Dec 7, 2005
In the spirit of Pearl Harbor Day, Conservative GOP leaders have gone into full attack mode -- against the governor. Conservatives believe that the governor is stretching the party's tent a little too much, and are demanding a meeting, writes Robert Salladay in the Times. "The request comes as Schwarzenegger faces sustained opposition from moderate and conservative Republicans over the choice of Susan P. Kennedy. Before serving as a state public utility commissioner, Kennedy was Cabinet secretary for Gov. Gray Davis. She also was an abortion-rights activist and former Democratic Party executive."
"There is even a movement to draft Mel Gibson, the actor and director, to run against Schwarzenegger in the Republican primary next year — in part because the success of Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ," could help his chances among religious conservatives. Raised in Australia, Gibson was born in New York and is a U.S. citizen, although he has not expressed an interest in elected politics."
But this should waylay some concerns. Sen. Carole Migden tells the SF Examiner she "envisages Kennedy as a kind of dual governor: Arnold can now go out and campaign and Susan will stay at the Statehouse and get things done ...'"
(Director's Note: If you're not entertained by California politics, you're just not paying attention.)
The California Republican Assembly has even created www.melgibsonforgovernor.com to urge Gibson to run.
And, campaign strategists are already building the negative ads...
Among the biggest concerns of the party leaders is that Kennedy will have access to party strategy that might be shared with her Democratic political colleagues. "'What does it mean to have a chief of staff from the other party during a year of reelection?' asked state Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim. 'This is one of the reasons we wanted to sit down, to express these concerns.'"
Gary Delsohn writes in the Bee "Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, a member of the conservative California Republican Assembly, wrote a piece Monday on the organization's Web site that suggested conservatives felt permanently scorned by Kennedy's appointment. He also took strong exception to administration comments that Kennedy's appointment was a bold move by an unconventional governor."
"'I'll be real blunt,' Haynes said in an interview Tuesday. 'This was not a bold move. This was a chicken move. This was a move of capitulation.'"
And in a stroke of perfect timing, Gov. Schwarzenegger will pose with Gray Davis himself today, as Davis's official gubernatorial portrait is unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda at 2 p.m. Afterwards, former Davis staffers are gathering at the state museum for a Davis staff reunion. And you know what that means: The Horseshoe will be empty.
Johan Klehs and Dario Frommer plan to introduce separate constitutional amendments to curtail the governor's ability to call special elections, writes Steve Geissinger in the Oakland Tribune.
Now if Frommer could find a way to keep LA Controller Laura Chick out of the race for state Controller, which Frommer is also running for, he'd be on to something...
State Senator John Campbell earned a promotion yesterday, and this morning is hopping a plane to D.C. to assume the 48th congressional district previously held by Christopher Cox. Campbell earned 44.7%, while Democrat Steve Young came in second with 28.0%, and anti-immigration crusader Jim Gilchrist received 25.1%.
"'These results are great - I feel we've won,' Gilchrist said Tuesday night. 'People are definitely supportive of the issue. I'm going to carry on - with the Minuteman Project and we'll be supporting candidates for Congress.'"
"Democrat Steve Young, who spent more than $100,000 of his own money on the campaign, ran a more vigorous race than usual for his party in the heavily GOP district. He was still holding out hope despite trailing by 20 percentage points with more than half the vote counted Tuesday night."
"'We're on top of the world,' he said. 'We're showing a changing dynamic in this district.'"
The Associated Press reports that the special election made 2005 a special year for political consultants. "Groups supporting or opposing the eight initiatives on the Nov. 8 ballot, all of which were rejected by voters, spent more than $14.1 million on consultants, according to an Associated Press review of campaign finance statements filed with the secretary of state. The spending spree was part of a $230 million-plus campaign blitz that could set a record for ballot-measure spending in a California election when final campaign spending totals are made available at the end of January."
"Veteran political consultant Joe Cerrell called the special election a 'full employment act' for people in his profession."
"'It's a windfall,' he said. 'Some people used to struggle between elections. ... Consultants on both sides have to thank Arnold.'"
"A state senator investigating the California National Guard says that he plans to examine the Guard's hiring practices and use of the state pension system in response to a Sacramento Bee story last week," John Hill writes in the Bee.
"'We were aware potentially that there was some double dipping on pensions and other signs of cronyism,' [State Senator Joe] Dunn said. But the newspaper's investigation, he said, 'put it in more stark terms than I realized. It's clear that this is a bigger problem than I anticipated.'"
Dan Walters blasts a new University of California study touting the benefits of higher education. Study authors "Brady and Hout don't tell us whether the economy could absorb the increased number of college attendees and graduates they advocate, or even whether there are substantially more youngsters capable of doing college-level work. While decrying the decline in California's high school graduation and college education rates in relation to other states, they don't explore the factors, such as the huge increase in non-English-speaking students or the immense changes in the California economy, that contribute to those trends. They assume, more or less, that there are many millions of Californians who would attend college if only the taxpayers would foot the bill and that expansion would generate big economic returns."
And for our ongoing Seminal Moments in Political Oratory series today, we go to Cuba where Fidel Castro has called Florida Gov. Jeb Bush a "fatty." After alleging Bush might have helped Luis Posada Carriles enter the United States earlier this year, Castro also suggested the governor do a little exercise. "Forgive me for using the term 'fat little brother'" the Miami Herald reported Castro said. "It is not a criticism, rather a suggestion that he do some exercises and go on a diet, don't you think? I'm doing this for the gentleman's health."
Governor Bush's office refused to comment on Castro's remarks."
