Palin: Solid Conservative and Proven Reformer

Sen. McCain's choice for Vice President has a solid record as a reformer with impressive credentials as a movement conservative. She is a principled leader, and one with a proven ability to reach independent voters as well.

Governor Sarah Palin on taking office sold off the Governor's jet and put a stop to that ridiculous Bridge to Nowhere project. She's championed tax cuts, defended the second amendment and human life, and pushed through tough new ethics standards.

Here's what the Club for Growth says about her:

She is a principled reformer who understands how badly wasteful spending has marred the Republican brand.

Governor Palin has proven herself to be a reformer unafraid to take on the establishment, which she did early on when she took on the incumbent Republican governor of Alaska in 2006. Only nine months in office, Governor Palin instructed the state to abandon the notorious pork project secured by Alaska’s politicians, the $223 million "Bridge to Nowhere." While many Republicans in Congress are afraid to antagonize Washington’s biggest porkers, Sarah Palin stood strong for fiscal responsibility. Palin is also a persistent advocate of drilling in ANWR and expanding America’s domestic oil supply in general.

After watching the rally today in Dayton, it's clear to me that no one is going to push Sarah Palin around -- not Barack Obama (a/k/a "the one"), and definitely not Joe Biden.

Debra Highlights Democrats Doubting Obama, Supporting McCain

Barack Obama doesn't have the experience or judgment to be President and Commander in Chief. Republicans know this, and so do many independents and Democrats.

One Democrat who knows this is Debra Bartoshevich, a former proud Hillary Clinton Democrat who is now voting for John McCain because "he's the one with the experience and judgment to lead." Debra was removed as a Democrat convention delegate for her support of John McCain and is featured in an outstanding new ad from the McCain campaign.

Watch "Debra"

Watch the Fox News Interview with Debra Bartoshevich

McCain Congratulates Obama in Convention Night Ad

Just in from the McCain Campaign...

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign released its latest television ad, entitled "Convention Night." The ad features John McCain offering his congratulations to Barack Obama for receiving the nomination of the Democratic Party on this important day in American history. The ad will air on national cable and in key states.

VIEW THE AD HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4KIvRTg6KQ

Ohio Plan Defeated at RNC Rules Committee

Word just in that the RNC standing Rules Committee has (wisely) rejected the Ohio Plan for restructuring the national primary calendar for 2012, instead opting for a simple one month move back of the start date for the primaries, from February to March.

The Ohio Plan would have permanently relegated California to the end of the line, and was opposed by the CRP.

Republicans Countering Dem Message Almost as Well as the Dems Are

The Republican National Committee has set up a war room in Denver to counter the Democratic National Convention under the banner "Not Ready '08: A Mile High and An Inch Deep." Our team has done an excellent job countering the Democrats’ messaging - almost as well as the Democrats are countering their own messaging with all of the division we’re seeing between the Obama and Clinton camps.

Despite all the public claims of unity, the leadership on the other team can't be happy about the persistent division that has spilled into the media. It's gone way beyond the off the record backbiting we saw initially. When James Carville is publicly stating the Obama team wasted the first night of the convention, and Bill Clinton plans to take off before Obama gives his Thursday night speech, those are hardly signs of a party that’s all on the same page.

We've all heard the rhetoric about how Obama will unite the country. The guy can't even unite his own party.

Update: Asm. Parra Settles into Tiny Office After Punishment by Party of Tolerance

The Democrats' punishment of one of their own memebrs for daring to display a hint of diversity on the issue of the budget continues to backfire as media coverage focuses on Democrat Assemblymember Nicole Parra as the victim -- thrown out of the Capitol and into a postage-stamp sized office for having voted against the Democrats' budget proposal. Republican Assemblyman Todd Spitzer is also featured in this video providing a response.

VIDEO: California Lawmaker Booted by Democrats Settles Into Tiny Office

Democrats, Party of Diversity and Tolerance, Punishes Its Own

Standard issue Democrat talking points cite ad infinitum how their party is the party of "tolerance" and "diversity." Just how hypocritical this claim is was bluntly revealed when Democrat Assemblymember Nicole Parra was thrown out of the Capitol for daring to show a little bit of diversity by voting against the Democrats' budget on the floor.

