In San Diego, Democrats Heading to the Wilderness

In 2005, San Diego Democrats were bullish that following the resignation of Republican Mayor Dick Murphy, their party would finally take the Mayor's office. After all, a plurality of the city's voters are Democrats.

They lost.

This time, San Diego Democrats can't seem to scare up a candidate who can be even remotely credible citywide. Despite the Democrat advantage in voter registration in this, one of America's largest cities, they have no shot at taking the mayor's office this year. Republicans will hold the mayor's office at least through 2012. The election is Tuesday.

Looking downballot, Democrats also have no chance at picking up any seats on the San Diego City Council, which under their control single handedly plunged the city into financial darkness in 2004.

City council district 1 is nearly certain to switch from Democrat to Republican control. Whether Republicans make a net gain on the council will depend on the success of Republican April Boling in District 7. Boling is being challenged for this open seat by liberal Democrat Marti Emerald, who has been her own worst enemy. Emerald was caught on tape telling a group she beleives San Diegans don't pay enough in taxes. She also thinks a new trash tax (oh, "fee") is a good idea.

Report from Jeff Denham's HQ

This morning Senator Jeff Denham's campaign headquarters was abuzz with Republican volunteers and leaders from throughout the Central Valley and beyond.

Republican voter turnout operations continue despite Senator Perata's pulling the plug on the official campaign to recall popular Senator Denham in this Central Valley district. Joining Senator Denham this morning were Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill, Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, Congressional candidate Dean Andal, and a headquarters full of volunteers ready to head out and walk precincts for Jeff.

Local newspapers throughout the district have been relentless in attacking this misguided recall effort, seeing it as a political trick cooked up by politicians in Sacramento and San Francisco.

New RNC Clock Highlights How Long Since Obama Visited Iraq

The Republican National Committee has launched a clock on its website to track just how long it's been since would-be Commander in Chief Barack Obama has been to Iraq. As of this writing, it's 871 days and counting.

RNC Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan released this statement:

"Barack Obama has only visited Iraq once -and that was 871 days ago. Despite lacking the experience and leadership to be Commander-in-Chief, Obama has done shockingly little to educate himself firsthand about the war in Iraq. Instead, he displays an arrogant certainty gained on the campaign trail. How would Obama make informed judgments in the future when he has not seen the situation in Iraq since the surge began? Why does Obama readily agree to one-on-one negotiations with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but decline one-on-one briefings in Baghdad with our military leaders? Obama’s failure to visit Iraq, listen and learn firsthand, and witness the surge’s progress demonstrates weak leadership that disqualifies him from being Commander in Chief."

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Dem Congressman Admits Party Exaggerated About Ending War

In a shocking revelation, Democrat Congressman Paul Kanjorski has been caught on tape admitting that Democrats in 2006 exaggerated claims about their ability to end the war in Iraq if they won the election"

"We really in this last election - when I say we, the Democrats -- I think pushed it as far as we can, the envelope. Didn't say it, but we implied it -- that we, if we won the Congressional elections, we could stop the war...Now anybody who is a good student of government would know that wasn't true. But you know, the temptation to want to win back the Congress, we sort of stretched the facts -- and people ate it up."

CBS News: Kanjorski Caught On Tape Saying Dems Oversold Ability To End Iraq War
Watch the video

Inyo Republican Event Draws Assembly Hopefuls

Each of the candidates running to succeed Bill Maze in the 34th Assembly District made appearances at the Republican Party of Inyo County's annual breakfast in conjunction with the county's big Mule Days weekend. Congratulations to Chairman Thaddeus Taylor and the county committee for a great breakfast gathering. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss the presidential campaign with the volunteers and supporters who gathered on Sunday morning.

Traveling to the 34th AD, one is reminded of just how big our state is. The 34th is the largest state legislative district in the lower 48 states, as measured in square miles. The winner of the June 3rd primary in this district may want to put the district office on the back of a rig and just run it up and down route 395!

White House Slams New York Times

It would be tough to find a newspaper editorial page more biased against President Bush and Republicans than the New York Times, which this week distorted the President's record on veterans issues so badly that the White House responded with this compelling statement:

Once again, the New York Times Editorial Board doesn't let the facts get in the way of expressing its vitriolic opinions - no matter how misleading they may be.

In today's editorial, "Mr. Bush and the GI Bill", the New York Times irresponsibly distorts President Bush's strong commitment to strengthening and expanding support for America's service members and their families.

This editorial could not be farther from the truth about the President's record of leadership on this issue. In his January 2008 State of the Union Address, while proposing a series of initiatives to support our military families, President Bush specifically called upon Congress to answer service members' request that they be able to transfer their GI Bill benefits to their spouses and children. In April, he sent a legislative package to the Hill that would expand access to childcare, create new authorities to appoint qualified spouses into civil service jobs, provide education opportunities and job training for military spouses, and allow our troops to transfer their unused education benefits to their spouses or children.

