Author Archive
OCTOBER 1, 2009: Governor Moonbeam Makes It Official
Posted by: | CommentsWell…it’s official. After many months of speculation California Attorney General and former Governor Jerry Brown has thrown his hat into the 2010 gubernatorial race. This week Brown crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s by filling his exploratory committee with California Secretary of State Debra Bowen. ”Brown for Governor 2010 exploratory committee” is now all set to collect donations for the race.
Brown, affectionately called “Governor Moonbeam” served as California’s Governor from 1975-1983 and is eligible to serve again on a technicality, the two term limit only applies to Governor’s after November 1990.
Timing of Brown’s filing is no mere coincidence. This week a Rassmussen poll has Brown easily beating all three Republican hopefuls.
Brown has national name recognition, his primary opponent San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has little outside of San Fransisco. In the cash race, Brown has a leg up over Newsom. Things get interesting if…say…another notable Democrat enters the race. Hmmm….I wonder what the polls would look like if that notable was Senator Dianne Feinstein?
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.
August 27, 2009: ECO-Tyranny Protest In Sacramento Tomorrow
Posted by: | CommentsThousands are set to converge on Sacramento Friday to protest California’s radical environmental legislation that has jobs in the state drying up like the water flow from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The “March On Sacramento”, organized by the TEA Party Patriot’s and other groups, will largely focus on A.B. 32 California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. This legislation mandates greenhouse gas emissions return to 1990 levels by 2020, requires businesses to report their greenhouse gas emissions to the California Air Resource Board (CARB) and a schedule of fee’s paid by “regulated resources” to encourage compliance.
In California we are the canaries in the coal mine and are typically used as a petri dish. Wanna know what Cap ‘n Trade will look like for the nation if passed by Congress? Just look at California’s disastrous legislation. To say A.B. 32 is disastrous for California would be a gross understatement. In the last year alone, California has lost more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs. Businesses have made a mass exodus to other states with less regulation. The full impact of A.B. 32 will cost 1.1 million jobs, a loss of about $5.8 billion in indirect business taxes and $76.8 billion lost labor income. In a state with skyrocketing unemployment and frequent budget deficits we can little afford legislation that forces businesses and jobs out of the state taking much needed tax revenue with them as they go.
There is light at the end of the tunnel: A.B. 118 introduced by Assembly member Dan Logue (R-D3), which if enacted, would repeal the caustic A.B. 32.
If you can make it to Sacramento by all means go, if not you can still take part from home. While Californian’s are at the capital getting the message out loud and clear have your voice heard by calling, faxing and emailing your elected official. Tell them how you feel about California’s ECO-Tyranny legislation and ask them to repeal A.B. 32 by voting YES on A.B 118.
For more info on the event visit www.SAC828.org
AUGUST 20, 2009: Commission On The 21st Century Economy Workshop
Posted by: | CommentsThe details of the 21st Century Economy Commission’s workshop have finally been announced. As you have read here and here, the commission was created by Governor Schwarzenegger and Speaker Karen Bass to “modernize and stabilize” California’s tax system. The workshop’s will take place as usual, 1 in Northern and 1 in Southern California:
August 26, 2009 at 9AM at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco.
August 28th, 2009 at 9AM at UCLA in Los Angeles.
The workshop’s agenda will include panel discussions and public comments. You can find more information as well as the commission’s internal communications and the tax structure options currently being debated on the commission’s State of California website.
AUGUST 12, 2009: Congressman Schiff Brings Health Care “Town Hall” To Alhambra
Posted by: | CommentsLast night in Alhambra, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank/Glendale) hosted a “town hall” meeting on health care. The event was originally supposed to take place in the Community Room inside the Alhambra Civic Center Public Library which would have reportedly held about 200-300. Due to the at least 2,000 in attendance the event was moved outside to the other side of the street.
The town hall was moderated by NBC4’s Dr. Bruce Hensel. On the discussion panel: Dr. Benjamin Chu from Kaiser, Dr. Richard Brown from the UCLA Center for Health Policy and Research, Leeba Lessin from CareMore Health Plan and Jerry Flanagan, a “Health Care Advocate”.
We’ve all watched on the daily rotation of news town hall’s from across the country where citizens address their lawmakers on the current health care bill. Last night in Alhambra was a different story. I went with 2 friends to see it first hand. To say it was an eye opener would be an understatement. In the 2 hours the panel spoke, maybe 2 questions were taken off cards from the audience. There were no microphones for those with questions. No open dialogue between elected official and constituents. This was not a “town hall” but a sales meeting. Schiff was not there to listen, he was their for you to listen if you are not in favor of national health care.
On July 27 the Glendale News-Press published an op-ed written by Schiff detailing his support for “comprehensive health care reform with a robust public option”, which as of yesterday was removed from the Congressman’s own website. Clearly Schiff is an avid supporter of H.R. 3200. Why the need for the dog and pony show?
It sure gave labor unions a chance to show up in full force, who just happened to congregate across the street in the exact spot where the town hall would take place. I guess they got the memo before hand.