Assemblymember Parra had repeatedly warned she would vote against the budget unless it was coupled with a deal on a water bond. Parra represents a heavily agricultural district in the Central Valley.

So, just how did the champions of tolerance and diversity handle Parra's vote against the Democrat-sponsored budget? She was ordered by the Speaker to pack up her office and move out of the Capitol "by 5 PM." They also killed off the remainder of her bill package for her final session in the legislature.

The Democrat leadership in Sacramento has handed every Republican candidate a salient example to refute as bogus any claims that liberals somehow value "tolerance" and "diversity" more than Republicans.

McCain Scores Decisively in Saddleback Forum

Today's forum at Saddleback Church in Orange County was a high stakes opportunity for both candidates, and Senator McCain's performance was clear, decisive, and inspiring to many in the audience and those watching on television.

Obama went first, and what struck me immediately is how little eye contact he made with Rick Warren as he conducted the interview. In form, he showed none of the polish which is in evidence when he reads prepared comments from a teleprompter. In substance, he revealed himself as both an unrefined liberal (raise taxes, check with the "international community" before defending American priorities in the world, liberal Supreme Court justices), and evasive on many issues of interest to those in the audience (life, marriage, etc.).

Senator McCain gave clear, decisive answers to Rick Warren's questions: taxes are high enough -- no tax hikes; we need more energy supplies, including drilling for oil; Supreme Court justices? No more Souters, Ginsbergs, etc.

Perhaps the most defining moment of the forum came when Senator McCain answered the question of how America should deal with evil in the world -- ignore it, contain it, defeat it? Obama gave a wordy non-answer. Senator McCain looked Rick Warren straight in the eye and without a moment of hestitation responded: "Defeat it."

Clear, decisive win for Senator McCain and a performance that made all of us proud.

San Bernardino Republican Women: 70 Years of Activism

Our Republican Women's groups are a key part of our volunteer backbone throughout California. In San Bernardino, the county RWF celebrated 70 years of leadership and work for our Republican cause at their meeting in Lake Arrowhead on Friday.

After returning from Washington early Friday morning I headed to the Lake Arrowhead meeting to discuss the current campaign and provide an update on the great leadership we're seeing on the energy issue from our House Republicans. Whether it's walking precincts or staffing headquarters, the San Bernardino RWF has earned a reputation for commitment to the Republican cause and support of our Republican elected officials.

Moving forward, it's important that we keep the volunteers we recruit for this election active once the campaign is over. Every Republican woman who volunteers for the campaign in 2008 should take the opportunity to join their local RWF group to remain active in the party, keep up to date on developments in politics and government, and help put our ideas into action throughout California.

Today, our focus is on winning the '08 election for Sen. McCain and all of our downticket candidates. Our RWF members will, once again, be critical to success.

McCain Charges Up Volunteers in Newport Beach

Republican volunteers staffing a huge outdoor phone bank got a visit and pep talk from Senator McCain this morning as the Republican nominee made his way to Mission Viejo for the big Saddleback Church event later this afternoon.

A huge crowd of Republican activists greeted Sen. McCain as he arrived and thanked everyone for their dedication and work on the campaign. "We will compete and we will win in California," Sen. McCain said, reiterating his commitment to fighting for every vote in the Golden State.

As Chairman, I'm very impressed and encouraged by the amount of time Senator McCain has dedicated and will continue to dedicate to California. His determination to compete and win here is clear and convincing.

Thanks to all of the memebrs of the many volunteer groups who participated this morning, including Women's Fed members from throughout the region, CRA leaders, volunteers for the OCGOP, and so many others.

Also, a high five to the members of the CRP team who worked throughout the night to prepare the site for today's visit. Great work.

Secretary Gutierrez Highlights McCain Latino Coalition Kickoff

Untied States Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez served as the featured speaker at the Ontario kickoff of Senator McCain's Latino Coalition event in California last week.

The Secretary is an extremely articulate advocate for both Senator McCain, and Republican principles of lower taxes, limited government, and improving America's competitiveness in the world economy. Very impressive.

In his remarks, the Secretary noted that Senator McCain understands the importance of promoting trade and American exports, securing more trade agreements that open foreign markets to American goods and services, and putting an end to the corrupting influence of excessive spending and earmarks in Washington.

