Looks as though the Inland Empire is McCain country.

Just a few of Senator McCain’s big-name supporters in the Inland area include: former Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte, Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, District Attorney Rod Pacheco, and Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione. Local party activists have also signed on with the Senator’s “No Surrender” message. Riverside County Republican Party Vice Chairman Ken Minesinger also endorsed Senator McCain’s candidacy just this week.

Riverside Lincoln Club President Doug Jacobs and longtime GOP activist Aaron Knox have signed on with the campaign. The McCain campaign in the Inland area is chaired by Rob Hightower, who is a criminal prosecutor in Riverside. Hightower commented that “all across the Inland Empire, from Riverside to Coachella and from Temecula to Rancho Cucamonga people are excited about John McCain. His plan of lowers taxes, conservative values, and the vigor to win the war on terror is resonating with Republicans here.” Hightower concluded that “this is a great time to be a member of the McCain team. We are looking forward to more people becoming… Read More

Some polling shows that Romney is gaining ground in Florida and nationally because Thompson voters are now voting for Mitt. Some might think it’s just wishful thinking, but the Romney campaign has nonetheless created some banner ads to try to attract the Thompson voter.

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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

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

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.

The poker player? California’s Republican… Read More