Picking the Fly Poop out of the Pepper!

Remember Bill Jones, three-strikes Jones? Remember
Matt Fong? Fiscal Conservative Matt Fong?
Remember Steve Poizner? Old blood and guts Insurance for
the masses Poizner?

How can it be that the “Usual Suspects” are rounded up every
major election cycle by the California Republican Party. This
group is obviously totally dysfunctional in the extreme. They
didn’t even want Ronald Reagan back in the day. These “Old
Generals” need to pass their batons of leadership on to the
“New Age Republicans” that occupy our State, not the so-called
“Cappachino Cowboys of the Middle”. “Laite…anyone?”

Wisdom might dictate that things have changed not only in
California but throughout the country. It was so bad (How bad
was it Jay?) that we elected a Black Liberal Democrat - with
gusto, over a tired, moderate Senatorial warhorse and his
Gubernatorial Intern! People, God knows we are Republican to
the core. God knows we still adore our 1st, 4th, 5th Amendment
Rights in addition to our cornerstone - The 2nd Amendment.

Hey, we took Arnold over Grey….because…well, Arnold was colorful.
We never expected great monumental political astuteness from
Arnold. We did expect "Conan", we did expect the "Terminator", we
even expected "Dutch" in the "Predator"! What we got initially was
colorful. “Girlie Men”!, we loved that so much! He was truthful
too…for a while. Then came the great "apologist and uniter" side
of his personality. Arnold realized that he couldn’t be President
of the United States and it was a shock. We can understand that.
But doing the Manila Folder on the CA Budget and for all the Public
Employee Unions……didn’t give us that warm and cozy feeling we
thought we voted for. If Davis had been there…well things no doubt
would have been worse! So, in that regard…thank you Maria and
Arnold……indeed things could have been far worse than they are today!
We don't know how...but probably! Now, we can only blame Arnold
for not wanting to be unpopular in pursuit of fiscal responsibility!

Does the Republican Party have anyone that has a chance to win
the Governor’s race in 2010? Yes, they do! But in order to do
that they will have to start thinking outside the ”We have the
goods on you!” Republican power brokers!

Mel Gibson, Tom Selleck, even Carly Fiorina would make candidates
that we could actually vote for. Why does anyone think that any
of these initial candidates would ever be approved by the
California Republican Party? About as much chance as, a snowball
lasting till nightfall in Palm Springs in August!

The thing is….we need high-profile…..we need celebrity name
recognition..we need someone that will at least mouth the words:
“The Right to Keep and Bear Arms…shall not be infringed!” in a
very believable tone!

Otherwise, we will join the other options which include John
Garamendi or "Downtown" Jerry Brown! CRA…make your move! One
last thought…we love Tony Strickland, Shawn and Michell Steel…
but we won’t vote for them for Governor in 2010! Now it is your
turn to agree or disagree! Give us your best suggestion for a
Republican Governor in 2010!

Blogging Done Wrong!

Well...this article's first sentence was fun...

"Too many blogs these days just feature commentary on someone else’s content and links to it."

Sure, guilty as charged.

I mean, who wants to come up with their own original content?

Or who has the time to do it (if you aren't a full time paid reporter)?

After all, it isn't like stories aren't scooped on blogs, like this one, first and the papers then pick it up and run with it, with absolutely no credit given to the blog who scooped it and with the writer then passing the story off as something he/she came up with first.

I guess the phone calls I would receive from reporters clarifying what was written down here didn't really happen...

Or I guess that some of the pictures (or campaign hit pieces) that showed up on the newspapers didn't come directly from this site...

And it isn't like the Daily Pilot/LA Times doesn't check this site, as well as other sites like mine, ON A DAILY BASIS looking for starts to their own stories.

Now, my little blog is NOTHING compared to this one or this one...and I'm sure my posts haven't been poached nearly as many times as theirs, but it still happens...

...and always happens to "...feature commentary on someone else's content"

But usually without links to the original site and credit to the blogger who scooped it.

Where's Freenewport.com?

This isn't the first time that this has seemed to happen.

But Freenewport.com seems to have disappeared, or not renewed, or registered by someone else?

Who knows...but as of right now, click on this and the normal site doesn't come up.

Where am I going to get my guilty pleasures from?

Freenewport.com has always been sort of the National Enquirer type unfounded gossip mongers with their wild open, anonymous driven message board.

Want to know the latest completely fabricated reaches of gossip?

Go to Freenewport.com

Want to see lots of exclamation points and CAPS?

Go to Freenewport.com

Want to see people getting attacked mercilessly without merit, proof, or any sort of reason?

Go to Freenewport.com

Want to get your fix of absolute fun and games?

Go to Freenewport.com.