As Congress debates the best way to expand the existing GI Bill, Secretary Gates has laid out important guidelines to ensure that legislation meets our service members' needs and rewards military service. First, since our servicemen and women have regularly requested the ability to transfer their GI bill benefits to their family members, legislation should include transferability. Second, legislation should provide greater rewards for continued military service in the all volunteer force.

There are several GI bill proposals under consideration in both the House and Senate. The Department of Defense has specific concerns about legislation sponsored by Senator Webb because it lacks transferability and could negatively impact military retention.

The President specifically supports the GI Bill legislation expansion proposed by Senators Graham, Burr, and McCain because it allows for the transferability of education benefits and calibrates an increase in education benefits to time in the service.

Though readers of the New York Times editorial page wouldn't know it, President Bush looks forward to signing a GI bill that supports our troops and their families, and preserves the experience and skill of our forces.

McCain's California Visit (Another) Success

Senator McCain made the rounds throughout the Golden State this week with packed events in the Bay Area, Stockton and Orange County. Republican donors continue to enthusiastically support the Senator and his message of controlling spending and reforming Washington.

While in the Bay Area, the Senator participated in a global competitiveness conference with Silicon Valley leaders and Governor Schwarzenegger. That evening in Stockton, Governor Schwarzenegger passionately explained why is he so strongly supporting Senator McCain's candidacy.

WSJ: How to Enrage a Democrat

The Wall Street Journal puts it perfectly:

If nothing else, we now know what it takes to make a Democrat go nuts. One word: "appeasement." Read the editorial

This Week: Marriage, and Democrats' Bizarre Response to President's Rejection of Appeasement

Yesterday we got a clear picture of just what the Left has in mind for America in both foreign and domestic policy.

JUDICIAL ACTIVISM: CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT REDEFINES MARRIAGE. On the domestic side, the California Supreme Court re-opened the issue of same-sex marriage with its 4-3 decision substituting its will for the will of the people on the matter (vote for Proposition 22: 61%). This is certainly an emotional issue for many people, and understandably so. Yet, Republicans can agree that it is not the role of the judiciary to fundamentally redefine the basic tenets of society. That is a function appropriate for the legislative process, and Governor Schwarzenegger has consistently vetoed bills aimed at reversing Proposition 22. (See today's Wall Street Journal editorial.)

It will be interesting to see how Barack Obama tip-toes around this issue. Make no mistake: the activists behind his campaign insist on rewriting the definition of marriage as a beginning, rather than an end point, on their agenda of social engineering.

When we witness judicial activism, it's worth noting that the legislative branch -- that closest to the people -- is outlined in the Constitution's Article I, while the branch most removed from the people, the judiciary, is described in its Article III. The judiciary is intended to interpret laws, not make them, as the California Supreme Court in his case has chosen to do.

Significantly, the state Republican Party has already endorsed the November constitutional amendment ballot initiative that would reverse this court decision by putting Proposition 22 into the state constitution, as other states have done.

IN ISRAEL, PRESIDENT BUSH DECRIES APPEASEMENT, OBAMA ASSUMES HE'S TALKING ABOUT HIM. On the foreign policy side, yesterday we witnessed Barack Obama's bizarre overreaction to President Bush's comments before the Israeli Knesset where the President rightly articulated the dangers of a policy of appeasement, noting that "the false comfort of appeasement" has been "discredited by history." He's right, of course.

Barack Obama, apparently inferring that the President must have been talking about him and his own stated goal of negotiating with state sponsors of terrorism, lashed out and attacked the President.

Having watched the speech, it's clear the President was making points that are important, appropriate, and principled -- but not new. To assume President Bush "must" have been talking about Obama is another reason why a growing number of Americans see Obama as arrogant and elitist. (Text of President Bush's speech)

Later, Senator McCain made the case very clearly as to why Obama's foreign policy worldview is naive, questioning Obama's desire to negotiate with state sponsors of terrorism, like the Iranian leader, who wants to see Israel wiped off the map, and even denies the Holocaust. Watch Senator McCain in this excellent ABC News clip.

Jewish Republican Advisory Committee Appointed

As Republican leaders and candidates need to have a clear understanding of issues facing California's diverse communities, I today announced the appointment of the first in a series of advisory committees.

The Jewish Republican Advisory Committee will meet regularly with Republican Party leaders, elected officials and candidates to discuss issues of concern in California's large Jewish communities, and advise candidates on effectively addressing those issues.

Members of the Advisory Committee include:

Howard Epstein of San Francisco is the Republican Jewish Coalition's Northern California chapter President, and serves as the Chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party. He is a small business owner by profession, having owned 2 small businesses, and now is dedicated to GOP causes. He has lived in San Francisco his entire life, and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Small Property Owners of San Francisco.

Dr. Joel Geiderman of Beverly Hills is the Republican Jewish Coalition’s California Chairman, and sits on the RJC national Board of Directors. He is also a Presidential appointee as the Vice Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council & Museum in D.C. Originally from Chicago; Joel is the Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, in Beverly Hills, CA.

