A follow up to my earlier post…

I just got off the phone with Assemblyman Joel Anderson. His AB 1506, which would require California to accept as payment those state-registered warrants issued to citizens and businesses in lieu of real money, has passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

This, after the bill went to the dreaded suspense file just last week.Committee Chairman Kevin DeLeon apparently had a change of heart after Anderson was able to demonstrate the immediate state savings.As well, Anderson delivered a mere 1,500 letters of support to DeLeon yesterday.

Awaiting the Anderson release, but FR readers now have the update.… Read More

Law School Professor Tom Campbell gets some serious love today from Pulitzer Prize winning columnist George Will today, with a major profile piece.

Campbell, who has served taxpayers as a Member of Congress, a State Senator and as Director of the California Department of Finance is running a spirited if financially challenged campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor.

Campbell faces uber-wealthy candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner in the June primary. No doubt Campbell would encourage those who follow California politics to look to the 1998 Democrat Gubernatorial primary, where two very wealthy candidates, former Northwest Airlines CEO Al Checchi and consumer electronics magnate Jane Harman, both spent millions out of their personal fortunes, yet it was Lt. Governor Gray Davis who emerged as the victor in that primary (who went on to trounce Dan Lungren in the general election later that year).

Campbell has… Read More

Gotta love those Democrats. Capitol Weekly has the story about the Dems being 4 year olds (our words, not Cap Weekly’s). Speaking of the big rally — it’s tomorrow! Click on the ad at the top of the right column of ads for the details.… Read More

I got a message from the Voter Registration Chairman for the Orange County Republican Party. She heard about the proposal I have put forward that says Republicans should choose Republican nominees for office. She was confused — she thought we already had that in place. (I can see where it is confusing, as the Presidential primary is open only to registered Republicans, but not the other races). She said that the party’s voter registration booths she encounters a great many people who are seriously thinking about re-registering from Republican to Decline To State. She’s been telling them that they should stay, and trying a number of arguments. But the most powerful and effective one? When she tells them that if they leave the party they can no longer vote in Republican primaries. That has been keeping a great many from leaving. Of course, it’s not true — and now she knows better so she can’t say that anymore. At least not for a few weeks…… Read More

The tension was already palpable at a townhall held by Democrat Congressman Jim Moran (VA) as he tried to sell Obama’s health care plan to dubious citizens. But things went from bad to worse when Moran had the audacity to ask for a constituent’s ID instead of answering the man’s question. Moran made this remarkably inept move under the auspice of controlling outside protestors from attending (and ostensibly) disrupting health care townhalls.

Moran is a poster boy for sneering, bad-mannered politicians. Americans deserve better from their representatives.

It’s too bad Moran and other Democrats don’t have this much passion for requiring ID at the voting polls as they do for ID-ing their constituents.… Read More

The 10th Assembly District which is centered in the San Joaquin and Sacramento County Areas – largely around South East Sacramento County, the Stockton area, and east into the foothills is a seat that had long been held by Republicans until last November when Democrat Alyson Huber narrowly defeated GOPer Jack Sieglock. As the saying goes, success has many fathers but failure is an orphan. In this case, no one wanted to take “credit” on the GOP side for Sieglock’s defeat and the shifting of this long-time Republican seat into the blue column. Some said that the candidate was to blame – did he campaign hard enough? Others said that funding priorities by the party and the Assembly GOP leadership were awry, and this caused the loss. I’ve heard others say that in the year of Obama, this seat was going to shift no matter what.

… Read More

As readers of this missive know, I frequently voice my opinionwhen I believe the President is doing the wrong thing. That has been the case with virtually everything he has done thus far. However, when he takes action that I believe to be correct or helpful, I will point that out as well. Such is the case this week when the President announced that he will reappoint Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve for another 4 year term. This is a hugely important and very positive decision for the following reasons:

Independence: The Federal Reserve should make decisions for economic reasons and remain independent of the White House so as not to politicize those decisions. I would say this regardless of who the President is. Bernanke is independent and will have been appointed by both Bush and Obama. Replacing him could have sent a sign that the Administration was trying to control the Fed which would have been a terrible message and precedent.

Past performance: With the benefit of hindsight, one can criticize some of Bernanke’s moves and statements during his first term. Certainly, he can be criticized for not identifying… Read More

The battle lines are drawn. Fleischman says the rule on primary voting (restricting Republican primaries to Republicans alone) is necessary to "maintain a vibrant GOP." Maldanado says it is suicidal. I think it is much ado about nothing.

Tony Quinn, in his column in Fox and Hounds, gives the numbers. The number of independent voters in Republican primaries in less than four percent. Now, I have to admit, I never agree with Quinn’s assessments of what it wrong in the GOP, but numbers don’t lie. Independent primary voters are for the most part irrelevant in either party primary (being about 6 percent of the Democrat voters). That means that restricting them from our primaries won’t be disastrous,and including them won’t make the party any more or less vibrant.

On the whole, if pressed on the question, I would say that Republican primaries are for Republicans. Definitely no Democrats, but I am ambivalent on DTS voters. The reason Republicans are losing voters to DTS status is not because Republicans are too conservative, however, it is because they stand for nothing. The party of small government and less taxes,… Read More