Countless politicians and talking heads have said the anger at these town hall’s are manufactured by well organized Astro Turffed-right wing conspiracy-TEA baggers. Yet they fail to mention it is the side in favor of the bill that is well organized. Just look at the pictures from President Obama’s town hall yesterday in New Hampshire and pictures from last night in Alhambra. Supporters of the plan in both town hall’s in different states are wearing the SAME button’s distributed by the SEIU and holding the SAME signs given out by various union’s including the SEIU and the AFL-CIO. Where is the outrage and name calling with the union’s organizing their members? Does that make them raciest and un-american?
We asked one gentleman holding a AFL-CIO/CA School Employee union sign if he was with a union, he told us “yes” and that he was a union rep for the CA School Employee union. We asked if he was being paid to attend he told us he was “paid a salary”. We again asked if he was paid to be there, he said “it’s part of my job”. I am not posting this man’s picture. If you watch footage from the event you will see him with his union sign. This is information he seemed proud to share. This information could have been obtained by any member of the media willing to do their job instead of flinging Astro-Turf allegations at those opposed to the health care bill. Just ask anyone carrying the union/special interest signs or wearing the union/special interest button’s if their in a union, the majority we asked said yes and the one’s that weren’t said they were given them by someone passing them out.
Last night I heard from a lot of people who think health care is a “right” and if you don’t think so you must be “rich”. When challenged none admitted to reading the bill or even knowing what’s in it. They didn’t seem to care how much “free” health care would cost and weren’t concerned with the possibility that our current quality of care could deteriorate. On blogs and in news reports about last night in Alhambra both sides of the issue will tell you they “won” at the town hall. The real victory will come when the bill goes to the floor of the House and Senate for a vote. Which side will come out victorious? Only time will tell.
Does your elected official know where you stand on H.R. 3200?
AUGUST 9, 2009: Because You Asked For It-The Link For H.R. 3200 Health Care Bill
Posted by: | CommentsWith the heated debated surrounding the current health care bill being hammered out in Congress I have received a massive amount of requests for a link to the actual bill.
To access the ENTIRE text of H.R. 3200 America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 log on to the Library Of Congress website then click on the link for “THOMAS” to access the legislative information section of the Library Of Congress. On the THOMAS main page click on the link for “H.R. 3200 America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009″, then click on “text of Legislation”. Unfortunately, I have not been able to post a direct link to the bill as it “expires” after a few minutes and is useless.
To read the whole thing would amount to quite an undertaking but since we are demanding our elected officials read the bill, we also need to be informed on it’s contents.
Remember what we learned in the 80’s watching G.I. Joe cartoons…. Knowing is half the battle. Know what’s is HR 3200.
August 6, 2009: Financial Records Are In For The Governor’s Race So Far
Posted by: | CommentsWith over a year to go until the November 2010 elections, gubernatorial candidates are ramping up spending and fund raising. Financial reports are now available for the campaigns on the State of California Secretary of State website for the period of 1/9/09-6/30/09. Here’s the financial score card for each candidate:
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $4,642,884.62
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $1,551,328.73
ENDING CASH: $3,701,993.79
The largest contribution chunk to Poizner’s campaign is $4.2 billion from his own personal funds. $770,000 was spent on campaign consultants and $106,000 spent on Info/Tech/Internet.
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $10,813,932.73
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $6,154,146.97
ENDING CASH: $4,962,065.61
Like her primary competition Poizner, Whitman has committed a sizable amount of personal funds, $19 million in total. Other contributions of note include $25,900 from Mitt Romney and $10,000 from Jeffrey Immelt, GE CEO and key member of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, appointed by President Obama. The bulk of expenditures for the campaign are $2.1 million in campaign consultants and $994,000 in Info/Tech/Internet.
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $305,017.02
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $161,274.01
ENDING CASH: $317,381.69
In the money race, Campbell has his work cut out for him. The campaign spent $44,855 on Info/Tech/Internet, $24,000 on employee salaries and $22,000 on consulting.
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $1,710,948.71
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $1,521,761.85
ENDING CASH: $1,244,919.85
The list of Newsom’s contributors read like an entertainment trade paper. High dollar donors include actors, writers, producers, studio execs and other Hollywood notables. The most “entertaining” contributions are $10,000 from Ryan Seacrest, $25,000 from Rosie O’Donnell and $15,000 from Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. Most of the campaigns expenditures were $114,000 for Info/Tech/Internet, $62,000 for polling/survey research and $288,000 for consulting. Oh wait….let’s not forget $200 to send thank you flowers to Barbara Streisand for hosting a fundraiser.
Even though he has not officially declared his candidacy for Governor, California Attorney General Jerry Brown is likely going to be Newsom’s Democratic rival. Brown’s 2010 reelection coffers are loaded and every cent can be transferred to a gubernatorial campaign
Democrat Jerry Brown (For Attorney General)
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $3,505,218.18
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 1/1/2009 – 06/30/2009: $253,181.37
ENDING CASH: $7,386,669.12
Labor Unions play a large part in Brown’s cash lead over Newsom. While Newsom’s donor list is packed with entertainment types, Brown’s is heavy with unions from as far away as New York and Chicago. The SEIU Local 1000 contributed $6,900 and since it is California there are some celebrities, though not in the quantity as Newsom. Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg each donated $13,000 and Hugh Hefner gave $5,000. Brown has been frugal, only spending $16,000 on Info/Tech/Internet and $9,900 on campaign consultants.
We’ll have to wait and see how the primaries turn to see who will win their spot on the ballot next November. The clear winner in this early stage of the race? Campaign consultants.