Sen. Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) announced today that he is no longer co-authoring Senate Bill 752. Here is the statement that he issued: “I have decided to remove my support for Senate Bill 752. In light of the state’s deteriorating fiscal situation I cannot support the bill as currently written. I will continue to work to assist California’s families by looking into tax breaks and other opportunities. Over the last 48 hours, thousands of Californians have asked me what I was thinking so I thought I would take this opportunity to share my thoughts. … Read More

Gary Kreep, the President of the Ramona-based United States Justice Foundation, has been a long-time California participant at the national Conservative Political Action Conferences in Washington, D.C. I had a chance to ask Gary about his observations on this year’s conference. Gary told me he was impressed with the high-level of turnout from college and high school age conservatives, especially those involved with some of the campaigns, such as Tancredo, Romney and Brownback. (I also saw plenty of youthful enthusiam for Rudy Guiliani during his speech!) ButGary said what he also appreciated were the dinner speeches last night by two leading Bush Administration conservatives: Vice-President Dick Cheney and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (and now American Conservative Union Board member!) John Bolton.

Gary said there was a good reason that Cheney received several standing ovations at his dinner speech last night: he told CPAC that the economy is growing, that 7.5 million new jobs have been created because of the tax cuts, that the Administration supports making the tax cuts permanent, and that it is essential to "stay the course"… Read More

Last week I blogged on Duncan Hunter’s new "A Team" in South Carolina.

Well, one week later, Hunter has dismissed the "A Team" – "Why," you ask?

Check out this short AP story, and read it for yourself. In the meantime, if you know someone in South Carolina who would like to head up Congressman Hunter’s efforts in that important battleground state, and they have the ability to think BEFORE they speak, then send them to the Hunter Campaign to sign up!

The story… Hunter drops two S.C. advisers… Read More

What does premiere conservative political consultant Wayne Johnson have in common with famed-Clinton supporter Dick Morris?

What ‘special bond’ does former Reagan senior advisor Ken Khachigian share with Mary Matalin? Campaigns and Elections Magazine, one of the nation’s top publications on all-things related to campaigns, has revamped their editorial board, bringing onto it a lot of notables from around the country, clearly reaching to both sides of the political aisle to amasse quite a bit of talent.

Johnson and Khachigian, both good friends of this website, will serve on the editorial board along with Benjamin Ginsberg, Donald Green, Mary Matalin, Dick Morris, James Pindell, David Rebovich, Jeanne Shaheen, James Thurber, David Yepsen and John Zogby. While I could tell you what I think of Johnson and Khachigian, I’m sure they will agree they would rather have me tell you what Campaigns and Elections… Read More

ThoughMitt Romney’s speech at the Conservative Political ActionConference isstill one-halfhour from now, there is a standing-room only crowd of about 1,500 currently inside the Regency Room at the Conservative Political Action Conference waiting to hear the speech, and another 500 or more waiting in line to get in as the D.C. Fire Marshall has limited access to the room because it is so full. Guiliani similarly spoke to a standing-room only crowd earlier today. I have never seen such huge turnouts for non-meal function speeches at a CPAC, and I have attended about 20 of them over the years. This conference is HUGE!

Your author has noted other candidates for President, and their earnest supporters, such as Kansas Senator Sam Brownback (who spoke at 1:30 pm today). Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas spoke this morning and was politely received. Newt Gingrich has been very evident as well, attending the conference today and mingling in the halls with delegates even though his formal speaking role is not… Read More

Rudy Guiliani received a very warm welcome today from the delegates at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., as he recounted his record of reducing crime and taxes whileMayor of New York City, and his support for the war on terrorism. And there was a Californian in Rudy’s entourage — Bill Simon, who joined Rudy in the walk to the podium of the CPAC speech.

Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak this afternoon at 2:45 pm Eastern Time, and that speech will be covered by C-SPAN. Romney is holding a special reception later in the day, at 5:45 pm, and he snagged popular Conservative leader Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform to speak at that event.

I had a chance to talk to Guiliani for awhile in the Green Room before his speech. I asked Rudy about his record on taxes. He told me he was successfulin cutting23 taxes while Mayor of New York City and tried to get more taxes cut, but wasn’t able to get all the cuts he wanted from a Democrat City Council.… Read More

Bad Bill Alert! (well, actually, silly bill alert)

Sometimes good intentions lead to really terrible laws. Everyone wants people to be responsible and save for the future. But making a law that gives $500 to every baby born in California (regardless of their parent’s legal residency status) in hopes they will save it is just plain silly.

SB 752 authored by Democrat Senator Darrel Steinberg and co-authored by Republican Senator Bob Dutton will give every newborn $500 – which will cost taxpayers a whooping $283 million per year – in hopes that their parents will be encouraged to save for their children’s future. Another nanny-state bill that believes that people aren’t capable of taking care of themselves, so the government should.

Notwithstanding this literally pays illegal immigrants $500 to come to California and have a baby, it also fails the math test. In an article in the… Read More

Today’s front page story of the New York Times about the new importance of California in presidential politics as a result of moving our primary to February includes a quote from former State Senator Jim Brulte. Brulte’s comment is pretty simple: a candidate who campaigns in California will learn more about our state and be "a better president for California." As a result of the new primary, all the major presidential candidates are spending time in California seeking to be "our President."

And here today and this weekend in Washington, D.C. at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference at the venerable Omni Shoreham Hotel on Calvert Street, a bevy of the leading Republican presidential candidates are also seeking to be "our" president — the "conservative" one. With one major exception.

Every leading candidate, with the exception of John McCain (who has now passed on attending three separate conferences staged by National… Read More