Archive for September, 2009
SEPTEMBER 28, 2009: POLITICAL CALAMITY IN INDIAN WELLS-CRP’S FALL CONVENTION
Posted by: | CommentsCalifornia’s 2010 gubernatorial candidates jockey for position, Fred Barnes relaxing poolside for breakfast, Andrew Breitbart at the bar, a chicken on the loose, This past weekend was a conservative utopia in Indian Wells for the California Republican Party Fall Convention.
One can learn a lot about the candidates running for our states highest office just by observing them when few are watching….not to mention their convention table set up. Tom Campbell spent a decent amount of time at his table with very little fan fare. His set up was crisp and looked like a candidate running for office. Meg Whitman was like a whirlwind with a thick entourage in dark business suits. When she walked in you knew someone important had arrived. She briefly stopped at her 2 tables to shake hands and pose for a photo op, then with a confident stride was off as quickly as she came. Whitman’s table set up was clearly the most interesting. Her 2 tables were loaded with vases and bowls filled to the brim with orange and green candies and a mega-store that only a former Ebay CEO could put out. Every Meg item imaginable was for sale. As for any indication on where she stands on issues, there was a really pretty glossy brochure. The set up was heavy on branding and light on substance. Steve Poizner in comparison looked relaxed and walked the floor with only a handful of handlers. His table was lackluster with literature in stacks. Quite indicative of an Insurance Commissioner running for Governor.
Ok…now on to the most exciting kibbles and bits, the dirty politics. A table set up across the room from the Mega-Meg tables showed a looped video clip of Whitman expressing what a “huge fan” she is of Van Jones, the Presidents former Green Jobs Czar and self avowed communist. The most entertaining was a person in a chicken suit running around with a sign proclaiming Whitman was to chicken to debate as it’s handler briskly handed out paper fans with Meg’s picture on it with the slogan “I’m a huge fan of Van Jones”. The strangest was a guy in a rubber president mask and a mock secret service agent. That had something to do with Steve Poizner and former Vice President Al Gore. Still trying to figure that one out.
If this early stage of the 2010 race is any indication, it will only get more interesting from here on out. The CRP Spring convention in Santa Clara will take place in March, only a few short months before the state primary in June. That one should prove to be worth the price of admission.
From talking to folks at the convention one thing is clear, very few have committed to a candidate yet. It’s any one’s race.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2009: AB 962 Awaits Schwarzenegger’s Signature
Posted by: | CommentsEarly Saturday morning, A.B. 962 cleared it’s final hurdle. Passing through both houses, it’s now on the Governor’s desk awaiting a signature.
As you read here and here, A.B. 962 is the latest attempt to stifle your Second Amendment rights. It would require every single handgun ammunition purchase be recorded. Your personal information and driver’s license number would be logged and your fingerprint(s) obtained and recorded in a data base for the government and law enforcement. A.B. 962 would also require ALL handgun ammunition be purchased “face to face”. This would put an end to Internet and mail order purchases for California. Portions of the bill requiring each ammunition vendor be licensed by the Department of Justice and the provision to make it illegal to privately “transfer” 50 rounds of ammunition were dropped in an effort to make A.B 962 more palatable. If this bill in made law you can be assured these issues will resurface.
The author of A.B. 962, Assemblymember Kevin DeLeon (D-LA) and the bill’s supporters would like you to believe it’s enactment would combat gang violence and make us safer. Does anyone in their right mind believe gangbangers obtain their bullets from mail order catalogs or from their local gun range? A.B. 962 will only infringe upon the rights of law abiding California gun owners, hurting citizens, not criminals.
Call Governor Schwarzenegger at 916-445-2841, respectfully ask him to veto A.B. 962. This bill could be signed at anytime so don’t delay, call today!
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
Posted by: | CommentsNew York City. The Pentagon, Washington D.C. A field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Everyday people went to work and boarded planes. After the horror’s of the events were realized countless others risked and sacrificed to aid and save. In those hours of devastation it was clear we were attacked and at war. Today, 8 years later our brave men and women of our armed forces, intelligent services and law enforcement continue to fight this war on terror. We must NEVER find comfort in complacency. As images of that day fade and rarely air on our televisions we must remember those we lost and have continued to lose. We must be vigilant when the topic of our nation’s security shifts to the semantics of enhanced interrogation techniques and Miranda rights of enemy combatants. We can not for one moment forget we are at war with terrorists, who despise us for simply being who we are…Americans.
After the memorials of this day pass and the 2,974 bell tolls silent for another year: Remember…Never forget.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2009: Poizner Makes A Mess
Posted by: | CommentsWith 9 months to go before the June 8th California primary election, Insurance Commissioner and 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner isn’t wasting anytime getting messy with his primary opponent Meg Whitman.
The single-sided mud slinging started a few weeks ago when Poizner launched a new website www.PoiznerFacts.com to share facts about his opponent and refute “Meg’s smear campaign”. The site hits Whitman’s inconsistent voting and “ducking” of debate invitations:
“FACT: Meg Whitman and her campaign are willing to say and do anything to avoid open debate.”
Ouch. As for the “smear campaign”, Poizner has posted what appears to be an email from Whitman Press Secretary Sarah Pompei to Jarrod Agen with an attached MP4 file named “Steve Poizner on prisons” What that’s about, who knows? Poizner says the smear campaign is a diversion from Whitman’s imperfections:
“Clearly, Meg Whitman and her team will do and say anything to hide the fact that she doesn’t vote, won’t debate, and is not a conservative”
RINO (Republican in name only) name calling, double OUCH!
This past week, Poizner ramped up the rhetoric with an internet video parody titled the “Love Boat”. In this web gem (which is actually funny) Whitman is nailed for her praise of President Obama’s Green Job’s Czar Van Jones, who resigned this weekend under the cloak of darkness in controversial disgrace. In July 2008 Whitman went on a climate change cruise with Van Jones and Jimmy Carter and Jones made quite an impression. In the video Whitman claims to be a “huge fan” of Van Jones and gushes on how “bright” and “articulate” he is.
Whitman being linked to a self avowed communist and 9/11 truther gives more than enough ammunition to Poizner to use against her, and he was smart to make such clever use of it. As for the debate “ducking” someone should tell Poizner it’s September. It might be prudent to engage in a debate when California is actually paying attention to the Governor’s race. For example, ask anyone in California who is running for Governor and you’ll see a lot of head scratching. Whether or not Poizner’s politics as usual will have the desired effect remains to be seen next June. I suspect Whitman will continue to keep the focus on her strategic initiatives for California: economy, jobs and education.
Just in case your keeping score: 0 references to opponent’s on Meg Whitman’s website.