The Rose Institute has done an analysis of California’s Primary results, complete with maps that shows that Liberal GOP voters (defines as Rudy/McCain) breathe sea air and Conservative GOP (Romney/Huckabee etc.)voters breathe smog and dust. Interesting… Read More

This morning Governor Mitt Romney delivered an inspiring and moving speech to the conservative base at CPAC. Filled with the kind of conservative philosophical ideology that we conservatives have been craving, it was perhaps the most impressive speech we have heard this election season. Unfortunately, the crescendo of the speech was Romney’s announcement that he will suspend his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Even through the television, the shock and disappointment of the audience was palpable. With Romney’s withdrawal, we have lost, as Laura Ingraham declared in introducing Governor Romney, the only conservative contender in the race.

As I’ve talked with fellow conservative friends in California about McCain, the general sentiment seems to be, “Here we go again!” What the rest of the nation is about to discover is the sad reality we have experienced here in California with our own “maverick” governor. Senator McCain’s CPAC speech solidified our trepidation about a President McCain.

Prior to the speech, conservative commentators had stated that McCain would have to really win over the conservatives in order to lock the… Read More

Today was a great day. While Don Perata and Fabian Nunez are not off of their imperial thrones just yet, their poltical capital in the State Capitol, with the failure of Prop. 93, as of today has diminished greatly.

On the Senate site, Senator Darrell Steinberg will replace Perata, but not until later this year. On the Assembly side, they will have a vote for a new Speaker in March, who will replace Nunez after the legislative session.

Especially in the case of Fabian Nunez, the specific news on the timeline of his departure from the State Assembly is great to hear. Now we know how the Winkies felt when they were excited and grateful when the wicked witch was doused with a bucket of water, and melted.

I can think of no better spectator sport this next few months than watching Fabian Nunez slowly melt…

Oh, is that Steve Poizner holding the bucket of water?

(… Read More

Good afternoon!

I’m Jeff Solsby. Jon Fleischman asked me to lend my considerable news-clipping talents to the FlashReport and I’m honored to join my friends and colleagues in the FlashReport blogpen.

Jon has asked me to join a great conservative, Rep. John Campbell–my hometown congressman–in providing an "Inside the Beltway" perspective. So I’ll share news and gossip, and also pass along information of interest to California readers–whether it pertains to our California congressional delegation, or other Golden State news and issues here in what Jon calls "the Swamp." I call DC home despite my affinity for my native Southern California.

I’m thrilled to share some of the high- and low-lights of DC news with you and will welcome your emails at Jeff@flashreport.org. So please feel free to send along any tips, topics and tidbits regarding politics and "left coast" news taking place in the nation’s capital.… Read More

When you’re wrong, I have always thought, admit it. So I am going to admit it. I was wrong, this year’s California primary actually meant something. Candidates came here spent money, and actually paid attention to Californians. I thought it wouldn’t happen, and I was wrong.

I mainly objected to moving the primary forward, and I thought that, once again, that would be a futile act. It had been every other time we moved it forward, and I thought this would be no different. In my opinion, California has really screwed up the presidential primary system in its effort to be relevant. I still believe that.

I think I was wrong because of circumstances unique to this primary. For the first time since 1952, no one on the ballot has been president or vice president (that is, in every presidential election since 1952, at least one of the candidates on the ballot was president or vice president when the general election started). That leaves the election wide open, and raises a lot of uncertainty. I think that factor, more than any other, is why California was relevant this year. It is also my opinion that California would still have… Read More

When you’re wrong, I have always thought, admit it. So I am going to admit it. I was wrong, this year’s California primary actually meant something. Candidates came here spent money, and actually paid attention to Californians. I thought it wouldn’t happen, and I was wrong.

I mainly objected to moving the primary forward, and I thought that, once again, that would be a futile act. It had been every other time we moved it forward, and I thought this would be no different. In my opinion, California has really screwed up the presidential primary system in its effort to be relevant. I still believe that.

I think I was wrong because of circumstances unique to this primary. For the first time since 1952, no one on the ballot has been president or vice president (that is, in every presidential election since 1952, at least one of the candidates on the ballot was president or vice president when the general election started). That leaves the election wide open, and raises a lot of uncertainty. I think that factor, more than any other, is why California was relevant this year. It is also my opinion that California would still have… Read More

You might have heard about Berkeley’s City Council’s recent vote to tell the Marines to close their recruiting station in the city. With this vote, they told the Marines that their recruiting office is not welcome in their city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as an uninvited and unwelcome intruders.

In response to this, Ihave introduced the “Semper Fi Act” in the House of Representatives. This act rescinds all of the funding contained in the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act for the City of Berkeley, CA and transfers those funds to the Marines for recruiting

During the meeting, the City Council also voted to give protest group Code Pink a parking space in front of the recruiting office once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week. According to the City Council agenda, they "Encourage all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station, and applaud residents and organizations such as Code Pink, that may volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley."

The Marine Corps has… Read More

I am at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. today and the report from the floor is no different from what viewers saw on FOX News in real time. John McCain re-established his bona fides with conservatives today in a talk that went into detail, sometimes almost excrutiating detail (immigration!) on his policy positions, and on his professed commitment to the conservative political philosophy.

McCain referred to Edmund Burke, "the Creator", and Ronald Reagan twice each during the speech to thunderous applause. This was a CPAC speech, on the record, and a promise from a great American to advance our core principles in the presidency.

And on issue after issue, McCain laid out his 24 year history of advancing our political philosophy. I was especially impressed with his stalward pro-life position, and his enthusiastic support for actually "winning" the war in Iraq, despite MSM opposition to both positions.

There is a lot going on here and I need a little shut-eye, but tomorrow I will have opportunities to enter the inner sanctums of the national conservartive movement and… Read More