I was saddened to read on my new friend Bill Bradley’s New West Notes blog that our Republican Governor’s Chief of Staff, Democrat Susan Kennedy, would not be coming with the Governor to the GOP Convention!

The Governor has been taking her along as he has gone to smaller meetings with GOP donors. I had a chance (h/t to FR friend Richard Costigan) to meet Ms. Kennedy briefly following the State of the State Address last year. I found her to be quite charming and funny.

I actually think that it would be a good idea for her to come to the convention tonight. Actually, there are a few good reasons. Enough so that I thought I would give you my list of top reasons:

#10: Delegates would be fascinated, I’m sure, to hear about what it was like to try and defend Gray Davis in the recall – she could give a speech on… Read More

I don’t usually reprint press releases (read: propaganda) verbatim – but since I am scrambling to catch a flight to San Jose, and this release from Van Tran just arrived, I thought I should share the first paragraph since I earlier in the week posted that Lynn Daucher had pulled her nomination papers, but that Tran had not. Looks like we are off to the races.

For those far from Orange County, this is in the race for the GOP nomination for State Senate in the 34th district, where the forced retirement of Democrat Joe Dunn has left a competitive seat, since the GOP has tirelessly registered a ton of new GOPers in this once-safe Dem district.

OK, the blurb:

Popular Orange County Assemblyman Van Tran officially pulled candidate papers today for the open 34th Senate District, while his campaign finance team announced that $250,000 has already been raised for the effort.… Read More

Since last year Mindy Tucker Fletcher has been serving in the administration of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and not answering the phones (though that is an important part of any operation). Mindy is Deputy Chief of Staff for External Affairs. From this post, she is the liaison from the Governor to…well…everyone. In this spot, she also oversees the Governor’s field operations around the state. Her predecessor, Cassandra Pye, left big shoes to fill but Mindy has been doing a great job.

Well, the Governor will be looking for a new occupant for this post as it was made known this afternoon that Fletcher has been named Deputy Campaign Manager for the Governor’s re-election effort, sitting second- seat to CM Steve Schmidt.

Fletcher is no stranger to campaigns, having served as Press Secretary in President Bush’s campaign, working with Communications Director Karen Hughes.

I’ve come to know Mindy as a friend, and have high regard for her political acumen and ability. She will be a tremendous asset to the Governor in her new role (as she has been in her current one).

The campaign team is coming together as… Read More

Lately, one of the subjects of water-cooler conversations has been whether or not Congressman Bill Thomas (R-Bakersfield) will seek another term in the House of Representatives. Thomas has been in the house for decades, and it is often talked about that he is ready to retire. That having been said, it is also frequently talked about that he is persuing a way to continue to have as much say in the next session of Congress, given that the House rules prohibit the moderate GOPer from California from serving beyond this, his third term as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Thomas is a controversial character, who has ruffled a lot of feathers and is disliked by many. That said, he has been in Congress for a long time, and often times it is seniority, not popularity, that decided your fate. Now, though, Thomas may be at a crossroads where he will need friends, and that is not his long suit. On the other hand, he recently chose wisely on the race for House Majority Leader, weighing in at the end, quite publicly, for John Boehner.

So, will he stay or will he go? I don’t know. But here is a recent… Read More

Today’s main page is loaded with a ton of material today, and took an exceptionally long amount of time (I’ve been at it since 6am) to put together. Because of it, I won’t be able to expound long in today’s commentary. THE GOP CONVENTION Tomorrow I will be writing on the State Republican Party Convention, and what I expect to see happen there. If you want a preview, you can see how I artfully got Carla Marinucci to quote me saying "green eggs & ham" in a sentence in her pre-convention piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, which is featured on the main page.

Speaking of the GOP Convention – there are two exciting ways to enhance your participation if you are going, and are a reader of the FlashReport! Both are highlighted on the main page — we are having a great panel discussion featuring many of the contributors you read on the FR Weblog (sign up now, it is almost full), and also I am pleased to thank Congressman Darrell Issa who is throwing a party to celebrate the tremendous… Read More

Today’s main page is loaded with a ton of material today, and took an exceptionally long amount of time (I’ve been at it since 6am) to put together. Because of it, I won’t be able to expound long in today’s commentary.

THE GOP CONVENTION Tomorrow I will be writing on the State Republican Party Convention, and what I expect to see happen there. If you want a preview, you can see how I artfully got Carla Marinucci to quote me saying "green eggs & ham" in a sentence in her pre-convention piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, which is featured on the main page.

Speaking of the GOP Convention – there are two exciting ways to enhance your participation if you are going, and are a reader of the FlashReport! Both are highlighted on the main page — we are having a great panel discussion featuring many of the contributors you read on the FR Weblog (sign up now, it is almost full), and also I am pleased to thank Congressman Darrell Issa who is throwing a party to celebrate the tremendous success we’ve had in our five months of being… Read More

UC Board of Regents chair Gerald Parsky and UC President Robert Dynes gave anemic testimony yesterday about why the UC has been wasting the taxpayers money with bloated compensation packages, bonuses and other employee perks for the system’s high-level employees.

Parsky basically told legislators that UC has ignored reforms passed in the early 1990s.

According to the SF Chronicle, Parsky said, "The policies that were put in place post-1992 were very clear, very extensive and called for public disclosure. The letter and spirit of the principles have not been followed in every instance."

Dynes said UC accountability systems are "broken" and that he deserves an "incomplete" rather than a letter grade for his performance as… Read More

Okay, for the 4,000 th time……. I don’t care what speech the Governor gives, what comes out of Rules, Resolutions or Initiatives or what kind of grassroots training is on the agenda this weekend in San Jose. No amount of discussion on Republican judges, general obligation bonds, budget deficits or Rob Reiner matters anything in November. The Governor is well aware of how we feel on these issues.

Until a plan is put in place to political DEFEAT Nurses, Cops, Firefighters, Prison Guards and Teachers we are not going to win any Statewide Office in November. Do I have to type in ALL CAPS for everyone to understand this?

Voters WILL NOT BE CHOOSING between Arnold and a Democrat alternative this November. They will be choosing between Arnold and a candidate backed by the well regarded and trusted groups I have listed above. End of story. Highly paid consultants, are you listening? You want to energize the GOP base? Get a strategy in place to get this done.… Read More