The RINOs must be stopped

Funny photo from the Limbaugh website of McKinnon, Ridge and Colin Powell all waving the white flag of surrender. We need to abandon people like this....not listen to them.

Powell endorsed Obama.... giving his approval to the current destruction of America.

His opinion is no longer needed.

Good interview at NBC

City Council, LACERS, and a surprise meeting with Nuch!

I went to LA City Council today to promote my group, Westside Republicans, and make a public service announcement about their upcoming events.

I was going to make comments about the May 19th election, but decided to let it drop... enough time has passed....let's move forward. I concentrated on talking about the protest outside Henry Waxmans office -- 8436 West  3rd Street on Friday, May 29th at noon.

I explained how Cap & Trade is a liberal fantasy about controlling CO2 that will cost the US jobs and growth and raise taxes on energy by over 1.9 TRILLION dollars. It couldn't come at a worse time.

Council President Garcetti admonished me about staying on topic about Council business. I told him I was talking about the economic survival of the United States. I said "that is everyones business".

Several things of interest today in City Council...

1) One of the first subjects up was about the City being "given" a street in San Pedro from the Federal Government...and being handed a few million dollars to boot! Council Member Janice Hahn seemed pretty proud about this achievement. I wish I knew more about it, but the details got skipped over pretty quick.

2) Eternal thorn and career public commentator Arnold Sachs managed to get himself booted from City Hall for a few sessions. Sachs is a City Hall denizen who is about as popular in City Council chambers as a subpoena. That said, I appreciate his efforts because he routinely protests obscure actions by the City Council that the media ignores. Sometimes, he is the only voice of opposition. But today he was a bit aggressive, calling the Council Members "criminals"...which I'm sure they didn't appreciate. Council President Garcetti told Sachs he was "out" for a few sessions. Poor Arnold...he means well. Don't know what he will do with all the free time, but to be honest...I was never quite sure why he went to City Council meetings in the first place. Sachs once admitted to me that he doesn't even live in Los Angeles.

3) Aggressive Socialists wearing red ACORN t-shirts were there demanding free housing  or reduced cost housing. I was appalled by their shameless behavior. One of them said housing was their "right". Another said "give us our housing!" Yet another said that if she didn't get her reduced cost housing... "we will come after you!"  Frightening. I thought it highly ironic that language like that coming from Zuma Dogg would probably end up with him in handcuffs. But for the liberals? Totally OK with it. Wearing the color RED was appropriate for them because they won't be Socialists for long. They see the end game in the distance. Is this what Los Angeles has become? A city of panhandlers with government enablers?

3) City Hall celebrity gadfly Zuma Dogg and his partner in crime Matt Dowd (Dowd had recently been booted for swearing during Council meetings) continued their colorful and spicy commentary on the Council, actually getting away with calling the Council members "losers" several times.  Dowd repeatedly called Jack Weiss a "loser" while referring to the recent election results. 

(As an aside, I can accept Zuma Doggs criticisms because he's originally from Cleveland, but I have never been fond of listening to Dowd  criticizing U.S.  politicians. He sounds like a bit of an ingrate. If he doesn't like things here in this generous country that has been so kind to allow him to live here...  he always has the option of buying  a return ticket on Quantas.)

4) I was anticipating fireworks to go off when they got to subject 11 in the meeting... LACERS! The bungled City retirement investments. The discussion of Zuma Doggs favorite subject was almost certain to cause him to have a meltdown...but surprise- surprise!!...the Council skipped the commentary and nobody from the public got to speak about it. They hurriedly moved to a secretive, closed session and kicked everyone out of the chambers. Very strange. I didn't like the lack of transparency there.

5) When the Council came back from the secret session, I arrived too late and missed my turn to speak about the budget. I was disappointed because I wanted to confront the Council over pandering to the Socialists. Wendy Gruel sent one of the LAPD officers to inform me that I had missed my turn. I was impressed. Wendy Gruel and I don't agree on political issues, but I admire her professionalism. She pays attention to small details and keeps her head in the game. That's important. Hopefully she will be a great Controller.

Because I had missed my turn to speak, I bolted from the Council meeting to go get something to eat.

Walking down Main Street, who do I see but new City Attorney Nuch Trutanich!!

It was very obvious to me that Nuch is busy as hell right now -  he was talking on two cell phones at the same time!

He had one on both sides of his head, trying to have two conversations at once.

I waited until he was done and shook hands with him and congratulated him on his victory.

We talked for a few minutes about the transition. He sounded frustrated that Rocky Delgadillo wasn't making the transition easy for him. I told him he should go into Delgadillos office and start firing staffers left and right.

I said "They know they are out of power now and that's politics. When your man loses, the whole support staff and assistants crowd gets tossed out." I told him that I would love to have the opportunity to march into City Hall and replace some of the deadwood...some of the bad government employees.

