Republican candidates for statewide office not only need to debate, but they need to debate often. It is more important in this election cycle than ever before because of fourteen letters: Schwarzenegger. You see, Arnold Schwarzenegger really is one of the best actors out there – so much so that they should have an Academy Award for “Best Dramatic Performance In A Recall Election” – he would have won. He campaigned as a fiscal conservative – and has not been. His two hallmark “fiscal” achievements are getting the voters to max out the debt he inherited on a “credit card” of bonded indebtedness, and signing into law the largest tax increase in the history of any state. And he’s not done, with a pork-filled massive so-called water bond to appear before voters this November. In other-words, he “became” exactly the person he needed to be to strike a resonant chord with angry voters who wanted to oust Gray Davis and replace him with a fiscal hawk.

Why is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting performance of 2003 so relevant today? Let me give an eight letter word : cynicism. I use this word as a good one to describe the attitude of many… Read More

Dave Gilliard, consultant for Congressional candidate State Senator Jeff Denham, fired off a note to an unknown number of recipients in which he lays out how particular "hits" on another candidate, former Congressman Richard Pombo, really drag him down in popularity. Gilliard attached to his note a memo from longtime FR friend Steve Kinney, with more summary details on a poll that Public Opinion Strategies conducted in CD 19. Below is the text of Gilliard’s note, and linked below is the Kinney memo… And who ever said politics wasn’t a contact sport?

2/10/2010 TO: Interested Parties FR: Dave Gilliard Public Opinion Strategies just completed a poll in CA 19. A memo from… Read More

The long, sad saga of Poway Councilwoman Betty Rexford reached what may be its final stage this morning. The FlashReport just confirmed that the San Diego County Registrar of Voters completed its sampling of petitions submitted by recall proponents, certifying that more than the required 5,657 needed signatures were submitted. Over 6,300 valid signatures were previously turned in.

This qualifies the election for June 8, with both the Rexford recall and an "if she is recalled, who replaces her" question to appear on the ballot, sure to start a scramble by potential candidates.

"June 8 can’t come too soon," said recall organizer Steve Vaus, "It’s a bad day for Betty, but a great day for Poway."

For more on the recall: www.recallrexford.com… Read More

It is really getting challenging to show patience given the tone-deaf nature of the Democrats who control the State Legislature. State Senate Democrats just unveiled their new "jobs package" (read it and weap here) that supposedly is going to create six-figures worth of new jobs here in the once-Golden state.

It is really not rocket science to figure out how the Governor and State Legislature can best act to foster an economic environment for job creation in California. I would like it if every Democrat legislator and staff reading this would put down their coffee, and stop multitasking with Tweetdeck, and pay attention to this SIMPLE TWO STEP plan that would be a huge boon to California’s economy… STEP ONE: UNDO DAMAGING TAXES AND OVER-REGULATION That’s right, we should operate under the theory that the state government should get out of the business of actually doing harm to the business climate, and restricting the growth of private sector jobs. Whether it is reducing taxation on income to stimulate spending,… Read More

Round trip from DC to SF at $120,000

KTVU television reports that Democrat consultants Ace Smith and Chris Lehane will head up a new labor-funded $20 million independent expenditure campaign to start bloodying up GOP gubernatorial front-runner Meg Whitman. See the KTVU piece below, and read more about it from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Is that Steve Poizner smiling over there?

… Read More

Former San Bernardino County Assessor, former Supervisor and former San Bernardino County GOP Chairman Bill Postmus has been arrested again, with substantial charges leveled at him. His former aide, Jim Erwin, was also arrested again, with substantial new charges leveled at him.

Read more here.… Read More

Over two-thirds of Republican State Senators have officially come out against Proposition 14, the measure authored by their colleague, Abel Maldonado, that would have the effect of limiting voter choice, and ultimately lead to higher taxes in California.

Attached to this blog post is a copy of the letter signed by Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, Senate Republican Leader-Elect Bob Dutton, and nine other Senate Republicans including Sam Aanestad, Roy Ashburn, Jeff Denham, Tom Harman, Bob Huff, George Runner, Tony Strickland, Mimi Walters and Mark Wyland,

It is significant to note that this list of Senators opposing Prop. 14 includes some who were forced to vote to place Proposition 14 on the ballot as part of the legislative "blackmail" (our description for it, not one given to us by anyone else) of last February.… Read More