There may be a problem with the influence of "special interests" in politics, and by that I mean that those benefiting from government services and spending who are making contributions to elected officials are representing an ever-growing portion of the funds that these officeholders and seekers receive in their campaigns. But that having been said, the solution to the problem is not to set up government prohibitions against these interest groups expressing their freedom of speech (one of the ways you exercise this right is by giving your money to candidates and causes). In fact, under the United States Constitutions, many such bans are constitutional. I would even argue that some of the bans that exist now are not constitutional. Of course, the Supreme Court has rightfully made it clear that no laws can prohibit a candidate from spending freely of their own money in running for office — meaning that all of the restrictions (such as those embodied in the horrific McCain-Feingold federal limits) serve to severely ’tilt’ the playing field in favor of those who can self-fund their own campaigns. Then there is this… Read More

I’m blogging from a luncheon near John Wayne Airport where the featured speaker is reknowned conservative columnist and TV persona Bob Novak.

The event is a day long symposium cosponsored by the Federalist Leadership Center (type the name plus dot com for their website) and the Orange County Lincoln Club (you can reach their website via their ad on this site). Conservative movement icon Don Devine, former Director of the Office of Personnel Management in the Reagan Administration, is the head of the Center’s program.

Our own former FR Managing Editor Nicholas Romero played a lead role in recruiting young students for a day of learning about conservatism, and about fifty or so Lincoln Club members are on hand at this luncheon, making for a pretty large crowd. Jim Silva, Van Tran and Chuck DeVore, Assemblymen all, are here flying the Republican legislative banner.

Novak’s remarks centered around a stinging critique of the Democrats on Capitol Hill, pointing out that on just one day last week, Democrats tried to advance three different measures that violate the U.S. Constitution.

Novak also looked at the Presidential… Read More

With those words yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi established herself as probably the dumbest House Speaker in history. The American people have a greater sense of the war effort than the President? Really? So a steady diet of negativity from the Eastern Print Media, NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN and CNN Headline News is what qualifies the American people to have a better sense of the war effort than the President? Okay, now I get it.!

Make no mistake – the average American, myself included, hasn’t a clue as to what is taking place in Iraq because they get almost 100% of their information from a media complex that reports over 80% negatively on matters pertaining to the war against terrorists. Fox News being the only real exception. The House vote yesterday was nothing but symbolism and a signal to the leftist base of the Democrat party that the Party is anti -war. They had to lard the bill with pork in every direction to buy votes on the resolution (Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, said the pork was necessary because the President hadn’t spent enough money in the last six years, incredible!) in order to get it passed.

Congressman Jim… Read More

I just attended a breakfast with Rudi Guilianni at Pebble Beach, where he energized the small crowd with his passionate speach on "Republicanism".

He hammered on the need for us as a party to communicate our ideas and solutions – because GOP solutions are better for people and better for freedom.

His freewheeling and engaging style were a refreshing change from the staid talking heads that dominate the political landscape.

Also attending – Congressman Dan Lungren, former Congressman Doug Ose, former GOP. Assembly leader Bob Naylor, former SJ vice Mayor Pat Dando.… Read More

Sometimes you just can’t get a Los Angeles Times reporter to read a sentence for what it actually says.

In the decision in the Gilchrist Minuteman case yesterday, the Judge wrote a pretty clear sentence in his order regarding Gilchrist’s request: "The application for a writ of possession is denied." Unfortunately, the reporter for the Times couldn’t quite get what that sentence in the Order meant, as she wrote in today’s paper "Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist and his opponents within the anti-illegal-immigration group both claimed victory Friday after an Orange County Superior Court judge put Gilchrist back in charge of the organization’s funds but indicated that those assets might soon be put into receivership." The reality is, the Judge DID NOT put Gilchrist "back in charge of the organization’s funds." I explained this ad nauseum to the reporter, but she was argumentative with me, didn’t like the Orange County Register front page above-the-fold headline stating "Gilchrist Loses Round in Court,"… Read More

Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will be in Orange County today, where I will be catching up to him. We’ll have the FR "FlashCam" along with us, and hopefully be able to bring you some exclusive footage (probably to run on Monday). The House passed, by the bare minimum 218 votes, an appropriation for the War in Iraq that continues a provision for a timeline for withdrawal. In order to get her votes, Pelosi packed the measure with tens of billions in non-related pork-barrel projects. Shame on all who voted for this horrible bill. When are Republicans (yes, even those in ‘rural districts’) going to end the double-standard of supporting massive subsidies for the agricultural industry, such as found in the ‘farm bill’ due for reauthorization this year. I am not sure what is more egregious, subsidizing farms for NOT producing certain products, or the idea that the federal government taxes all Americans and redistributes that wealth to farmers who have crop losses do to natural weather conditions. Isn’t that what private insurance is for? Last night, as the Southern Vice Chairman… Read More

Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will be in Orange County today, where I will be catching up to him. We’ll have the FR "FlashCam" along with us, and hopefully be able to bring you some exclusive footage (probably to run on Monday). The House passed, by the bare minimum 218 votes, an appropriation for the War in Iraq that continues a provision for a timeline for withdrawal. In order to get her votes, Pelosi packed the measure with tens of billions in non-related pork-barrel projects. Shame on all who voted for this horrible bill. When are Republicans (yes, even those in ‘rural districts’) going to end the double-standard of supporting massive subsidies for the agricultural industry, such as found in the ‘farm bill’ due for reauthorization this year. I am not sure what is more egregious, subsidizing farms for NOT producing certain products, or the idea that the federal government taxes all Americans and redistributes that wealth to farmers who have crop losses do to natural weather conditions. Isn’t that what private insurance is for? Last night, as the Southern Vice Chairman… Read More

Today, by a vote of 218-212 with one member voting "present", Speaker Pelosi got what she wanted: a policy of defeat with pork. Two Republicans voted for the Supplemental spending bill and 14 Democrats voted against what was otherwise a party-line vote. It is instructive to note that many Democrats understand how bad the war policy is here or it would not have been necessary to add $21 billion in unrelated spending to entice them to vote for it. It is insulting to our troops that peanut and shrimp subsidies seem more important to some than winning the war on terror. As the last time we debated the issue, the best statement was made by Vietnam POW Sam Johnson (R-TX). A link to his speech is below.

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