"Fill out an application" , he said, joking and laughing as he walked away.

Nuch is a great guy. A lot of people in this City are counting on him.

I hope he does a great job.

Memorial Day

I'm enjoying my Memorial Day. I chose today as a symbolic day to join the ACU.

I was looking over their ratings of Congress and Senate. Diane Watson had a rating of less than 4... on a scale of 1 to 100. Unbelievable that she sits in that office in D.C.

I also took a look at some of their highly rated Senators and Members of Congress.

I'm starting to think that John Thune of South Dakota is our guy in 2012.

I love Sarah Palin ... but this John Thune....I keep looking at him and his record. I can't find anything I don't like about this guy. 

50,000 Names - George Jones

Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

I am writing to you today because this weekend will mark your first Memorial Day Weekend as President. I would imagine that tomorrow you will be very busy attending ceremonies and giving speeches. I am a bit concerned about this because in the past you have shown a tendency to be critical of the United States of America and the policies that this country has followed for the last few decades. Mr. President, on Memorial Day, this type of attitude will not be acceptable. Not just to me, but to most citizens of our nation.

I can offer you some advice. As a former member of the military myself, I can tell you that leaders like yourself - men who have never worn a uniform or taken that oath - are generally viewed with subtle suspicion by both active and former military members. It is important to overcome this hurdle of trust by letting your service members know exactly where you stand, loyalty-wise. I thought I might include this video of one of your predecessors, former President Ronald Reagan. He was phenomenally popular with the American public for several reasons, but the most important reason was that he didn't let us down. He kept a steady hand while guiding us through difficult times. He looked like a President, he sounded like a President, and most importantly, he acted like a President.

I am not saying you should just copy him or his style...you have you own personal style. But if you can end your term as President being even half as popular as Ronald Reagan, you will be able to call yourself a success.

Five minutes into the video, President Reagan seems truly in awe of the achievements of the veterans who surround him. The men who stormed the beaches at Normandy and liberated Europe. 

"Why did you do it?", he asked them.

Their unspoken answer? They did it because they are Americans.

They did what we Americans always do... we spread the message of freedom by protecting the freedoms of others. We have been smashing evil worldwide since 1776. It is a part of our identity, a part of who we are. You could say it is in our DNA. 

This American "arrogance"(?) that you like to talk about when criticizing our country? I don't see it.

I see a world where there are hundreds of millions of people who are alive today, thanks to the efforts of the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces. Many, but not all, are thankful for it.

This "failed capitalism"(?) that you like to talk about in your speeches? This is the same Capitalism that allowed us to turn our automobile factories into tank factories...to turn our airliner factories into bomber factories. Our belief in capitalism and a free market economy allowed us to save the world from the horrors of Nazi fascism, and later on, from the horrors of Soviet-style Communism. Although many Europeans currently enjoy the freedom of sitting back and making sarcastic comments about our elected American leaders...all of them...deep in their hearts... they know that modern-day Europe would not exist as it does at this moment without American leadership.

Mr. President, I did not vote for you , and to be honest, I have been stunned and in disbelief at some of your political decisions lately. However, our country and its future are far more important than any political issues we face at home, so I will hope that you will be a success on an international level. American ideologies of freedom and free markets need to succeed. The world is counting on us. America is too important.

Even our rivals would not want to live in a world where America fails to live up to its potential.

Sincerely,

Phil Jennerjahn

Trutanich, Park, rising stars of L.A. Politics - Governators Props go down in flames

Yesterdays defeat of Jack Weiss was a good thing for the City of Los Angeles. Nuch Trutanich showed that people can make the choice between a good candidate and a bad one, no matter how much money gets thrown into negative TV ads.  Most human beings have an instinctive "dishonesty detector" and their alarms were going off full blast when listening to Jack Weiss. Congrats to Nuch. I met him on the campaign trail earlier this year while I was running for Mayor. I came away from our meetings very impressed with his integrity and candor. Like I said in a previous blog, he's a man's man, and I trust him with the keys to the City Attorneys Office. I am quite certain he will do an excellent job as City Attorney. 

While I was very happy about his victory, one big thing really bothered me about it.

Every time I look at Nuch Trutanich, I keep thinking... "This guy is the next Mayor of Los Angeles."

As a probable candidate in 2013, I was already unhappy about having to face off against probable opponents Eric Garcetti, Laura Chick, and maybe even Wendy Gruel. If Nuch Trutanich spends four years doing a great job in City Hall, then decides he wants a promotion, it will be a very distressing moment for me.

Hopefully, he will be happy running for an overwhelming landslide re-election in 2013.

