Recently, some Republicanleaders werenoted in the press as having the goalof transformingCalifornia into a ‘purple’ (or ‘swing’ state) rather than intoa red (safe Republican)state. The presumption behind this thought is that given the raw registration numbers, the ideological numbers, and the current gerrymandered districts, it’s a more attainable goal to move the state into the push column rather than establish political hegemony.

I agree, at least for the foreseeable future. While total victory is an admirable goal under most circumstances, there are circumstances where one’s strategic interests and the actual situation on the ground dictates a less comprehensive short or medium term solution. For the California Republican Party simply being in the game to run the government would be an enormous victory. And for our national party, forcing the Democrats to view California as a swing state and spend tens of millions of dollars to defend it in Presidential, Senate, and Congressional elections, would be a blessing.

I’ve had brief discussions on this issue with a few more or less brainy campaign… Read More

Recently, some Republicanleaders werenoted in the press as having the goalof transformingCalifornia into a ‘purple’ (or ‘swing’ state) rather than intoa red (safe Republican)state. The presumption behind this thought is that given the raw registration numbers, the ideological numbers, and the current gerrymandered districts, it’s a more attainable goal to move the state into the push column rather than establish political hegemony.

I agree, at least for the foreseeable future. While total victory is an admirable goal under most circumstances, there are circumstances where one’s strategic interests and the actual situation on the ground dictates a less comprehensive short or medium term solution. For the California Republican Party simply being in the game to run the government would be an enormous victory. And for our national party, forcing the Democrats to view California as a swing state and spend tens of millions of dollars to defend it in Presidential, Senate, and Congressional elections, would be a blessing.

I’ve had brief discussions on this issue with a few more or less brainy campaign… Read More

Foreign Affairs: Many of you may have heard me say before that the most important function of the federal government is, as the preamble to the Constitution says, "to provide for the common defence" and to deal with issues involving our relations with nations around the globe and our place in the world. It is one of the few provinces ofgovernance which is reserved exclusively for the federal government and not for state or local governments. Furthermore, if we mess it up, the consequences of major war or some other national crisis can make our everyday domestic issues pale in significance. Lately, there has been, and I think there always will be, lots of activity in Congress on issues relating to foreign affairs. Here is just a sampling of some of the debates going on currently: … Read More

With his decision to support new spending for health care and insurance coverage for illegal alien children, Governor Schwarzenegger has in essence poured a vat of honey on legislative Republicans and pushed them into the grizzly bear habitat.

The Republican members of the State Assembly and Senate are now once again the only thing standing in the way of this poor excuse for public policy. And as Karen Hanretty has already pointed out, they will be on the receiving end of relentless attacks through the rest of the budget process.

The governor has also successfully further alienated the vast majority of voters, regardless of party. Perhaps the Governor doesn’t care about public opinion and good for him. But back in the real world where public opinion matters, especially in an election year, his words are problematic.

Compassion is the word that comes mind after several that the G rated nature of the Flash Report won’t allow me to exclaim. I know some will claim that providing health care to all children is the compassionate thing to… Read More

With his decision to support new spending for health care and insurance coverage for illegal alien children, Governor Schwarzenegger has in essence poured a vat of honey on legislative Republicans and pushed them into the grizzly bear habitat.

The Republican members of the State Assembly and Senate are now once again the only thing standing in the way of this poor excuse for public policy. And as Karen Hanretty has already pointed out, they will be on the receiving end of relentless attacks through the rest of the budget process.

The governor has also successfully further alienated the vast majority of voters, regardless of party. Perhaps the Governor doesn’t care about public opinion and good for him. But back in the real world where public opinion matters, especially in an election year, his words are problematic.

**There is more – click the link**… Read More

The state constitution requires that the legislature pass a budget by June 15, which is today. Will our well-paid, full-time legislature fulfill to its constitutional duty? Not according to the Democrat’s fearless leader, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. What’s holding up the budget? According to Nunez, it’s the Republicans’ darned obsession with illegal immigration. The Assembly Reps have said that they won’t vote for the Democrats’ effort to expand the state-funded children’s health programs to include illegal immigrant children.

In the Governor’s revised budget proposal, he added an additional $23 million in general funds and personnel to expand coverage to 24,000 uninsured children of the working poor. According to the Assembly Republican Caucus, the Democrats, in negotiations leading up to a legislative vote, expanded the Healthy Families program to cover illegal immigrants and families of four with annual incomes of about… Read More

Club for Growth has a post today on their blog about Brian Bilbray’s about face on the issue on congressional earmarks. They point out what he said in the campaign and his FOUR votes againt ammendments proposed to curtail congressional pork. See post here.

One of the reasons CRA opposed Bilbray in the primary was his past history as a congressman. Despite the many assurances that things would change they didn’t. Business as usual

Bilbray wasn’t alone in continuing these congressional practices. Only Dan Lungren voted for a couple of the ammendments. The rest of the GOP delegation voted four times to protect secret earmarks and pork spending projects. Then they all voted for a bill that had 1500 earmarks.

When Democrats were in power, the GOP stood as the check on uncontrolled wasteful spending. But who will check the GOP???… Read More

The state constitution requires that the legislature pass a budget by June 15, which is today. Will our well-paid, full-time legislature fulfill to its constitutional duty? Not according to the Democrat’s fearless leader, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. What’s holding up the budget? According to Nunez, it’s the Republicans’ darned obsession with illegal immigration. The Assembly Reps have said that they won’t vote for the Democrats’ effort to expand the state-funded children’s health programs to include illegal immigrant children.

In the Governor’s revised budget proposal, he added an additional $23 million in general funds and personnel to expand coverage to 24,000 uninsured children of the working poor. According to the Assembly Republican Caucus, the Democrats, in negotiations leading up to a legislative vote, expanded the Healthy Families program to cover illegal immigrants and families of four with annual incomes of about… Read More