Larry Greenfield, Esq. of Los Angeles is the Republican Jewish Coalition’s CA Director. Previously, he worked professionally in law, business and philanthropy. Larry also served in the Armed Forces of the United States in Naval Intelligence Reserves. He is a Lincoln Fellow of the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship & Political Philosophy and lectures widely on American politics & foreign policy, and national security issues. Larry graduated from UC Berkeley in political science as Class Speaker, and he picked up his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. He sits on the Resolutions Committee of the California Republican Party.

Jerry M. Haleva of Sacramento is active with Republican Jewish Coalition’s Sacramento chapter and nationally. Professionally, he is a political consultant and formerly served as chief of staff to the CA Senate Republican Leader. Jerry chaired the Citizens Advisory Committee of the CA Highway Patrol and was appointed by Governor Wilson to serve on the CA Film Commission.

Michael Rosen, Esq. of San Diego is the Republican Jewish Coalition’s San Diego chapter President and also the Secretary of the San Diego Republican Party. Michael is a Harvard trained attorney in professional practice, and he writes political columns for TechCentralStation.com

Richard Sherman of Los Angeles is the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Los Angeles Chapter President. He is a gubernatorial appointee to the CA Board of Psychology. A licensed psychologist in private practice, Richard was President of the CA Psychological Association and is a frequent media commentator on mental health issues.

Mitch Silberman of Thousand Oaks is the Republican Jewish Coalition's Chapter President in Ventura County and active in his community. Professionally, Mitch is a wealth management professional for high net worth individuals, and is himself a former child actor.

President Bush Joins Israel Anniversary Celebrations

Each morning I receive an update on what the President and members of the Cabinet are working on that day, along with news clips and related information.

Today's update focused on President Bush's visit to Israel, having arrived in Tel Aviv this morning for celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the country's founding.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Americans have been exposed to just a fraction of the security measures Israelis have had to live with since the country's inception. Ambulances pre-positioned near shopping districts during alerts, heavily armed soldiers regularly patrolling populated areas, metal detectors at the entrance to McDonald's, and many other security measures punctuate daily life. Even today, rockets continue to be fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip.

President Bush is not just visiting Israel, but continuing a major diplomatic push for a peace deal that will enhance Israel's security.

Berkeley Leftists Deploy Witches Against Marines

The Marines at the Marine Corps Recruiting Center in Berkeley now have a new adversary they were probably not trained to handle when they went through basic training at Camp Pendleton or Camp Lejeune: witches.

In another example of how desperate the extreme left is to find somebody -- anybody -- to stand in the way of Marines recruiting in the Bay Area, the wacky anti-war group Code Pink is recruiting witches, sirens, and others to "cast spells" and "do rituals" against the Marines.

Yet, it seems the anti-war group leaders are coming up short on magicians (or whatever). Fox News reports that the protests this week at the Berkeley recruiting center have been "ill attended" despite the best efforts of the Berkeley city council to support the protests by issuing special noise and parking permits to Code Pink.

FoxNews Story: Code Pink Protesters Try Witchcraft Against Marines

Perata Pulls Plug on Denham Recall Effort

We are watchful and cautious about the announcement by the unpredictable Senator Perata that he's ending support for the recall campaign against Senator Denham.

Our ground troops continue to mobilize to defeat this ballot measure, and I believe our strength on the ground was a key factor in prompting Senator Perata to reverse course and abandon his campaign to recall Senator Denham.

Our thousands of Republican volunteers from in and around the 12th Senate district remain ready to conduct one of the most widespread and effective ‘get out the vote’ efforts in recent California GOP history.

I want to commend our county Republican chairmen, and Jeff's fellow Republican legislators, who continue to organize volunteers for deployment in the district.

Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill deserves special credit for his tenacious efforts to put an end to this ill-advised recall campaign and instead focus attention on solving the state’s budget crisis without raising taxes.

Senator Denham should be recognized for standing on principle against higher taxes and for a balanced budget. In doing so he has worked to put solid Republican ideas into action, while looking out for the California taxpayer and advancing responsible governance.

Dems Admit It: Denham Recall is About Raising Taxes

As voters recognize the recall effort against Jeff Denham for what it is -- a Sacramento-manufactured scheme with zero genuine support in the district -- the Mercury News today reports that Senator Don Perata admits the real reason for the recall: raising taxes.

As Californians continue suffering under high gas prices, food prices, and taxes that are among the highest in the nation, the Democrats campaigning against Senator Denham have one goal in mind: passing a budget that raises taxes on Californians even higher. Here's the latest proof:

Senate leader defends recall effort against GOP lawmaker
By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO—State Senate leader Don Perata on Thursday said the recall drive he is backing against a Central Valley Republican will help Democrats pass a budget with tax increases if it succeeds. If Sen. Jeff Denham of Merced is replaced by the lone Democrat on the recall ballot, it would leave Democrats just one vote short of the two-thirds majority they need to pass the budget in the Senate.

Full article