I sure hope my guilty pleasure hasn't disappeared...

UPDATE

It appears as though the Freenewport.com site is back up again...let the nasty unfounded rumors and crazy innuendos start again!

Mayor Pro-Tem Keith Curry Not Running

Straight from the Mayor Pro-Tem's mouth, Newport Beach's Keith Curry will not be running against Tustin Mayor Pro-Tem Jerry Amante and Irvine Councilman Steven Choi to be the 70th Assembly District's Republican nominee, saying that he's spoken to Jerry and will give him whatever support he needs.

For those who read my post yesterday saying that an Amante/Curry/Choi Republican primary would essentially give Councilwoman Leslie Daigle the seat can all breathe a collective sigh of relief with me...

Sigh...

A Perfect Storm for Councilwoman Leslie Daigle?

Red County OC has had a couple of posts (here and here) about the folks lining up for Assemblyman Chuck Devore's open seat in 2010.

The "biggest" name which has been floating around every since Chuck got elected in 2004 has been Tustin City Councilman Jerry Amante. And while his name is completely unknown in Newport Beach, Irvine and most other parts of the 70th Assembly District (Tustin sits primarily in the 71th AD), he is very well known in the Republican circles, usually playing an..."interesting" role at the Iger's Election Day luncheons.

Newport Beach's own Mayor Pro-Tem Keith Curry's name has also been floating around, in addition to Irvine Councilman Steven Choi (who ran unsuccessfully for the 71th AD Assembly race in 2008), amongst many more.

But not mentioned in the Red County posts is Newport Beach Councilwoman (and former Mayor Pro-Tem) Leslie Daigle.

The rumors have been rampant ever since Leslie was appointed to the Newport Beach City Council a few years back of her interest in this seat.

But most of the time, every time her name was mentioned, laughter (coupled with chuckling, snickering, and snide comments) would usually follow and her chances would be quickly dismissed as futile at best.

Most recently people refer to her barely winning her re-election campaign in 2006 against someone who HAD ALREADY DROPPED OUT of the race months before Election Day.

But...

As I was one who would summarily dismiss Daigle's chances and aspirations for the Assembly Seat, after reading the Red County posts, I suddenly realized that she may have a better chance than originally thought...

...and here's why:

1. Tustin Councilman Jerry Amante and Newport Beach Mayor Pro-Tem Keith Curry are two very similar Political people.

• While they are unknown in the majority of 70th Assembly District, they are VERY well known within the Republican Circles. And their political philosophies are very similar as well (barred a couple of questionable NON-CONSERVATIVE votes they've both made over the years in their respective cities).
  
• They also both well known by the same Well-Heeled Donor base, which means that the fancy folks of the Business oriented "republican" (notice the small "r") clubs will be split amongst who they will officially endorse, as well as split amongst where the much needed money will go.

2. Irvine Councilman Steven Choi has now won four times in Irvine (twice for Irvine School Board and twice for the Irvine City Council). During the last 2008 election, he made some Anti-Muslim comments, but that didn't seem to matter eventhough Irvine has lots of Muslin voters. Since Irvine is smack dab in the middle of the 70th AD and probably holds the majority of the voters, a familiar name on their ballot might make that much of a difference. Remember Assemblyman Devore and his most immediate predecessor now-Congressman John Campbell were both from Irvine.

3. The other names mentioned? Well...considering that the last Assemblymen and Assemblywomen elected DID NOT come from the City Council ranks, it definitely helps their chances as well...but it's still early for a juggernaut like Devore or Campbell to appear (although I sure hope the rumors that Lee Lowrey running are true)

So where does my opinion that Councilwoman Daigle now stands a GREAT chance in winning the seat come from?

Consider this -

1. While Amante and Curry are good fundraisers, philosophically similar, and relatively known in the 70th Assemblyman District, they are essentially the same type of Politician (talk about timing...as I write this, I just got a Press Release from the Amante for Assembly 2010 campaign). This means that they will split the money, split the support, and thus...SPLIT THE VOTES.

2. Irvine Councilman Choi? His strength is his name ID in Irvine. He's not the best fundraiser, but he's a good campaigner (came from no where to win the School Board and overcame MAJOR odds to win the City Council seat). However, his political philosophy is similar to Amante and Curry, with his smaller bank account, he should also split some of this Irvine votes with Curry and Amante too.

So according to my wacky theory, those three people should split the same Republican vote.

All three will taut their Conservative Republican credentials.

All three will draw from the same fundraising well.

All three will be competing for the same vote.

And Leslie?

Leslie is not a Conservative Republican.

Leslie will not be drawing from the same fundraising well.

Leslie will not be competing against those three guys for the same vote.

