Conservative Action Fund Still Wants to "Draft Condi For US Senate"

Last week, I receive another eblast from the Conservative Action Fund, headed by Shaun McCutcheon, making the plea for Condoleezza Rice to run for US Senate in California:

What conservative, what Republican in the Golden State would not want her to run? One poll showed her ahead of Kamala Harris, and that was before Sanchez entered the race.

She is tough, strong, conveys competence while creating consensus.

She is a minority with moderate views on otherwise divisive social issues. She would be a great candidate, a rallying figure for Republicans in a state which could swing to the right Presidential candidate, with the proper messaging and strong ground game.

Some of the comments in the eblast were noteworthy and inspiring:

California liberals are tearing themselves apart over the wide-open Senate race in 2016...

...and Conservatives like you and me must strike while the iron's hot!

State Attorney General Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez -- both left-wing radicals who are obsessed with identity politics -- are already taking swipes at one another in what promises to be a nasty and drawn-out race.
Indeed, political divisions like the rift between Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez could open up an opportunity for a Republican candidate.

There is only one problem: the voter registration so far favors Democratic contenders, and in a statewide race during a Presidential year, the turnout could favor boosting both Democrats into the Top Two for the general election.

The Conservative Action Fund knows this is a prime opportunity to draft a well-qualified, widely-popular Conservative candidate for U.S. Senate, and that's why we launched our "Draft Condoleezza Rice for Senate" petition earlier this year.

The response has been absolutely tremendous!

Thousands of Conservatives have already signed our "Draft Condi!" petition. Will you?

What motivates these eblast, and where does the money go?

This fund is taking in money to promote conservative candidates across the country. Fine.

I will not be donating to the fund, since I can donate to any candidate I want to, directly.

Still, I signed the petition. I would like Condi to run for US Senate. The eblast then listened where California has been, and why Condi would be a great candidate for the seat:

For decades, radical left-wing liberals Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have held both Senate seats in California.

But Barbara Boxer's recent announcement that she will not seek re-election in 2016 gives Republicans - and especially Conservatives! - an opportunity to "win one for the Gipper" in his own home state.

Condoleezza Rice is the perfect candidate for the job.

During the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, she served as a special assistant to President George H.W. Bush, overseeing German reunification and briefing the president on events which led to the collapse of what Ronald Reagan called "the Evil Empire."

Her foreign policy experience is impeccable. No matter what anyone may say about Iraq, or the ongoing chaos erupting in the region, no one can dispute that Rice's integrity and focus during her tenure as National Security Advisor then Secretary of State preserved stability and growth in a volatile region of the world.

 President George H.W. Bush introduced her to former Mikhail Gorbachev as the one who told him "everything [he knew] about the Soviet Union."

Condi's experience and knowledge about the Soviet Union would be a tremendous resource in the Senate as the U.S. grapples with Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Yes, it would, and her stiff resolve in the US Senate, where she faced off against Barbara Boxer, who impugned her integrity, would be a gratifying improvement for Californians looking for leadership and direction.

She later became Provost at Stanford, where she eliminated a $20 million deficit and left the university with an historic $14.5 million surplus!

The above information was new for me. I had no idea that she brought not only proper but beneficial; financial management to Stanford University. A private institution with a rigorous, free-market background, Rice could bring her prior foreign and financial experience to the upper chamber.

  After her conservative tenure at Stanford, she was selected to serve as President George W. Bush's National Security Advisor from 2001 to 2005 and then Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009.

It's clear that - now more than ever - we must support principled leaders who can make tough decisions in Washington.

Certainly.

 Condi made those tough decisions, first as President George H.W. Bush's special assistant, then as Provost at Stanford, and finally as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under President George W. Bush.

It's time for her to help Senate Republicans make tough decisions in Washington.

And the good news is, a poll out earlier this year showed Condoleezza Rice leading a crowded field of 18 potential candidates!

With both liberal Attorney General Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez already going at each other, it's time to inject some much-needed conservative firepower into this race.
Please sign the Conservative Action Fund's "Draft Condi!" petition, so we can pressure Condoleezza Rice to throw her hat into the ring and finally put California back in play for Conservatives.
Pressure Condi Rice? The Conservative Action Fund wants Rice to run precisely because of her unwavering resolve. If she responded to popular pressure to run, what would people say about her individual integrity not to run?

I had already received her response through an intermediary, and she affirmed that she had no interest in running for office. I sent this post to McCutcheon, and still these eblasts.

Here is the dilemma conservatives face when guessing and dreaming about the ideal candidate to run for office, and the hard realities of campaigning. We can hope and dream all we want to, but ultimately campaigns for political office require a person, flesh and blood, to make a huge commitment in terms of time, energy, and resources.

More importantly, that individual has to want to. So far, Condi does not want to, and the core trait which engages people to want her to run, is the same trait which should induce people to leave her alone.

