights the challenge for the embattled incumbent. As the election approaches, the conventional wisdom is that he is too tarnished (in the court of public opinion) to defeat a strong campaign from Democrat Charlie Brown, who nearly beat him last go-around.

Here is what Cillizza says (read the whole column here):

1. California’s 4th… Read More

On Wednesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intention to sign several bills in response to the economic challenges faced by the subprime real estate market downturn — bills aimed at strengthing disclosure laws.

We need to contrast these appropriate responses with the apparent desire by President Bush’s Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, to take a page out of the Presidency of Jimmy Carter, and promote welfare-statist approach to dealing with the negative effects of the market downturn on subprime lenders and their customers.

Did Secretary Paulson (pictured) learn anything at those Ivy League schools he attended? Even though some see him as a Godfather figure, you don’t have to be an Ivy Leaguer or Wall Street honcho to understand that rewarding poor behavior… Read More

On Wednesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intention to sign several bills in response to the economic challenges faced by the subprime real estate market downturn — bills aimed at strengthing disclosure laws.

We need to contrast these appropriate responses with the apparent desire by President Bush’s Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, to take a page out of the Presidency of Jimmy Carter, and promote welfare-statist approach to dealing with the negative effects of the market downturn on subprime lenders and their customers.

Did Secretary Paulson (pictured) learn anything at those Ivy League schools he attended? Even though some see him as a Godfather figure, you don’t have to be an Ivy Leaguer or Wall Street honcho to understand that rewarding poor behavior… Read More

Presidential candidate Congressman Duncan Hunter has confirmed he will be a speaker at the upcoming Western Conservative Political Action Conference in Newport Beach on October 12-13. Other confirmed speakers include Mike Reagan, who is the General Chairman of the Conference, along with U.S. Senator Sam Brownback; State Senator Tom McClintock, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore; Board of Equalization member Michelle Steel; San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus; radio-talk show hosts Melanie Morgan (KSFO San Francisco) and Mark Larson (1700 AM, San Diego); and Hoover Institute Fellow and Reagan biography author Dinesh D’Souza. Information on registration and hotel accommodations can be obtained at www.westerncpac.com or by calling Tiffany Delepine at Schubert/Flint Public Affairs, 714-774-1741.… Read More

I’ve known Scott Kamena going back to College Republican days of long ago. These days, Scott is an accomplished optometrist in Livermore, in the East Bay Area (that probably has a lot more ‘gravitas’ to it as a reunion than being, say, a website publisher). Anyways, Doctor Kamena has penned a thoughtful and comprehensive commentary centered around the current health care debate taking place in Sacramento, and I am very pleased to present it below. It’s a bit lengthy, but this is a difficult subject, requiring more ‘column inches’ to really approach in a meaningful way. I should probably mention that Scott has decided to throw his hat into the (crowded) ring, to replace GOP Assemblyman Guy Houston (click on his ad on the right to find out more about that).

Health Care Plans Miss The Point by Scott Kamena… Read More

I’ve known Scott Kamena going back to College Republican days of long ago. These days, Scott is an accomplished optometrist in Livermore, in the East Bay Area (that probably has a lot more ‘gravitas’ to it as a reunion than being, say, a website publisher). Anyways, Doctor Kamena has penned a thoughtful and comprehensive commentary centered around the current health care debate taking place in Sacramento, and I am very pleased to present it below. It’s a bit lengthy, but this is a difficult subject, requiring more ‘column inches’ to really approach in a meaningful way. I should probably mention that Scott has decided to throw his hat into the (crowded) ring, to replace GOP Assemblyman Guy Houston (click on his ad on the right to find out more about that).

Health Care Plans Miss The Point by Scott Kamena… Read More

Many times my clients want to talk about debates. They look forward to them. They worry about them, In the end, they mean very little — as long as you show up and don’t get a bad quote or YouTube clip out of it.

The race between Assemblyman John Benoit and former Assemblyman Russ Bogh for SD 37 (Battin) will be one of the most contested primaries in the state next June. These two are already kicking each other and we have months to go.

I’m not advocating a candidate or an outcome in this election. My firm has no dog in this fight. I’m simply pointing out that this is a classic example of what to do and what not to do if you are a candidate or advising a candidate.

Marshall and Stone are hosts in the afternoon on KNEWS radio in Palm Springs. They often have local political figures into the studio to debate issues. They do a great job trying to keep things fair. Despite all of the efforts by the host to even the playing field it was obvious to me that one candidate knew exactly what to do while the other seemed… Read More