Takes One to Know One

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made his clearest statement yet that he isn’t going to use illegal immigration as a campaign issue this year. He told a Spanish language newspaper that his support for the anti-illegal immigrant Proposition 187 back in 1994 was "wrong" and refused to repeat his earlier praise of the Minutemen, a group of private citizens who have set themselves up as guardians of the U.S.-Mexico border.

San Jose State political scientist Larry Gerston said the governor is trying to appeal to centrists without alienating his conservative base. "Where are the conservatives going to go? They’re either going to Arnold Schwarzenegger or they’re going to sit it out. You weigh that against accommodating votes not only… Read More

As someone who strongly supported Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor in the 2003 special recall election, and as someone who has endorsed and supports Schwarzenegger for re-election this year, I was extremely frustrated to read this quote attributed to the Governor today in several major newspapers, when he was questioned by opponents of illegal immigration at a campaign stop yesterday in La Mesa in San Diego County:

While I certainly am ‘mad’ at the federal government for not securing our borders, why in Earth would I NOT get mad at "anyone" trying to come into this country, if they are coming here in violation of the law? Such a statement has as its natural extention that there is no moral relevence between those who legally immigrate into America, following our nation’s laws, versus those who sneak/smuggle/trespass into America by flaunting or ignoring our laws.

Let me… Read More

As someone who strongly supported Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor in the 2003 special recall election, and as someone who has endorsed and supports Schwarzenegger for re-election this year, I was extremely frustrated to read this quote attributed to the Governor today in several major newspapers, when he was questioned by opponents of illegal immigration at a campaign stop yesterday in La Mesa in San Diego County:

While I certainly am ‘mad’ at the federal government for not securing our borders, why in Earth would I NOT get mad at "anyone" trying to come into this country, if they are coming here in violation of the law? Such a statement has as its natural extention that there is no moral relevence between those who legally immigrate into America, following our nation’s laws, versus those who sneak/smuggle/trespass into America by flaunting or ignoring our laws.

Let me be… Read More

I’ll post more on this later, as I’m off to a city council meeting (hey, what do you want for free….we’re volunteer bloggers, not reporters….although sometimes were better than some reporters).

But I did want to get some photos up of Arnold’s campaign stop in lil’ old La Mesa’s Harry Griffin Parkthis morning. More on this "Town Hall in the Park" later.

Below are photos ofLa Mesa Mayor Art Madrid, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, and the Gov engaging the crowd……

… Read More

When Proposition 187 was on the California Ballot in 1994 (you’ll remember it as the measure to cut off government services for foreign nationals illegally in California), Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently supported the measure.

Today in an interview posted on the La Opinion website (click through here and you can click on the audio file), the Governor says (about his decision to support 187) "I think, looking back, if was the wrong decision."

Sigh. If I have my facts wrong, someone let me know or post a comment.… Read More

With the Sacramento County Supervisors set to cast their first of two votes today on putting the arena tax on the ballot, I thought I’d share a personal story about how basketball teams add value to communities other than what can be counted in the cash register.

I attended a small Jesuit university that very few people had heard of until about 8 years ago. I would meet with people, go to job interviews out of college and I would always have to explain where it was and yes it was accredited.

The learning environment was one of the best in the nation and anybody who knows the Jesuits will attest to the rigors they like to impose on their students — heavy on philosophy, ethics and of course religion.

About 8 years ago when my little university "made a run" in the NCAA basketball tournament — Gonzaga (pronounced like zig-zag) became a household name throughout the country. Since their repeated success in the tournament (dont get me started on our loss to UCLA this year), the value of my diploma has increased dramatically — not because I learned more in my 4 years there but because… Read More

I’ll take Henretty’s bait….on the whole Field Poll thing…..if youlook at the numbers… rather than Bad Moon Rising….it look more like Fire on the Mountain to me….and if Anne Coulter can come out of the closet as a Deadhead…then I think we should encourage the Pastor’s daughter to as well.

Mickey Hart’s song and Robert Hunter’s lyrics, Long distance runner, what you holdin out for? Caught in slow motion in a dash for the door …capture Angelides problem. It’s almost like I’m watching what the unions did to the Gov a while back…remember last year….they were just beating him about the head senselessly…and no response from his team?….well we all know how that story ended….Dazed and Confused would have been a perfect analogy for the Dream Team.

I spoke to Schmidt yesterday and during the usual “How you doing?, he answered, “Just trying to keep this thing air born”. I’m sure he meant the 200 plus staff behemoth he’s flying,… Read More

I am honored to have been named the newest member of the faculty for the Project for California’s Future.

The Project was founded in 2001 by Sam Hardage (who I first met back in the early 90s) and Ron Nehring (chairman of the SD GOP and Vice Chairman of the CA GOP). It is the only organization dedicated to providing campaign training to conservatives in California.

Having trained hundreds of activists and candidates and elected officials, the the Project continues to hold training seminars throughout the state.

Upcoming seminars include: Campaign Communications School in Fresno and Campaign Management School in Redding. Please visit www.californiasfuture.org for more information.

In my capacity as a member of the faculty, I will certainly speak on public opinion, targeting and media. But I also hope to inject some vigor into training about fund raising, a subject with which conservatives often have a hard time.… Read More