Just as sports fans love to run scenarios to dress up their star line-up, so too armchair political consultants can fantasize about superstar political match-ups between this or that candidate. Yet at the end of the inside end-games, someone needs to run for office, with a platform of values and view toward a better future.

Someone has to put one foot in front of the other, yet heed this calling because they choose to. Someone has to choose, and leadership is about making choices, regardless of public pressure or private interest.

With these elements in mind, what purpose do these "Draft Condi" or "Draft This Person" eblasts really have?

Judy Mitchell: Big Green Advocate in Red Rolling Hills

Judy Mitchell

Judy Mitchell of Rolling Hills is up for reelection this year.

Whether the residents of her community know or not, she is a vocal advocate for the Big Green agenda.

What is disturbing as well as remarkable about this development is that the communities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula were founded on a libertarian basis, a small government, live-and-let-live spirit animated the original founders of the hillside communities, where now some of the most expensive as well as beautiful real estate can be found.

The Daily Breeze reported on her 2013 appointment to the largely ceremonial mayoral post in her city:

Judy Mitchell has become mayor of Rolling Hills Estates for a third time since she was first elected to the City Council in 1999.

In addition to her post in the City of Rolling Hills Estates, Mitchell also sits on the following boards:

California Environmental Protection Agency: Air Resources Board

South Coast Air Quality Management District

Why are there so many unelected and unaccountable environmental boards, and why is Mitchell sitting on these boards?

How do these roles conflict with the best interests of her city as well as the South Bay region?

Unaccountable officials on these boards are implementing Cap and Trade, or Cap and Tax.

This agenda runs against individual liberty, local control, and even state and national sovereignty.

Middle income earners are getting squeezed in the state of California, and the Big Green agenda is the core reason why.

Residents of PV Peninsula and throughout the South Bay should be paying close attention to the November, 2015 election, and start asking Ms. Mitchell some hard questions.

Furthermore, they should question whether she belongs in office representing a region of the state where residents are dedicated to limited government, local control, and individual liberty.

Where is Torrance Money Going?

Torrance, CA

I have spoken with individual members of the city council, and asked them why they don't cut or turn down spending on environmental, or green projects.

One councilmember told me that cutting $40,000 here or $20,000 there would not save the city much money, and would contribute very little toward repairing the city's broken-down infrastructure.

When totaling up the following costs on mass transit, "going green" projects, or other investments,  one finds a considerable amount of money.

Living Wise (40K)

I had asked about this item, which provided kits and training to middle school students on conservation. The mayor reported to me that this measure contributed successfully to water reduction. Still, the question does arise: why is the city council spending money on this program? I looked at the materials in the Living Wise kits, and found that many of the questions have little or nothing to with academic training. Why are these books providing all these questions about

Electric Charging Stations (560K) 

 

This time received more vetting from me, and some of the city council members informed me that the city was not paying for these stations.

 

Other residents in the city have informed me that no one uses them, but the stations take up space and prevent people from parking in key places. Another resident discovered that some of the private companies, like Costco, have removed their electric charging stations since no one was using them.

 

What a waste of time, space, and money.

Torrance, CA -- scene from Madrona Marsh

 

Transit Center (21 Million)

 

I have no issues with a transit center per se. I missed the one that residents could use next to Del Amo Mall. I have relied on local, public transit in the past when I did not have a car.

 

However, I would start asking questions about how many more employees the city will be hiring, or whether the city will contract with a private firm to staff the growing transit services.

 

Here's the answer:

 

New Transit Positions (1.6 Million, 850K of that just to man transit center) 

 

What?!

 

By the way, with the Torrance Transit buses have gone green. Has the city saved money with this transfer to "cleaner fuels"?

Alternative Fuel Replacement Buses (2.2Million)

That's a lot for gas. Who knows how much more it will be with the rising fuel costs in the state.
 

Create and Maintain Tarplant Preserve (Unknown) 

 

A few of us paying closer attention to decisions from city hall pushed back about the land setback on the Tarplant. City planners explained that state agencies were pressing for more land to preserve the plant, and the city found a half-way mark to proceed with construction of the Transit Center.

One city councilmember explained: "We have to learn to pick our fights."

On the other hand, I think it's time for the city to start picking fights on certain fronts.

 

 

Optimized Street Sweeping (2.1 Million, 800K of that just for signs)

I am hearing so much griping and complaining about this measure. Clint Paulson explained to one audience that the street sweeping does nothing to create clean streets or a cleaner environment. Evidence like this would more likely persuade councilmembers to rethink this program, if individual residents and homeowners find it so detestable.

 

Drought Restrictions (City will do significant outreach - cost unknown)

 

When will we know the costs? Two reports, including from US Senate candidate Tom Del Beccaro,  emphasize that individual consumption counts for on 20% of water usage in the state of California. Why do cities have to cut their usage? When will Torrance leaders start pushing back at Sacramento on these restrictions? Marc Danzinger of the Southwood Homeowners Association requested and got a hardship reprieve for homes on the Soils District.

