Running campaigns for legislative and local office based on a national or statewide or even regional level does not work unless you do it really really well. And no one has since 1994’s Contract With America.

American’s have the tendency to oversimplify politicial debates. Its not our fault, our nations history is filled with black and white (in the good v. evil, not the racial sense) conflicts. Either you were for or against independence or you sided with the North or the South in the civil war or you in the case of California you supported the Davis recall or not, etc.

But none of that translates into which candidate for state sentate you will choose. California voters are by no means homogenious, in fact, we are so remarkably different that not only will a framed message or theme fail to inspire a majority of voters to act locally, it is virtually impossible to deliver that message in the first place.

The relevance to today: it is probably a good thing for GOP candidates for local and legislative offices that there is no national or state Republican Agenda because we don’t have our act together.… Read More

Today the FlashReport is announcing the "20 Worst of the Worst" bills produced by the ultra-liberal legislature. These 20 bills have been placed on Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger by the Democrats, and we are calling on the Governor to veto ALL of them.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Republican Assemblymen Rick Keene and Chuck DeVore for doing the heavy lifting in identifying these bills, and so I would like to draw your attention to the list here.

We will be looking back at the list each day, with an eye on how the Governor is doing on our hopeful goal of a 1.000 batting average! Right now, as of this morning, he has officially vetoed one of the bills, so it at a .05 average (he has promised to veto another, and unfortunately has promised to SIGN three of the worst of the worst into law – be we will hold out hope).

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

Today the FlashReport is announcing the "20 Worst of the Worst" bills produced by the ultra-liberal legislature. These 20 bills have been placed on Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger by the Democrats, and we are calling on the Governor to veto ALL of them.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Republican Assemblymen Rick Keene and Chuck DeVore for doing the heavy lifting in identifying these bills, and so I would like to draw your attention to the list here.

We will be looking back at the list each day, with an eye on how the Governor is doing on our hopeful goal of a 1.000 batting average! Right now, as of this morning, he has officially vetoed one of the bills, so it at a .05 average (he has promised to veto another, and unfortunately has promised to SIGN three of the worst of the worst into law – be we will hold out hope).

Feel free to give your comments on the Worst of the Worst below!

Also, don’t miss the outrageous story today in the Los Angeles Times. Well, it isn’t really the story that is outrageous, it is the subject on which the story is focused… The use by the Angelides of a… Read More

Today the California Correctional Peace Officers Association endorsed Phil Angelides for Governor. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Let’s remember that this is not a interest group focused on making the prison system better, it is a public employee union. As such, they only care about the wages and benefits and working conditions of their members. This union is notorious for the political activitism and boast that they will spend millions for the candidates they endorse.

I’m sure Arnold Schwarzenegger is shaking in his snakeskin books.

Public employee unions are a significant part of our problems in Sacramento because they only sing from one play sheet — how do we get our employees more money and more benefits, and how do we create more government jobs? For them, the solution to every problem is simple – grow the size and scope of the government. Pay us more. Give us more benefits. Hire more of us.

I’m sure we’ll be reading more about the impact of this endorsement. But one that is certainly good is that it makes it just that much easier for Governor Schwarzenegger, politically, to tell these… Read More

I don’t know the guy at all, but I REALLY appreciate him helping our down-ticket GOP candidates (see Jon’s posting). Am I the only one wondering why Rudy Giuliani can make it California to help out Tom McClintock, Chuck Poochigian and Tony Strickland when Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t find the time to appear with these guys at the state’s GOP convention last month? Maybe I’m judging the governor too harshly and after bill signing is over, he’ll come out to help our down-ticket candidates in a big way. (I’d love to see Schwarzenegger shine a little of his movie-star light on badly Jerry Brown has failed to deal with Oakland‘s crime problem and why he shouldn’t be promoted to be the state’s… Read More

Every flailing political campaign has a defining moment. Michael Dukakis had his death penalty question during a debate. Howard Dean had his "Yeeaaaahhh!"

And now Phil Angelides has his fainting school girl.

This is completely symbolic of the Angelides campaign: On a day that was supposed to provide a big boost for Angelides, when Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa finally swallowed the bitter pill and endorsed the Democrat candidate for Governor, Phil Angelides got caught like a deer in the headlights and was upstaged by both Villaraigosa and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

There were dozens of school kids who were pulled out of class and made to participate in the partisan political event by standing behind Angelides in camera-shot. And while he was speaking, one of the girls apparently fainted.

As television cameras rolled, Angelides stopped his speech and stood there dumbstruck while the two mayors and 2010 Democratic… Read More

I have noticed that the Governor’s campaign polling numbers have been up while he has been silent on this lidicrous "big bonds" debacle on the November ballot, where the Republican Governor and Democrat leaders want the max out the ‘credit card’ of Californians to the tune of over $40 billion — when the tragic reality is that taxpayers already pay more than enough in taxes (this year well over $100 billion) to be able to afford infrastructure investment with current dollars.

Ace San Francisco Chronicle reporter Carla Marinucci today is blogging that come the beginning of October, the Governor is going to be heating up his bi-partisan campaign for the bonds, out campaigning with Democrats Don Perata and Fabian Nunez.

This is the dumbest idea ever.

Obviously I have made it clear as to why this is a poor public policy choice, and clearly the Governor disagrees.

Put politically is is a REALLY… Read More

Datamar Inc. released a survey of San Diego City this morning that should put to rest a few questions. I’ve been pretty hard on the accuracy of Datamar in the past (they use an automated system), but the last few polls I’ve seen have started matching more traditional surveys. This poll in particular hits the truth pretty squarely between the eyes.

Point 1: Reformers who are seen as willing to buck the system are popular. Republican Mayor Sanders, in his calm and re-assuring way, Democrat City Attorney Mike Aguirre, in his shrill and disquieting way, and Democrat Donna Frye, in her off-the-cuff but probably honest way are all popular for the same reason. All are willing to stand up against what voters view as a corrupt, self-serving city establishment that includes the ring of politicians, civil servants, union bosses, and other special interests that got the city in this mess to start with. The Mayor’s positives are 79.1%, the City Attorney is at 63.8%, the Councilwoman 54.8% (Frye’s question was a bit different and probably led to a lower number). Note to politicians or aspiring politicians: the are periods of time when it’s good to be… Read More