The Secretary has a compelling personal story. A Cuban immigrant, he started as a driver for Kellogg's, working his way up the corporate ladder to leading the company before being tapped by President Bush to serve as the 35th Secretary of Commerce. A true American success story and a powerful advocate for Senator McCain.

Coachella Valley Republicans Open Major New Headquarters

On Friday night Republicans in the Coachella Valley opened a major new Republican headquarters in the heart of Palm Springs to serve as an operations center for party efforts in support of Republican leaders like Rep. Mary Bono Mack, Gary Jeandron's Assembly campaign, and many others others.

The Coachella Valley has long benefitted from an extremely active group of Republican clubs in the area, maintaining a strong volunteer base to benefit our candidates. Even in the hottest part of the year, the headquarters opening was packed with volunteers, candidates and Republican elected officials.

One Republican member of Congress who attended represents the 14th district…of Florida. That, of course, is Congressman Connie Mack IV, Rep. Mary Bono Mack’s husband, who reminded the volunteer troops of the importance of winning this presidential campaign, and Republican efforts in the House to force a vote on a sensible plan to increase energy supplies and bring fuel prices down.

In addition to the many Republican local officials present, we were joined by incoming Senator John Benoit, incoming Assemblyman Brian Nestande, Assemblymember Bonnie Garcia, Rep. Bono-Mack and her husband Connie and many more.

Building Strength in Riverside County

Republicans turned out in force for the opening of the Southwest Riverside County Republican Headquarters opening in Temecula. I enjoyed spending Saturday afternoon with volunteers from the area as the general election campaign operation moves into full swing.

Our friend Tom Rogers is going a great job for the Republican Party of Riverside County (Bob Richmond, Chairman) in setting up headquarters throughout this critical and growing region of the state. Our Republican lawmakers from the region (Representatives Darrell Issa and Mary Bono Mack, Senators Dennis Hollingsworth and Bob Dutton, Assemblymember Kevin Jeffries and Paul Cook, incoming Assemblymembers Brian Nestande and Jeff Miller, incoming Senator John Benoit) will benefit from the new headquarters, as will our candidates for local government posts who are endorsed by the county Republican Party.

Over the last few months we’ve seen a great deal of energy in this region, including from the Lincoln Club of Southwest Riverside County, which held an event in downtown Temecula earlier this year to raise funds for the regional operations.

Report from HQ Opening: Republican Strength in the OC

Last night I joined Assembly nominee Diane Harkey at the opening of the South Orange County Republican Headquarters in San Juan Capistrano. In a sign of Republican strength in the OC, the opening was literally overflowing with Republican local elected officials, candidates, and activists.

Diane Harkey is going to make a great Assemblymember -- tough, principled, articulate and committed to expanding the party's reach at every level to put Republican ideas into action. Legislators from heavily Republican districts can help expand the party by supporting candidates for other offices in the same region, and it's clear that's at the top of Diane Harkey's priority list.

The headquarters opening drew so many Republican leaders it's tough to list them all here: Supervisor Pat Bates (who held the 73rd before Assemblymember Mimi Walters, who is moving up to the Senate), Republicans from the Oceanside City Council including Jack Feller, Rocky Chavez, Jerry Kern and candidate Jim Gibson, CRA leader Karl Heft and local CRA activists, a long list of leaders from our RWF groups, candidates like Lou Penrose (Dana Point City Council), OC GOP Executive Director George Andrews, mayors, councilmembers, and the list goes on.

Motivational speaker and conservative activist Mason Weaver did a great job reminding everyone of the importance of this year's campaign, as always.

In all, a tremendous outpouring of Republican strength for this headquarters opening behind the "Orange Curtain."

McCain: Rock Solid Against Raising Taxes

On the issue of taxes, the difference between Barack Obama and John McCain is absolutely clear. Sen. McCain is rock solid in his opposition to tax increases. Here's a summary of what he has said:

SEN McCAIN: "I want to look you in the eye. I will not raise your taxes nor support a tax increase. I will not do it."

SEN McCAIN: "I am opposed to raising taxes on Social Security. I want to fix the system without raising taxes."

