From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail… … Read More

My wife Janice and I are in Washington, D.C. visiting old haunts (she is a veteran of the city, too, having served as Deputy Chief Counsel of the Republican National Committee), and I’m preparing for CPAC and the American Conservative Union Board meeting later today.

We visited the Pentagon Memorial for the victims of 9/11 for the first time yesterday. There is no more sobering justification for our continued presence in Afghanistan than this spot. Here are a few pictures of the grounds:

Benches pointing to the Pentagon each memorialize a person killed on the plane. Benches pointing out from the Pentagon memorialize a person killed inside the Pentagon during the 9/11 attack on our country.… Read More

On Superbowl Sunday the "Republican Caucus" of the California Teachers Association (CTA] invited me to speak. How could I resist? When the arrangements were made neither I nor the CTA was aware that February 6 would be date of the Superbowl.

Showing up at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles at noon I found a 30 foot buffet spread worthy of the hotel’s reputation. A little over the top was the freezer full of Haagan Daaz ice cream. Several hundred CTA union leaders were meeting in the morning. At noon the group divided into various caucuses.

In public speaking, you learn to try to identify with the audience. I explained I earned my lifetime Teaching Credential from CSU Northridge and I currently teach Ethics at Cleveland Chiropractic College — year round.

I offered three points for these union leaders to consider:

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail… Reagan Belongs to the World SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The celebration of Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday on Sunday was marked by a video tribute during the Super Bowl along with extravaganzas held at both the Reagan Library and Reagan Ranch near here. But that’s only the beginning of the many events to be held this year to mark the Gipper’s centennial. A Reagan statue will be raised at the Washington, D.C., airport that bears his name. The National Archives is hosting a display of Reagan memorabilia. And a new stamp will be unveiled in his honor Thursday. … Read More

Before people get too carried away on Congressional District 36 (Harman) and how this is a potential pick up district for Republicans please consider the following —

2010 November

Jane Harman (Democrat) — 59.7% Mattie Fein (Republican) — 34.7% Herb Peters (Libertarian) – 5.6%

The registration in this coastal district is pretty tough.

Democrat registration is high at 45.33% with Republicans at 27.57%. I can’t remember the last time a Republican in California won a partisan seat where Republican registration has been below 30% but I think it was Bruce McPherson in a special election against a flawed candidate in 1993.

This is a district that will need to have the right match up for us to have any chance.

The timing for this seat is not good. When the seat gets redrawn later this year by the commission this is a seat that could end up being one that Republicans have a shot at. There are plenty of Republicans in this area of the state… they are just split up among several districts.… Read More

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THE KINDER, GENTLER SQUANDERING OF THE REAGAN LEGACY by Rhonda Rohrabacher

I just returned from Ronald Reagan’s 100th Birthday celebration at the Reagan Library where Reaganites and Reaganite exploiters reveled in an euphoric sanctuary where the mood, spirit and atmosphere felt very much the same as similar Presidential events 20 years ago. It almost felt like Ronald Reagan was still president and the last 20 years had just been a bad dream. It made me reflect back to that era of hope, when I first got involved in Orange County Republican Party politics in 1988.

Orange County was often heralded as America’s most Republican county, and Ronald Reagan always affectionately referred to it as “the place where all good Republicans go to die.” In OC there were many opportunities to partake in rallies and functions where Reagan was present. The mood and… Read More

The geographic boundaries of a redrawn 74th Assembly District are yet to be determined, but a buzz is quietly building amongpolitical watchers regarding the likely field of Republican candidates next year, as Assemblyman Martin Garrick leaves the seat due to term limits. The buzz may quickly become full blown, as longtime conservative GOP activist Sherry Hodges will soon make her candidacy official. An open Assembly district would typically have a host of "for sure" candidates at least talking themselves up at this point, but with redistricting looming many are hesitant to say anything about a seat they’re not sure will include their homes, nor even guaranteed the number "74." The exception is Hodges, who on Friday confirmed for the FlashReport that she will announce her campaign on February 17. The movemayresult in some othercurrently cautiouspotential candidates toget more aggressive about their… Read More