OK. I am usually supposed to write about legal issues, that is why I am the "political law correspondent." However, there are some things that transcend law and politics — such as, for instance, what ideas mean to a political party. I am not so naive as to think that ideas will always carry the day (though I wish that were the case). But the state GOP leadership’s failure to exert LEADERSHIP on the Kennedy issue is almost nauseating. Let’s get this straight: 1. Kennedy is a liberal Democrat activist. 2. Kennedy led the hatchet job on one of the most thoughtful and eloquent Republican leaders of the 1990s (Republican US Senate nominee Bruce Herschensohn). 3. Kennedy has now been nominated to be the COS for Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.… Read More

The Republican Governor’s Association just wrapped up its annual meeting in Carlsbad in Northern San Diego County. I asked State GOP Vice Chairman and FR friend to give us a report on how things went. Here is his "report from the field" – enjoy!

From Ron Nehring:

If you join the staff of a Republican governor, one of the first lessons you learn is that you want to be the guy who gets to staff the governor at the annual meeting of the Republican Governors Association — it’s always held at a first class resort in a warm climate while the rest of the country is blanketed with cold, rain or snow.

For the last two days I’ve attended the RGA’s meeting here at the La Costa Resort in Carlsbad in San Diego County, both in my role as Senior Consultant for Americans for Tax Reform, and… Read More

The key words in Spence’s last submission are "within the next month" which to me indicates no urgency on anyone’s behalf – rather an attempt to placate the grassroots.

Anyway, there is quite a number of reasons to be upset about this hire which have been discussed here and everywhere else over the last couple of days. I share many of the complaints, and am shocked and angry.

But getting down the the point of this missive – there is always one good thing about hiring a Democrat. Generally, the Democrat insiders and grassroots are as partisan as we are. I can’t imagine the vast majority are thinking of Kennedy as anything but a traitor to the Democrat Party. Imagine what our reaction would be if, for instance, our good buddy Jon Fleischman had gone to work as Gov. Davis’s Chief of Staff. We’d drum him out of the Party. I doubt many of us would be thinking "well now we have our guy in there and he’ll control policy." Instead we’d know that old John knows all our strategies and tactics and dirty laundry and since old John would never be welcome home to the GOP he would have great incentive to… Read More

As Flashreport readers know the initial response of the CRP to the Kennedy Chief of Staff nomination was that Republicans should "hold their fire." Today the state CRP Board of Directors held an emergency Conference Call to discuss growing grassroots outrage to a partisan Democrat being placed in charge of a Republican Administration. Senate GOP Leader Dick Ackerman has expressed his displeasure. I’m told they have asked to have a face to face meeting with Governor about the appointment within the next month. Maybe, just maybe, the CRP will speak out for Republicans. [Publisher’s note: I have spoken with a couple of CRP Board members since the meeting. One of them told me that several board members are debating telling the Governor that they will encourage a withdrawal of the party’s pre-primary endorsement of the Governor is he doesn’t rethink this. This same board member said that even if unsuccessful, the Governor would get a deserved "GOP divided over Governor" bout of bad press no matter… Read More

One of the major questions swirling around Washington is who will get the coveted Appropriations Committee seat vacated by Duke Cunningham.

The Appropriations Committee, the prime vehicle for dishing out “pork” has ten subcommittees. Each subcommittee chairman is commonly referred to as a “cardinal” and they are unrivaled in their power over the purse. Cunningham sits on the Defense Subcommittee as well as the Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis favors fellow Californian Rep. Ken Calvert for the vacancy. One of the arguments is that this is a “California seat,” which it is. Before Cunningham took the seat, it was occupied by former Rep. Bill Lowery of San Diego. Lewis, as chairman, and a member of the House Republican Steering Committee (the committee on committees) holds… Read More

EARLY THIS MORNING I WOKE UP RESTLESS…MY THOUGHTS WERE ABOUT 1992…. AND A FINE, WONDERFUL MAN NAMED BRUCE HERSCHENSOHN… OUR REPUBLICAN NOMINEE AGAINST BARBARA BOXER… I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE ROLE IN THAT OF SUSAN KENNEDY… READ ON…

Since even before the recall, I have had many opportunities to meet and get to know Arnold Schwarzenegger. I’ve come to know the Governor as a man of principle, integrity and honesty. There is a demeanor about him that I am not always sure how to describe – it is a mix of aggressiveness, intelligence and optimism As someone who is a lot more ideologically conservative than Schwarzenegger, I have accepted the fact that the he and I are going to agree strongly in some areas, and disagree in others. To be honest, my opportunities to work with and for him (I serve as a commission appointee) as well as with some of his team… Read More

Things have been hectic since Arnold turned on all of us. I meant to post this a little sooner.

The 59th Assembly District is one of those districts drawnin a very gerrymanded way.It goes from Monrovia in LA County along the 210 to the San Bernardino County Border. It then shoots north through the Angeles National Forest over to Hesperia.

Dennis Mountjoy is termed out. There are four candidates at this point running in the GOP Primary. No Dems need apply. You can read Brad Mitzelfelt’s take here.

I have endorsed no candidate. I know or have met with them all. CRA has not endorsed a candidate. Obviously, that could put one over the others.

Bart Doyle is a former Sierra Madre City Councilman. Nice guy.He has ties to Antonovich and a small base in the murky world of transportaion and government committees. To be honest I don’t see how he gets to 1st in a GOP Primary.

Chris Lancaster is a former Covina City Councilman and son of former Assemblyman Bill Lancaster. Bill represented much of the LA County… Read More

A relatively peaceful balance of power has existed in North San Diego County for some time, with general cooperation between Supervisor Bill Horn, Assemblyman Mark Wyland, Assemblyman George Plescia, State Senator Bill Morrow, Congressman Darrell Issa, and Congressman Duke Cunningham. With seats opening rarely in this solid GOP turf, there was little reason for the party organization and the elected officials to concentrate on anything but cleaning out pockets of local Democrat officeholders, or running up the region’s vote tally with solid GOTV programs. But like in WWI, the Duke (I guess the historical figure was actually an Arch Duke) is gone. This is combined with various partisan seats which were opening regardless, and a challenge to the sitting Supervisor from a former legislative member. Meaning: Flanders (no Probolsky, not Homer Simpson’s neighbor) and the Somme are yet to come, and the political graveyards are… Read More