Welcome back all dear FR Friends and readers. This year promises to be one of the most exciting we’ve seen this decade. Not only will 2008 usher in a new President, but through the process, the parties will decide what they believe in and can concurrently come together on (no easy task for any party!), a modification to Term Limits will certainly shake things up in the State house, and the State Legislature will deal with a staggering $14 BILLION budget deficit.

I can’t wait to to keep you posted on the happenings throughout the legislative process. So by way of welcoming in a new year, here are a list of my hopes and dreams for 2008:

* Mitt Romney captures the Republican Primary and is swept into the White House (obvious disclaimer time: I’ve endorsed Romney for President)

* Nunez and Perata fail to deceive voters that their "modified term limits" is anything other than ashameless attempt to stay in their respective power seats

* Jon Fleischman will realize that, despite the fatal flaws of Prop 93, Term Limits stinks and California needs to take another long and honest look at what is best for our… Read More

Just in case the "holiday season" has left you out of sync with that which is shortly to come, the California Presidential Primary is a mere 33 days away. OK, you knew the date, but admit it … you hadn’t thought of it in terms of "shopping days left."

With Iowa on a tad nearer horizon, the SD media is looking to localize the story as much as possible. I loved this headline and editorial from the New Year’s Day SDUT:

The Iowa circus: This is no way to choose party nominees

No way, perhaps, but politics is often a circus. Have some popcorn and hang on.

Speaking of hanging on, the SDUT this morning focuses on Duncan Hunter’s chances:

The art of the lonely Hunter

As reporter Dana Wilkie notes in the piece, Duncan does have the ability to state the obvious when he says, "The only thing that stands between us and high numbers in the polls right now are media coverage and money."… Read More

Well FR readers, welcome to 2008. This promises to be a VERY eventful year in California politics.

Just think about it…

We have not one, not two, but three statewide elections… Already we know that the first one will be filled with the politics of four referendums on Indian Gaming Compacts, the effort of Fabian Nunez to extend his time in office by another six years, and, oh, the minor matter of which GOP and Democrat candidates will win California delegates to their respective party Presidential nominating conventions.

At the center of this year’s three-ring circus will be the politically schizophrenic Arnold Schwarzenegger. On some days of the week, he’ll get out of bed putting his right foot down. This will be the Governor who wants spending caps, opposes “job killer bills” and talks tough on cutting state spending to tackle the state’s massive overspending problems. Other days of the week, he’ll leap out of bed onto his two left… Read More

Well FR readers, welcome to 2008. This promises to be a VERY eventful year in California politics.

Just think about it…

We have not one, not two, but three statewide elections… Already we know that the first one will be filled with the politics of four referendums on Indian Gaming Compacts, the effort of Fabian Nunez to extend his time in office by another six years, and, oh, the minor matter of which GOP and Democrat candidates will win California delegates to their respective party Presidential nominating conventions.

At the center of this year’s three-ring circus will be the politically schizophrenic Arnold Schwarzenegger. On some days of the week, he’ll get out of bed putting his right foot down. This will be the Governor who wants spending caps, opposes “job killer bills” and talks tough on cutting state spending to tackle the state’s massive overspending problems. Other days of the week, he’ll leap out of bed onto his two left… Read More

Another one for the Democrat "do as we say, not as we do" file.

Fox News reports that the Hillary campaign, in order to turn out Iowa voters ID’d as her own voters evidently, has secured two hundred ninety five SUV’s to turn out voters to the caucuses tomorrow. Also, they are lining up vehicles to spread salt on Iowa’s roads where her voters live.

Wouldn’t 600 Priuses have done the job? Do they have enough carbon credits accrued to cover this global warming atrocity caused by all those SUV’s? And sowing the fertile Iowa road-edge soil with salt? I’m appalled at the environmental damage from the Clinton campaign. But Fox reportsHillary is making 600+ snow shovels available so that voters can shovel their way tothe caucuses for the privilege to cast a vote for her. No word on how many months to see a doctor under HillaryCare for a wrenched back from shoveling snow. On the bright side, after the snow subsides, I’m sure those shovels will still come in plenty handy for the rest of the Hillary campaign platform!… Read More

The Orange County Taxpayers Association (OCTax) released their official positions on the statewide ballot measures for February.

OPPOSE Prop. 91 – Transportation Funds.

OPPOSE Prop. 92 – Community Colleges. Funding.

OPPOSE Prop. 93 – Term Limits on Legislators’ Terms in Office.

OPPOSE Props. 94, 95, 96, 97 – Referendum Petitions to Overturn Amendments to Indian Gaming Compacts.

No real surprises here. But with OCTax now maintaining a political action committee they could weigh in heavily if they choose. While today the PAC has limited funds on hand, the membership includes some very large business entities which could choose to use the OCTax PAC as a vehicle for impacting county and statewide measures.

A quick look at the most recent donors demonstrates the caliber of the OCTax membership. Donors include The Irvine Company, owned by billionaire Don Bren; Ware… Read More

Congressman Tom Lantos has announced he is retiring from Congress. He has been diagnosed with cancer.

Former Senator Jackie Speier will now be running for an open seat.… Read More

On the last day of 2007, it’s worth taking a moment to see where the Republican presidential campaign sits as we close two years of prognostication and predictions and start in on the phase where real voters actually begin to weigh in.

The most notable aspect of the race at this point is that our party – which is usually extremely efficient in identifying and anointing a front-runner — has yet to do so. Rudy Giuliani started the year with the inside track on becoming the GOP’s likely nominee, followed by turns taken by Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Romney again, Mike Huckabee, and most recently, John McCain. But while the Huckabee-Romney battle in Iowa will conclude tonight, it’s unlikely that the final outcome in the Hawkeye State will bring much clarity to the field. Meanwhile, McCain has mounted a mini-surge that has positioned him well on his old stomping grounds in New Hampshire, while Thompson is pushing for a third-place finish that would allow him to stake a claim in South Carolina later this month.

And Giuliani? Last Saturday night, after three campaign events that day across the state of Iowa, Rudy did the smartest thing… Read More