In what California’s own Rep. Nancy Pelosi describes as help for the “middle class and those who aspire to be in the middle class,” the Bush Administration and House leaders have agreed to an economic stimulus plan. Granted, when you have to negotiate with the likes of Nancy Pelosi, you are not going to get everything you want, but I was shocked to see the plan includes a tax “rebate” for Americans who do not even pay taxes. Workers who make just $3000 a year and do not pay taxes will receive a $300 "tax rebate." These folks are below the poverty level and qualify for loads of federal and state assistance. This supposedly temporary and emergency stimulus deal is supposed to be providing relief for taxpayers and stimulating the economy. Instead, the Democrats have made sure to load it up with handouts masked as “tax rebates.” The Republicans did get the Democrats to give in on extending unemployment benefits and increasing food stamp payments in exchange for this Earned Income Tax Credit-type payment. The Democrats may be calling these payments “tax rebates,” but the GOP should be clear that these payments are special welfare payments, not… Read More

You no doubt have heard about the Stimulus Package agreement between Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Boehner and Treasury Secretary Paulson that was announced today and is supported by the President. I won’t go through all the specifics of it directly because you will hear and see that almost everywhere over the next 24 hours. But I would like to give you what I see as the pros and cons of the thing. First of all, the good stuff:

•Raises FHA loan limits to $750,000 and also raises the "conforming" or "jumbo" home limits on loans guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack to the higher of $625,000 or 150% of the median house price in a market. This will help to free up more and cheaper home loan money in high cost areas like Orange County. This should help ease the housing crisis.

•Gives some taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of less than $75,000 (single) or $150,000 (joint) some of their tax money from 2007 back.

As far as I can tell, that’s it on the good side. On the bad side, here goes:

•Gives roughly 35 million people who paid NO FEDERAL INCOME TAXES AT ALL a check for $300 per person in their… Read More

The goal is $7.5 million and Issa leads the charge…Calvert and Herger California captains…

Chairman Cole Announces Rep. Darrell Issa to Chair NRCC’s March Dinner

Washington – NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) announced today that Representative Darrell Issa (CA-49) will chair the annual NRCC March Dinner that will be held on March 12, 2008 at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

“I am very pleased to have Darrell Issa taking the lead on this year’s NRCC March Dinner,” NRCC Chairman Tom Cole said. “This is going to be a very exciting election year and we need to work together to make sure we have the resources in place to be successful.”

Chairman Cole and Representative Issa announced a goal of raising $7.5 million at the dinner, headlined by President George W. Bush.

“It is an honor to chair this… Read More

In my career as a political professional, I have had an opportunity to work as the campaign coordinator for a successful statewide ballot measure (Prop. 227, in 1998, to end bilingual education in support of English immersion). But it doesn’t even take someone with a lot of experience to make an early call on the fate of Proposition 93 a.k.a. "The Big Lie" a.k.a. the "Fabian Nunez Career Politician Term Limits Weakening Initiative."

This measure is going to be soundly defeated by California voters, preserving our state’s strong legislative term limits, and upholding the idea that the state legislature is supposed to be a place where citizens give of their time for a few years, and then return home to live under the laws they create. Californian’s will re-affirm their decision that they simply do not was a class of career politicians under the Capitol dome.

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

UPDATE FROM JON FLEISCHMAN: Today the Romney Campaign will make Huff’s endorsement official. Here are statements from Romney and Huff:

Upon the announcement, Chairman Huff said, "There is one candidate with the experience and determination to strengthen our economy and promote job growth in California and across the country and that is Governor Mitt Romney. Throughout his time in the private sector, at the 2002 Winter Olympics and as Governor, he led using fiscally conservative principles, and he will do the same as President. Governor Romney will bring real conservative change to Washington , and I encourage others to join me in supporting his candidacy." "Chairman Huff and I both believe that we must keep taxes low, cut wasteful government spending and reverse the current housing crisis facing families in California and throughout the… Read More

When you play poker, the expression "all in" refers to when a player takes all of the chips in front of them, and pushes them all to the center of the table. It means that everything comes down to one hand. If you win, you win big. You win it all. If you lose, then you lose everything with which you came to the table. It takes a particularly gutsy or brave poker play to go "all in" for obvious reasons. But, while you take an incredible risk, you have the chance to reaping incredible rewards. From time to time, we have situations in politics that remind me of the poker concept of being "all in" — and we have one such political situation going on in California politics right now. … Read More

Just received word that Duncan Hunter has endorsed Mike Huckabee for president. “I got to know Governor Huckabee well on the campaign trail,” said Hunter. “Of the remaining candidates I feel that he is strongly committed to strengthening national defense, constructing the border fence and meeting the challenge of ’s emergence as a military superpower that is taking large portions of ’s industrial base. "Along with these issues of national security, border enforcement and protecting the industrial base, I see another quality of … Read More

Councilman Ron Smith had thought of running for the Assembly in 2008. Instead he faces a recall and Lancaster politics is all upside down with his ally from just a year ago endorsing the recall. There are election in April that are dividing GOP forces in the Antelope Valley. More bloodshed to come.… Read More