As the New Year begins, I have been reflecting on politics, my role in it, and the direction of the state. About a year ago, right after the election of Obama, I was approached by a fellow who said he could make me President, and he asked for me to give me a plan to accomplish that. I showed him the plan, and although he failed to meet the benchmarks I set for setting up a run (there goes my Presidential ambitions), a lot of the presumptions I made for such a run to work have been coming true.

First, I am convinced 2010 will be a Republican year IF (and I mean a really big IF) Republicans don’t screw things up. It will have nothing to do with the ascendancy of those principles that many Republicans espouse in office in American society (because sometimes it appears that Republican officeholders don’t believe in those principles), it will be because Democrats overrreached. I have a number of "truths of American politics" (which I should write down sometime), but one of them is this–Democrats really believe in the principles they espouse, and they… Read More

Thirty years ago, when the words “mainstream” and “media” were still largely redundant, a conventional political wisdom developed that the presidency was too large a responsibility for one man. Regardless of whether you happened to be a supporter or an opponent of Ronald Reagan’s campaign for president in 1980, it’s safe to say that by the time Reagan left the White House eight years later, that school of thought had largely evaporated.

The echoes of that same question are now being heard in California, as the next generation of political observers has now settled in agreement that our state’s problems have grown to such a degree that we can no longer be effectively governed. As the candidates for governor prepare for what promises to be a fairly desultory election season, this thesis of ungovernability rings of the same sort of defeatism that later became known as “malaise” in Washington in the late 1970’s. While it has become fairly predictable for Republican politicians to wrap themselves in the flag of Reagan, the pessimism that currently infects our body politic does present the same type of psychological challenge that the Gipper… Read More

From Judy Lloyd, Vice Chairman of Lincoln Club of Northern CA and a client of Jane Clark in AD 15 in 2008 – Bay Area Republicans are saddened at the loss of one of our most dynamic Republican fundraisers, Jane Clark this New Year’s Day.

Reports are that Jane had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer just a week before. At first the prognosis was for aggressive chemotherapy then the tragic news that Jane only had one week to live. Sadly, Jane passed on New Year’s Day, with Bruce McPherson, the former Secretary of State, her friend and former client, at her side as well as her dear friend Anne Appleman. Jane had been a great friend and colleague of mine for many years. She helped many national, Bay Area and Central Valley Republicans including McPherson, Jeff Denham, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Jim Cunneen, Dick Rainey, and most recently Carly Fiorina. She also had several non-profit clients who adored working with her… Read More

When the Fresno County GOP was fined $29,000 for taking contributions from a San Diego family and donating them to a State Assemblyman, I said at the time that the primary function of political parties today is to "launder money". You would have thought I revealed a deep secret of politics, and of course, I was right, as today’s California Watch documents, there is significant money laundering on both sides of the aisle.

I was particularly amused by being taken to task for my statements by one Steve Maviglio, who is mostly famous for defending the records of such "effective" poltiical leaders as Gray Davis and Karen Bass. In his "California Majority Report" (why would they even be proud of being the majority when they’ve bankrupted the State?) he refers to money laundering as a felony, which is true.

I guess the entire political system is full of felons… Read More

The Federal court trial on the constitutionality of Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage will begin in San Francisco on January 11. But the parties to the suit are busy as bees with preliminary motions. One of those motions would have required the Prop. 8 political consultants to turn over all their internal strategy memos and emails to their pro-gay marriage opponents to examine them for evidence of anti-homosexual animus. The idea being that if these private documents and correspondences revealed any antipathy to gays and lesbians, as such, the entire intiative would be tainted as an unconstitutional conspiracy and quickly overturned. A Federal judge agreed to force disclosure of the documents late last year, but an appeal to the 9th Circuit leavened the hysterics of opponents and the political consultants can now keep their memos in their vaults. This trial will contrast the drama of a Perry Mason closing argument to the thrill of a visit to Fleischacker Zoo.… Read More

Once again government is picking winners and losers. In this case, I get to look no further than the Orange County Children and Families Commission (the local "First Five" Commission, which is financed through a mandated tobacco tax — there is a statewide commission, and then 58 county commissions, all happily redistributing wealth).

In yesterday’s Orange County Register there was a story that the OC First Five Commission is going to be dropping $125k in medical school loan forgiveness for six lucky government-chosen doctors. Specifically, for six pediatric specialists who meet the following criteria: The doctors must practice in Orange County and accept patients enrolled in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, the state’s low-cost insurance program.

It has been well documented that California has a tough time attracting new doctors because of the high cost of living here, combined with the high costs of malpractice insurance (this is one… Read More

From 1995 to 2000 Brian Bilbray (pictured, right) served in Congress representing what was then California’s 49th Congressional District in San Diego County. The seat was a competitive one, and in 2000 Bilbray ended up losing his re-election to now Democrat Congresswoman Susan Davis. Fast forward to 2006 — and the high profile disgraced Duke Cunningham is forced from the House of Representatives for, in essence, selling America for personal gain, leaving a vacancy in the more Republican 50th District. Bilbray jumped into the race to succeed Cunningham, and was successful. Bilbray one the special election in 2006, and then handily won re-election in 2008.

Is there a potential parallel between Bilbray’s return to Congress, and potential aspirations for conservative Richard… Read More

A rare story about a prison assualt – as reported on Sacramento’s KXTV News 10’s website yesterday:

Guard Stabbed in New Folsom Prison Attack

FOLSOM, CA – A correctional officer employed at California State Prison-Sacramento (new Folsom Prison) is recovering after being slashed in the neck Sunday night by an inmate, according to a prison spokeswoman.

The 33-year-old officer was cut on his neck, jaw and ear and required 68 stitches, said Rhonda Carter. He was taken by ambulance for treatment at an area hospital and released later Sunday night.

Carter said Jonathan McClaurin, 39, is accused of using a homemade weapon in the attack. McClaurin, behind bars since 1997, is serving 135 years to life for three counts of first-degree robbery, vehicle theft and disregard for safety.

Carter said the prison is investigating the stabbing, which took place in a maximum security unit at about 7 p.m. Sunday, as attempted murder.

The guard has been employed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for 3 1/2 years, Carter… Read More