Yesterday the Club for Growth released its 2012 Congressional Scorecard, which ranks the voting behavior of members of Congress based on issues relating to limited government and economic growth. As I have said in prior years, I commend every FlashReport reader to look at this scorecard as a key indicator of how their Member of Congress is voting on Capitol Hill. It’s important that you take the time to review this because there are a lot of Republicans in Congress who talk a good game, but when it comes to casting the key, tough votes — well, you’d be surprised to see who is and who is not. Oh yes, the Club for Growth, both by direct giving, and by helping to connect up its members with pro-growth candidates, is responsible for millions upon millions of dollars going to great candidates endorsed by the Club.

“2012 was a difficult year for economic… Read More

Having served as a CRP officer for six years and a Lincoln Club Chairman for eleven, I’ve got a keen interest in our State, and the state of affairs for the California GOP. I’ve read many of the blog posts and commentaries written over the past few days from candidates for CRP office as well as others. I think most are missing some important points, perhaps important questions.

First of all, the CRP is fortunate to have former legislator Jim Brulte running for the chair position. Jim brings experience, perspective, calm and credibility at a time when the State GOP needs all of those attributes to chart its way forward. He’ll have the credibility to pursue out of the box strategies, and he will have to.

But I am going to ask Mr. Brulte and others to consider some questions before they pour lots of resources into rebuilding, because I really don’t believe we’ve made a thorough enough assessment of the problems we face, and until we understand the problems, solutions without all necessary information are doomed to fail or just become expensive experiments.

I submit that we need to have lots and lots of data about our… Read More

State Republican committees across the country are electing new leaders and Republicans are looking for those who will lead the party to victory in 2014.

It’s helpful for interested Republicans to understand just what a party Chairman can control and influence so that expectations can be realistic and two years from now people can accurately judge whether the new Chairman has been successful.

Put another way, if you’re going to measure success, you need the right ruler.

There are many ways to judge a Chairman’s tenure, and most of the popular metrics are absolutely wrong.

A party chairman, like any other leader, can be held accountable only for performance in those areas under the chairman’s control. It’s neither fair nor accurate… Read More

With the city elections in Los Angeles just over a week away, I have been getting asked by a lot of our readers whether I think it is possible for there ever to be another Republican Mayor of California’s largest city?

The answer is — it depends. It depends on whether Republicans voters turn out to support the only Republican candidate for Mayor, Kevin James.

The latest polling results show that if registered Republicans in Los Angeles turn out on March 5, candidate Kevin James will have a very likely shot at making it to the run-off, beating out the bulk of a field of liberal Democrat candidates.

Oh wait, you haven’t read that in the Los Angeles Times? That’s because the main stream media has written him off. George Skelton and his Merry Band of Conventional Wisdom Columnists say we’re the bluest of blue states and that there aren’t enough Republican voters left in California to matter.

But look at Kevin James’ position in the race for mayor of L.A. James started off in nearly last place, but in a short amount of time, he’s now knocking on the door of a 2nd-place finish and a place in the run-off election. The… Read More

More dismal CA economic rankings – 48th worst credit card debt, 49th in home ownership, worst poverty rate in U.S.

http://riderrants.blogspot.com/2013/02/more-dismal-california-economic-rankings.html

RIDER COMMENT: Recently Jonathan Horn, the (apparently delusional) director of Jerry Brown’s Office of Business and Economic Development, had the gall to assert the following:“We’ve proven that you can have a successful economy and still preserve the environment and look after workers and protect consumers and look after the public health.”

To be fair, he maynotbe delusional. He’s not paid to be truthful. He’s paid to provide cover for Jerry Brown and the Sacramento Democrats – to say whatever is necessary to gull the press into believing that California is doing just fine. Indeed, it takes a skilled pathological liar to hold such a position – such talent is not easily found (I presume that such is the case, based on his generous six-figure … Read More

In 2013, the confluence of four major factors gives California investors the 2nd highest capital gains tax in the WORLD.

But, of course, that doesn’t matter.

Only the weather matters.

Only the weather matters.

Only the weather matters.

You are getting sleepy. So VERY sleepy . . . .

http://riderrants.blogspot.com/2013/02/california-now-has-2nd-highest-capital.html… Read More

We are now six weeks into our “Idiot Of The Week” feature — and I just have to say that the response has been overwhelmingly positive (well, except for some not-so-appreciate feedback from a few of our “honorees” — but that’s to be expected I suppose.

The FlashReport Idiot Of The Week Award is bestowed upon that pubic official (or high profile person engaged in politics or public policy) who does something completely idiotic. With a state as large as Californian, which seems to have a higher-than-average amount of folks who either don’t think about what they do — or even worse, they think about what they do and still act like idiots — we suffer from no shortage of potential award winners. As in previous columns, we start first with the runners-up in no particular order, and then onto the big prize. Oh yes, don’t be shy or timid in sending along suggestions to us for next week’s award recipient — many of those featured come from tips from readers like you!

Without further adieu…

Runner Up #5 – Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Conner… Read More

I’m still convinced that the business coalition supporting reform of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) made a strategic decision to join State Senator Michael Rubio (D-Bakersfield) in never addressing – or even acknowledging – how unions have perfected the widespread and pernicious abuse of CEQA to win labor agreements and block non-union competition.

If Republicans in the legislature buy into this strategy, www.FlashReport.org publisher Jon Fleischman will be right when he tweeted this prediction:

… Read More