With all the lawns getting torn out all over Torrance, I see the growing impact of these harsh restrictions. When will state leaders start making Water Wise decisions of their own?

 

Urban Farming (not implemented - no cost) 

 

I spoke with Mayor Furey about this, and even he was surprised at the push for this new program. Another question -- what will happen to quality of life and property values if prospective residents learn that their next-door neighbors have chickens clucking and bees buzzing next door?

 

Besides, the Mayor commented (correctly) during oral communications on this matter that he was hearing a lot of feelings and happy thoughts about this program, but no facts, not statistics, and certainly none of the unintended consequences of implementing urban farming.
 

Palos Verdes Road Work (Addition of Bike Lanes not itemized) 

More bike lanes add costs? I was not aware of that. The greater concern rests on whether these bike lanes will make it harder for individual drivers to travel throughout as well as out of the city. Los Angeles was toying with the idea of narrowing main thoroughfare Gaffey street in San Pedro. The public responses was less than enthusiastic, to put it mildly.
 

High Density Developments (Need to do more research) 

CCA (other than staff time to no costs yet, but if implemented costs will be significant)

CCA is dead on arrival. A number of sources within the city as well as concerned citizens have affirmed that this overblown attempt at alternative energy use is DOA. Councilman Tim Goodrich (who has pushing this pet project)
 

Market Rideshare to City employees ($150K) 

Who is paying for this? What about the rest of us in the city? Why don't we get a bonus or a perk if we don't rideshare?
 

Car 2 Go (No cost to City, but did allow company use of public space to operate business at virtually no cost)

More good news: this program has been suspended.

Final Comments.

Many of these programs seem irrelevant or inappropriate to the "Back to Basics" agenda better pursued by Torrance City Council.

The money for these projects and programs could have contributed to more security on our streets. How about the fireworks show? Most importantly of all - let's fix the streets in this town.

Now that's an environmental quality investment I would like to see the city discuss and implement!

Against Better Angels, Los Angeles Forces Minimum Wage

Not content with waiting in the wings while Seattle, Washington pursued the progressive ideals of minimum wage hikes, LA City Council has just agreed to drive up the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020.

Los Angeles City Official Seal

Let’s be clear: governments do not raise wages, but force businesses to make hard decisions to manage growing costs. “Raise the wage” is a misnomer. No question about it, LA City forced the minimum wage.

This measure was greeted with labored enthusiasm from the Labor Unions, who have bought and sold nearly every politician in the Los Angeles area, including former City Comptroller (and failed mayoral and congressional candidate) Wendy Greuel as well as current mayor Eric Garcetti, former councilman. Union money flooded the LAUSD School Board run-offs, too. Anyone can attest to this pervasive political dynamic in Los Angeles, where outsider populist native boy Joe Buscaino of San Pedro chose to support and talked up LAUSD School Board incumbent Richard Vladovic, despite Vlad’s controversial record and questionable conduct.

The moral of this LA story? Have union money, say and do anything to get elected and get on the good side of those elected with the money. Money talks, especially when it belongs to someone else, and you get to keep most of it.

Now, I share that most of the politicians have been bought, but not the Republicans so far, and yet there are so few conservatives representing anyone in the LA area, unless they represent areas in the Northern part of LA County, like Mike Antonovich, followed by Assemblyman Tom Lackey, and then Congressman Steve Knight. No one should be surprised that Northern Los Angeles County, from Lancaster to Palmdale and throughout Antelope Valley, is looking for any means to break away from Downtown illiberal lunacy and become its own county or join with Kern County right to the North.

And of course, who can forget David Hadley of the South Bay? No special interest money there, but let's hope that he can hold his assembly seat in 2016.

At any rate, now that the City of Angels listened to its lesser, baser angels, the four million strong metropolis is slouching further towards economic stagnation. California Republican Committeeman Shawn Steel called Los Angeles "increasingly the magnate for poverty growth," and this wage hike by city council fiat will only make the financial quandary worse.

Did anyone in the LA City Council bother to consider what happened to Seattle when the city forced the minimum wage then? Mayor Eric Garcetti apparently didn't, and why would he bother, anyway? He made nice with the Department of Water and Power, even though he had campaigned as the anti-union outsider.

What did happen in the wet city of the Northwest?

Minimum workers get replaced by. . .machines.

Long-standing restaurants throughout Seattle are closing at a faster rate. More entry level applicants will find themselves without a job.

Elected officials have never run a business, and they do not understand how thin the profit margin of many restaurants tends toward. One article put the number at 4%. Only 4%? And now those businesses will have to decide how much more of this profit they can lose to stay in business. Americans are getting a crash course in basic economics, but this hurt first and learn something later approach is par for the course in major cities, where Deep Democratic micromanaging has been running large cities into the ground for decades, and particularly for Los Angeles County, the Obama-aggravated economic downturn has taken a turn for the worse.

