After escaping Obama-ville (Denver) on Wednesday, I’m now in Minneapolis for pre-RNC meetings. This morning I was with some national conservative leaders when news broke of Governor Palin’s selection as John McCain’s running mate. The feeling in the room was electric. A few of the pro-life leaders in the room began jumping up and down they were so excited.

There was a lot of trepidation about other potential VP candidates as anticipation grew this week, but with Governor Palin, conservatives are finally on board and fired-up about their presidential ticket. The mood in the room was a mix of surprise, relief, excitement and confidence that we can really win this election. As a conservative woman, I’ve always believed that it would be sad for someone like Hillary Clinton to be the first female to reach the White House. So as a conservative woman, it’s thrilling that our party—and especially conservatism—will make history with Vice President Sarah Palin. Thank you, Senator McCain, for making a bold choice with your running mate; I believe it’s a winning decision.

For the grassroots, the energy of this campaign started to shift during the Saddleback… Read More

SB 840, the government run health care plan just passed 44-31 on the 2nd ballot.… Read More

I am not always right on my predictions, but when I am, I drink a Dos XX. I predicted here more than six months ago that Mitt Romney’s best offer in a McCain Administration would be Secretary of Commerce. Keep thirsty my friends!… Read More

All morning long there has been a lot of drama over speculation of McCain’s pick for VEEP. Politico.com, a respected source, has declared that McCain has in-fact selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running more. Look for the latest at Politico.com.

Today’s announcement highlights the strategic advantage of having your convention be the latter one. For those who are curious, the tradition is that the party that currently holds the White House gets to have their convention last.… Read More

Yesterday I had an opportunity to spend 30 minute on the John and Ken program on KFI radio. If you get some time, I encourage you to listen to the audio of our segment, which you can access on their website here (6/28, 3 p.m. segment), or by clicking the attachment below. We spent our time lamenting the about-face of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom we all helped in both of his election campaigns, bolstered and motivated by his fierce campaign rhetoric opposing any tax increases. Of course, the Governor is now touting a multi-billion dollar sales tax increase as a responsible solution for our state’s overspending problems. Or to put it another way, the Governor feels that taxpayers should increase the amount of money that is fleeced from California taxpayers to continue to feed the massive spending that has been largely driven by the liberal Democrats who control the state legislature. That position is irresponsible.

The Governor is on the road, on his… Read More

Yesterday I had an opportunity to spend 30 minute on the John and Ken program on KFI radio. If you get some time, I encourage you to listen to the audio of our segment, which you can access on their website here (6/28, 3 p.m. segment), or by clicking the attachment below. We spent our time lamenting the about-face of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom we all helped in both of his election campaigns, bolstered and motivated by his fierce campaign rhetoric opposing any tax increases. Of course, the Governor is now touting a multi-billion dollar sales tax increase as a responsible solution for our state’s overspending problems. Or to put it another way, the Governor feels that taxpayers should increase the amount of money that is fleeced from California taxpayers to continue to feed the massive spending that has been largely driven by the liberal Democrats who control the state legislature. That position is irresponsible.

The Governor is on… Read More

Just try to wipe the smile off my face tonight! What a day it was in Minneapolis! This morning in the midst of the Rules Committee meeting, the esteemed Chairman of Georgia announced Senator McCain’s VP choice, and the room erupted in a spontaneous standing ovation and cheers. When it was time for the press conference, we recessed and watched the news together…one man and one woman from every state and U.S. territory…the chemistry in the room was reflected in our new GOP Presidential ticket, and the excitement was absolutely delicious! We clapped until our hands were numb, smiled until it hurt, and cheered with reckless abandon. We all felt that we were witnessing something truly great and historic. The McCain Mojo is alive and well in Minneapolis!!!

I must also report that my fellow California delegate to the Rules Committee, Bob Laurie, co-authored a very important amendment today that will enfranchise active duty military members in the primary and delegate selection process in our Party. It was… Read More

State Senator Lou Correa has to be wondering if Senate President Don Perata takes input from Assembly Speaker Karen Bass. Today the State Senate voted on a budget plan that represents negotiations between Perata and Governor Schwarzenegger. Left out of the process in any meaningful way was Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill and Senate Republicans. You know what? You can tell. The so-called "compromise budget" is a bad budget, containing as its main eyesore a multi-billion dollar tax sales tax increase that will wallop California’s economy for years.

The plan put forth by the Governor deserves to be voted down outright — but the proposal on the Senate Floor is even worse than the Governor’s — the Governor calls for a three year increase in the sales taxes, followed by a decrease after that to permanently lower the state sales tax over the long haul. While we are dubious that this decrease would ever really occur, Senate Democrats want nothing of it. Their plan hikes the rate for three years, and then returns it back to existing levels.

The "roll" is still being held open in the Senate, where every… Read More