Today Assembly Democrats informally chose Majority Leader Karen Bass to succeed Fabian "Louis Vuitton" Nunez. We call this rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Unless Bass is going to usher California Democrats into an era of reducing the size and scope of state government. Don’t hold your breath!… Read More

FR friend Shane Goldmacher, over at the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert, interviewed incoming Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill. It’s an interesting piece that you can read here (free registration required).… Read More

FR friend Ryan Clumpner, Chairman of the California College Republicans, along with a number of his CR colleagues, presented signboards to State Senator Tom McClintock with hundreds of signatures, urging the Senator to run for Congress in the 4th District.

Below is a photo of the Senator talking to reporters with Clumpner and company, along with the signboards.

McClintock is still being coy about whether he will get into the race, but promises a final decision by "early next week" — whatever that means.… Read More

With last weekend’s convention, the state budget back-and-forth, and the presidential race, I missed the chance to comment on something the Governor has been pushing pretty aggressively: the continuation of Operation Jump Start.

If you’ll remember, that’s the code name given to the mission assigned to the National Guard to temporarily help secure the border while thousands of additional Border Patrol agents are hired and trained. In 2006, when the federal government announced the mission, Governor Schwarzenegger wanted guarantees that California’s Guard troops would still be available to assist during disasters here, which he received. The Governor then agreed to the mission and since then, National Guard troops have been supporting the Border Patrol along our border with Mexico.

And from what I have been told, the mission has been working. Illegal border crossings are down. Arrests are up. Drug trafficking has been reduced.

The mission was scheduled to end this coming July, but the feds are apparently only about halfway toward their goal of hiring and training 6,000 more agents.

Governor Schwarzenegger has urged President Bush to continue… Read More

Steve Kinney, the California Parter of Public Opinion Strategies sent over the attached memo written by his colleague — Glen Bolger about the media bias (my term not his) in its reporting of the Republican Party being split on McCain. Based on empirical data — it is the Democrats that should be more worried about a split in their party. And this was before a Nader candidacy.

Here is Bolger’s concluding paragraph:

As Senator McCain readies himself for the November election, it is clear that conservative Republicans are nowhere near as disgruntled with him as the press narrative would have us believe. Thus, he is able to do what he does best – and what the GOP needs to do most – appeal to Independents.

Enjoy!… Read More

Amidst the "Run, Tom, Run" furvor that has sparked up and down California at the prospects of conservative icon and State Senator Tom McClintock entering the GOP primary in the 4th Congressional District (where John Doolittle is retiring), one prominent conservative isn’t too fond of the idea. Jeff Flint, proprietor of Red County’s Placer blog says he’d vote for Tom in a general election, but that’s it. He pens a lengthy commentary this morning, entitled Thanks But No Thanks, Tom.… Read More

I am sad to read that this morning William F. Buckley, Jr., passed away. Buckley played a key role in the intellectual establishment of the modern conservative movement, as a pioneer during the pre-Reagan era when his voice, and that of his publication, National Review, were literally a voice in the wilderness.

Over the years I had many opportunities to chat with Mr. Buckley, who was instrumental in the founding of Young Americans for Freedom, the conservative youth organization in which I was extremely involved during my college days.

Rest In Peace, my friend.

There is a short blurb up on the National Review website, but look for a lot more as news of Buckley’s passing becomes widespread…… Read More

Atop the newsclip stack today: something good from the office of Sen. Kerry (D-Mass.) with help from Sen. Ensign (R-Nev.). The two have introduced legislation to update the way the IRS treats business-provided cell phones. Kerry’s press release is here, with a quote from Ensign. Now on to greater reforms in the tax code!

If you had $40-50 million, would you spend it for good or evil? Here‘s what the national teachers lobby plans to do in their upcoming campaign-season advertising. …Wonder how many teacher scholarships or fellowships could be funded with that money?

Also topping the list of important accomplishments from congress this year, the headlines says it all: "House getting greener thorough cafeteria changes." No mention if the sugar cane-sourced containers and corn-derived cutlery comes with an offset for the emissions required to harvest additional corn and sugarcane, or if (gasp) the sugar comes from international sources or domestic… Read More