It really isn’t called "soft money" much anymore, but in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision inthe Wisconsin Right to Life case gutting key provisions of the McCain-Feingold law, our firm has received a number of inquiries from clients about how to comply with rules in this new era, where bona fide issue advocacy communicationsin elections that mention the names of elected officials will benefit from more constitutional protection and less regulation, not just in Federal elections, but in all elections.

Keeping in mind all the general disclaimers that we can’t provide legal advice over the internet and that regulation of these communications is highly fact related, here are some general considerations for issue advocacy groups, PACs, and candidates at the Federal and state level who must consider issue-oriented communications after Wisconsin Right to Life:

Acommunication is not protected issue advocacy if:

– it appears to have the overall major purpose of supporting or opposing a specific… Read More

Tomorrow will mark the opening of the California Republican Party’s Fall Convention in Indian Wells, out in the Palm Springs area. At this convention, delegates will have the opportunity to take positions on initiatives that are going to appear on the February ballot (or beyond). Based on the extremely positive feedback that I have received on my resolution to put the CRP on record as opposing the Don Perata/Fabian Nunez Term-Limits End Run Initiative (yes, their very own ballot measure, funded with politically extorted special interest donations, to extend their time in office for many more years), it would appear that there will be overwhelming opposition to this attempt to weaken term limits… I am pleased that four important state Republican leaders, all former Chairman of the California Republican Party, have weighed in with an important message to CRP members…

Tomorrow will mark the opening of the California Republican Party’s Fall Convention in Indian Wells, out in the Palm Springs area. At this convention, delegates will have the opportunity to take positions on initiatives that are going to appear on the February ballot (or beyond). Based on the extremely positive feedback that I have received on my resolution to put the CRP on record as opposing the Don Perata/Fabian Nunez Term-Limits End Run Initiative (yes, their very own ballot measure, funded with politically extorted special interest donations, to extend their time in office for many more years), it would appear that there will be overwhelming opposition to this attempt to weaken term limits… I am pleased that four important state Republican leaders, all former Chairman of the California Republican Party, have weighed in with an important message to CRP members…

JOHN HERRINGTON… Read More

For some time now, California Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono has been seriously dating U.S. Rep. Connie Mack of Florida (son of the sports-giant, and former U.S. Senator Connie Mack). Well, today the Sunshine State Congressman proposed to the Golden State Congresswoman, and she accepted!!! A hearty congratulations to you both!… Read More

Just over the transom, the office of Congressman John Doolittle has put out this release, in response to reports that two of his top aides have been subpeonaed by a Federal Grand Jury. Doolittle brings up a good points — both of the staff members in question are relatively new additions to his team, so you have to wonder what they could add to the knowledge-base of prosecutors?

All FlashReport readers should take a few minutes to read this correspondence below from State Senator Tom McClintock (see the .pdf version here). This letter recognizes an important reality — that that a coalition of groups led by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and others has raised the necessary funds and is currently qualifying a ballot measure for next year to provide California property owners with the necessary rights to so that they can fight-off unfair "takings" via eminent domain. This is significant because the redevelopment industry is trying to twist GOP arms to get a fake fix (ACA 8) on the ballot via legislative vote (which takes a 2/3 vote of each chamber) to try and STOP the real eminent domain reform bill currently being qualified for the ballot… The good news — GOP legislators aren’t buckling under their pressure.

Word is getting back to FlashReport HQ (far from the State Capitol) that a full-court press is underway to strongarm/cajole/extend-false-promises to Assembly Republicans to try and cajole out the necessary votes to get ACA 8 out of the Assembly.

Assembly Republicans know better. Property rights is a corner-stone issue for our party and for our party’s activists and donors. I would be extremely surprised if the redevelopment lobby, who for years has been abusing private property owners, will be able to turn GOP votes for this terrible bill simply by spending a lot of money to hire pseudo-GOP lobbyists.

The reality is that a vote to pass out ACA 8 is what we would call here a "watershed" vote — it will define those Republicans who do so as being non-respectful of one of the most basic core-values of the GOP. What does this mean? A VOTE FOR ACA 8 WILL BE USED TO DEFINE CANDIDATES IN FUTURE PRIMARIES AS BEING BAD ON PROPERTY RIGHTS. Heck, given the passion on this issue out here (away from the Capitol), a bad vote on this core issue might even INVITE a primary unbidden.

Given that this is a #1 priority for the Howard Jarvis… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: After this was written, it was announced to the world that Luciano Pavarotti passed away on the island of Sicily, Italy – Flash]

The French novalist, Emile Zola, once wrote, "Iam an artist… I am here to live out loud." Zola was agreatartist, and was also involved in politics, bravely standing up to the anti-Semitism of the Second Republic in France and exposing the so-called Dreyfus affair in the military. He was shunned, but lived to be a hero.

Luciano Pavarotti is no politician. Reports today are that he is dying in Modena, Italy, his hometown. But he was surely an artist that was "here to live out loud." And how loud! The first Opera I ever attended was with my dad and a Catholic priest at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera house in 1966, where as just a boy I heard a young man named Pavarotti sing a Rudolfo in Puccini’s "La Boheme" that literally blew away the crowd. I didn’t fully know what I was hearing at the time, but I knew it was special. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen wrote… Read More