This morning, FlashReport readers in and around the Capitol have a unique opportunity — to enjoy a free lunch while the New America Foundation treats you to a 90-minute left-wing indoctrination about America’s "deteriorating social contract" and how no where is this more apparent than in the current subprime mortgage crisis.

First and foremost, before you put on your AOL Instant Messenger away message to head over to the first floor of the Capitol for this event, if you are looking to get an autograph from GOP Assemblyman Ted Gaines (who was billed as a host of this event) don’t bother. He’s cancelled his attendance, and pulled his name off of the event. Why? Because he has learned that the New America Foundation has a pretty blatant policy agenda, which is to expand the size and scope of government, with a goal of redistributing wealth from one American to another, and restricting the freedom of our… Read More

The "No on 93" folks* put this out, which is worth sharing in its entirety…

This weekend’s endorsement of Proposition 93 by the California Democratic Party’s E-Board actually turned into a dramatic sign of the initiative’s weakness rather than a moment of triumph for its proponents. Only the extraordinary personal intervention of Chairman Art Torres and other party heavy hitters enabled the Nunez and Perata forces to beat back strong efforts to have the party go neutral or oppose the initiative to loosen term limits. In a remarkable demonstration of the growing problems for Yes on 93, the Assembly Speaker and Senate President struggled to gain the support of their own party. A stunning 47% of the Exec Board voted to have the California Democratic Party go neutral… Read More

In the coming months much will be written about the ballot measure on term limits. Speaker Nunez and President Pro Temp Perata will both spend a tremendous amount of resources to extend their legislative careers.

So here is my question — if term limits need to be extended for the people of California to benefit from the experienced leadership of the Speaker and President Pro Temp then shouldn’t the people of California benefit from the experienced leadership of Governor Schwarzenegger and Insurance Commissioner Poizner?

All the arguments that apply for Nunez and Perata also apply to the Governor. If Prop 93 does pass in February I predict that Nunez and Perata will suddenly not be so enthusiastic about someone needing 12 years in the same job to get it done — when it will not help them.

If Prop 93 passes I am confident that an effort will be made to extend that same 12 year standard to constitutional offices as well.… Read More

UPDATE: 930 P.M. – FR friend Aaron Park, over on the Placer County CRA blog, refutes this rumor, saying that he has been on the horn with Team Doolittle planning events well into the Christmas season.

Hank Shaw, the Sacramento Bureau Chief for the Stockton Record, is the latest to blog the rumor that Congressman John Doolittle is about to announce that he is not running for re-election, and the that he will ultimately endorse conservative former state legislator Rico Oller (pictured) to be the GOP nominee in the 4th Congressional District. True or untrue? We don’t really know — but assuming… Read More

Last week, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at the Heritage Foundation, and I really enjoyed seeing the clips of his remarks they put together. (h/t to FR friend Rob Bluey, who is the head honcho of Heritage’s web presence, who also penned a column about Thomas that appears today on Townhall.) … Read More

Baseball, for a second… It wasn’t lost on sports fans in San Diego this week that although Padres ace Jake Peavy unanimously won the NL Cy Young Award for his "Triple Crown of Pitching" performance, an indicted Barry Bonds was getting most of the media attention. Justice must be served, of course, but one could at least hope that prosecutors might consider the timing of award announcements for the deserving — and give it a day or two — before announcing indictments of others.OK, perhaps Bonds is deserving as well. Hey Barry, have a prison sentence with that asterisk. At 30 HRs a year, A-Rod will snuff out your record in about adecade. I can’t wait.

Cal-Chamber Weighs In… Here’s the San Diego delegation’s voting record from Cal-Chamber’s 2007 Legislative Scorecard. No surprises, and it doesn’t quite strip the wheat from the chaff as much as a CRA or CRF, but it clearly exemplifies the two parties’ polar opposition on business issues. I know, I have an uncanny ability of stating the… Read More

It’s already been nearly nine years since Bill Clinton was impeached and brought to trial for charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, charges describable as having"denigrated our system of justice and those who uphold it. At best, his conduct would be characterized as brazen disregard for legal rules; at worst, an untoward combination of arrogance, deception, and guile ina setting where we demand the opposite." Conviction of a perjury charge could lead to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, for obstruction, 10 years and $250,000. Pretty toughtreatment for a President, the leader of the Free World. But "ina setting where we demand the opposite" of such behaviorand deception,… Read More

FR friend and former University of California Regent Ward Connerly, who championed the successful Proposition 209 here in California to and racial quotas in public university admissions has been taking his cause to other states in the union, using the power of the ballot iniative to change discriminatory laws in those states.

Right now, he is working to qualify a measure in Oklahoma, and Connerly sent me over a link to an illuminating video of one of the signature gatherers for the measure being harassed in the parking lot by one of the most obnoxious people you have ever seen. It’s a bit lengthy, but you can get the idea in just a minute or two. Though watching it all allow you to see this racist black woman actually verbally assault the person with the video camera, taking him to task for being caucasian (she even references his "blue eyes"). The signature gatherer for the measure, who is black, never backs down. She’s an inspiration. … Read More