Dan Borenstein, who these days is a columnist at the Contra Costa Times, is a seasoned veteran when it comes to California politics and policy. He has penned an oustanding read today, that begins thusly:

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For months know, rumors have circulated around that Congressman John Doolittle who represents California’s 4th District, east of Sacramento, was going to announce his retirement. The Congressman has been been in a tough political battle, that must be very frustrating for him. You see, he is battling against a federal investigation of him that has been very high profile, but has yet to actually result in any formal charges. Yet, in the court of public opinion, Doolittle clearly has problems. In a district that was literally drawn to elect a Republican, he barely won re-election in 2006. His former opponent, military veteran Charlie Brown is running again, and I have seen polling data that shows it would be a very uphill battle for Doolittle to get re-elected. The taint of the FBI probe has also had a significant and negative impact on the Congressman’s ability to raise needed funds for re-election, and has also caused a severe financial drain as potential resources for a re-election bid are diverted to pay legal bills.

I know John Doolittle well — and he is a good and honorable man. I find it hard to believe that he has broken any laws, and… Read More

Tomorrow morning I will have a bit lengthier critique of the Governor’s State of the State Address, but I thought I would post some immediate reaction, along with the full text of the speech (below) so that you have an opportunity to read it for yourself.

I think that I will preface my immediate comments by quoting an excerpt from the analysis given by Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub on his blog (free registration required), because I found these lines to be quite insightful:

It’s simply impossible anymore to categorize Schwarzenegger politically or ideologically. He is a fusion politician, taking ideas from the left and the right and the center as he sees fit. He is one of a kind.

Not long ago, I visited my favorite spot in Sacramento…the hallway where then-Governor Reagan’s picture hangs. I never walk through the Capitol without going there for inspiration, and I never fail to receive it. There were 2 things about Ronald Reagan that I can never forget: his effervescent smile and his optimistic message. I never saw him in person, but each time I saw him on TV, the part of my soul that belongs exclusively to my Country was always stirred. He made me proud to be an American.The last time I visited that portrait, I felt sad. I had just attended a RJC event at the Reagan library, where I reminisced on some of my fondest political memories, and I couldn’t help missing the days when President Reagan constantly reminded us of all the good things about America, and all the reasons to be hopeful about the future. We just don’t hear that message much anymore.

But tonight, I heard a message that reminded me of the Great Communicator. Here is an excerpt from Senator McCain’s speech tonight that I found especially moving:

We are the makers of history, not its victims.

Whatever the… Read More

Here are the Giuliani for President submitted potential delegates… (See the Romney list below this one for more explanation on this — also, the formatting is largely the way they were sent to me by the campaigns themselves…)

At-Large: William Simon, Jr., Pacific Palisades Ali Jahangiri, Newport Beach Dr. Tod Allen Burnett, Los Angeles Wardell A. Connerly, Sacramento John McMonigle, Irvine Tracy Price, Laguna Hills David W. Hanna, Laguna Beach Jon Liebman, Santa Monica Former Governor Pete Wilson, Los Angeles Lyle R. Davis, Newport Beach Thomas F. Tait, Anaheim 1st Congressional District: Margie L. Handley, Willits Iris Cochlan, El Macero Marleia Sire, Napa 2nd Congressional District: Gary Freeman, Orland Margaret Dominici, Redding Susan F. Gibbs, Colusa 3rd Congressional District: Pauline June Downum, Glencoe Kenneth Lunde, Antelope… Read More

Just in from the Fred Thompson for President Campaign, they have submitted a full slate of 179 potential delegates for California…

(Again, the formatting is a function of the way I received the data…)

CD 01 Janet Ney 01 Letha Carlstedt 01 Susan Biagio 02 Rick Keene, Assemblyman 02 Sean Bridgett 02… Read More

Selecting our FlashReport State Senator of the year for 2007 was not an easy task. There are a great group of conservatives in the California State Senate, and many of those are deserving of much praise. When we look back at 2007, there was one most-defining event for the State Senate – the budget battle of last summer. Senate Republicans demonstrated solidarity in holding out on voting for a bloated budget, with their actions ultimately, predictably, and unfortunately having been proven to have been right on the mark. Ultimately, Senate Republicans should have held out for more extensive and meaningful spending reductions – but, hind sight is 20/20. During the budget standoff, I had the opportunity to dialogue directly with many of the Senate Republicans, and as such have what I believe is a pretty accurate of the machinations that take place “behind closed doors” during that kind of stressful and epic showdown.

While the budget situation last year was perhaps the pinnacle moment for conservatives in the Senate to show their commitment, we also look for a Senator who maintains a solid record against bills that grow the size and scope of state… Read More

I’m certainly not a "classicist," but like some other political junkies I have enjoyed reading Colleen McCullough’s series of historical novels about politics, military history, culture, and life in ancient Rome. The parallels of and constants of life 2,000 years ago to today are quite evident in McCullough’s writings. But of course, she is a writer of historical fiction! So after reading all her stuff on ancient Rome, years ago I advanced from her writings to the real thing: Cicero, Julius Caesar, and the writings of a true contemporary classicist, Michael Grant, a British historian and academic.

One of the main things I learned in all this reading was believe it or not, about campaign finance reform! As an election attorney, I was quite interested to learn about the election procedures and rules in the Roman Republic; what inspired them, and how they worked. I was also interested to see that campaign finance reform is nothing new, it has been around for at least 2,000 years! It has its roots in laws that restricted politicians in ancient Rome from investing in anything other than real property as a pre-condition to… Read More