I don’t support Donald Trump.

Trump’s tough talk is scant cover for a shallow, disengaged intellect. He has shown astonishing dishonesty on even the most petty issues. His affable embrace of anyone who flatters him shows a desperate and easily manipulated hunger for celebrity accolades. His sudden and convenient conversion on a host of issues is more than little suspect – it shows either a mercenary malleability or simple deceit. And, his transparently feigned faith is offensive.

But if Trump wins a majority of Republican voters and “party leaders” try to scheme away the nomination, it won’t be the “short fingered vulgarian” who tears the party apart – it will be party elites who claim to be trying to save it.

A Trump win is hardly a foregone conclusion, but ignoring – or worse yet, dismissing – the real and visceral issues driving Trump’s support would be a terrible mistake and a betrayal to the principles of self-governance.

The issues driving voters to him have very little to do with Trump and everything to do with the failings of GOP leaders… Read More

The news is mixed for Republicans as Gallup provides new insight on the political parties with which Americans are identifying, or, increasingly, not identifying.

Gallup found that only 25% of Americans now identify with the Republican Party when given the choice of Republican, Democrat or independent. This is a lower number than we have seen at any time since 1988. Self-identified independents have risen to a new high of 42%. Democrats are in between at 31%.

We can expect the predictable take from those within the party to explain the decline. Many conservatives will argue the decline is because elected officials don’t follow “the platform” and “don’t stand for anything.” Moderates will claim the decline is because the party has become “too conservative” and has “lost the center.”

Gallup suggests both arguments miss the mark.

“The rise in political independence is likely an outgrowth of Americans’ record or near-record negative views of the two major U.S. parties, of Congress, and their low level of trust in government more generally,” says… Read More

Shutdown Day 12 and 13: I did not write you yesterday. Not because I have lost any affection for you, but because the “negotiations” in the House and the Senate were moving so fast that I feared that anything I wrote you would be obsolete before you had time to read it. There is still a risk of that on this gloomy and wet Sunday morning in Washington, DC.

I also wanted to put down my rhetorical sword in the hopes that real discussions to perhaps get a win-win solution here were ongoing. It seems that whenever I give this administration and their allies the benefit of the doubt, it leads to disappointment. And it did so again this weekend.

Here is where we stand as I see it. I put the word “negotiations” in quotes because it is quite clear now that the president was disingenuous in his agreement to enter negotiations. House Republicans made a good faith offer to begin resolution of this dispute. The offer was one that I and others didn’t think was very good from our perspective, but it was made. The White House took a day to pretend as though they were negotiating, because they are clearly sensitive to that criticism,… Read More

Government Shutdown Day 11: This will be a short update today. Negotiations are ongoing between Speaker Boehner and his staff and President Obama and his staff. Also, over in the Senate, there is a sizable group of Republicans and Democrats also working on an agreement. Apparently, only Harry Reid is still holding out to not negotiate and is not involved in any of this or may be trying to mess it up.

At this point, I have no idea what has been put on the table and what has not. I don’t know if the negotiations are going well or poorly. I don’t know if this is still two separate negotiations or if there is some collaboration with the Senate. I don’t know if a deal will be reached, and if so if I will like and support that deal or dislike it and oppose it.

But after 11 days, we are finally doing what should have happened 3 weeks ago. Both sides of divided government are talking, negotiating and compromising. That is as it should be. That is how it has to be.

I’ll give you another update when some proverbial smoke comes out of the chimney signaling some agreement.

Until then, drive fast and live free.… Read More

Government Shutdown Day 10: I hope you enjoy getting these daily laptops…because I think they’re going to be coming to you for a while.

This whole dispute has reached a new phase. First of all, we are now past just dealing with “Shutdown/ObamaCare” and are into “Debt Limit/Entitlement Reform” territory, as well. One is unlikely to be resolved on a long-term basis without also dealing with the other. Secondly, the rhetoric has stalled. The Democrats have been repeating the same messages for days now, as have Republicans. Thirdly, Washington is settling in to this debate, and both the House and the Senate are beginning to talk about doing a few things that are not directly related to the Shutdown/Debt Limit, such as the Farm Bill. .

But, political bodies do not stay stationary for long. So, there are a number of factors that may start to move things a little here. First of all, of course, is the looming Debt Limit. As you know, I don’t think that the well-publicized October 17th date (that the federal government is “supposed” to run out cash) has much meaning. But, by November 1st, the Treasury will likely be very close to… Read More

This native Californian was all bundled up to keep warm on a chilly Washington morning on Monday to witness the 57th United States Presidential Inaugural and hear President Obama’s second inaugural address.

To be honest, I was inspired by the address….. ….but, not in the way the president might have wanted.

I’m a big football fan. There’s nothing to bring you to your feet quite like the big touchdown pass. And, that is usually what brings accolades in the annals of football lore. But, just as important, and many times more important, is that tenacious defense. When you don’t have the ball, you count on those 11 defensemen to keep you in the game. Oh sure, they can sometimes get a “pick-6” and score a touchdown. But usually, they just hold the line and keep bad things from happening. The undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins were led by what was dubbed the “no name defense”. They held the line and they were a big part of the only undefeated season in NFL history. As Republicans, we don’t have the ball right now. We may control the House, but we are the minority party in Washington since everything… Read More

I’m really trying. But I just can’t keep up with dumb ideas from the other party.

On the campaign trail, I’ve told the story of a meeting last year with some plaintiffs’ lawyers who specialize in employment law. I mentioned the idiotic and counterproductive Labor Code requirement that bars ten hour work days, even if the employee wants them. In a flight of what I thought was hyperbole, I added that Democrats act as if, without that law, “there would be 12 year old urchins in basements sewing garments again.”

“Oh, no, Mr. Wagner,” one of the lawyers earnestly replied, “that’s exactly what would happen.”

What I took as an obvious exaggeration, she took as a very good argument for a very bad law.

A couple of weeks ago, Democrats on the Assembly Education Committee complained about the narrow scope of a bill by State Senator Bob Huff. They objected to it because it didn’t completely fix a big problem (ironically, a big problem of Democrats’ own making with faulty legislation they passed a few years ago – but I digress). Instead, the bill dealt only with a small piece of the larger problem, and supposedly was objectionable for… Read More

On Friday, the Legislature passed the state budget and, while I don’t want to sound like a crank, I have to ask: Really? This is how we do things in Sacramento? This is how we govern the nation’s most populous state? This is how we pass the budget – the single most important piece of legislation we’ll consider all year?

I serve on the Budget Committee and thought we had scraped the bottom of the procedural barrel last year. The committee hearing on that final budget lasted only about 45 minutes before the committee chairman cut off questioning to take a vote so that Democratic members of the committee could “catch airplanes.”

But we hadn’t hit bottom. This year, incredibly, the process was worse.

For example, the Budget Committee never even held a hearing and vote on the budget we passed on Friday, so I guess last year’s 45 minutes wasn’t bad. Instead, we had an “informational” presentation of a budget “framework.” In some news reports, Sacramento’s ruling Democrats called it a “concept” for the budget. In any event, there was no vote, even on the “concept” for this year’s budget. Moreover, the language of the budget… Read More