Department of Corrections: In yesterday's list of legislators refusing the pay raise, we left off Alan Nakanishi and Roger Niello.
Also, while Jackie Speier received the highest CalTax rating among Senate Democrats at 67%, Tom Umberg received the highest rating among all Democrats at 100%.
"There is even a movement to draft Mel Gibson, the actor and director, to run against Schwarzenegger in the Republican primary next year — in part because the success of Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ," could help his chances among religious conservatives. Raised in Australia, Gibson was born in New York and is a U.S. citizen, although he has not expressed an interest in elected politics."
But this should waylay some concerns. Sen. Carole Migden tells the SF Examiner she "envisages Kennedy as a kind of dual governor: Arnold can now go out and campaign and Susan will stay at the Statehouse and get things done ...'"
(Director's Note: If you're not entertained by California politics, you're just not paying attention.)
The California Republican Assembly has even created www.melgibsonforgovernor.com to urge Gibson to run.
And, campaign strategists are already building the negative ads...
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Among the biggest concerns of the party leaders is that Kennedy will have access to party strategy that might be shared with her Democratic political colleagues. "'What does it mean to have a chief of staff from the other party during a year of reelection?' asked state Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim. 'This is one of the reasons we wanted to sit down, to express these concerns.'"
Gary Delsohn writes in the Bee "Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, a member of the conservative California Republican Assembly, wrote a piece Monday on the organization's Web site that suggested conservatives felt permanently scorned by Kennedy's appointment. He also took strong exception to administration comments that Kennedy's appointment was a bold move by an unconventional governor."
"'I'll be real blunt,' Haynes said in an interview Tuesday. 'This was not a bold move. This was a chicken move. This was a move of capitulation.'"
And in a stroke of perfect timing, Gov. Schwarzenegger will pose with Gray Davis himself today, as Davis's official gubernatorial portrait is unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda at 2 p.m. Afterwards, former Davis staffers are gathering at the state museum for a Davis staff reunion. And you know what that means: The Horseshoe will be empty.
Johan Klehs and Dario Frommer plan to introduce separate constitutional amendments to curtail the governor's ability to call special elections, writes Steve Geissinger in the Oakland Tribune.
Now if Frommer could find a way to keep LA Controller Laura Chick out of the race for state Controller, which Frommer is also running for, he'd be on to something...
State Senator John Campbell earned a promotion yesterday, and this morning is hopping a plane to D.C. to assume the 48th congressional district previously held by Christopher Cox. Campbell earned 44.7%, while Democrat Steve Young came in second with 28.0%, and anti-immigration crusader Jim Gilchrist received 25.1%.
"'These results are great - I feel we've won,' Gilchrist said Tuesday night. 'People are definitely supportive of the issue. I'm going to carry on - with the Minuteman Project and we'll be supporting candidates for Congress.'"
"Democrat Steve Young, who spent more than $100,000 of his own money on the campaign, ran a more vigorous race than usual for his party in the heavily GOP district. He was still holding out hope despite trailing by 20 percentage points with more than half the vote counted Tuesday night."
"'We're on top of the world,' he said. 'We're showing a changing dynamic in this district.'"
The Associated Press reports that the special election made 2005 a special year for political consultants. "Groups supporting or opposing the eight initiatives on the Nov. 8 ballot, all of which were rejected by voters, spent more than $14.1 million on consultants, according to an Associated Press review of campaign finance statements filed with the secretary of state. The spending spree was part of a $230 million-plus campaign blitz that could set a record for ballot-measure spending in a California election when final campaign spending totals are made available at the end of January."
"Veteran political consultant Joe Cerrell called the special election a 'full employment act' for people in his profession."
"'It's a windfall,' he said. 'Some people used to struggle between elections. ... Consultants on both sides have to thank Arnold.'"
"A state senator investigating the California National Guard says that he plans to examine the Guard's hiring practices and use of the state pension system in response to a Sacramento Bee story last week," John Hill writes in the Bee.
"'We were aware potentially that there was some double dipping on pensions and other signs of cronyism,' [State Senator Joe] Dunn said. But the newspaper's investigation, he said, 'put it in more stark terms than I realized. It's clear that this is a bigger problem than I anticipated.'"
Dan Walters blasts a new University of California study touting the benefits of higher education. Study authors "Brady and Hout don't tell us whether the economy could absorb the increased number of college attendees and graduates they advocate, or even whether there are substantially more youngsters capable of doing college-level work. While decrying the decline in California's high school graduation and college education rates in relation to other states, they don't explore the factors, such as the huge increase in non-English-speaking students or the immense changes in the California economy, that contribute to those trends. They assume, more or less, that there are many millions of Californians who would attend college if only the taxpayers would foot the bill and that expansion would generate big economic returns."
And for our ongoing Seminal Moments in Political Oratory series today, we go to Cuba where Fidel Castro has called Florida Gov. Jeb Bush a "fatty." After alleging Bush might have helped Luis Posada Carriles enter the United States earlier this year, Castro also suggested the governor do a little exercise. "Forgive me for using the term 'fat little brother'" the Miami Herald reported Castro said. "It is not a criticism, rather a suggestion that he do some exercises and go on a diet, don't you think? I'm doing this for the gentleman's health."
Governor Bush's office refused to comment on Castro's remarks."
Department of Corrections: In yesterday's list of legislators refusing the pay raise, we left off Alan Nakanishi and Roger Niello.
Also, while Jackie Speier received the highest CalTax rating among Senate Democrats at 67%, Tom Umberg received the highest rating among all Democrats at 100%.