I’ve heard from a lot of FR readers, who are upset at the legislature’s passage of the largest tax increase in the history of any state, and a good number of them ask me why Assemblyman Roger Niello should be treated any differently, in terms of culpability, than Senators Ashburn, Cogdill and Maldonado, and Assemblymembers Adams and Villines.

These readers bring up a good and valid point. While it is true that unlike the other five, Niello did not sign the Americans for Tax Reform No New Taxes pledge, that doesn’t let him off the hook for being a deciding vote to slam Californian’s with two years of higher taxes (to the tune of an estimated $16 billion or more!).

The reality is that just like the others, Roger Niello used plenty of anti-tax rhetoric in his campaigns and in his speechifying — he’ll tell you right now, to your face, how terrible it is to raise taxes.

So, relative to the "non-pledge taker," one has to say … Read More

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Our continuing Republican circular firing squad has gained some powerful new gunmen as KFI’s "John and Ken" Show hasseen the commercial value of Republicans picking on Republicans rather than Democrats, in their development of a political "lottery" system to dole out venom against the likes of freshman Assemblyman Jeff Miller, who is both a good and decent guy and a conservative star, who doesn’t deserve the abuse.

Miller’s heresy, according to John and Ken, is that he was one of 28 (of atotal of 29)other Republican members of the Assembly who didn’t support a motion to axe the Republican Leader after the budget deal was made in Sacramento. Miller himself voted against the budget. But that doesn’t matter to John and Ken, they want him recalled, as a result of randomly picking his name out of a hat. The result has been a verbal Jihad against Miller over the airways, (inter-spiced with commercial announcements) and for what I (with due respect for the showmanship of John and Ken) think is a crime Millerhas not committed:being a liberal.

Is all this recall talk of… Read More

The "endorsement battles" continue to the GOP primary battle for Governor. Earlier this week Meg Whitman announced endorsements from former Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman and Assemblywoman Connie Conway.

Poizner has responded with a pretty big name in California Republican politics — today rolling out an endorsement from venerable GOP strategist Ken Khachigian. Khachigian has been engaged in the political scene for a longtime, playing key roles in the elections of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George Deukmejian, and Pete Wilson.

I have known Khachigian for over twenty years now, and he has served as a personal mentor to me, and played a critical role in the establishment of the FlashReport (you can read that here)!

Khachigian’s endorsement is a big one — and to the extent that the advice and input he offers to the Poizner campaign is thoughtfully considered, he can really be of assistance in the campaign.… Read More

As I began reading Senator Abel Maldanado’s oped yesterday in support of the proposed "blanket" primary, the great compromise in the budget negotiations, I was stunned by the following lead sentence, "When I was first elected to the state Assembly 10 years ago, I was elected in an open primary system."

Wait! I thought he was trying to make a case FOR the blanket primary? Now that he has refreshed our memories of the circumstances of his election, which we can now tie to a $60 billion haircut for taxpayers over the next five years, why in the hell would any thinking person support this initiative.

We now can quanitiify the cost of our last "blanket primary". $60 billion. Yes, this is the great outcome from the last time! What a persuasive argument to vote no.… Read More

We’re fed a media diet rich in monotonous blah blah blah and light on substance; the mix is occasionally supplemented with nutritive additives provided by thoughtful "consultants" convincing us like a square paper carton of bad Chinese food we’re not quite full and should maintain our rate and quantity of consumption.

Such is the debate over the Democratic campaign to "annoint" a new head of the Republican Party: Rush Limbaugh.

Yesterday’s news delivered the exclamation point in an op ed by former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. Politico ran coverage of the issue, as did the Washington Post. Jay Nordlinger weighs in over at NationalReview.com.

But sadly, it’s a strategy that is sexy to the media and to the public for the moment but is really a shock and awe campaign that will quickly fade.

Every candidate has had a mail piece dropped prior to an election with their face adjacent to the… Read More

Thank You: First of all, I would like to offer a very heartfelt thank you from the Captivating Mrs. Campbell (Catherine) and me for all the prayers and good wishes (and medical advice) from the many hundreds of readers of this missive who e-mailed, wrote, and called. It was all much appreciated and we could both feel your prayers every day. The surgery went very well (they took out 18" of my colon) and my recovery is on schedule. Statistics at the Mayo Clinic (where the procedure was done) say that 98% of people who go through this surgery never experience diverticulitis again. I hope I am not in the other 2%. Besides, if I were, Obama would raise my taxes more!

I read every one of your emails after the announcement of my surgery and they all provided much encouragement and comfort. I have to say though; my favorite was from one reader who said: "Get well quickly John, so I can disagree with you again."

I’m Baaack: Although I probably won’t be 100% recovered until sometime in April, I am back to work in Washington. About a month ago, the condition of my health was bad. Doctors did a diagnosis,… Read More

The Republican Party is clearly in a re-building phase and innovation will be a big part of the makeover process. CA State GOP chairman Ron Nehring is known for his use of technology and his willingness to go to far corners to promote the Republican brand. So it’s not surprising that RNC chairman Michael Steele has appointed Ron to lead the committee of state Republican chairmen.

The press release follows…

RNC ANNOUNCES NEW CHAIR OF STATE PARTY CHAIRMEN COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele announced today the appointment of California Republican Party (CRP) Chairman Ron Nehring, to be the chair of the State Party Chairmen Committee.

“Ron’s experience and dedication makes him a valuable member of our team,” Steele said. “I have no doubt that he will help bring the voice of every Republican state party to the national table.”

Nehring is the Chairman of the largest Republican state party in the United States. He was first elected Chairman in 2007 and was recently re-elected on a platform of ensuring that California is a leader in utilizing new and innovative… Read More