On the last day of 2007, it’s worth taking a moment to see where the Republican presidential campaign sits as we close two years of prognostication and predictions and start in on the phase where real voters actually begin to weigh in.

The most notable aspect of the race at this point is that our party – which is usually extremely efficient in identifying and anointing a front-runner — has yet to do so. Rudy Giuliani started the year with the inside track on becoming the GOP’s likely nominee, followed by turns taken by Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Romney again, Mike Huckabee, and most recently, John McCain. But while the Huckabee-Romney battle in Iowa will conclude tonight, it’s unlikely that the final outcome in the Hawkeye State will bring much clarity to the field. Meanwhile, McCain has mounted a mini-surge that has positioned him well on his old stomping grounds in New Hampshire, while Thompson is pushing for a third-place finish that would allow him to stake a claim in South Carolina later this month.

And Giuliani? Last Saturday night, after three campaign events that day across the state of Iowa, Rudy did the smartest thing… Read More

Interesting article in the Washington Post today about a meeting being convened by University of Oklahoma President and former US Senator David Boren with a host of other former partisan officer holders. The press is spinning this as an opportunity for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to further explore an independent candidacy for President.

So why don’t we have more bipartisan cooperation in California? Some would look at the efforts of Governor Schwarzenegger and think this is the ticket to the political promised land. That would be folly.

The reality is that party primaries are what prevent this sort of thing from occurring. Schwarzenegger was elected Governor under a very strange set of circumstances and possibly the only way he could have won. I doubt if he could have beat Senator Tom McClintock in a Republican primary.

Let’s think about those Republican elected officials that have crossed the aisle regularly to work with the Democrats on an issue or issues.

Assemblyman Paul Horcher – recalled. worked for Willie… Read More

I’m currently visiting family in Chicago, and just attended a beautiful Catholic Mass that integrated the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The service had all the traditional rituals of the Mass I celebrate at home in Pleasanton, so I could fully participate in a very comfortable and familiar way. And yet, the service integrated new concepts that I had never seen before, celebrating Kwanzaa by weaving it into the age-old traditional Mass. It was beautiful and inspiring. It had the comfort of home, and the wonder of something new. I felt the warmth of familiarity, and the sense of belonging to an organization of millions of people I may never meet who are my spiritual family, woven together by tradition, shared faith, and common rituals. No matter where I travel, a Catholic Mass will be celebrated nearly the same as my church in Pleasanton, yet will have its own regional flare.

I hope I feel as warm and hopeful leaving the February CRP convention, as I did leaving Mass in Chicago today.

I have seen a lot of email traffic between members of the Drafting and Platform committees regarding the new Party Platform that will be adopted in San Francisco in February. Most of… Read More

As promised below, here is the other version of the upcoming political drama in Sacramento — so without further ado, I give you…..

Night of the Living Democrats! (<—- click the title)

In this version I had to expand the stars into the Assembly (primarily because the Senate Republican caucus is currently all male) and one of the main parts is female.

Don’t blame us for not having a female Senator – we tried mightily to have Lynn Daucher join us – blame the Dems (right, Lou Correa?)

So now this becomes an action drama starring (see if you can spot them all): Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia (as the heroine) me! (as the hero) Senate President pro TemDon Perata Senator Carole Migden Senator Darrell Steinberg Speaker Fabian Nunez Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (as the intrepid repoter – it’s a post-partisan role)

Thisparody isso funny in how exactly perfect all the dialogue is –we live this every… Read More

Now that proponents of the state government forced healthcare plan have started the initiative machine, [which resembles a car crusher for the California business climate] let’s see what it will really take to implement.

-AB 1X still needs to be heard and passed by the Senate. It has to overcome California’s highest ranking ‘budget hawk’, Senate President Pro TemPerata, who said no hearing for 1X until we figure out the $14 billion [and counting] budget black hole first. Should AB 1X actually go through a committee process and, being a health care bill, beheard in the Senate Health Committee, it will have toget thruthe Chair of the Committee, Senator Sheila Kuehl.

We know Sen. Kuehl has not been happy with this bill as it is not her own bill, SB 840 that would install a single payer [you, the taxpayer] health plan. 1X does not go far enough for Sen. Kuehl, [as well as the emails I get against 1X but for SB 840]. Will there be enough votes to get it out of committee…if it’s even given a hearing? Will Sen. Kuehl convince 5 totalDemocrat Senators to stay off, joining the 15 sure… Read More

When Arnold Schwarzenegger campaigned for Governor in the infamous recall election of 2003, and for re-election in 2006, he was emphatic in one solumn pledge — he would never raise taxes.

Well, today, along with liberal Democrat Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, the Governor has officially filed a ballot measure asking the voters to do just that – raise taxes. In this case, $14 billion worth, as he declares that to be the taxpayers’ responsibility in his massive health care government program.

Sounding like the family of New England liberals into which he married, the Governor is using a classic liberal argument to justify his leftward lurch, that somehow by raising these taxes, we actually cut "hidden taxes" — so somehow this isn’t really a tax hike. Make sense? Of course not. If you have ANY DOUBTS that this tax increase is, in fact, a tax increase, take a moment to read this column on the FlashReport, penned by Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, entitled… Read More

Not that I could ever do justice to the level of creative humor that good Senator Battin has provided in the post below, nor would I commonly link to TMZ as a source of anything, but you’ve got to see these….

http://photos.tmz.com/galleries/the_candidates_then_and_now

Here’s just one from the TMZ post to get your attention…. … Read More

I just noticed a great Editorial from last weekin theInvestor’s Business Dailyon Arnold’s "lurch to the left." Great read.

California’s Winter Of Discontent

State Spending: California’s budget is broken, and its economy looks troubled. The Golden State’s governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, could have done something about this. Instead, he’s made it worse.

(more)… Read More