I read this morning on the San Diego Union Tribune website that some folks have written to President Bush, asking him to show leniency to federal inmate Randall "Duke" Cunningham as he leaves office. Leniency for the traitor Duke Cunningham? ARE YOU KIDDING?

When I think about him and what he did – selling America – get as angry now as I was when I first read about him penning his infamous "list" of government goods he would deliver for personal gain. But instead of getting all fired up again, I will reprint below a column from the FlashReport which ran last Thanksgiving weekend. Everything in it still applies.

President Bush, you should pardon Campeon and Ramos — but Duke Cunningham — well, he should serve every minute of his sentence, and then, when released, should be shunned.

Anyways, my commentary from last year…

Duke Cunningham – The Traitor Almost Ruined My Thanksgiving… Read More

It’s that time. THE San Diego General Election Contest. Read below and take a stab. Pretty straightforward this time, no “name the top two” type questions. San Diego area only, no presidential or statewide issues. Every correct answer is worth one point.

Question #1: A Taxing Question – Does Prop A, the Countywide Parcel Tax for Fire Protection, win or lose?

Question #2: San Diego City Attorney – Will Jan Goldsmith garner more or less than 55 percent of the vote?

Question #3: 78th Assembly – Block or McCann?

Question #4: Oceanside – Will Esther Sanchez retain her City Council seat, yes or no?

Question #5: Chula Vista – Will Steve Castaneda retain his City Council seat, yes or no?

Question #6: 50th Congressional – Will Brian Bilbray garner more or less than 60 percent of the vote?

Question #7: 52nd Congressional – Will Duncan D. Hunter garner more or less than 60 percent of the vote?

Question #8: District 1 SD City… Read More

I’ve previously posted on this site about the endorsements that have been made in legislative races by current City Managers. It is my belief that it violates the spirit of the code of ethics of the International City Managers Association.

Certainly city managers are individuals with first amendment rights like anyone else. However, most reasonable local government types would conclude that a truly professional city manager would want to avoid directly being involved with political campaigns for candidates in their jurisdiction.

So what about a City Attorney? I think most people would also conclude that a City Attorney would not want to be making contributions to candidates or independent expenditures that would shape the elected body that they serve as legal counsel.

As the hit pieces keep coming in the Victorville City Council race I started to get curious about the Committee Against Corruption. They have been attacking candidate Ryan McEachron, the top challenger to the three incumbents up for re-election on Tuesday.

So after doing a little digging on line I found that one of the contributors to the Committee Against Corruption was… Read More

Joe Baca, a Democrat Member of Congress from the Inland Empire has drawn the wrath of citizens and local elected officials from within his district. These days, when you see negative advertisements on television or cable, they are typically either paid for by some Beltway interest, or funding by the campaign of a candidate’s opponent. Not so in this case, where local elected officials have come together to fund the two ads below blasting “Working” Joe Baca.

… Read More

The election campaign is still not over but the use of the popular word "rebranding" of the Republican Party is becoming as recurrent as the word "Obama" in my private discussions with conservatives. Conservative leader and fundraiser Richard Viguerie is holding a well known "secret" meeting of Beltway conservative organizations next Thursday to assess the results of the election and what must be done to make the GOP a dominant force again. One of my prominent conservative clients is holding his own set of meetings before and after the election. In a conversation I had yesterday with a New York City-based lawyer/GOP activist, the major point of the discussion was, "I don’t see how Duncan can stay on as the Chairman of the Party." There is a palpable tendency this weekend among the people I talk with to not look at what is going to happen on Tuesday, but beyond.

To be honest, we have been here before. I took a quick look through my files this morning and found a copy of the Orange County Register’s "Orange County Voices," published on Sunday, March 14, 1993, a full… Read More

Dear Senator McCain,

Sir, I know the chances of you seeing this note are slim, but I want to send you a public letter of encouragement. I am so proud of you, and feel fortunate for every single day I’ve had the privilege of supporting you. I read “Faith of My Fathers” in 1999, and since then I’ve been 100% in your camp. You’ve never let me down for a second, and I have been delighted to hold you up as a role model to my three kids who have been involved in both of your presidential campaigns. In 2000, they were just babies, and they rode in their car seats while I dropped off yard signs once a week, and in that same minivan they have traveled to McCain events during this campaign. As a family, we watch you speak on TV, and they respond to your leadership and positive attitude with the same gusto that my husband and I do. My husband and I are both Veterans – he’s a jarhead and I’m a squid – and we wish that we could have served under you as our Commander-in-Chief. You are brave, strong, wise and judicious, and that is why I believe you will undoubtedly be America’s choice on Tuesday.

Sir, I was part of your California campaign through Super… Read More

The African-American community overwhelmingly supports Proposition, the Restore Marriage Initiative.

So it stands to reason that the venerable NAACP — the nation’s oldest African-American organization — would also be supportive of Proposition 8.

You’d think…

…but NAACP President Alice Huffman has come out against Proposition 8.

Now why would she go completely counter to the strong sentiment of the community whose interest she purports to advance?

Perhaps the answer is here. Alice Huffman’s public affairs consulting firm, AC Public Affairs, has recieved $198,000 by the No on * campaign.

Huffman has, in the past, accepted huge consulting fees to assist ballot measures that the NAACP has endorsed.

But for the NAACP president to take money to work against an initiative that is overwhelmingly supported by the very community for whom she holds herself out as a spokesperson?… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

‘Election Deception,’ California-style

The profligate spending of California’s local governments means pols are going to extreme lengths to grab revenue. Voters in more than two dozen California jurisdictions, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, will be asked next week to approve telephone tax increases. Thanks to misleading summaries on local ballots, many will actually think they’re voting for tax cuts.

The California Taxpayers’ Association calls it "Deception 2008." Only two jurisdictions, Eureka and Seaside, appear to have legitimate phone tax repeals on the ballot.… Read More