This morning Governor Mitt Romney delivered an inspiring and moving speech to the conservative base at CPAC. Filled with the kind of conservative philosophical ideology that we conservatives have been craving, it was perhaps the most impressive speech we have heard this election season. Unfortunately, the crescendo of the speech was Romney’s announcement that he will suspend his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Even through the television, the shock and disappointment of the audience was palpable. With Romney’s withdrawal, we have lost, as Laura Ingraham declared in introducing Governor Romney, the only conservative contender in the race.

As I’ve talked with fellow conservative friends in California about McCain, the general sentiment seems to be, “Here we go again!” What the rest of the nation is about to discover is the sad reality we have experienced here in California with our own “maverick” governor. Senator McCain’s CPAC speech solidified our trepidation about a President McCain.

Prior to the speech, conservative commentators had stated that McCain would have to really win over the conservatives in order to lock the… Read More

Good afternoon!

I’m Jeff Solsby. Jon Fleischman asked me to lend my considerable news-clipping talents to the FlashReport and I’m honored to join my friends and colleagues in the FlashReport blogpen.

Jon has asked me to join a great conservative, Rep. John Campbell–my hometown congressman–in providing an "Inside the Beltway" perspective. So I’ll share news and gossip, and also pass along information of interest to California readers–whether it pertains to our California congressional delegation, or other Golden State news and issues here in what Jon calls "the Swamp." I call DC home despite my affinity for my native Southern California.

I’m thrilled to share some of the high- and low-lights of DC news with you and will welcome your emails at Jeff@flashreport.org. So please feel free to send along any tips, topics and tidbits regarding politics and "left coast" news taking place in the nation’s capital.… Read More

I just watched the speech that Mitt Romney gave suspending his campaign. He did an excellent job of defining the biggest challenges facing our nation today, and what our Party must do to meet them. He was every bit the outstanding speaker that I remember seeing at the CRP convention a while back in LA…inspiring, articulate, and thoroughly motivating. His speech today was strong, gracious, and patriotic to the “n-th” degree. I know this is not an easy day for those who fought so hard for their candidate. Romney is a very good man, and a class act. Personally, I’m so proud that he is a Republican, and I know that he will fight on for the principles we hold dear. Governor Romney gave us all our marching orders…it’s time to come together to ensure that we win the White House. He outlined his belief that a Clinton or Obama presidency would mean defeat in the war against radical jihadists, and we cannot allow that to happen.

Many of you know I am a McCain supporter, and have been since 1999 when I loaded up my minivan with my 2 year old, my 6 month old, and McCain yard signs to deliver. My greatest hope is that my pals from the Flash Report who have not… Read More

The Rose Institute has done an analysis of California’s Primary results, complete with maps that shows that Liberal GOP voters (defines as Rudy/McCain) breathe sea air and Conservative GOP (Romney/Huckabee etc.)voters breathe smog and dust. Interesting… Read More

You might have heard about Berkeley’s City Council’s recent vote to tell the Marines to close their recruiting station in the city. With this vote, they told the Marines that their recruiting office is not welcome in their city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as an uninvited and unwelcome intruders.

In response to this, Ihave introduced the “Semper Fi Act” in the House of Representatives. This act rescinds all of the funding contained in the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act for the City of Berkeley, CA and transfers those funds to the Marines for recruiting

During the meeting, the City Council also voted to give protest group Code Pink a parking space in front of the recruiting office once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week. According to the City Council agenda, they "Encourage all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station, and applaud residents and organizations such as Code Pink, that may volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley."

The Marine Corps has… Read More

When you’re wrong, I have always thought, admit it. So I am going to admit it. I was wrong, this year’s California primary actually meant something. Candidates came here spent money, and actually paid attention to Californians. I thought it wouldn’t happen, and I was wrong.

I mainly objected to moving the primary forward, and I thought that, once again, that would be a futile act. It had been every other time we moved it forward, and I thought this would be no different. In my opinion, California has really screwed up the presidential primary system in its effort to be relevant. I still believe that.

I think I was wrong because of circumstances unique to this primary. For the first time since 1952, no one on the ballot has been president or vice president (that is, in every presidential election since 1952, at least one of the candidates on the ballot was president or vice president when the general election started). That leaves the election wide open, and raises a lot of uncertainty. I think that factor, more than any other, is why California was relevant this year. It is also my opinion that California would still have… Read More

When you’re wrong, I have always thought, admit it. So I am going to admit it. I was wrong, this year’s California primary actually meant something. Candidates came here spent money, and actually paid attention to Californians. I thought it wouldn’t happen, and I was wrong.

I mainly objected to moving the primary forward, and I thought that, once again, that would be a futile act. It had been every other time we moved it forward, and I thought this would be no different. In my opinion, California has really screwed up the presidential primary system in its effort to be relevant. I still believe that.

I think I was wrong because of circumstances unique to this primary. For the first time since 1952, no one on the ballot has been president or vice president (that is, in every presidential election since 1952, at least one of the candidates on the ballot was president or vice president when the general election started). That leaves the election wide open, and raises a lot of uncertainty. I think that factor, more than any other, is why California was relevant this year. It is also my opinion that California would still have… Read More

Here were my thoughts on Tuesday’s election as it relates to the Presidential race here in California. I’d encourage you to share your observations with readers in the comments section.

Back on Top Again Bill Jones — The state Chairman for Senator McCain’s campaign in California. He stuck with Senator McCain through good times and bad. Jones is a complete gentleman and tireless worker. So too is his top political adviser Rob Lapsley. They deserve a lot of credit for the McCain win in California. (full disclosure — my partner John Peschong is the State Director for the McCain Campaign).

Speaking of Secretary of State I can’t remember a more poorly run election on a national stage since Florida in 2000. Is anybody running that place over there? From what I hear, the County Registrars wont speak to Debra Bowen. Her move to decertify machines caused unnecessary confusion in major counties like Riverside, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Alameda counties just to name a few. And the changes to her website — ugh, they drove me nuts. It took me 2 minutes to find the link to election results. You… Read More