Rarely do I have to rack what little brain I have to find a song title to make the analogy for my posts. And it was no different for my post on the Republican Legislative Nominee retreat sponsored by Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman and Assembly Republican Leader George Plescia.

My good friend Jim Brulte, and his guy Jim Richardson, have been organizing this event for most of a decade and while I have had clients go through the seminars, this was the first time I participated both as an organizer and speaker.

Watching Brulte, seeing him work the room, interact with both novice and experienced candidates alike on both policy and politics was like… Read More

“Founded in 1929 to unite the country after Mexico’s revolution, the PRI ruled by accepting all ideologies. It catered to unions, the rich, the poor — anyone who would support it. Its platform was maintaining power.” – Associated Press, Sunday, June 25, 2006

I’ve been thinking the past few weeks about the conservative movement and the idea of winning versus merely staying ahead —a strategy seemingly employed at the national level to ensure that the Republicans maintain themajority. Notice none of the political pundits are talking about Republicans trying to pick up seats this election cycle. They’re merely trying to stay ahead.

After reading the AP’s reference to the PRI this weekend, I concluded that I should be thinking instead in terms of staying ahead, but in terms of winning versus “maintaining power.”

Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters wrote last week about Governor Schwarzenegger’s strategy of Clinton-style triangulation to win re-election this Fall.

“As he… Read More

I think most observers would agree that the re-election of Governor Schwarzeneggeris important to the Republican Party in California. While I generally think of him more often than not as a populist rather than a straight partisan, and regularly disagree with some of his decisions, more often than not he acts as a bulwark against the anti-business interests which dominate both houses of the California legislature.

While it’s often more exciting and certainly more emotional to discuss Sacramento’s actions on issues like gay marriage, or illegal immigration, or getting rid of Indian names in local sports teams, the truth of the matter is that give or take 98% of the legislation that works its way through the legislature is business related, education related, or purely symbolic or honorary rubbish. Generally, as soon as this Governor was elected, much of the most crazed left-wing anti-business bills stopped being written, or started perishing in committee. This is not to say that some bad bills did not make it through the process, and that he didn’t even sign some of them into law, but the raw flood of anti-business legislation that I experienced in… Read More

I don’t think most observers would disagree that the re-election of Governor Schwarzeneggeris important to the Republican Party in California. While I generally think of him more often than not as a populist rather than a straight partisan, and regularly disagree with some of his decisions, more often than not he acts as a bulwark against the anti-business interests which dominate both houses of the California legislature.

While it’s often more exciting and certainly more emotional to discuss Sacramento’s actions on issues like gay marriage, or illegal immigration, or getting rid of Indian names in local sports teams, the truth of the matter is that give or take 98% of the legislation that works its way through the legislature is business related, education related, or purely symbolic or honorary rubbish. Generally, as soon as this Governor was elected, much of the most crazed left-wing anti-business bills stopped being written, or started perishing in committee. This is not to say that some bad bills did not make it through the process, and that he didn’t even sign some of them into law, but the raw flood of anti-business legislation that I… Read More

Considering I started my vacation yesterday, let me start by saying this installment of Sunday San Diego will be relatively brief. With that said, if anyone besides fellow FR correspondent Joe Justin can reference my chosen blog title today to anything other than the fact I am penning a short entry while gone, please email me here. I’ll note the correct guessers in a future Sunday San Diego.

Well okay then, here are a few comments about – and links to – some SD news tidbits of note in the last week…

CityBeat’s Dave Rolland does about 30,000 column inches on Aguirre… As if San Diego City Attorney Big Mike needs the press. Be that as it may, Rolland of the left-wing San Diego CityBeat does a fairly impressive, extensive interview with Aguirre. You know the writers at CB think they’re all modern day, alt-journies, especiallywith questions such as this posed to their subjects:

"In the classic Greek sense of the term, loosely defined, a tragic figure is… Read More

It’s been one year since the Supreme Court’s infamous Kelo decision, and it looks to be about one week until we have certification of the million signatures submitted in California to qualify our own November “court hearing” on the matter.

The signatures are coming in at about 79% valid, according to Assemblywoman Mimi Walters’ office, signaling a nice cushion over the nearly 600,000 needed for qualification.

Walters, of course, as a first-term Orange County legislator, had the smarts to become the honorary chair of the Protect Our Homes Initiative, California’s response to the Supreme’s astounding decision to tell all of us that government knows better than we what is best for our property. Heading up an effort, by the way, that raises $2.2 million and garners a million signers in 100 days will do something for a career, more so than the stature a few pieces of legislation will… Read More

It’s been one year since the Supreme Court’s infamous Kelo decision, and it looks to be about one week until we have certification of the million signatures submitted in California to qualify our own November “court hearing” on the matter.

The signatures are coming in at about 79% valid, according to Assemblywoman Mimi Walters’ office, signaling a nice cushion over the nearly 600,000 needed for qualification.

Walters, of course, as a first-term Orange County legislator, had the smarts to become the honorary chair of the Protect Our Homes Initiative, California’s response to the Supreme’s astounding decision to tell all of us that government knows better than we what is best for our property. Heading up an effort, by the way, that raises $2.2 million and garners a million signers in 100 days will do something for a career, more so than the stature a few pieces of legislation will… Read More

I just received a rather humorous email from my good friend Jimmy Camp, an exceptionally dedicated and skilled political activist/operative. In it, Jimmy shines through with clever innuendo, tackling a serious issue in the way he does best. What was his topic? Testicular cancer.

Those of you who have read about Jon Fleischman, this website’s proprietor, know that Jon beat back the scourge of testicular cancer some years back. Those of us who know Jon and keep him as a friend fully appreciate the magnitude of his struggle and success.But evenif you simply consider yourself a consumer of The FlashReport, I think it’s fair to say you are a beneficiary of Jon’s victory over cancer.

True to form, Jimmy writes, "We have come a long way in cancer research and treatment but still have a long way to go. It costs money to do research and because I am thankful that my friend Jon isn’t dead, I decided to do my small part in raising money for cancer awareness and research so that in the future we can be thankful for other people like Jon who… Read More