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

Congressman Bobby Jindal has become America’s first Indian-American Governor tonight, replacing the pathetic Democrat Kathleen Blanco whose disastrous handling of Katrina forced her to not seek re-election. Jindal won with over 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff and becomes the youngest Governor in the nation.

Let’s hope Mary Landrieu is next to go.… Read More

It’s days like today when FlashReport readers can be pleased that our good friend Tom McClintock has given the FR carte blanche to publish his writings here on this site. Well, if you weren’t able to attend the Western Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend, then you missed one heck of a speech by Tom. The good news is that the entire speech was reprinted on Tom’s website, and now I am pleased to present it, in its entirety, right here:

You have extended me a very dangerous invitation tonight – to speak to a gathering of political conservatives on the day that Al Gore has received the Nobel Peace Prize for discovering that the earth’s climate is changing. … Read More

It’s days like today when FlashReport readers can be pleased that our good friend Tom McClintock has given the FR carte blanche to publish his writings here on this site. Well, if you weren’t able to attend the Western Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend, then you missed one heck of a speech by Tom. The good news is that the entire speech was reprinted on Tom’s website, and now I am pleased to present it, in its entirety, right here:

You have extended me a very dangerous invitation tonight – to speak to a gathering of political conservatives on the day that Al Gore has received the Nobel Peace Prize for discovering that the earth’s climate is changing.

I’ve heard that he’s going to contribute… Read More

While taxpayers continue to worry about soaring gas prices, home ownership, and rising food and tax costs, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has prematurely paid taxpayer dollars for vans that are sitting idle because there is no clear plan to equip them for their intended purposes. Consequently, CHP has wasted an enormous amount of taxpayer dollars that could have been spent on improving roads, providing water storage, or actually fighting crime. According to the (Sacramento Bee, September 21, 2007), “’The California Highway Patrol wasted almost $1 million in taxpayer money by buying 51 vehicles that went mostly unused for more than two years,’ State Auditor Elaine Howle said in an audit released Thursday.” “Howle’s review found that 46 of the 51 vans, most of them intended for the CHP’s truck inspection operation, sat almost entirely idle, parked on CHP property in an outdoor location….As of April, those vans had been driven only 401 miles – an average of nine miles per van….”… Read More

A quick glance at a news article in Wednesday’s edition of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario) suggests that Russ Warner, one of two Democrats running for the right to take on GOP incumbent David Dreier in the 26th Congressional District, had a truly outstanding third quarter of campaign fundraising for his longshot bid. “The money raised by Russ Warner, a Rancho Cucamonga resident, is far larger than what is typically raised this early in the race by Democratic candidates in the Republican-leaning 26th Congressional District”reported the newspaper’s staff reporter Will Bigham. Read the story here. Warner’s supporters in the left-wing blogosphere reacted jubilantly to the news of Warner’s surprising finance success. “Dreier should be worried” wrote an anonymous poster on a leftist political website … Read More

While our publisher would otherwise point out I am indeed on his FEC reports, the info I am sharing in this post is my own research and view, not Rudy Giuliani’s campaign’s.

OC Blog posted the results of a SurveyUSA poll taken October 12 – 14 showing Rudy Giuliani now has the momentum in California among Republican voters, with a substantial lead of 39%, compared to 18% for Thompson, 14% for Romney, and 13% for McCain. Giuliani’s lead over his closest competitor widened in California from 2 points to 21 points in the 30 days between September and October. Giuliani was shown to have a lead in all categories of Republican voters in California, consistent with a Fabrizio, McLaughlin national poll I reported on here three months ago.

Giuliani’s lead is consistent and is evident in other large states that will send large delegations to the Republican National Convention, and recent polls. In New Jersey, a Quinnipiac University poll taken October 9 – 11 shows Giuliani with 48%, McCain and Thompson tied at 12%, and Romney way back at 7%.

An important consideration for many… Read More

As you know if you are a regular ready, we seldom make financial appeals… Well, in case you have been wondering when we would make one — that would be… Now…

Our own Mike Spence needs your help. November 6, 2007 West Covina Unified School District will elect their board. Many of you know Mike as President of the California Republican Assembly and a correspondent for FR . He is more than that. At the the State level he serves on the CRP Executive Committee and chairs the CRP Initiatives Committee. He previously has been on the CRP Board of Directors and chaired the State GOP Education Committee When we needed Mike to stand up for principle he was always there. Now, Mike needs our help. He has filed for re-election to the West Covina School Board. When the Governor had Teacher Tenure and Budget Reform on the ballot in 2005, very few education leaders supported him. Mike Spence not… Read More