Now, back to Seattle. What else has happened? Those who do keep their jobs, with the $15 an hour wage, find that all the perks have gone away. Hotel maids must pay for parking, and they get no tips, since the hotel rates are so much higher. They have to bring their own lunch and dinner, since the hotel had to cut costs and could not provide meals for the workers.

All the unsaid, unnoticed perks have gone away. Not a perky outcome. That $15 an hour salary did not translate into greater wealth at all. Even labor unions are admitting that wage hikes will increase unemployment. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

Is there any good news from the LA City’s forced increase? LA County’s surrounding incorporated municipalities will enjoy a major upswing in business. Imagine the Torrance hotels located on Torrance Boulevard receiving travelers appalled by the expensive hotel stays and staffing, Redondo Beach will burst at its seams, too, as will El Segundo. Inglewood is already planning a football stadium. Why not build a few hotels and restaurants, since all the out-of-work Angelenos will still need some way to pay their bills (legally)? Maybe the City of Carson will have something to boast about, instead of blasting the local paper for all the bad press against their city.

What a mess for Los Angeles, and fourteen of the fifteen city council members voted to make economic matters worse, so much worse. The only holdout against this economic self-mutilation? The one Republican, Mitchell Englander:

LA City Councilman Mitchell Englander

In a statement, he said the council action could “make it impossible for entire industries to do business. . . The very last thing that we should be doing as a city is creating a competitive disadvantage for our businesses with those in neighboring cities.”

One can only hope that rising unemployment, costs of living, and general economic malaise will quicken Los Angeles’s better angels to retract the forced minimum wage. So far, Seattle Republicans tell me that retracting the forced wage hike is hopeless. Will LA’s failure change minds?

With powerful public sector unions, and the private union lobbies still as strong as ever with a surging immigration workforce, the city may require utter collapse, a la Detroit (with Illinois close behind) for that and other large municipalities to learn that even they, for all their size and celebrity, cannot outwit or outdo market forces, natural law, or the power of entrepreneurs to seek better business climates with their feet.

Thank You, Councilman Englander

The Los Angeles City Council just raised the rate of business closures and unemployment in their municipal environs.

How?

By forcing up the minimum wage.

Fourteen of the fifteen  members of LA City Council signed off on the feel-good city ordinance, requiring a record number of businesses to start raising their minimum wage.

Only one City Councilmember had the courage to vote against forcing the minimum wage:

Mitchell Englander

Mitchell Englander.

The Los Angeles Times was the one source so far which I found that reported on his brave decision to vote against this foolish ordinance:

Councilman Mitchell Englander, the council’s only Republican, cast the lone opposing vote. In a statement, he said the council action could “make it impossible for entire industries to do business” in Los Angeles.

City leaders were not thinking about what the entire industries would need.

“The very last thing that we should be doing as a city is creating a competitive disadvantage for our businesses with those in neighboring cities,” said Englander, who represents the northwest San Fernando Valley.

While the Los Angeles Times goes out of its way to shame conservatives and Republicans, this report affirms that the Republicans in local office are thinking about the short and long term.

Forcing the wage does not help minimum wage workers. The appearance of wealth will not generate more purchasing power.

It's just that simple.

So, why did the city councilmembers vote for this? To get votes. They know that this measure will not help working people. More people will be out of work, and who knows where they will go afterwards.

So far, Mr. Englander, the only Republican, articulated the true and correct position about the minimum wage hike.

Let us hope that his tribe increases in the Los Angeles area.

Until then, thank you, Mr. Englander!

Emerson College: California in Play for GOP

Last month, Emerson College released an intriguing poll, one which should buck up otherwise discouraged conservatives and Republicans in California.

Emerson College reports:

Hillary Clinton holds a commanding 46-point lead over Senator Elizabeth Warren, her nearest potential rival for the Democratic nomination. However, in head-to-head matchups with the top two GOP contenders, Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, Clinton's 53% to 47% edge is within the poll's margin of error of +/- 3.2%.  

California Republicans are split on who their candidate will be. Among those who plan to vote in the GOP primary, Bush and Walker are tied at 17%, physician Ben Carson trails by two points at 15%, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz is at 11%. Nearly 1 in 5 are undecided.

 

One month later, a few more points worth taking into account include:

 

1. Hillary Clinton is imploding as a Presidential prospect.

 

2. Ultra-liberal US Senator Elizabeth Warren is getting a stronger following, including her keynote speech at the California Democratic Party convention. She had a strong showing, in spite of her repeated insistence that she is not running for President.

 

We heard the same thing from a number of elected officials, whether Republican or Democrat, and they have changed their minds without difficulty.

