In case you missed the detailed links from today’s FR homepage, an excerpt from the SF Chron piece on the State GOP Convention:

The bad blood in the party was evident at the convention. On Saturday, state party vice chair Jon Fleischman angrily confronted state Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County), who made his name last week by providing the critical vote needed to pass the state budget.

"You voted for the largest tax increase in the country when you could have stopped it," said Fleischman, publisher of the GOP Web site Flashreport.com, which had publicly pressured Republicans to stand united against the package of $15 billion in spending cuts and $12.5 billion in new taxes. "Good call."

As an open-mouthed crowd of Republicans looked on, Maldonado – viewed as a turncoat by some Republicans, and a hero by others – coolly shot back: "We need a… Read More

I was in attendance at the CRP Convention this weekend and, going in,I wasn’t sure what to expect…in terms of turnout or in the moodof the membership. Despite the November election results, the hundreds of billions being frittered away in DC, and the great frustration overCalifonia’s deplorable budget disaster, Republican energy was way up and ready to engage the next battle.

Most all agreed that the battle starts with the soul of what the party is to be about, that there isn’t anything wrong with the "Republican Brand" or its platform, but instead with the vision to adhere to it by those we elect.

The elections for the party posts went smoothly and infighting amongst Republicans seems to be at a minimum on a party level…again the anger is aimed "primarily"at the elected officials at all levels, withvery stinging repeated rebukes by many of the speakers toward those that voted for new taxes or spending in Sacramento and DC.

2010 is in very clear focus for party activists as well as the 2009 Special Election that will soon be spelled out as the public comesto understand the issues on… Read More

Look for the main page to be up around 930am. Blame sleep deprivation, and the black-out curtains here at the Sacramento Hyatt Hotel.… Read More

Despite all the angst among Republican legislators and activists from earlier in the week, this weekend’s Republican organizing convention was remarkably upbeat. I was impressed with the enthusiasm of the party volunteers to take a look at the candidates who are already campaigning for office in 2010. With the knowledge that the controversial Bush and Schwarzenegger administrations will not be on the voters’ minds in 2010, there is renewed hope for Republican gains. There is also an understanding that voters will turn quickly on new officials who do not deliver on their campaign promises, and there is ample evidence that this will hit the new Obama administration by the 2010 elections.… Read More

This last weekend’s California Republican Party Biennial Organizational Convention in Sacramento was a busy one, and so it will take me a few blog posts to really talk about all of the aspects of it, and ultimately provide a comprehensive recap. As conventions go, it was a tremendously successful one. It was a extremely well attended by delegates and guests (this is especially notable due to the absence of hotly contested races for statewide party office) and the lineup of speakers was top notch.

Speakers at the convention included South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, Chairman of the National Republican Governors Association, former United National Ambassador John Bolton, gubernatorial hopefuls Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, Lieutenant Governor candidate State Senator Jeff Denham and talked about potential candidate Bill Simon, U.S. Senate candidate Assemblyman Chuck DeVore and rumored potential candidates Carly Fiorina and Larry Elder, Congressmen Darrell Issa and Tom McClintock and also national conservative leader Bill Bennett. As I pen… Read More

This last weekend’s California Republican Party Biennial Organizational Convention in Sacramento was a busy one, and so it will take me a few blog posts to really talk about all of the aspects of it, and ultimately provide a comprehensive recap. As conventions go, it was a tremendously successful one. It was a extremely well attended by delegates and guests (this is especially notable due to the absence of hotly contested races for statewide party office) and the lineup of speakers was top notch.

Speakers at the convention included South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, Chairman of the National Republican Governors Association, former United National Ambassador John Bolton, gubernatorial hopefuls Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, Lieutenant Governor candidate State Senator Jeff Denham and talked about potential candidate Bill Simon, U.S. Senate candidate Assemblyman Chuck DeVore and rumored potential candidates Carly Fiorina and Larry Elder, Congressmen Darrell Issa and Tom McClintock and also national conservative leader Bill Bennett. As I pen more from the… Read More

I have heard from way too many readers complaining that there isn’t a lot of blog coverage from the State GOP convention. So I wanted to first assure readers that we’ll to a comprehensive post-convention write up, but also wanted to remind you that I was running for re-election as Vice Chairman, South of the party (I was reelected, yeah!). But my focus has been on MY convention experience at the expense of YOURS. My apologies, and frankly almost all of the time my priorities are flipped (to your benefit). Not an excuse, but an explanation…… Read More

Yesterday, wedged squarely in between the legislature passing a tragic State budget package and the start of the California Republican Party’s bi-ennial organizational convention, came two loud-and-clear calls-to-action, in the form of emails, from two clearly differing interests.

The first, from the head of the State Party, with these headlines:

CRP Chairman Ron Nehring Blasts So-Called Open Primary Plan – Urges state party delegates to oppose measure that would polarize, regionalize political parties

The second message, from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the headline:

The Budget Is Done, Now It’s Time For Reform The content of the missives, you can read below. But, it’s the headlines that are so striking,or at least one of them.

The timing of Nehring’s clarion call clearly and rightfully means to fuel the collective energy of reeling and angry Republicans, just sold down the road by a few of their own, as they head into Sacramento for the convention weekend.

Whether the… Read More