One less liberal Democrat in Congress. One less batcrap crazy on the D side. One less Dennis the Menace.

Ohio is my home state and Toledo is the town where I grew up. It’s the home to some of the most ruthless political operatives in America, and they obviously worked overtime to push Marcy Kaptur to a primary win over Dennis Kucinich.

Dennis made his displeasure known in his concession speech last night in Cleveland:

“I would like to be able to congratulate Congresswoman Kaptur, but I do have to say that she ran a media campaign in the Cleveland media market that was utterly lacking in integrity with false statements, half truths, [and] misrepresentations. I hope that is not the kind of representation she would provide to this community. And I don’t think the people of Toledo have any idea of the kind of campaign that was run up in the Cleveland area,” he said.

Oh, yes, they do, Dennis.

I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Hundreds of yard signs mysteriously disappearing in the dead of night. Thousands of windshields papered with tabloid-style flyers. Union thugs shouting down candidate speeches. And… Read More

Communications strategist Tony Manolatos is doing a series of interviews with the City of San Diego Mayoral candidates for San Diego Rostra. I’ll republish them on FlashReport (having received Tony’s permission, of course). First, Nathan Fletcher. The following ran last weekend (here is the Rostra post):

Fletcher’s Fetcher…And More From Our First Candidate Q & A by Tony Manolatos

Politics & Media Mashup is on break for the next few weeks so we can bring you exclusive Q & As with San Diego Mayoral candidates Nathan Fletcher, Carl DeMaio and Bonnie Dumanis.

… Read More

I want to answer Chuck DeVore’s surprising attack on Elizabeth Emken in Flash Report today. First, let me say that Chuck DeVore has been a friend and was helpful to me when I first became Communications Director for the CRP. And I was sad to see him leave California for safer ground in Texas.

But, I alsounderstand that Chuck is just as human as any of us, and that’s why he’s still frosted over the Senate Primary, where he came in 3rd out of 3candidates.I imagine that’s why he’s decided to come after GOP frontrunner Elizabeth Emken (whose campaign I’m working for as Senior Communications Adviser.).He sees some of Carly’s team helping Elizabeth in her Senate race, and it’s paybacktime. And that’s a shame.

For the record:

This Institute For Justice Video is a “must watch” for all California politicos…

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I generally don’t comment on the races my company is involved in. I figure that we all read enough propaganda in our day to day lives, and a spoon full more doesn’t really help the rest go down any better. That being said I fell obliged to publish the following and say for the record ‘say it ain’t so, Nathan Fletcher’:

“To that end, Fletcher did emphasize that the Mayor’s election in San Diego was a non-partisan election. He also stated that his reasons for being in the Republican Party, primarily that in a partisan climate he had to pick one out of the two and that he supported some of the core economic issues and the message of enabling access to the American Dream inherent to the Republican Party. Fletcher spent a lot of time detailing instances on how he broke away from the party line of issues he had to vote for in the California Assembly, and explained that he was unafraid to do so.” Read the whole post here.

It’s no secret that my company runs one of Nathan… Read More

Last week, long-time Sacramento Bee columnist penned a column Both Left And Right In California Want Automatons In Office where he throws down the gauntlet of criticism on those who oppose a bigger, fatter state government (he also throws down on the other extreme, but that is not the focus of this blog post).

The California Republican Party has been frequently – and rightfully – criticized for insisting that GOP politicians adhere to a very narrow set of supposed principles, such as always opposing any purported tax increase regardless of its merits.

That rigid mindset entertains no differences between a general sales tax increase, an increase in a specific user tax such as the one on gasoline or even closing a completely unjustified special interest tax loophole, and shuns the tax reform that California sorely… Read More

There are a lot of things messed up in America today. On this, there is pretty much universal agreement. We have no energy policy, no manufacturing policy and an antiquated tax code that is complicated and inefficient. We are facing crushing deficits and debt that will soon lead to a European-style collapse. The economy continues to be weak and fewer people are working today than over 3 years ago when Barack Obama was sworn in as president. So many people have become discouraged that the number of people working or trying to find work is the lowest percentage of the eligible workforce since back in the Jimmy Carter recession days. The critical housing market is stuck, gas prices are high and going higher and the costs of our health care system keep rising and reform is needed. The public’s confidence in Congress and the President is low, perhaps even at an all-time low, and there is little trust out there for major institutions, be they public or private. We are mired in a seemingly endless conflict in Afghanistan even as we face new and changing threats all around the world.

Makes you want to fill your bathtub with beer and go drown in… Read More

Camp Carl DeMaio must be doing a jig.

Earlier this week, the councilman signed highly-respected pollster John Nienstedt of Competitive Edge Research & Communication.

So far, the polling for the San Diego mayoral race ain’t been what most of us race watchers would consider legit.

This move signifies a tipping point in the race that will no doubt lead to some substantive research providing supporters, donors and voters alike a clearer view of the field.

The most recent poll, conducted by SurveyUSA from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3 for KGTV, Channel 10, showed DeMaio in the top spot with 25 percent of the vote followed closely by long-time Democrat Congressman Bob Filner with 24 percent.

Trailing behind the pair were Republicans, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis with 14 percent and state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher at 13… Read More