 

3. Scott Walker has solidified a stronger base of support throughout the country, and Jeb Bush is losing stock as a viable candidate.

 

The margin of error will be a moot point a year from now, whether Hillary Clinton lasts that long as a viable candidate or not. Despite the best efforts of Clinton's handlers, including the mainstream media and academia, these institutions are losing power and credibility in an increasingly micro-media world, where the mistakes of the past, whether politician or press agent, come to the forefront.

 

Emerson College of Boston, MA declares that California is in play.

 

Other issues worth noting:

 

4. The water issue is plaguing everyone in the state of California, and Big Green is at the forefront of it. The cruelty of this unthinking elitist agenda affects everyone, whether home-owners in suburbia or agrarian communities in the Central Valley.

 

5. The US Senate race is not nearly as certain as it was a month ago. One reason? Loretta "Whoop-Whoop" Sanchez has jumped in, with her hands out, her mouth open, yet not exactly landing on her feet. This divide will almost certainly bring in another Democratic contender, and the bitter divisions which follow between North and South, between business and labor, among the different ethnic groups long exploited by Democratic political machines.

 

Whatever a liberal poll considered likely one month ago, the shifting dynamics have without a doubt brought California back to its swing state status. California Republicans in particular, and conservatives in general, should chin up, hope for the better, and bring a restored, constitutional conservative order back to Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

Run, X-Man, Run!

So, the California Democratic Party is in a tussle over who will succeed Barbara Boxer in the US Senate.

The X-Men logo

Like a Hollywood Franchise full of well-endowed superheroes, filled with strength and flawed character, Democrats brimming with ambition are coming out of their comfort zones and looking for a national stage.

Attorney General Kamala Harris seemed like the inevitable candidate, announcing early in January, 2015.

She has fumbled and mumbled, and all the dirt is coming out against her. Like Superman struggling with Kryptonite or Wolverine fighting with his petty temper and bruised past life, Harris is getting harried.

Wolverine for US Senate? (The Community)

More vulnerable than invincible, Harris now has a contender: Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

Is she like Rogue or Jean Grey? Will she absorb the good and the bad of everyone around her, or can she predict the future and read the minds of would-be supporters?

Unscripted and unfiltered, she attracts controversy, and a better legislative record; well, slightly better.

Playing a more centrist, pro-business card, Sanchez. could bring in the dwindling business interests in the state, corporate or Mom-and-Pop.

Or could she?

She has gaffed twice within one week, first with her non-announcement, then her full announcement at the Santa Ana train station. Different media sources wavered with Sanchez, wondering if she was going to declare her candidacy or not. Then her War-Whoop at the California Democratic Convention has already put her on the defensive.

Like the mutant Morph, shot and killed early in the X-Men comic book series, Sanchez may be killing her own chances, running away from reporters, or trying to hide her past follies.

Local voters in the South Bay, many of whom do not pay attention to national politics, learned about Sanchez' mocking Indian-Americans. When the local news is not reporting good things about a Democratic, nothing but hard times remain ahead.

The same thing happens every time the news reports on the X-Men. They never talk about the good that superheroes accomplish. Only the bad, and everyone reads about it for at least a week, or years on end if the superhero is a Republican.

What will happen next? Prone to mistakes, and a growing fight between North and South, Latino and Establishment Liberals in California, a mutation of communistic indulgence and socialist influence, the Democratic Party should be searching for another candidate to run for US Senate, one who could unite the progressives and the Latinos, who will give credibility as well as stability, experience with action.

With delegation of 38 Democratic Congressional representatives, surely someone else besides Sanchez can step in and make the most of this once-in-a-generation Senate opportunity.

Why not Professor Xavier, i.e. Xavier Becerra?

He has taken to the national stage a number of times. He has stood against his own colleagues, when they were trying to amend Obamacare. He is a forefront leader on executive amnesty, no matter how unconstitutional, let alone immoral the action may be.

He is the cool, calm, and collected political type, though, willing to stand for principle, even if unfounded on facts and figures.

Becerra has represented the Downtown Los Angeles section for over two decades, with token opposition, if any. Major left-wing millionaires and billionaires have been working hard to gentrify Downtown for the past five years, with some successes, and the feudal takeover will reach its apex by 2020, as the city forced a $15 minimum wage hike.

The Original X-Men (not really, from William Tung)

No doubt Los Angeles Big Labor and Big Dem donors will get behind Becerra, since he has wheeled and dealed on their behalf all these years. He has the brains, if not the brown, much like Professor X. He could bring unity as well as diversity to a fraying Democratic ticket.

Now, let's get to the nittier-grittier of an X-Man Becerra run.

Republicans, the real superheroes, need at least three Democrats to run for US Senate so that one of them can make it into the Top Two. While some conservatives remain optimistic about two Republicans sliding through because of the widening rift among Democrats, Republican activists are looking at the math and voter registration. Democrats need to pull their support three different ways in order for the diminished GOP candidates to have a chance.

