Kudos to Doug LaMalfa for his post this morning…he does an outstanding job saying what needs to be said, without saying what he can’t. That’s not doublespeak…a leadership change is a sensitive matter for all, and Doug handles it with grace.

With that said, I want to add my two cents on George Plescia. He is one of the finest individuals I have met in the political arena, someone I would be proud to work with anytime. He did what amounts to a tough job in difficult times. Politics aside, he is also a great person and a true and loyal friend, title by his name or not.

I hope none of us need to be reminded that winning and losing in politics is sometimes not — even rarely, perhaps— about one’s value as a person, or even their capabilities as a lawmaker or a leader.

My congratulations to Mike Villines. My thanks, as well, to George Plescia for all he has done for San Diego, for California, and for the GOP.… Read More

Today Bob Huff put out the following column on the Assembly GOP’s leadership change. It’s well worth the read…

Election Reinforces Need for a Leadership Change

By Assemblyman Bob Huff

Pundits will Monday-morning-quarterback the state election and its outcome for months, but it seems clear that voters like the idea of a bipartisan effort to wrestle with and solve state issues. In a move that ran counter to national trends, the California electorate rewarded a Republican Governor with a second term to govern with a Democrat-controlled legislature.

Contrary to the electorate’s expectations though, Sacramento will be a de facto one-party state – unless the Republicans in the Assembly work as a team and stand united. If we don’t, we will be nothing more than a wire fence with an open gate for the liberal agenda to pass through. And, all of the work we have done to be elected and serve our constituents according to our values and principles will be for… Read More

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan, has a nationally syndicated talk radio program, with over 5 million daily listeners.

Reagan has a column today in Human Events entitled, Republicans Lost Because They Lost Their Way, which is worthwhile reading for Republicans as we reflect on Tuesday’s loss of the Senate and House.

He writes, in part:

When a candidate runs for office with the right motives sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. But more often than not, candidates who run with the worst of intentions fail.

This was the case in the city of Orange where Newport Beach real estate agent Carol Rudat ran for city council in a city in which she did not live. Her motivation was to seek revenge on several of the council members (one of them who is now deceased) for firing her husband as city manager.

Rudat lost, badly.

Her chief opponent Denis Bilodeau (who won) by contrast is as planning commissioner in town, long time resident. His children go to local schools. He genuinely cares about the city and its residents.

Rudat, it has been suggested, actually ran the air conditioner in her Orange ‘residences’ all summer long–24/7 so that she could one day, if need be, show a judgethat she and her husband really ‘lived’ there–"just look, we used this much power." How obnoxious. The funny thing is that I’ve her water bill in the Orange home she supposedly lived in only showed gallons in water use over the same several month… Read More

FR friend Bill Bradley interviewed Matthew Dowd, Chief Strategist for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re-election, last Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton hotel. The interview is below. Of course, lots of talk about the Governor’s success with his new ‘bipartisan’ approach to governing and campaigning. There is no doubt that this strategy has brought about electoral success – very much so. But becoming elected to office is a means to and end. Other than his firm commitment not to raise taxes, it is really hard for me to discern what is on, and what is off of the table in terms of public policy proposals for the Governor.

Part of the problem is that I thought I had a clearer picture of where the Governor wanted to take this state right after the recall of Gray Davis. I am hoping that the Governor will start to make it more clear where he is coming from so that we can all understand it. In the absence of specificity, I get very nervous.

There are a lot of very bad things that can happen to California at the hands of Don Perata… Read More

This race was going to be a no brainer. Margaret Mims, Democrat, Assistant Sheriff, against retired CHP and gang task force leader Cal Minor, aRepublican. Republicans have a 25,000 voter registration advantage in the County. Minor is endorsed by the Fresno Bee, the Lincoln Club of Fresno County, Congressman Radanovich and Nunes, Senator Chuck Poochigian and Assemblyman Mike Villines, Fresno Chamber of Commerce,Deputy Sheriff’s Association and Fresno Police Officers Association, the Republican Central Committee, and countless others.

It appears as if Minor has lost the race – and Mims might have scored the biggest upset win in decades in Fresno County. How did she overcome all the assets of Cal Minor?

She mostly benefited from the GOP implosion.

Minor’s apparent loss, by 770 votes out of over 140,000 cast, was driven by several factors, as… Read More

(Published November 9th, 2006 in Capitol Weekly) When I offered to write this column for Capitol Weekly, I must admit I was hoping for a much different outcome on this Election Day, which clearly was a big day for the party of Hilary Clinton–especially when you look at the results of the midterm elections around the country. The GOP loss of the House, and most likely the Senate, is bad news for all of those who believe that our federal government is too fat and spends too much. Republican leaders need to make the case to voters in 2008 as to why the GOP should be given back the reigns of leadership. The impact of the national GOP losses in Congress was given an emphatic exclamation point with the defeat of House Resources Committee Chairman Richard… Read More

Mike Villines came up the ranks with Pete Wilson and Chuck Poochigian, stepped into a very succesful business career, and made the decision in 2003 to take out Steve Samuelian in the 29th Assembly District race in 2004. He’s a family man, an experience businessmen, and respected leader on both sides of the aisle. There isn’t a more principled conservative in California than Villines, and he is deeply disappointed that Republicans in Sacramento keep voting out deficit budgets and putting bond measures on the ballot with the State’s fiscal mess still not under control.

I don’t know whether he will be able to hold his caucus together, but that is essential to any success Villines might have as leader. There is only one vote that counts, and that is on the State budget. If he has his way, California will have seen its last deficit. In my discussions with him, he agrees that California Republicans need to have a set of issues to be identified with before any electoral success is possilble. I think he will be the strongest negotiator on financial matters we’ve seen in several years in Sacramento. He understands the numbers, and has… Read More