While the main page is filled with coverage of yesterday’s debate between Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tax Man Phil Angelides hosted by the California Broadcasters Association, there were only three written about another important debate that took place. The reason so few column inches were expended to cover this debate seems simple: if only a thousand people were watching or listening the one-hour gubernatorial debate at Sac State, were even a hundred people tuned in to the half-hour debate between State Senator Tom McClintock and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi at the Radisson Hotel? Even with all the press releases and emails I receive from campaigns and all the newspaper stories I… Read More

Ayn Rand a Housewife?… Thanks to Leslie Carbone for sending this along, as it seems TV producer Marc Cherry is coming out of the closet, perhaps "objectively."

In the season premier of Desperate Housewives, the Orson character makes a little, oddly timed, "I’m a libertarian; I believe in limiting the power of the state and expanding the power of the individual" (paraphrase) speech. Then, at the end of the episode, as the camera pans across a golf club that’s under development, a sign is shown announcing the name of the club’s architectural firm: Howard Roark, Inc.

Funny.Call it subliminal TV messaging if you will, but Cherry’s claim to be a "somewhat conservative, gay Republican" seems to pit any of… Read More

Towards the end of the debate, the Governor asks Phil Angelides why he won’t appear in a joint television commercial to push the big bond package on the November ballot. Good question. That borrowing package is the best thing that could ever happen to Democrats in the Golden State. If it passes, it will allow the legislature to ‘pass the buck’ on using the state’s ample general fund dollars for real infrastructure (other than bond interest payments) and instead let the liberals continue to spend what is now well over $100 billion annually on their social engineering programs. Californian’s should reject the big bonds borrowing, and force fiscal responsibility in Sacramento. As to why Angelides doesn’t want to appear on TV with Arnold — after this debate, Angelides knows for sure that the LAST PLACE he wants to be is on camera next to the Governor.… Read More

Governor Schwarzenegger summed up the entire one-hour debate against Phil Angelides with that line. Except I doubt Ted Kennedy would have the annoying and undignified habit of making snide, quiet remarks to himself while the host was talking.

Angelides, of course, took the Governor’s comparison as a compliment.

UPDATE: I’m either average or have the pulse of the average person according to Barbara O’Connor, a political scientist at Sac State. In a San Jose Mercury News article, O’Connor said, "The average person won’t pay attention to [the] details. They’ll remember Schwarzenegger’s Uncle Teddy line and Angelides talking about his daughters.”… Read More

Governor Schwarzenegger clearly enjoyed the debate.

In fact he took the opportunity to toy with his opponent. The Governor’s communications shop just put out the following In Case You Missed It.

It is much funnier if you read it while impersonating the governor’s accent.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

OnAngelides’ Tax Increases

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: "Well, I think that it is very clear and I can tell that the joy you see in your eyes… Read More

As everyone has said, with the Governor sitting on a double-digit lead with the California electorate, two things needed to happen in order for Phil Angelides to walk away a ‘winner’ in the hour-long showdown. 1) Phil Angelides needed to rise to the occasion, showing some sort of intensity and command of the race that has back lacking thus far, and 2) Arnold Schwarzenegger needed to at least stumble if not outright blow some portion of the debate. Neither of those things happenned and it is my opinion that Arnold Schwarzenegger clearly won the debate, not only because neither of the two items mentioned above took place, but because I thought that Schwarzenegger clearly did a better job. He was more comfortable, and it showed. He was articulate and on point, he understood how to be serious and at the same time inject levity into the debate, and he also did a good job in delivering his campaign points across to debate watchers.

Angelides was not able to shake off the persona of "Mr. Accountant" that makes me want to yawn every time he opens his mouth. Phil Angelides did win two awards from me tonight, which he can take… Read More

Here are my observations of Phil Angelides tonight.

Don’t keep talking about how you want cut taxes for the middle class — it just reminds us that you really want to raise them.

Hunching over and looking to the left isn’t a good posture for television.

Fluttering your eyes makes you look nervous and not up to the challenge.

Laying off 9% of the bureaucrats isn’t enough.

Taking advantage of a widow in the audience is poor form.

Nobody watched so it didn’t matter anyway.… Read More

I read on the FlashReport today an article from the San Diego Union Tribune that was a bit troubling to stomach — apparently former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham is spending at least some of his time in federal prison being upset with the newspaper that ‘brought him down’ and thinking about others who are to blame for his situation. As a conservative who is engaged in the practice of politics, I get to see situations all of the time where the main stream media gets it wrong. But I simply don’t see how Cunningham can be mad at anyone in this situation besides himself. No one forced his hand and made him take millions of dollars in bribes in return for doling out federal goodies. No one asked him to betray all of us who walked precincts and helped him get elected. And no one can deny that in this case, the San Diego Union Tribune did America a favor when they exposed Cunningham’s… Read More