Not too long ago, the incoming Senate President Pro-tem, Darrell Steinberg, proclaimed that there was not a lick of difference between himself and current Pro-tem Don Perata. When that went around, it was received with a chuckle. Perhaps not ideologically, but in terms of style and temperment, they are polar opposited. While Steinberg is a pretty mellow fellow, Perata is famous for his temper, and temper-tantrums.

State Senator Joe Simitian was reminded of Perata’s petulant ways as he wasd just FIRED as the Chairman of a key State Senate committee.

His crime? He upset Perata, of course.

Perhaps it is time to for Don’s buddies to gracefully (or not so) show him the door. With Steinberg on the way in, Perata is yesterdays news anyway. And if he wants to be rude to the end, the end should be…now.… Read More

LOL. There was another article this weekend about big donor GOP liberals worried that the party was too right wing and demanding changes in the structure etc…. This story comes around every so often, usually because someone is trying to benefit financially or politically from the effort. Sometimes both.

These articles always make me laugh. Why? Because it is all fantasy. The State GOP central Committee is not controlled by conservatives and hasn’t been for the over 15 years I’ve been an actual member.

I should point out I’ve been a member of the Executive Committee of the CRP for over 15 years and served on the Board of Directors from 1993-1999. I have chaired committees including initiatives and been a member of the Rules committee and I am dead on positive Conservatives have never really controlled the party. I think I would have known if they (we) did. So who really controls the party? Let me explain. Back in the late 1980’s at a conference Paul Weyrich, founder of the Heritage … Read More

LOL. There was another article this weekend about big donor GOP liberals worried that the party was too right wing and demanding changes in the structure etc…. This story comes around every so often, usually because someone is trying to benefit financially or politically from the effort. Sometimes both.

These articles always make me laugh. Why? Because it is all fantasy. The State GOP central Committee is not controlled by conservatives and hasn’t been for the over 15 years I’ve been an actual member.

I should point out I’ve been a member of the Executive Committee of the CRP for almost 15 years and served on the Board of Directors from 1993-1999. I have chaired committees including initiatives and been a member of the Rules committee and I am dead on positive Conservatives have never really controlled the party. I think I would have known if they (we) did. So who really controls the party? Let me explain. Back in the late 1980’s at a conference Paul Weyrich, founder of the Heritage … Read More

You Will Be a Lot Less Safe on Saturday: A debate has been raging here in Washington for over a year now over the parameters by which our intelligence officers and military personnel can monitor phone calls and e-mails of suspected terrorists. At question is whether a foreign to foreign phone call that is routed through a switching station in the US is subject to US privacy laws even though both the caller and receiver are in foreign countries. Also at issue is US officials must get a warrant before listening if one of the persons is a known terrorist and the threat is perceived to be imminent.

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill by a vote of 68-29 which was an agreed upon compromise supported by the President, all Republicans in both houses and, obviously, a substantial bi-partisan majority of the members of the Senate. This bill would extend and modify the so-called Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Only the most liberal Senators opposed it. Senators Obama and Clinton interestingly did not vote on this bill. If it had been put on the House floor, it would have passed easily with support from all Republicans and many moderate Democrats.… Read More

On behalf of the FlashReport, I participate in a weekly conference call with conservative bloggers from around the country. It would be more accurate to say that those conservative bloggers in D.C. get together once a week, and many of us in the 50 call into those meetings.

Yesterday the featured guest was our own FR blogger, Congressman John Campbell.

Rob Bluey of the Heritage Foundation took video, and has uploaded a bevy of videos of highlights of Campbells remarks. I will put one below, but see them all here.

Aren’t we lucky to have John Campbell in Congress? YES!!!

JOHN CAMPBELL ON EARMARKING AS A ‘GATEWAY DRUG’ TO HIGHER SPENDING… … Read More

State Senator Tom McClintock is so popular with California Republicans that a lot of people, joking around, say that he could win a primary for any Republican office anywhere in the Golden State. Well, if we needed some proof that this very well may be the case, you need look no further than a survey, released today, that shows Tom McClintock RUNNING AWAY with the GOP nomination for Congress in the 4th District, where incumbent John Doolittle is retiring. The survey, commissioned by Ted Costa and long-time McClintock confidant John Stoos over at Constitutional Advocates, and conducted by the very reputable Moore Information public opinion research firm, shows some pretty powerful numbers for the termed-out State Senator. The survey of 300 registered Republicans in this conservative Republican district that is east and north of Sacramento was conducted Monday and Tuesday, and showed that McClintock with 43% of the primary vote followed distantly by Doug Ose at 11% and Rico Oller with 6%. [The memo on the survey results, and the questions asked, are attached… Read More

When government agencies or programs provide help or services to children, for some unexplained reason, they are magically bestowed extra credence and autonomy.As a result, those programs are often given unrestrained freedom in spending money and running their programs. Generally, the programs have very little oversight. However, some agencies have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in funding programs that have benefited children very little…and may have even endangered them. This situation below provides a chilling example.

According to the Los Angeles Times (February 7, 2008), “More than 50 people have been charged in a massive childcare fraud ring operated in part by a federal prison inmate and his wife….”The prisoner-led group was able to do major damage as it “bilked taxpayers out of at least $3 million.”

The clever couple… Read More

[Update: How is this for bizarre? Given Mike Der Manouel’s post below, and the "Steel Watch 3" anonymous e-mail he has reprinted… I just got an email from the Steel campaign, with a cascade of Congressional endorsements… among them… JERRY LEWIS. You seriously can’t make this stuff up – Flash]

I have not endorsed either Tim Morgan or Shawn Steel in the race for California National Committeeman for the Republican National Committee, but whoever is putting out Steelwatch is actually hurting the Morgan Campaign. Here is the latest Steelwatch":

SHAWN STEEL – BIG GAME HUNTER

Shawn Steel wants to be California’s Republican National Committeeman.

But there’s one problem (ok – there’s more than one problem – but we’re only going to talk about one… Read More