This morning, here in San Jose, I participated on a panel discussion looking at the ballot propositions that appear on the April 19 – May 19 Special Election ballot measures (we post a month-long range because I believe that a majority of votes cast will be by absentee ballot voters, many of who already have their ballots and are voting). The event was co-sponsored by two groups that aren’t as conservative as I am (most aren’t, eh?) – the New America Foundation (famous for the “hidden tax” argument used to support the ill-fated Schwarzenegger/Nunez socialized health care plan, and the Joint Venture Silicon Valley Venture (who rotate out a photo of global warming alarmist Al Gore on their home page).

On the panel with me were my usually-but-not-this-time- ally Loren Kaye (a great guy). Loren represented the CalChamber and its policy foundation as an articulate advocate for 1A-1F.

Representing the ideological left was Jean Ross of… Read More

The following information and attached document with charts is RNC-collected material, derived from Secretary of State data. Accurate info; not yet widely distributed. In fact, it’s likely you may be seeing it here first. Putting Voter Registration Data in Perspective: Recent Trend Benefits Democrats, But Not to the Degree Some Alarmists Claim The recent increase in Democrat voter registration in California reflects a national trend which has seen significant increases in the 29 states with partisan registration. California’s voter registration data reveals the Republican Party is today in a similar position to 1982 and 1994 when George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson were elected Governor.

NATIONAL TREND Harris Interactive reports Republican self-identification nationally at its lowest point in 25 years as 36% of Americans identify with the Democratic Party, 31% identify as Independents, and 26% as Republicans. Independents outnumber Republicans for the first time since 1983.

This trend in self-identification contributes to the recent increase… Read More

After last week’s Obama Administration’s internal report that returning members of the United States military could be poised to form some sort of right wing domestic terrorist core (Freikorps, anyone?), it was interesting to note that the FBI added, instead, a well-known left wing terrorist to the Most Wanted terrorist list: Daniel Andreas San Diego.

Daniel, 31, is an animal rights terrorist. What did Daniel do? Well, he hasn’t been convicted of anything but he is wanted for two bombings. Daniel has one tattoo that reads ‘it only takes a spark’ and illustrations of burning buildings. Daniel was a computer specialist. I’d suggest the Administration review their earlier report and focus on computer specialists instead of returning veterans.… Read More

I am on a flight from “The OC” to San Jose. Lo and behold that I should run into my own office co-habitant John Clarey and a slew of others headed to the South Bay for a day of fundraising for Meg Whitman. It just proves my point that as a well-connected politico, it's hard to fly anywhere without running into someone you know…… Read More

OK, a small deviation from my normally produced stable of political blog posts. As I write this, I am sitting in my new "home away from home" — John Wayne Airport in Orange County. I arrived here at 6:45am this morning to catch a flight up to San Francisco. Little did I know that it would turn into the day from hell – literally.

Not disclosed to me and a couple of hundred other bleary-eyed early morning travelers was that we were being placed onto a "lemon" aircraft that he been having trouble the previous two days with its backup system that controls the rear flaps of the plane (I guess, and it makes sense, these plans have backup system for everything they can — no second chances at 30,000 feet!).

To make a long story long, we ended up taxiing out to the runway, and then back to the terminal, and then after an hour of waiting, we repeated the process again. Eventually the flight was canceled and I am on a Southwest flight in just a few minutes into San Jose.… Read More

Quote of the Day: "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” Sir Winston Churchill.

The budget, taxes, the economy, stimuli and TARPs: It seems this is all we have talked about and all we have done in DC this year. But there have been a few other interesting and important topics under discussion in the nation’s capital. Here are 3 subjects about which you may not have heard much about through the din of the recession, but upon which there has been some movement:

Obama surge: The war in Iraq appears to have largely been won and the troop withdrawals that began under President Bush continue under President Obama. But, somewhat quietly, Obama has agreed to a ‘surge’ of 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are now regrouping in northern Pakistan and southern Afghanistan, and military officials think that this ‘surge’ is probably insufficient to do the job and more troops will be necessary later in the year. The President has said that he will consider sending those additional… Read More

Remember the $3 million that Duf Sundheim’s CRP irregularly borrowed from Larry Dodge to support the anti-tax re-election campaign of Arnold Schwarzenegger?

That saddled the new Chairman with debt. Interest payments were made and then the highly paid Sundheim convinced Dodge to use the loan to try force changes on the CRP.

One of those was to narrow the platform to one message: fiscal responsibility. Sundheim’s effort to use Dodge’s and others people money failed to alter much and the loan was paid off and forgiven. Remember those days?

Unfortunately, last Friday Larry Dodge’s bank American Sterling was seized by the FDIC. It became the 24th bank to be seized in this current environment.

One person told me it Karma for helping to elect the Governor. I kind of doubt that. Bad things would be happening to a lot more people than that.

I do hope that things turn around for Dodge, but I bet Dodge wishes the CRP still owed him the money now.… Read More

The California Republican Party announced they are launching a new initiative that fundamentally changes the way the Party conducts outreach and coalition building.

For all the years I have been involved in the political and non-profit worlds outreach efforts have focused on forming affinity groups internal to an organization. For example the "Asian Outreach Committee of the Republican Party" or the "Commercial Real Estate Network of the Jewish Federation".

These groups serve a purpose, but generally require someone to sign-up, attend and get involved in a "new" group. It takes them out of their comfort space, away from their core business or interest. While they support the Party or non–profit it can be an imposition to participate in another group.

Last week CA GOP Chairman Ron Nehring announced that he has been working on a very different kind of outreach effort, one that goes to the supporter rather than making them come to the Party. If executed well over time, it will mean that Party leadership and volunteers are integrated into outside organizations of every type throughout the state, on an ongoing and… Read More