Last week, I was invited by my friends at the Young America’s Foundation to travel to Santa Barbara, where the Foundation has its Western presence — through its 1997 acquisition of President Ronald Reagan’s 600 acre mountain ranch, Rancho Del Cielo, and where they subsequently built the Reagan Ranch Center in downtown Santa Barbara — a state of the art conference center which acts as a headquarters for training thousands of young people about the conservative principles which Reagan espoused and lived.

Last Tuesday, at the Reagan Ranch Center, the Foundation hosted a special event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s prophetic speech at the Brandenburg Gate in a then-divided Berlin where Reagan appealed to the Soviet Premiere, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

About a hundred and fifty of us were on hand for the festivities, which started with well known… Read More

From time to time, it’s important to note the goings on with some of our FR friends. Hot off of the presses is the news that Joe Shumate (with whom I had a chance to do some work back when I was Executive Director of the State GOP), and whom I would charactarize as a savvy political strategist and a voter targeting expert, is joining up with well-respected opposition research specialist Mark Bogetich (pictured) and (along with two policy-wonk types, Mike Kahoe and Larry Green) are starting up a new firm, BGK Strategies.

From chatting with Mark, it would appear that their firm will focus on independent expenditure efforts, ballot measure campaigns, issue advocacy and public affairs projects. Republican candidates fear not, Mark assures me that he and Joe will continue to provide services to GOP candidates.

Bonus round question: Which candidate for President did Joe… Read More

When Mark Ridley-Thomas was an LA City councilman during the LA Riots of 1992, he personally authored legislation that prohibited over 3000 market and shop owners from rebuilding their businesses. Claiming that the markets were encouraging lawless behavior and the prices were too steep, thousands of Korean-American merchants lost even more following the riots. The real victims were those who served the community as store owners. His economic policy continues to cause his community to suffer poor services, gang violence and failing schools. His legacy was to stop economic progress for his constituents and to fear the growing Latino influence in his historically black seat.

Since moving to the Senate, Ridley-Thomas believes his work is incomplete. As chair of the Business and Professions Committee, he set his cross hairs on the chiropractic profession. He seeks to simply abolish the civil rights protection that the chiropractors earned in 1922, when they got sufficient signatures to permit California voters by Initiative to approve the Chiropractic Act. The Act permitted chiropractors to see patients without fear of medical and legal persecution. The Act has worked well 85… Read More

When Mark Ridley-Thomas was an LA City councilman during the LA Riots of 1992, he personally authored legislation that prohibited over 3000 market and shop owners from rebuilding their businesses. Claiming that the markets were encouraging lawless behavior and the prices were too steep, thousands of Korean-American merchants lost even more following the riots. The real victims were those who served the community as store owners. His economic policy continues to cause his community to suffer poor services, gang violence and failing schools. His legacy was to stop economic progress for his constituents and to fear the growing Latino influence in his historically black seat.

Since moving to the Senate, Ridley-Thomas believes his work is incomplete. As chair of the Business and Professions Committee, he set his cross hairs on the chiropractic profession. He seeks to simply abolish the civil rights protection that the chiropractors earned in 1922, when they got sufficient signatures to permit California voters by Initiative to approve the Chiropractic Act. The Act permitted chiropractors to see patients without fear of medical and legal persecution. The Act has worked well 85… Read More

Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore announced today that if he is elected President, he will launch a "national property rights initiative" to put the Federal government in the forefront of opposing private property rights abuses through eminent domain. Invoking the property rights case known as Kelo v. City of New London, Gilmore stated he would: reissue an Executive Order of Ronald Reagan restraining the Federal government from abusing private property rights in Federal construction projects; create an Assistant to the President in the White House to oversee Federal protection of property rights; order the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to issue new regulations protecting property rights in Federal housing programs and construction; and create a Federal Commission to receive reports on property rights abuses at the state and local level. Gilmore made the announcement at the annual National Taxpayers Union taxpayers conference in Washington, D.C.

Gilmore discussed his background as a former Republican National Committee Chairman and as a member of a Federal Commission that investigated domestic terrorism. But he also… Read More

No, not Mr. Echo from "Lost." Mr. Echo as inEcho Chamber, the proverbial poli-buzz-buzz that follows any announcement such as that of Mark Larson yesterday morning.

Larson, an oft rumored candidate but never yet the bride, announced on the air Friday morning that he is leaving his KOGO Radio talk show effective immediately. Mark posts on his blog, "This is fully my decision, based on many factors. It’s no secret that the programming change a couple of months ago has been a difficult transition, and something that was increasingly difficult to do with all of my other business interests. The day felt like it was two days long." (As that probably wasn’t enough of a toughie, he and his wife later in the morning found one of their dogs had died.)

As there has been much conjecture about Larson’s possible run for an open Duncan Hunter seat (C.D. 52), especially considering Duncan’s son is in the mix, the announcement drove Mr. Echo into high gear. I came home last night to… Read More

After you’ve built one of the most successful investment banking institutions in America, served as the California Republican Party’s Finance Chairman, set up charities supporting private and charter schools and maintains an excellent long term marriage to Kathy his first bride, what then?

Well, President Bush appointed Frank Baxter to serve as American’sAmbassador to the "Switzerland of South America". Uruguay is not quite Switzerland, it’s run by moderate socialists. Naturally, Michelle and I wanted to see Frank and Kathy next time we were in the area.

So we [Pub Note: "we" is Shawn and his wife, Michelle, a member of the State Board of Equalization] found ourselves in the area last week. Frank set up dinner for us with leaders of 4 political parties. We even had an interpreter when discussing California politics. The current government is composed of a left of center regime, but they are not… Read More

After you’ve built one of the most successful investment banking institutions in America, served as the California Republican Party’s Finance Chairman, set up charities supporting private and charter schools and maintains an excellent long term marriage to Kathy his first bride, what then?

Well, President Bush appointed Frank Baxter to serve as American’sAmbassador to the "Switzerland of South America". Uruguay is not quite Switzerland, it’s run by moderate socialists. Naturally, Michelle and I wanted to see Frank and Kathy next time we were in the area.

So we [Pub Note: "we" is Shawn and his wife, Michelle, a member of the State Board of Equalization] found ourselves in the area last week. Frank set up dinner for us with leaders of 4 political parties. We even had an interpreter when discussing California politics. The current government is composed of a left of center regime, but they are not… Read More