I always say that public employee unions exist really to accomplish two goals, and that anything else that they do is ancillary to these goals. First and foremost to increase salary and benefits for their union members, and second to pursue any state policies that would increase the number of members of their union.

Pretty simple, right? This is why public employee unions are so insidious.

Well, apparently there is an exception to my theory. Apparently yesterday the California Teachers Association donated a staggering $1,000,000.00 (a cool million bucks) to the No on 8 Campaign. Proposition 8 is the Protect Marriage Act.

So you have to start scratching your head, and wonder why the state union that looks out for the salary and benefits of teachers is spending its member-dollars on a ballot measure that is about defining marriage in California?

One has to conclude that the decision making body of the CTA PAC is not only filled with union-hacks (as you would expect)… Read More

Sorry if my blogging has been on the light side — I’m actually in Sacramento for a couple of days. And while you might intuitively think that would lead to MORE blogging, not less, most of the meetings and conversations that I have up here are "off the record" as I continue to nurture the relationships that let me bring you breaking news, and accurate "intel" on the inner-workings of the Sacramento political scene.

Today I have a meeting of the California Republican Party Board of Directors that will take most of the day, as we go over and approve the final stages of the State GOP Victory Program.

I have to run right now — but I will try to blog later. Oh, and for those who have asked about my chat with Senate President Don Perata yesterday at the Hyatt (word moves around this town), that conversation was way off the record — but very entertaining.… Read More

The FPPC’s general take on IE spending, with McCann vs. Block in the 78th pegged as the barn burner it was anticipated to be, and "Opportunity PAC" leading the way in spending hard-earned union dues……

Special Interest Spending Tops $2.4 Million in Ten Races Independent Expenditures balloon to over $100 million With three weeks to go until the November election, the Fair Political Practices Commission today released information showing that special interests have already spent more than $2.4 million on general election “independent expenditures” in ten contested legislative districts.… Read More

[Cross-posted from OC Blog]

It’s been a couple of weeks, but I believe it’s important to respond to the OC Register’s October 1 editorial against Proposition 8.

There have been rumors the OC Register and the Los Angeles Times are discussing joint ventures, but after reading that editorial against Prop. 8, I have to wonder if those discussions include the editorial page.

Growing up, I derived cognitive nourishment from intellectually robust OC Register editorials defending freedom within the framework of the American Founding. But this editorial is more a mish-mish of wishy-washy LA Times liberalism and the stunted libertarian… Read More

Maintaining a multi-year streak of always seeing someone I know on the flights between Orange County and Sacramento, today I am pleased to be joined on this mid-morning by Governor Schwarzenegger's Appointments Secretary John Cruz. Wheels up!… Read More

To get a glimpse inside the Obama phenomena a Zack Exley, a true believer, walks us through the Ohio Obama grass roots organization. Republicans who care should turn green with envy and respectfor the intense organizational mastery achieved by Obama’s team.

I’ve heard bits and pieces about these grass roots activists. But here is the report from the Left’s trenches as they face our battlegrounds.This amazing piece comes from former Republican theoretician Arianna Huffington’s Post. … Read More

To get a glimpse inside the Obama phenomena a Zack Exley, a true believer, walks us through the Ohio Obama grass roots organization. Republicans who care should turn green with envy and respect to the intense organizational mastery achieved by Obama’s team.

I’ve heard bits and pieces about these grass roots activists. But here is the report from the Left’s trenches as they face our battlegrounds.This amazing piece comes from former Republican theoretician Arianna Huffington’s,her Post. … Read More

This morning I was reading through Capitol Morning Report (an influential political subscription web site) and came across a press release from an organization called “My Hood Votes.” After doing a little internet research, I discovered that My Hood Votes is a “grassroots education and mobilization campaign designed to engage non-traditional voters in underserved Black neighborhoods commonly referred to as ‘the hood…’” The organization kicked off its campaign by holding a voter registration drive on Saturday in Compton. Photos of the event show several African-American men wearing Barack Obama t-shirts as they roam their “hood” registering voters.

Upon visiting the My Hood Votes web site, a profanity-laced rap song began playing: “Above the Law” by rapper Black Superman. It seemed an appropriate song to describe the My Hood Votes activities. If it wasn’t so alarmingly serious, the web site would almost seem like a stereotypical satire on the inner city. Take the message that greets web site visitors (along with the… Read More