(Source: Sen. McCain at townhall meeting July 29 in Aurora, Colorado)

Throughout the campaign, Senator McCain has repeatedly stated his opposition to tax increases and has forcefully made the argument for simplification of the tax code and tax cuts:

VIDEO: Senator McCain opposes tax increases on Fox News Sunday
VIDEO: Senator McCain promises to veto tax hikes on Face the Nation
VIDEO: Senator McCain promises to veto tax hikes on This Week

Reps. Dreier, McCarthy Tapped for Key Convention Roles

Congratulations go to two members of our California Republican Congressional delegation for being asked to serve in key capacities at our forthcoming Republican National Convention.

Our friend Rep. David Dreier, the ranking Republican on the House Rules Committee, has been named by Chairman Mike Duncan to serve as the official convention Parliamentarian. Rep. Kevin McCarthy is serving as the Chairman of the Platform Committee.

As the ranking Republican on the House Rules Committee, and past Chairman of that Committee, Rep. Dreier is an expert in matters of procedure. (Thankfully, the convention rules are more straightforward than the rules in the House of Representatives.) Rep. Dreier was the first Californian to ever Chair the House Rules Committee, and was also its youngest Chairman in history. Today he also serves as Chairman of the California Republican congressional delegation.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is well known for his leadership and political skills, and is responsible for driving the process to craft our party's 2008 platform as Chairman of the Platform Committee. He's well known to California Republicans as a former Assemblyman and former Assembly Republican Leader.

Congratulations again to Reps. Dreier and McCarthy.

An Initiative Karl Marx Would Love

Those who thought socialism died with the fall of the Berlin Wall can look to two places to see that's not the case, and one is in California. The first is the island "paradise" of Cuba, where de facto leader Raul Castro recently warned the people to brace for "difficult times." (As though the last 50 years haven't been "difficult.")

The second place to look is the California Secretary of State's office, where an initiative was just filed which must have been lifted from the pages of Das Kapital, at least in spirit. Here's the proposal:

1. A one time tax of 55% on any property valued at over $20 million. That's right, own a farm? Sacramento will help itself to 55% of it. But don't worry, it's only "one time."

2. A one time tax of between 36.5% and 54.3% (where do they come up with these percentages?) on incomes of over $10 million when upon death or moving out of the state. (Just think of this as a financial Berlin Wall to keep people from leaving.)

3. Additional income taxes: 17.5% on incomes of more than $150,000 if single, $250,000 if married; 35% on incomes of $350,000 if single and $500,000 if married.

4. The state would be forced to acquire shares of companies' stock in order to have influence over the environmental policies. (That's because government-owned companies take very good care of the environment. Just ask the East Germans.)

More information is available in Ben van der Meer's story on Politicker.

Energy: A Republican Issue

When it comes to energy policy, there's a clear difference between Republicans and Democrats, and the public is with us. Here's why.

Americans understand the laws of supply and demand a lot better than the liberals in Congress or Sacramento. Record demand for energy from India and China are contributing to a global energy price spike because supply has not kept pace.

While Democrats decry "dependence" on "foreign oil," their policy prescriptions actually encourage that dependence by restricting new sources of domestic energy from coming online. An array of laws and regulations create an almost impenetrable maze of obstacles that has resulted in no new refineries being constructed in 20 years, and it's easier to put a robot on Mars than open a new offshore oil field.

By contrast, Senator McCain supports dramatically increasing domestic energy supplies such as nuclear, alternative fuels, and new offshore drilling when states approve. Markets anticipate future events, and a commitment to expand energy supplies will have an immediate effect in cutting energy prices.

The public gets this, and is not buying the Obama/Pelosi strategy of demonizing the evil "big oil companies." Being the political creature that he is, Obama has detected the strength of Sen. McCain's message and has suddenly talked about oil drilling (something he until recently was calling a 'scheme.')

Energy will continue to be a key issue in this contest, and no one's going to believe Democrats are going to do a better job in opening up new energy supplies than our team. Further, when we do, we'll do it in an environmentally responsible manner. Yet, our team knows that people, too, are part of the environment.

