It was about 5:30pm on a cool Tuesday evening, Election Night, 1980. I was managing the reelection campaign of a freshman GOP legislator and we were getting the headquarters ready for what we hoped would be a Victory Celebration (it was) later in the evening. The polls had just closed on the east coast, but California voters still had several hours to cast ballots. Many were headed to polling places from work. I had the television tuned to the local NBC news affiliate, when anchorman Tom Brokaw came on screen

“NBC News has just projected that Ronald Wilson Reagan from the state of California has been elected President of the United States.”

Wow. Reagan was my hero, a man I admired as much for his conservative stand on issues as for his extraordinary skill as a communicator. I also felt a personal connection to him. I was just 24, but many of my parents’ friends had known Reagan personally from his time as governor. And a woman on our campaign staff, 8 years my senior, had been Reagan’s secretary when he ran for president in 1976.

Soon after Brokaw’s announcement,… Read More

President Reagan’s eldest son, Michael Reagan, provided Congressional candidates and the McCain-Palin Victory Funds for Ohio and Pennsylvania $40,000 in contributions this week from his Federal PAC, The Legacy Committee. California candidates receiving late contributions include incumbents Dana Rohrabacher and Brian Bilbray.… Read More

I caught two interesting stories on NPR’s "Morning Edition" during my commute–one of which included an interview with California pol and consultant Jim Brulte.

The first story includes an interesting suggestion from one local Wisconsin government official about the impacts from the likely closing of General Motors Janesville plant. Noting that the plant property is appraised at about $40 million, generating $850,000 per year in property tax revenue, the city economic development director posited that a closing might halve the property tax assessment for the plant, and therefore cut tax revenue to the city.

The city’s likely response, he says: raise rates on the other (remaining) properties in town to backfill.

No mention of simply making due with less, or enacting cuts elsewhere. A link to the audio is here.

On to California, which according to yesterday’s Financial Times profile of the City of Angels, is the largest manufacturing center in the United States. (LA Observed linked to the piece,… Read More

"The money was already tainted" according to black commentator, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, flatly stating that the 8.5 millions LA government unions are spending, is "buying an election". Not just any election, buta seat to the LA County Board of Supervisors, District 2.

Former Chief and current councilman Bernard Parks has out raised his opponent union-chattel, Mark Ridley-Thomas,… Read More

"The money was already tainted" according to black commentator, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, flatly stating that the 8.5 millions LA government unions are spending, is "buying an election". Not just any election, buta seat to the LA County Board of Supervisors, District 2.

Former Chief and current councilman Bernard Parks has out raised his opponent union-chattel, Mark Ridley-Thomas,… Read More

No, this isn’t about Gandhi. But you have to admit, the following reader comments posted today to Chris Reed’s America’s Finest Blog entry on Prop8, are about as hilariously "ironical" as you’ll find….

Jenny (excerpted): "I’m a liberal democrat, and support Prop 8. I’ve supported gay rights since I was a teenager, but over the past few years, I’ve had my eyes opened to the cold hard facts that the gay activists are more interested in grinding an axe against the religious, than any kind of equality. Today for example, reading comments to an article online, I read comments by gays waging the no on prop 8 battle online, shrilly excusing the attack against a man who was only handing out lawn signs outside of a church, by a gay man who tried to steal the signs. The comments included that the religious don’t have rights, that they should get over it, and accept the fact that they would be challenged now at every turn and subject to derision.

"Those were the words of a… Read More

If it hasn’t already happened to you, you probably know several people who have had their Yes on Proposition 8 signs stolen right out of their front yard. Although McCain/Palin and other Republican signs have been defaced and stolen, the Yes on Proposition 8 signs are being targeted in particular. In fact, the vandalism and theft of the “tolerant” No on Proposition 8 side has escalated to such a level that now cars and homes are being vandalized. There are so many reports of violence and vandalism that police can’t even keep up. And even with so many politically-motivated crimes taking place, the media have been rather quiet in covering the extent of these attacks.

In my Roseville neighborhood, just as quickly as Yes on Proposition 8 signs are posted, they are defaced or stolen. Thankfully, the local police have been great about responding to the thefts and last night they finally arrested three individuals caught in the act of stealing signs. The thieves’ car contained… Read More

While the White House is the highest office in the land, a lot of governing happens at the local level. In fact, most of the decisions affecting our daily lives are made by city councils, school boards and county supervisors.

In that spirit, a group of Republicans, property rights advocates and miscellaneous North San Diego leaders have lined up to defeat far-far-left Oceanside City Councilwoman Esther Sanchez…

Sanchez – a public defender — opposes enforcement of immigration laws and even efforts to curb violent gangs. And, typical of the intolerant left, uses her office to punish those who disagree with her.

Oh yes, and for disclaimer, yes the PAC who paid for this is my client…… Read More