Besides, with Professor X Becerra aggravating the Hispanic vote as well as the working class constituencies fed up with amnesty at the expense of local businesses, workers, and taxpayers, more disaffected Democrats may find themselves holding their noses for a Republican in 2016. Plus a strong Presidential contender who can draw Independents out for a better-than-Obama, and Republicans will find themselves riding a red wave backlash against Obama, regressive statism, and arrogant Democratic elitism.

All of which we find symbolized in Xavier Becerra, a wannabe policy wonk who thinks he has the ESP and the GOTV to win in 2016.

So, repeat after me, California GOP:

Run, X-Man, Run!

Paul Chabot: Fighting the Good Fight

Naval Officer, law enforcement officer, and businessman Paul Chabot is fighting the good fight.

In a Congressional District once held by Gary Miller, the most endangered incumbent in the country according to national sources, Paul Chabot stepped in and won the jungle primary to fight against Peter Aguilar, the mayor of Redlands.

From the outset, the Democratic Party through all their money and immorality at the seat, doing everything they could to prop up a relatively week candidate.

How weak was Aguilar? On election day, he lost his own city by eight points .

Unfortunately, Aguilar won the seat by three points because of support in San Bernardino, Colton and Rialto.

Paul Chabot, conservative Republican fighting for a + 5 Democratic seat (in a constituency which had gone for Obama by 15 points in 2012), lost the 31st Congressional district by a  slim margin, and with no money from the National Republican Central Committee.

Did Chabot sit on the sidelines and whine about his lack of funding from the National Party? Did he give up, collect what little he had, and go home?

No way.

He got up and started the fight again.

He has been writing editorials to the local paper, blasting Aguilar's out-of-touch liberal policies, including the former mayor's unfounded support for President Obama's unconstitutional executive amnesty.

Chabot has reached out to small donors, not pandering to Big Labor or Big Business for easy money and easy favors in return. He even exceeded his fundraising goals in the last quarter.

John Bolton, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, endorsed and support Chabot in 2014, and he is putting his name and resources behind this police officer and public servant.




Sheriff David Clarke (left)
with Paul Chabot

Lately, Chabot has been visiting key leaders and policy makers throughout the country, including Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, where he stood with Sheriff David Clarke, a firm advocate in strong families and strong communities.
Like Chabot, Clarke faced heavy national opposition, but was able to prevail and won reelection as the top law enforcement officer in Milwaukee County.

Final Thoughts

Chabot faced uphill odds in his 2014 fight for the 31st Congressional District. He had an amazing team of volunteers as well as widespread outside support. Democratic contender Aguilar had to pull in ten times the amount of money, plus personal visits from Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton. With all that time and money, Aguilar barely won.

And the National Republican Congressional Committee has finally paid attention, and they are targeting Aguilar for defeat in 2016.

Chabot's example should inspire dispirited California Republicans, who feel that no matter what they do, they cannot win blue California. Communities like the San Bernardino region should remind pundits in Sacramento and pollsters all across the country that the only poll that counts is. . . the final vote. The statistics on the ground do not determine how a district will go in any election, and more Democrats are fed up with their own party, catering to limited interests at the expense of working men and women struggling to get by.

Some conservatives constantly complain: "I need more money, I need more help." Chabot didn't sit and wait for someone else to come to his rescue, nor did he rant and rave for the lack of resources or resolve from certain groups. He stuck to his principles, built up his base of volunteers and contacts, and now he is exceeding the expectations of local as well as national political commentators.

Paul Chabot, fighting the good fight, is in it to win the 31st Congressional District in 2015. His work should embolden Republicans, whether in California or elsewhere, and they need to follow his example.

CA-31

Election 2016: Scramble for CA-46

Now that Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana) has announced her bid for US Senate, the Democrats have two problems:

1. A bitter primary will divide the Democratic Party between Attorney General Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Another Democrat will probably declare for the seat in the next few months.

2. Democrats must defend another House Seat in expensive media-market California.

Just to recap, the National Republican Congressional Committee has already identified five 2016 "Donkey Awards" for vulnerable Democratic incumbents:

1. Scott Peters

2.  Raul Ruiz

3. Peter Aguilar

4. John Garamendi

5. Ami Bera

They left off one name, Julia Brownley of Ventura, who will find herself still facing heated challenges against her incumbency. Jeff Gorell nearly unseated her in 2014, and the district still has enough swing for a Republican to win.

Make that six seats for the Democrats to defend

With the retirement of Lois Capps in CD-24, Democrats will have to fight off another challenge, and the Santa Barbara sit is in prime position for Republicans to take another seat back into their dwindling caucus.

Seven.

With Loretta Sanchez announcing her bid for US Senate this past week, Congressional District 46 has opened up. A more Democratic-leaning seat, one which Congresswoman Sanchez fought to keep three times, the Santa Ana seat takes in Anaheim, Orange, and Garden Grove.