Republicans Back Strickland for State Senate in District 19

Tony Strickland is going to make a great State Senator in the 19th district, which includes parts of LA, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. His common sense approach to today's tough issues has Tony drawing support not only from Republicans, but from common sense Democrats and independent-minded voters as well.

When Tony was a member of the state Assembly, he established a strong pro-taxpayer record and stood up for transparency in government, such as when he sued then-Governor Gray Davis to make public the secret long term contracts Davis signed with power companies. Turned out, Davis signed contracts for electricity at prices higher than the highest prices at the peak of the spot market. Tony's courage helped every ratepayer in California at a crucial time.

Helping taxpayers. Helping ratepayers. Helping to put some common sense in state government. That's the heart of Tony Strickland's record. To learn more about Tony and his campaign, visit his website here.

San Diego UT: GOP Crushes Dems in Campaign Spending

The success of the Republican Party in San Diego has again made headlines this week as the latest camapign reports have Democrats wondering about their disastrous performance in the county's June elections. (For more on this, read the Calitics story, What the Hell Happened in San Diego?)

The City of San Diego has been a financial disaster area since the labor-controlled city council allowed the employee pension system to spin out of control, leaving a mess for new Mayor Jerry Sanders to clean up over the last few years.

Republican efforts to put sound financial management practices in place depend on success at the ballot box, and extraordinarily strong performance by Republicans in the June election have Democrats scratching their heads.

In financial reports just released, we can see the Republican Party of San Diego County outspent the hapless San Diego Democratic Party by 6-to-1, or $935K compared to $157K for the Democrats. In a city where the Democrats have a signficant advantage in voter registration, the party failed to field a even one credible candidate for San Diego Mayor, spending just $1,869 on Floyd Morrow (whoever that is).

Of particular embarrassment to the City of San Diego has been its elected City Attorney, Democrat Mike Aguirre, whose antics continue to drive the support of reasonable people to Republican challenger Judge Jan Goldsmith. Aguirre may be best known for advocating during last year's fires that the *entire* city of San Diego (population: 1.5 million) be evacuated to Arizona. Aguirre finished an embarassing second to Goldsmith in the first round and is well on track to being a one-termer in the City Attorney's office.

Congratulations to the Republican Party of San Diego County and Chairman Tony Krvaric for keeping the Republican Party on offense in San Diego County.

Leadership Conference: College Republicans Prepare for Victory

On Saturday afternoon I joined the leaders of College Republican chapters from throughout California at their Leadership Conference in Simi Valley for a discussion of the 2008 campaign and preparing for future activism in the Republican Party.

When I joined the College Republicans as a freshman, I never knew it would lead to two decades of activism in our party. Today's College Republicans are playing important roles in supporting our candidates today, and are also our future candidates, elected officials, party leaders, and volunteers. Supporting the CR's is vital for our party's success this year, and in decades to come.

The CRP recognizes the outstanding commitment today’s California College Republicans are making to the success of our party, and putting Republican ideas into action. We’re very proud that the California College Republicans are among the best organized in the nation. Their success proves that every day.

To learn more about the California College Republicans, visit their website at www.collegegop.org.

Report from Sen. McCain Visit to San Francisco

Senator McCain's frequent campaigning in California shows that when he says he intends to compete here in the state, he means it. His visit to San Francisco this week was just the latest of his many visits here.

The Fairmont Hotel was the site of a major fundraiser for the McCain campaign, the CRP and the RNC Monday night. Considering it was San Francisco, the usual left wing protestors showed up, only to be countered by an elite and committed cadre of Republican supporters of Senator McCain who refused to concede the sidewalk outside to the lefties. CRP Regional Vice Chair Luis Buhler was joined by our friends from the Asian/Pacific Islanders for McCain, earning a profile in courage award for their sidewalk campaigning for our nominee.

Inside, Senator McCain and his wife Cindy were met by a very enthusiastic crowd of supporters at a special dinner and reception.

I was also glad to have the opportunity to catch up with Dana Walsh, our Republican nominee for Congress in the 8th district. Dana is in the unique position of running for Congress against both Nancy Pelosi *and* Cindy Sheehan. While this is an uphill challenge for Dana in this district (to say the least), Dana has proven herself as a very bright, articulate advocate for our party in one of the most difficult districts in the universe for Republicans. Visit Dana's website here.