To the San Diego-based Republican organization that sent out its electronic newsletter this morning…get a clue. As much as some folks would like to think that the world revolves around politics 100% of the time, there are more than a few people in San Diego County today that would say differently.

There are reports that 250,000 county residents are currently evacuated due to the fires. This may turn into the worst such disaster in State history, even more devastating than the Cedar Fire of four years ago. I haven’t talked to anyone this morning that hasn’t been impacted in some way, via family, friends or directly.

But, in politics the show must go on, apparently, so instead of thinking about the ramifications of sending out an electronic communications on a day when most have other things on their minds — which could be viewed as petty, or even oblivious to the firestorm going on around — let’s just do it anyway.

Perhaps next time, take a breath and hold off for a few days. Or, since you are a political organization and people are anticipating political information, maybe find a way to include a message of… Read More

As I sit in my San Diego office this morning I look out over the normally busy intersection of Broadway and 5th. Today I see two people. The cars are usually jammed the length of Broadway. Today you could walk across the street without getting one horn jammed at you.With the suburbs on fire, and the many of the roads and freeways shut down, downtown is almost a ghost town…hazy and quiet.… Read More

My friend Justin Sayfie runs the Sayfie Review Website on Florida Politics, over in the Sunshine State. (Our sites may look similar as we use the same development firm out of Orlando). Justin also has recently launched Sayfie News, a website focusing on national politics. Anyways, he took the time to interview U.S. Representative Connie Mack (R-Fl) about his recent endorsement of Mitt Romney for President. You can see that interview below if you would like. What is the nexus to California politics? Well, Connie Mack is engaged to marry California’s own Mary Bono, who represents Riverside County in the U.S. House. The fun "kicker" here is that Bono has endorsed Giuliani. I guess this vastly increases the likelyhood that someone will have access to the best parties at next year’s GOP National Convention! … Read More

Instead of a traditional commentary this morning, we want to use this space to ask FR readers to keep firefighters and other first-responders in their prayers as they are battling the staggering amount of wildfires throughout Southern California. As many readers know, my family lives in Irvine, California. Well, we are so close to one of the fires that ashes are all around the neighborhood, and the smell of smoke permeates everywhere, indoors and out. From where we are, the fire is just a couple of miles away, burning through the dense foliage on the north side of our town. Our friends, Dick and Linda Ackerman (yeah, the Senate Republican Leader) actually live about a mile closer to the fire than we do. I spoke with Dick and Linda several times last night, and with Dick this morning. They are safe, but of course we all get concerned when this kind of incident comes this close to our daily lives. This morning it was announced by authorities here in Orange County that the source of… Read More

Instead of a traditional commentary this morning, we want to use this space to ask FR readers to keep firefighters and other first-responders in their prayers as they are battling the staggering amount of wildfires throughout Southern California. As many readers know, my family lives in Irvine, California. Well, we are so close to one of the fires that ashes are all around the neighborhood, and the smell of smoke permeates everywhere, indoors and out. From where we are, the fire is just a couple of miles away, burning through the dense foliage on the north side of our town. Our friends, Dick and Linda Ackerman (yeah, the Senate Republican Leader) actually live about a mile closer to the fire than we do. I spoke with Dick and Linda several times last night, and with Dick this morning. They are safe, but of course we all get concerned when this kind of incident comes this close to our daily lives. This morning it was announced by authorities here in Orange County that the source of… Read More

Last Sunday I was delighted to fly to San Francisco and meet with Pepperdine Law School Dean, former Solicitor General of the United States, and Independent Counsel investigator of President Bill Clinton, Ken Starr, to talk about…..wine deregulation!

As a Pepperdine Law graduate myself and fellow Reagan Administration alumni, I had a couple of other reasons to really enjoy our 2 hour meeting, but the main purpose of our discussion had to do with a project that is close to Dean Starr’s heart (and also good for it), namely, working to oppose prohibitionist-style laws that still exist in many states that bar the direct shipment of wine to consumers. These regulatory barriers, including barriers to direct purchase and shipment of wine over the internet, exist in large states such as Texas and New Jersey, and are highly discriminatory against smaller family wineries in California that produce high quality products but cannot get access to these states for sales through theoutmoted "three tier"… Read More

Which of the four currently-announced GOP candidates is leading the money race in the open Duncan Hunter seat? Well, that depends on the author of the respective press release. Check out three of the contenders’ excerpted samplings from the last week…

Duncan D. Hunter Congressional Campaign Leads Race for FundsLa Mesa, CA – In spite of the fact that their candidate is serving his country 8000 miles away, the Duncan D. Hunter for Congress campaign announced today that they are leading all challengers in the race for campaign funds… The Hunter for Congress committee has raised $170,730 this year – all of it while Duncan D. Hunter, a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, has been serving in Afghanistan. Bob Watkins Delivers Strong Early Campaign Finance Report: Campaign Cash Tops All Others in Race(San Diego) – Although opening his congressional campaign committee just three weeks before the September 30, 2007 finance filing deadline, former San Diego County Lincoln Club Chairman – Republican Bob Watkins… Read More

Last Sunday I was delighted to fly to San Francisco and meet with Pepperdine Law School Dean, former Solicitor General of the United States, and Independent Counsel investigator of President Bill Clinton, Ken Starr, to talk about…..wine deregulation!

As a Pepperdine Law graduate myself and fellow Reagan Administration alumni, I had a couple of other reasons to really enjoy our 2 hour meeting, but the main purpose of our discussion had to do with a project that is close to Dean Starr’s heart (and also good for it), namely, working to oppose prohibitionist-style laws that still exist in many states that bar the direct shipment of wine to consumers. These regulatory barriers, including barriers to direct purchase and shipment of wine over the internet, exist in large states such as Texas and New Jersey, and are highly discriminatory against smaller family wineries in California that produce high quality products but cannot get access to these states for sales through theoutmoted "three tier"… Read More