The "endorsement battles" continue to the GOP primary battle for Governor. Earlier this week Meg Whitman announced endorsements from former Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman and Assemblywoman Connie Conway.

Poizner has responded with a pretty big name in California Republican politics — today rolling out an endorsement from venerable GOP strategist Ken Khachigian. Khachigian has been engaged in the political scene for a longtime, playing key roles in the elections of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George Deukmejian, and Pete Wilson.

I have known Khachigian for over twenty years now, and he has served as a personal mentor to me, and played a critical role in the establishment of the FlashReport (you can read that here)!

Khachigian’s endorsement is a big one — and to the extent that the advice and input he offers to the Poizner campaign is thoughtfully considered, he can really be of assistance in the campaign.… Read More

Our continuing Republican circular firing squad has gained some powerful new gunmen as KFI’s "John and Ken" Show hasseen the commercial value of Republicans picking on Republicans rather than Democrats, in their development of a political "lottery" system to dole out venom against the likes of freshman Assemblyman Jeff Miller, who is both a good and decent guy and a conservative star, who doesn’t deserve the abuse.

Miller’s heresy, according to John and Ken, is that he was one of 28 (of atotal of 29)other Republican members of the Assembly who didn’t support a motion to axe the Republican Leader after the budget deal was made in Sacramento. Miller himself voted against the budget. But that doesn’t matter to John and Ken, they want him recalled, as a result of randomly picking his name out of a hat. The result has been a verbal Jihad against Miller over the airways, (inter-spiced with commercial announcements) and for what I (with due respect for the showmanship of John and Ken) think is a crime Millerhas not committed:being a liberal.

Is all this recall talk of… Read More

Who says big oil doesn’t give back? For years large oil companies were lambasted for producing substantial profits; here is the first article I found from a recent Google search; a second is here. It’s funny how the economic climate can change your perspective. Back in the booming ought-years, too much profit was considered a "windfall" and subject to talk of new taxation. Today a strategy of profits saved for future investment would be considered prudent business operation!

So say what you will about Exxon-Mobil, but few in the financial world would accuse them of not managing a company well. Today’s Wall Street Journal reports some good news in this regard.

Exxon-Mobil will boost spending "on energy exploration and production by 11% to $29 billion this year." Ponder that for a moment: twenty-nine billion (with a b: buh buh billion) dollars to explore, produce, refine and distribute new supplies of oil.… Read More

Most FR readers will remember that as a freshman Republican Assemblyman, longtime FR friend Joel Anderson successfully passed substantive legislation and had it signed into law(that alone is an accomplishment for a GOPer in California) that caused the massive investment portfolios of California’s public pension systems to divestfrom investments inIran, which i a country that is a knownsponsor of terrorist organizations.

Well, in addition to making sure that public funds of Californians are not being used to create a healthy economy for terrorists to prosper at home, Assemblyman Anderson is now looking at pioneering legislation to take away a potential tool that terrorists, international or domestic, may use here at home.

I encourage you to take a couple of minutes and watch this network television interview with Assemblyman Anderson, as he talks… Read More

The Supreme Court just wrapped up the oral arguments in the cases against Proposition 8. During the 3-hour hearing justices put both sides through rigorous rounds of questioning regarding whether Proposition 8 constitutes a revision, rather than an amendment, to the state constitution. Although we won’t know the outcome of this case for weeks (the court has up to 90 days to rule), Prop 8 supporters may have some reason to be optimistic. Two crucial swing votes, Justice Joyce Kennard and Chief Justice Ronald George, were particularly pointed in their questioning about what constitutes a revision to the constitution and the definition of inalienable rights.

Proposition 8 supporters contend that a revision constitutes a fundamental, structural change to our form of government. Placing into the state constitution the traditional definition does not structurally change our form of government. Opponents to Proposition 8 counter that denying homosexuals the “fundamental right” to marriage (created by the court last year in overturning Proposition 22) does alter our form of government by denying them their equal rights. Unfortunately, the core issue in this whole same-sex… Read More

The Republican Party is clearly in a re-building phase and innovation will be a big part of the makeover process. CA State GOP chairman Ron Nehring is known for his use of technology and his willingness to go to far corners to promote the Republican brand. So it’s not surprising that RNC chairman Michael Steele has appointed Ron to lead the committee of state Republican chairmen.

The press release follows…

RNC ANNOUNCES NEW CHAIR OF STATE PARTY CHAIRMEN COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele announced today the appointment of California Republican Party (CRP) Chairman Ron Nehring, to be the chair of the State Party Chairmen Committee.

“Ron’s experience and dedication makes him a valuable member of our team,” Steele said. “I have no doubt that he will help bring the voice of every Republican state party to the national table.”

Nehring is the Chairman of the largest Republican state party in the United States. He was first elected Chairman in 2007 and was recently re-elected on a platform of ensuring that California is a leader in utilizing new and innovative… Read More

The eyes of the nation are on California today as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the cases against Proposition 8. The hearing started promptly at 9am this morning. Right now the justices are questioning the petitioners (anti-Prop 8 lawyers). Thus far, the justices have been asking some great questions of the attorneys, pointing out many of the flaws in their arguments. But Kenneth Starr, arguing for Proposition 8, is still to come. Apparently the Cal Channel is inaccessible to many right now because of the overwhelming demand to watch the hearing. Other web sites are streaming the oral arguments, including L.A.’s Channel 7. … Read More

Okay, we’re well over 400 days out from the primary show downs in the California Governor’s race. That said — all reporters love to write about polls, and two of them are out. There is a Field Poll that is written about extensively in the Sacramento Bee. And Democrat pollster Celinda Lake has done a survey that is referenced by Politico’s Ben Smith and can be reviewed here.

Both surveys reinforce the idea that Dianne Feinstein, should she seek to move from her lofty perch in the United States Senate and over to the California Governor’s Office, would hold a commanding lead.

In the Field Poll, Meg Whitman shows very strong, with Poizner trailing behind her (Tom Campbell does pretty well, but at this stage is running a low-budget campaign…) — but with most GOP voters undecided.

On the Democrat side, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be touting the Field Poll,… Read More