On Monday Assemblyman Van Tran was invited to attend President Obama’s Town Hall at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Assemblyman Tran is a Republican, but the event was in his district. Normal protocol would dictate that the elected officials from any party be invited. Tran was. And the White House staff spoke to Tran’s staff a few times about the event.

Just heard that after flying down to attendTran was denied entry because his name wasn’t on the list. Incompetence or just another example of Obama’s bipartisanship?… Read More

From the U-T, about the U-T. May James Copley continue to RIP, knowing that his once great publication — including staff members that advised presidents — is no longer in the hands of an idle son of a wife, and that there may be a glimmer of hope for the newspaper’s future.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/mar/18/bn18sale105226/… Read More

Congressman Tom McClintock took to the House floor yesterday to talk about his constituents’ outrage over the government mortgage bailout fiasco. Sacramento-area talk show hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty got over 6,000 listeners to send in postcards protesting the bailout. Watch McClintock’s fantastic speech, which unlike the unrighteous indignation on parade on Capitol Hill right now, represents true taxpayer outrage:

… Read More

In this morning’s Sacramento Bee, there is an article with the headline, Cap Will Prevent Future Deficits, Governor Vows.

My response, just from looking at the headline, was to roll my eyes.

In one of my shortest commentary’s of the year, let’s lay out, in simple terms, three reasons why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s credibility is lacking.

1) The Governor ran for office, twice, pledging to oppose new taxes. He has now signed into law the largest tax increase in the history of any state, and is advocating the passage of Proposition 1A, which contains $20 billion more in taxes on Californians.

2) In 2004, the Governor campaigned for Propositions 57 & 58,… Read More

In this morning’s Sacramento Bee, there is an article with the headline, Cap Will Prevent Future Deficits, Governor Vows.

My response, just from looking at the headline, was to roll my eyes.

In one of my shortest commentary’s of the year, let’s lay out, in simple terms, three reasons why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s credibility is lacking.

1) The Governor ran for office, twice, pledging to oppose new taxes. He has now signed into law the largest tax increase in the history of any state, and is advocating the passage of Proposition 1A, which contains $20 billion more in taxes on Californians.

2) In 2004, the Governor campaigned for Propositions 57 & 58,… Read More

Kudos to Congressman Darrell Issa for asking the obvious questions. Amidst all the pontification coming from the pres and senior staff on the AIG bonuses, what was known in advance? Might the outrage have been pro-active and thus pre-emptive, or is it simply now reactive, with a wet finger in the air (while also on the pulse of an irate public)?

From Issa:

Issa to White House: When did you learn of AIG Bonuses? WASHINGTON. D.C. – House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA) today, in a letter to President Barack Obama, requested that the Administration provide information about when senior administration and White House officials first became aware of imminent bonus payments to AIG executives.

“Given your recent expressions of outrage about bonuses being paid to AIG executives, I am concerned that members of your Administration may not be bringing critical information to your attention in a timely manner,” said the letter from Issa. “There is good reason to believe that White House officials have long known about impending bonus payments to AIG… Read More

Trust me when I tell you that the Orange County Republican Party’s governing Central Committee is anything but monolithic. While certainly dominated by conservatives, the Committee of around seventy members most of whom are independently elected from Assembly Districts all around the county, is a dynamic group that includes GOPers of all stripes. I say this because last night, in a packed meeting with over two hundred people in attendance, the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee formally opposed all six ballot measures that will come before voters in the upcoming special election in May, Propositions 1A through 1F – and the vote was unanimous – when OC GOP Chairman, former Assembly Republican Leader Scott Baugh, called for the two voice votes (there was a motion to oppose 1A and 1B, and a separate motion to oppose 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F), the large crowd voted to oppose them all, with not one “nay” to be heard when opposing votes were called for.

Orange County Assemblywoman Diane Harkey flew down from Sacramento to give a rousing speech in support of the motion to oppose… Read More

Trust me when I tell you that the Orange County Republican Party’s governing Central Committee is anything but monolithic. While certainly dominated by conservatives, the Committee of around seventy members most of whom are independently elected from Assembly Districts all around the county, is a dynamic group that includes GOPers of all stripes. I say this because last night, in a packed meeting with over two hundred people in attendance, the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee formally opposed all six ballot measures that will come before voters in the upcoming special election in May, Propositions 1A through 1F – and the vote was unanimous – when OC GOP Chairman, former Assembly Republican Leader Scott Baugh, called for the two voice votes (there was a motion to oppose 1A and 1B, and a separate motion to oppose 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F), the large crowd voted to oppose them all, with not one “nay” to be heard when opposing votes were called for.

Orange County Assemblywoman Diane Harkey flew down from Sacramento to give a rousing speech in support of the motion to oppose Propositions 1A and 1B,… Read More