Leslie could potentially slip right in and grab enough of those same non-Conservative Republican voters in the 70th Assembly District who voted for President Obama.

Splitting the Conservative vote in this Assembly District isn't anything new.

Remember Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer?

And splitting the vote between well known candidates isn't that foreign to Newport Beach voters as well.

Former Mayor John Heffernan was able to defeat an Incumbent and a former Newport Beach City Manager to win his first election.

All Leslie needs to do is raise just enough money, hang in long enough, keep her mouth tempered by keeping her comments and speeches SHORT AND CONCISE (unlike this post of mine...). Once the voters catch wind of her long and confusing speeches, it'll be over for her...

Leslie is relatively attractive, takes pleasant pictures, and by her keeping out of the NASTY, NASTY campaigning between Amante, Curry and Choi, she might be a reasonable choice for those voters who will get burned out by the inevitable Negative and Ugly race waged by those three, and vote for Leslie.

Assemblywoman Leslie Daigle has an interesting ring to it huh?

So, in my estimation there is only one person who can prevent this from happening.

And most interesting for Newport Beach residents, she might be one of the people most responsible for defeating the El Toro International Airport.

Yup, Irvine Councilwoman Christina Shea.

Christina thought about this seat in 2000, but backed out to support John Campbell. She is extremely well known in Irvine (like Choi) AND the Republican circles (like Curry and Amante). And while her fundraising skills aren't as strong as the others, like Leslie, if she would be able to hang in there, her Irvine name ID might push her right in.

So our choices Newport Beach voters might have to make will be to support Leslie Daigle

or...Irvine Councilwoman Christina Shea...in Newport Beach...where the El Toro/John Wayne battle still figures prominently in Newport Beach politics.

and for those people who were afraid of a Mayor Leslie Daigle era, I'm sure, shudder to the thought of an Assemblywoman Leslie Daigle era...

Go See Sheriff Sandra Hutchens!

Here's your chance to see our new Sheriff in a very small room (by the way...this was sent to me by my good REPUBLICAN friend Dolores Otting, who the Republican Party of Orange County spent MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS of REPUBLICAN dollars to attack, when they could have used that money to go after a DEMOCRAT running against REPUBLICAN CHRISTINA SHEA FOR THE MAYOR'S seat in Irvine...anyway...)

Hurry - Make you reservation today!

SEATING IS LIMITED

Newport Harbor Republican Women

Cordially invite you to lunch with

"Sheriff Sandra Hutchens”

Meet this extraordinary Sheriff up close and personal

Tuesday , January 22 2009

Five Crowns Restaurant

PCH & Poppy, Corona del Mar
Social Hour 11:30, Lunch 11:45

Lunch is $26.00. Call Sue Bennitt @ 949.644.0539 for your reservation

Newport Beach Hearts Irvine

This isn't anything new.

Newport Beach has squared off against Irvine many times over the years.

Newport Beach has won a few.

Irvine won a few.

and some victories were bigger than others...

So now we are at it again, as Newport Beach (AND Tustin) are legally swinging at Irvine

And Larry Agran being Larry Agran, Irvine is swinging back.

And what does Irvine and Newport have to gain by all this legal wrangling.

Let's see...

How about having a good working relationship to keep John Wayne Airport from turning into John Wayne International Airport perhaps?

And before anyone starts spewing that traffic is down at JWA, that is only temporary as our Economy is sputtering.

Irregardless, this legal mumbo jumbo is futile in the big picture of things, as ANY expansion of John Wayne Airport will make all those future developments (unless they are high rise office and warehouse buildings) useless.

Add to that the rumors about Mayor Pro-Tem Keith Curry (and potentially Councilwoman Leslie Daigle) vying for Assemblyman Chuck Devore's 70 Assembly seat in 2010, it would behoove him (and her) to play peacemaker in any conflict with Irvine, considering that the Irvine voters play a MAJOR role in deciding who will represent them up in Sacramento.

New Newport Restaurant

I barely ever do this, but I have to send a note to you all about Cucina Alessa. It is the new tiny Italian place that opened on Coast Highway just north of Cappy's in West Newport last summer. I have a circle of restaurants I love in Newport/CDM, and I am content to do the same places every single week. My wife lovingly asks me to try new places, and every now and then we find one that I add to my rotation. Cucina Alessa is now in the circle. It is tiny (make a reservation), but the food is to die for, and it happens to specialize in the area Newport most lacks (good Italian food). We generally drive to Antonello's or Onotria for good Italian food since Villa Nova serves dog food, Dolce closed down, and there is not a lot else to choose from. But Alessa' is special. The owner/chef used to be at Antonello's, and walks around the restaurant greeting diners. The wine list is extensive, the prices are fine, and the food is exquisite. We will see you there.