A local lesson on good credentials and a tad good luck….

In a further tribute to now former FR blogger Joe Justin, I opt today for a song title.

In politics, a Free Ride is something incumbents can only hope for once in a blue moon. Even the strongest will often garner the opposition of someone usually well-meaning, yet with nary a clue about the reality of competing against an incumbent’s wheelbarrow full of name ID, funding, and popularity, not to mention societal issues like resistance to change, apathy, no-news-is-good-news, and you name it.

At the partisan level, in a majority of the gerrymandered, uncompetitiveseats (like all of ’em), we only know too well how the opposition may be non-existent in the primary, but the opposing major party (and often the Libertarians) will always try to field a suicide candidate in every race for November.

At the local level, meaning especially city councils and school boards – and often extending to special districts – free rides for incumbents happen a bit more often,… Read More

This morning’s commentary will be short, as I have to get ready to go down to the general session here at the California Republican Party’s convention. I was up pretty late (I have vague recollections about a conversation at around 2am with LA Weekly Reporter Bill Bradley and Steve Schmidt from the Governor’s campaign and from there it fades to black). On a quick note, I will update FR readers that despite the well articulated arguments to the Resolutions Commitee as to why embracing massive government borrowing was a bad idea, the committee members (with the Party Chairman and some Team Arnold mucky mucks watching from the back ot the room) voted to embrace the Transportation and Levee bond measures, and take a "no position" position on the massive education bond measure. I won’t repeat for the millionth time here why I think that all of the bond measures are poor public policy, but I will spell out that I think that it is a big political mistake for the convention delegates today to vote for these recommended positions. Governor Schwarzenegger, who has planted himself firmly in the political center of the… Read More

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For 11 years I never missed a CRP Convention, but when I termed out as the Treasurer of the Party in 2001 I began attending only sporadically. I came down to LA this weekend to fulfill my duties as a member of the Executive and Rules Committees and to see my good friend, and your humble publisher, Jon Fleischman. I also wanted to attend the Lincoln Clubs Breakfast which just concluded and say hello to good friends there.

In general, not much of substance takes place at these gatherings. They are primarily social affairs, and it is great fun to see old friends and political staffers, consultants, etc. There is the usual inside baseball activity in Initiatives and other committees, but this convention is very light on all the usual machinations. At this convention, all the action is in the initiatives committee, where the Governor’s bond issues will be debated.

The Friday Executive Committee luncheon was keynoted by former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, and while is speech was peppered with the usual, albeit long ago forgotten, Reaganesque principles, after about the fourth "we must do this, and we must do that" I came to my senses and… Read More

Your trusty FlashReport Publisher has been to every State GOP Convention since 1988 and I can tell you that as far as these events go, this one is perhaps one of the most sparsely attended gatherings to which I have ever been. Why is the attendance so low? First and foremost, it is a weekend in August, which traditionally is vacation time for many people. That has been a factor with a number of people who told me ahead of time that they would not be here. But the "I’m on vacation" cases do feed into a bigger set of folks who are not here. Those people, and I have spoken to a lot of them, just did not feel like making participation in this convention a priority. This is not an indicator of support or lack of support for the Governor or the GOP ticket — but, it is an indicator of depth and intensity of support. Understand that the people to whom I am referring are not average Republican voters, but rather these are among the 1400 members of the Republican State Central Committee — leaders within the party. Our Party Chairman Duf Sundheim and other GOP big wheels such Californians for Schwarzenegger Campaign Manager Steve… Read More

Your trusty FlashReport Publisher has been to every State GOP Convention since 1988 and I can tell you that as far as these events go, this one is perhaps one of the most sparsely attended gatherings to which I have ever been. Why is the attendance so low? First and foremost, it is a weekend in August, which traditionally is vacation time for many people. That has been a factor with a number of people who told me ahead of time that they would not be here. But the "I’m on vacation" cases do feed into a bigger set of folks who are not here. Those people, and I have spoken to a lot of them, just did not feel like making participation in this convention a priority. This is not an indicator of support or lack of support for the Governor or the GOP ticket — but, it is an indicator of depth and intensity of support. Understand that the people to whom I am referring are not average Republican voters, but rather these are among the 1400 members of the Republican State Central Committee — leaders within the party. Our Party Chairman Duf Sundheim and other GOP big wheels such Californians for Schwarzenegger Campaign Manager Steve… Read More

Last night Mass Gov. Mitt Romney a likely WH contender wowed the crowd of 900 at the St. Regis resort in Dana Point.

The event included a vip reception, a free reception and an intimate dinner.

No other prez hopeful could replicate this, all the party factions were represented at the event.

I will have more on this soon but want to make sure the FlashReport readers got a different perspective from FR Managing Editor Nick Romero’s previous post. UPDATE: See Martin Wisckol’s post on OC Register’s Total Buzz blog here.… Read More

Last evening, I had the opportunity to attend a reception for Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his Commonwealth PACat The St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point. It was an entertaining event with many in attendance. Governor Romney was, as I have always seen him, polished and clear.This is perhaps why I was unpleasantly alarmed by something he said.He elucidates his thoughts well, so I don’t believe I misheard or misunderstood him. (I have since been assured by friends and blogging colleagues that I hadn’t).

After Olympic anecdotes, Romney transitioned into public policy. While comparing the academic output of the United States, China and India of engineers, doctors and scientists in pure numbers as part of a greater point about our economic future, he said something like, ‘We should… Read More