Eight! (if the NRCC pays attention, they would also target Jim Costa, who nearly got ousted in 2014 against dairy farmer Johnny Tacherra: Nine.)

Unlike other swing seats, there is a deep bench from which Orange County Republicans can draw talent to capture the seat in 2016.



CD-46: Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana

Let's look at the current partisan elected officials:

State Assembly

Travis Allen

Travis Allen could run for the Congressional seat, as his current assembly seat includes Garden Grove, although his representation veers toward the West, and not nearly as central as another assembly member. .

Young Kimg

Young Kim

She was just elected last year, and she unseated a one-term wonder Democratic incumbent Susan Quirk-Silva, herself the quirk of an unprepared political machine that turned out the vote more strongly than the Republicans in Orange County. Her district covers more area in the 46th Congressional District, as well, making her a better contender.

Kim has weathered a number of storms already, and she is a major part of the growing GOP  minority outreach which solidified conservative politics in the OC County Board of Supervisors.

If she wanted to seek higher office, she has the ground game and support to make that happen.

State Senate



Janet Nguyen

Janet Nguyen

Her state senate district neatly overlaps the Congressional District, and like Young Kim her rise in the OC Republican Party follows on the wings of the new outreach GOTV which has engaged Asian-American voters, many of whom ideologically and culturally identify with conservative, limited government, local control, pro-family values. Her influence in Santa Ana could help persuade otherswise disaffected Democratic voters to endorse and elect her in 2016, too.

The only question, however, is whether Nguyen, now elected to a four-year term, would give up a seat of greater size and influence for a smaller Congressional seat, and after serving only half of her first term. Recently-elected state senator Jim Moorlach would face similar questions about political mountaineering if he sought the Congressional seat, too.

City Council

If the above partisan officials are not interested in replacing Loretta Sanchez, then perhaps one of a number of local city council members would be interested. Unlike other embattled regions of the state of California, Orange County local leadership is brimming over with a deep bench of political contenders.

The Sanchez Seat covers four major cities: Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, and Santa Ana. Could a local official, with minority status, possibly vie for and win Sanchez' seat?

Anaheim City Council

None of the members of the city council are minorities, yet that alone should not preclude any one of them from being competitive.

Garden Grove City Council

Christopher Phan
 

Christopher Phan was elected in 2012, and would have to decide if he wanted to run for reelection or run for Congress. He has served one term already.



Phat Bui

Councilman Bui has lived Garden Grove longer than Phan. He has business as well as mathematics/engineering background. Would his prior experience make him a suitable contender for Congress? Does he want the job?


Orange City Council



Mike Alvarez

 Mike Alvarez has served two full terms on the Orange City Council. He has extensive local experience based on his resume. Surely he could relay his local victories into a Congressional win in 2016. He will have finished his third term in 2016, and with his strong record in Orange City, could he build on the machine laid out by Young Kim and Janet Nguyen, plus aggressive outreach to Santa Ana Hispanic votes, and win the CD-46?

 Santa Ana City Council

At this time, there is no present knowledge regarding whether any members of the Santa Ana city council are Republicans. Chances are that none of them at this time would run under the GOP ticket The city had a 70% Latino population earlier last decade, and the demographics have certainly changed since then. Now that Republicans have made major inroads with the Asian-Pacific Islander communities in OC, perhaps they can start working on their outreach with Latinos, particularly in Santa Ana. For that reason, in part, Mr. Alvarez would be a welcome candidate for Congress, if he was interested in the position.

Final Remarks

California Democrats will have to fight to hold or retain eight to nine Congressional seats in 2016. Even though the higher turnout may favor their chances, the fact that the party, whether at the state or federal level, must spend some much time and treasure should give CA Republicans, already gaining a small yet steady foothold back in state politics, more space to grow.




CD-46: Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana

One possibility which cannot be overlooked, of course, is CD-46. Sanchez has already gaffed twice in the past week (hesitant on her US Senate announcement, and then the famous war cry at the CA Democratic convention). Republicans with a stronger hand and presence in Orange County should not miss this open seat.

The CA US Senate Race Heats Up

Like a small replica of the United States Presidential election, the race of California’s US Senate features another inevitable nominee: Democrat Attorney General Kamala Harris.

"Inevitable" Kamala Harris

A picture of the shifting demographic changes defining California, Harris represents the resurgence of Northern California-Bay Area politics reaffirming its preeminence in the Golden State. Her rise in California Democratic ranks has been just as mixed as her heritage, starting in 1994 with help from the influential yet controversial Willie Brown, forty-year Assembly Speaker who clutched power for another year by forcing a moderate Republican to tip his hand and vote for him for another term.

