FlashReport Weblog on California Politics
- Or -
Search blog archive
Meg Whitman Opposes Prop. 23
I’m on the road today (I’m actually in San Francisco where I am about to joust with Democratic consultant Garry South in front of execs with the Bay Area Council) — but I wanted to make sure that our site readers who do not follow our twitter feed that today Meg Whitman staked out her formal positions on the November ballot measures.
Of particular and unfortunate note was Whitman’s opposition to Proposition 23, the measure which would suspend the former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez’s greenhouse gas emission reduction mandates until California has recovered from this recession. (AB 32 was put on post-partisan Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk without any Republican votes.)
If you need a reminder of the reasons why Prop. 23 needs to pass and why the very underpinnings of AB 32 are counter to the very philosophy and world view of the Republican Party, you can see that… Read More
Pugno Fact #5
Emotion regarding social issues is clouding the political judgment of political observers and the local press in the race for the 5th Assembly District between Republican Small Business Owner Andy Pugno, Democrat Community Physician/Educator Richard Pan, and Peace and Freedom College Student Elizabeth Martinez. So the Pugno campaign will attempt to provide some facts for people to consider about the race, the district and the candidates. Pugno Fact #5 As of the 60-day close of voter registration, the makeup of Assembly District 5 is now 40% Republican, 37% Democrat. Under the 2001 redistricting plan, no Democrat has won a legislative seat when Republican registration was 40% or above. Just a short time ago, this district had more Democrats than Republicans. Today Republicans have a margin of almost 6,000 and the drive to register more Republicans continues.… Read More
Fiorina Campaign Launches First Television Spot — “Ma’am”
Later this morning the Carly Fiorina for U.S. Senate campaign will formally announce the launch of their first (of many) General Election television commercial. The 30 second spot, entitled "Ma’am" is
“It has only taken 30 years, but California voters have finally been afforded the complete and accurate picture of Barbara Boxer. In her own words, she demonstrates the arrogance that is the hallmark of a career that has gone on for far too long and will mercifully end on November 2. She’s invested much in furthering her career and liberal ideology but has delivered little for the people of California,” said Carly for California Campaign Manager Marty Wilson. “Boxer’s treatment of General Walsh is seared into the minds of Californians, and this is the beginning of our campaign’s fact-based approach to exposing the lowlights of Barbara Boxer’s career dedicated to raising taxes, increasing the size of government and promoting policies that strangle the private sector’s ability to create jobs. Carly provides the perfect contrast through her background in business and commitment to addressing our… Read More
SB 375 – A Bad Idea That Just Got A LOT Worse
In 2008, one of the bills featured in the FR "Top 20 Bills To Veto" column (co-authored by Senator Dutton and Assemblyman DeVore) was SB 375 (Steinberg). Unfortunately, that was a bill that despite our singling it out for termination, was signed into law by the Governor. This ultimate "nanny state" social engineering bill is all about Sacramento politicos imposing their ideological agenda on local planning decisions. This was a bill that said that if local projects aren’t built to discourage commuting and force people to live a low-carbon lifestyle, then state funds would be withheld. Sound like something out of the former Soviet Union? We all thought so…
Fast forward a couple of years and now we sit on the eve the imperial California Air Resources Board getting ready to adopt new mandates for emissions reductions in planning that the contortions that would need to be gone through to meet them would completely trample the most important principles of our republic — freedom and liberty…
After SB 375… Read More
Have House Republicans Learned Their Lesson – Are They Ready To Do It Differently?
The importance of electing a Republican majorities in the United States Senate and House of Representatives cannot be understated. The need to stop the hard-left agenda of President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi could not be more urgent.
But if we recapture a majority, and intend on maintaining it for some time to come, Republican federal legislators need to demonstrate to the country — but especially to Republican voters that have been frustrated watching the growth in our federal government, regardless of which political party has been in charge — that things will, in fact, be different than before.
In her most recent column, Peggy Noonan summed this up quite well..
THINK OF A YARDSTICK… "Imagine that over at the 36-inch end you’ve got pure liberal thinking—more and larger government programs, a bigger government that costs more in the many ways that cost can be calculated. Over at the other … Read More
Club for Growth Endorses David Harmer for Congress (CA-11)
The influential Club for Growth has weighed in and endorsed David Harmer in his campaign to unseat liberal Democrat Jerry McNerney in California’s 11th Congressional District (East Bay Area, and Central Valley).
I reached out to longtime FR friend Andy Roth, the Club’s Political Director, who had this to share with FR readers…
In politics, unlike in the stock market, past performance actually is a good indicator of the future. A candidate for federal office usually reveals – in other jobs and campaigns – the kind of representative they will be. Conservative or liberal, insider or outsider, party or principles. And though he has not held office before, David Harmer has demonstrated throughout his career what he will bring to Congress if he is elected in November. Harmer is running in California’s 11th district against Jerry McNerney – a … Read More