As we make the drive down into Kern County, I thought I would take the opportunity to give a little bit of personal perspective on the retirement of liberal Republican Congressman Bill Thomas.

We should all applaud the fact that after decades in Congress, this entrenched friend of the bureaucracy has called it quits. For years, Thomas has worked hard in the political realm to oppose Republicans with strong convictions for increasing the size and scope of the federal government.

FR readers know that I have often expressed my frustrations about the increasing size of the federal government under Republican watch in Washington, D.C. While Thomas’ departure from Congress won’t change that trend in and of itself, it will go a long way.

Thomas, by most accounts, is a bright and savvy politician. Too bad he used his skills to embrace government instead of reduce it. Adios Bill Thomas, you won’t be missed.

I’m sure that the William M. Thomas terminal at Bakersfield Airport will serve to remind you and your children of your decades of bringing home the pork for your district.… Read More

Larry McCarthy is the president of the California Taxpayers’ Association. Cal-Tax does not typically make endorsements of candidates, yet they felt compelled to do so in the race for Governor this year. McCarthy walks FR readers through the reasons why they endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger for reelection in this short piece…

Assemblywoman Audra Strickland was the first person I saw when I snuck into the Bakersfield Victory heasquarters in advance of the candidate armada. She drove over from Ventura County with daughter Ruby so they could see her husband, Tony, in action!

On hand here at the HQ is State Senator Roy Ashburn, Bakersfield’s most popular political figure. “I’ve been priviledged to serve in the State Capitol with Tom McClintock, Chuck Poochigian, and Tony Strickland. These are three of the finest people you could place into statewide office!”

Working hard coordinating things is the dynamic duo – County GOP Chairman Matt Brady and V6 Deputy Field Director Glenn Rodgers.

I asked Matt how things were going, and he said, “We’re excited to have this bus tour activate our volunteers.”

Popular local radio talk show host Inga Barks warmed up the crowd and made introductions.

TS: “Our internal polling shows us up by two points. But this race is all about turnout. What you do the next 72 hours will make the difference!”

CP: “It has been such a great honor to run as a team… Read More

It’s a chilly morning here at the Victory ’06 Mega Volunteer Center in Sacramento for the first stop of the two day statewide tour to help promote the Republican GOTV effort.

Preparations are underway… Volunterr Bill Helgland is busy adorning the McClintock RV with big signs.

Congressman Dan Lungren has just arrived with his aide Rachel Wanner.

And now Senator McClintock has arrived with his wife, Lori. Also, Tony Strickland is here as well, with his campaign manager Paul Hegyi. We also sighted Ron Rogers, McClintock’s CM. (When we leave Sacramento, these managers will go back to their campaign hq’s to quarterback last minute activities.).

“Its great to see that the conservative side of the ticket is doing so well,” says Congressman Lungren.

We’ll report in soon as the morning rally kicks off…… Read More

Todays barnstorming tour of the Central Valley is over… And tomorrow, for day two, we’ll be taking the RV to Upland (at 10am), Temecula and San Diego. Tonight we’ll overnight in Burbank, fresh for the new day!… Read More

As we go into the final five days of the 2006 election cycle, there is one thing that is clear — there is a lot that will come down to the wire in this California election… Of course, the big prize has already been won — Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is not just going to be re-elected on Tuesday, he is going to be swept into a second term with what appears to be record levels of support. His opponent, Democrat Phil Angelides, was never able to convince his own party members, let alone centrist voters, that he could credibly run California’s large and complex government. He was defined by his policies and the acumen of Arnold’s team, as a taxer. No one is going to go far when their apparent solution for all of woes of the world is to increase the size and scope of government. At least not in America. I would first and foremost like to draw all FR readers to the feature column that we are running today penned by Ron Nehring. Ron is the Vice Chairman of the California Republican Party, but is also the Chairman of the San Diego County GOP. In today’s column, Ron makes a very convincing case for why the… Read More

As we go into the final five days of the 2006 election cycle, there is one thing that is clear — there is a lot that will come down to the wire in this California election… Of course, the big prize has already been won — Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is not just going to be re-elected on Tuesday, he is going to be swept into a second term with what appears to be record levels of support. His opponent, Democrat Phil Angelides, was never able to convince his own party members, let alone centrist voters, that he could credibly run California’s large and complex government. He was defined by his policies and the acumen of Arnold’s team, as a taxer. No one is going to go far when their apparent solution for all of woes of the world is to increase the size and scope of government. At least not in America. I would first and foremost like to draw all FR readers to the feature column that we are running today penned by Ron Nehring. Ron is the Vice Chairman of the California Republican Party, but is also the Chairman of the San Diego County GOP. In today’s column, Ron makes a very convincing case for why the… Read More

I’m sure that most FR readers already know what a "RINO" is — but for those who don’t, it stands for Republican In Name Only, and rather than me telling you more about RINO’s, you should check out this entry on Wikopedia — it’s pretty extensive! And it not only says WHAT a RINO is, but helps you to learn who many of them ARE. Enjoy!… Read More