Harris as Attorney General has fomented more controversy and consternation. Before statewide lawless law enforcer, she relied on her San Francisco connections to unseat another incumbent and become the City’s District Attorney. not just for her arbitrary discretion in choosing which cases to file and which judgments to appeal, including the offensive remark that illegal aliens are not criminals.

Hillary Clinton has faced fire for mismanaging email accounts between public and private, then the numerous records of purported pay-for-play among international activists, diplomats, and the Clinton Foundation. Clinton Cash is not only damaging Hillary’s chances, but has put pressure on the not-so-unbiased mainstream media (George Step-on-all-of-us losing credibility, and fast!)

For the same intents and purposes, Korrupt Kammy is not so inevitable. Within months of Harris’ announcement for US Senate, allegations of corruption and cronyism have dogged her campaign, including her efforts to kill the sale of six hospitals to a for-profit company. She has proffered misleading initiative statements to remove caps on civil judgments. Prosecutors in the Attorney General’s office have falsified confessions, and an aide to AG Harris was arrested for her role in falsely impersonating a police officer in connection with an underground cult.

 With so much controversy swirling around Harris, Southern California centrist Democrat Loretta Sanchez announced her bid for US Senate last Thursday (May 14, 2015).  A representative from the heart of Orange County, Republican-turned-Democrat Sanchez first defeated high profile incumbent Republican B-One Bob Dornan (who had represented Torrance in the late 1970s, early 1980s.) Losing in a stunning yet close upset, despite allegations of voter fraud, Dornan lost a comeback opportunity in 1998.



Loretta Sanchez (ihatethemedia.com)

 

Like Dornan and Harris, Sanchez has been no stranger to controversy, from hosting a fundraiser at the Playboy mansion, to quirky Christmas Cards, to her more business-friendly politics, representing a conservative-leaning district). For her latest gaffe, within days of announcing her bid, she made a war-whoop, mocking Native Americans. She apologized, yet now has made herself vulnerable as well as embarrassing.

With 2.68 million more Democratic than Republican registered voted in California, why should ambition liberal denizens sit out the Senate race, especially during a Presidential year, with their chances growing in line with a near-certain rising voter turnout? Sanchez has broadened some room for other Southern California Democrats to jump in, and no doubt liberal lawmakers in the background are mulling a bid.

This bottleneck of political envy should surprise no one. For nearly two decades, ambitious Democratic Congressmen, who now dominate California Delegation 38-14, have longed for a US Senate retirement. With Boxer out, their chance had arrived, until Inevitable Kammy stepped up. Her missteps have prompted Sanchez to step in, and now her faulty stepping off may induce other Democratic lawmakers to reconsider their considerations and chase the US Senate seat.

Who else could throw their proverbial hat in the ring?

Congressman Adam Schiff of Burbank was a considering a run for the upper chamber. A considerable candidate who had unseated a vulnerable Republican in 2000 (James Rogan, who prosecuted Bill Clinton in 1999, with full knowledge that he would lose his seat for standing on principle), Schiff recently featured prominently on a number of Sunday news programs, where he took bold positions opposing the White House. He has decided not to run.

Who else could declare to replace Boxer?



Jackie Speier)

Bay Area nonentity Congresswoman Jackie Speier may put her foot in. Never heard of her? Most Californians haven’t either, another curse of easy incumbency in liberal California.

John Garamendi

Background sources have also suggested that former Lieutenant Governor and current NorCal Congressman John Garamendi (Yuba City) could launch a bid. He faced a close win in 2014, and the National Republican Congressional Committee will actively target his seat in 2016. Why sit under the pressure of another major local onslaught? A statewide figurehead until his election to the House, Garamendi could pull some strings and raise some money throughout the state (including San Pedro, CA, where he made a key visit toward the end of his tenure).

 

Then there are the SoCal Hispanic Democrats, still feeling snubbed, unhappy with Shaky Sanchez. Are they  still looking for a Liberal Latino to carry their cause? One likely contender for that mantle is Congressman Xavier Becerra of downtown Los Angeles.

Xavier Becerra

A vocal liberal on national talk shows as well as in the House, Becerra has irked his own caucus and the opposition while pushing progressive politics. He stands out also because of his routine jabs at once-inevitable Kamala Harris, including demands on the media to probe her stances on key positions. Incidentally enough, he voiced these concerns the same day Sanchez declared her candidacy. Serving in Congress since 1992, Becerra has a longer pedigree than many of his colleagues, and deep connections in one of the strongest (and staunchest) Democratic machines in California. Could he announce any time soon? His campaign office indicated he would not decide until July, after key votes in the House have been taken up. Why rush an announcement when Kammy and Loretta are already tearing each other up. This early infighting will assist a third candidate to take up the disillusioned elements on both sides of the Democratic Party and win the nomination.

Contrary to the best intentions of California Democratic Party bosses, the race for the Golden State’s US Senate seat is heating up, and not for the better for the Democratic Party or its affiliates.

.