In case you missed it, this weekend was the big GOP
hoo-ha down in Santa Clara. The event gave the party faithful,
and reporters a rare chance to see all the GOP candidates
up close.
And
Whitman even held a press conference, or two. Heck, Meg Whitman even bought her own TV station for the event.
Steve Poizner tried the same stunt -- without a net! But perhaps the biggest news of the weekend was Chuck DeVore's revelation that he's related to Jerry
Brown.
As if that wasn't enough, Whitman and Poizner will
square off in a debate in Orange County this evening.
John Marelius says the GOP emerged from their confab
feeling pretty good about themselves.
"This year, Republicans in California are in high spirits
as
President Barack Obama’s once sky-high approval rating continues to
slide and Republicans racked up what they consider
bellwether electoral
victories in other states.
“This convention marks the shift from the Republican
Party being on
defense coming out of 2008 to being on offense in 2010,” said
California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring. “We have seen a
dramatic change in the political environment over the
course of last
year nationally and in California.”
“Clearly, the wind is at our backs, not in our face,” added Nehring, the former San Diego County party chairman. “And everyone can feel the enthusiasm that’s been fed by the Republican victories in Virginia , New Jersey, Massachusetts — and now it’s our turn."
Now, don't you all feel horrible for wasting the beautiful
weekend outdoors and not focusing on GOP minutae? We
thought so...
The battle lines have been drawn -- Meg Whitman has declared war on public employee unions, and the unions are fighting back. Joe Garofoli responds,
"Republican Meg Whitman is sharpening her
focus on one of the main foils of the billionaire executive's
gubernatorial campaign: unions, particularly those representing public
employees.
"Her TV commercials attack GOP primary rival Steve
Poizner for
"joining liberal unions" to support a 2000 ballot measure that lowered
the vote threshold to pass school bonds. She rejects
a timeline to
release her taxes, dismissing the demand as coming
from a "union front
for Jerry Brown." She insists that state employees make financial
concessions to help balance the budget.
"All of these moves are calculated to help Whitman
tap into
conservative and Tea Party frustrations with the increasing
size of
government."
George Skelton talks to Willie Brown, who says he wants a more moderate Legislature. "Brown believes the Legislature should draw political
lines.
But becoming mayor of San Francisco turned him into
an open-primary
advocate. Local races are nonpartisan. And he backs
Prop. 14.
"It requires people running for office to appeal to
everybody from Day
One. No longer there'd be this business of tailoring
your message for
the progressive wing of the Democratic Party in Berkeley,
or the
conservative wing of the Republican Party in Orange
County.
"It literally minimizes the fringe element and causes
the majority voice to ultimately be heard."
And for those looking for something to do at their
desks this morning, why not check out the latest video from Fred Davis, creator of the infamous
Demon Sheep video. This one doesn't have quite the same bizzare quality
as the Demon Sheep spot, but for those who deride political
ads as formulaic, Davis has shown that's not necessarily
the case.
Watch the ad here.