Another huge star from last night is Tina Park, a former New Yorker who is blazing a quick path to the top here in L.A. I first met Tina about six months ago at a meeting of the San Fernando Valley Republican Club. She really impressed me with her intelligence, drive, enthusiasm, and preparation. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Tina because she was one of the first of the other candidates I met and the first of them to sign my petition to allow me to run for Mayor. If I ever amount to anything big in politics, she will have a place in history...as she held the camera to record my very first campaign speech that night. (As a side note, I got stomped by Walter Moore that night as he had brought about half the crowd with him.)

Tina Park is now a rising star in L.A. politics, and I predict that within a few years we might be calling her City Council Member Park, if she can find the right match-up in a future election.

David Vahedi is still in limbo after last night. Final results have him losing the CD 5 race to Paul Koretz, but there are always issues in a race this close. He is losing by about 300 votes, but there are usually a few thousand late mailers and questionably valid ballots to be counted. It is not over for him, but he has to be prepared if things don't go his way. I really like David a lot, and he would have been a far, far better option than career politician Koretz, who I consider to be a hack...who just runs for office after office, non-stop.

My advice to David Vahedi...keep your head up. If it doesn't happen, spend the next four years shaking hands and getting to know every voter in CD 5. After four years of socialism and tax hikes from Washington to Sacramento to Los Angeles, voters should be fed up with it. They should be ready to throw all incumbents out of office in 2013. 

My condolences to Rabbi Shifren, who lost to Curren Price in State Senate District 26. Price is just another hack politician who moves from district to district every time he gets term-limited out of some position. He will be a total waste of time in Sacramento, and just vote along with all Socialist policies the liberals can put forward. He won't change anything. He won't have any effect whatsoever. There is really no point in him being there. He could stay home and cast his votes over the internet, actually.

Great joy in seeing the Propositions from the Governator go down in flames. No big tax raises, Arnie...time to fire people and slash worthless government programs. Prop 1F was the only success, and even that was just a voters  backhand to politicians. I didn't agree with it because it ties politicians performance to pay raises, which in some odd circumstances might cause them to do something even more vengeful and destructive than usual. As with most government and ballot propositions, I felt it was unnecessary. 

Don't like the performance of your politicians..? 

VOTE THEM OUT!

Election Day Today!! Tues May 19th. Go Vote!

Make sure you take time out of your busy day to go vote (if you haven't already...you vote-by-mailers).

I'm voting Trutanich, Vahedi, Shifren, Park and very important... NO on ALL PROPOSITIONS!!

Westside Republicans have been spreading the word about the evils of the tax-raising Prop 1A.

I believe that today is the day that 1A goes down in flames and takes all the Props 1s with it.

Even if you agree with some of the propositions, they are just a "quick-fix" and even if they all pass, California will still be in a huge financial hole. Teach Sacramento a lesson that they need to go on a diet. The "Governator" needs to stop using fear as a political weapon. He says that if these Props don't pass, then things will get much worse here in California.

My opinion? With Schwarzenegger and Villaraigosa in charge, that is a given.

We don't need to pay extra for that.

Text of my speech at the Westwood Tea Party

Good Afternoon, my fellow patriotic American Citizens! I'm so happy to see all of you here today and it is a real honor and a privilege to be able to speak to you this afternoon. But...hold on...before I get started...I think there might be a reporter or two here, so I need to start over and say things in a way that the liberal media can understand. So..here we go...

Good afternoon, my fellow right wing extremists! (laughs) Now...I'm joking here..I'm being a little facetious. But I wanted to address something that has really been bothering me, and that is the slanted, negative coverage of these Tea Party rallies by the liberal media. There are members of the media who have called our meetings "Astroturf", implying that these are "fake" grass roots. Some members of the media have accused us of being paid to attend these rallies. By the way...if there is anyone at this rally that is being paid to attend, could you please talk to me after I speak, because I clearly did not get that email! Other members of the media have been so childish and so juvenile as to call us "teabaggers" in a weak attempt to make some type of vague sexual joke out of the situation.

Well, I don't need to listen to that nonsense and neither do you. People who would insult the Tea Party concept are showing their lack of respect for our American history. The Boston Tea Party was the sparkplug that lit the American Revolution. Without it, we wouldn't even have a country that they could criticize and these media talking heads wouldn't have their bully pulpit from which they could point their fingers at us.

But this is typical hatred from the left. That is all it is...hatred. Their actions speak volumes about them. There is a hysterical, shrieking announcer on MSNBC, filled with phony rage, who routinely likes to point his finger at other people and call them "the worst people in the world". There is a washed-up actress who recently announced that people who attend Tea Party rallies are "racists" and said that our rallies are all about "hating a black man." Wait a minute! What?!!

These rallies are about one thing and one thing only.... oppressive government taxation. Race has nothing to do with it. I mean.. I'll be honest. I'm a Conservative and I did not vote for the current President. I tend to vote for the most Conservative candidate on the ballot. Doesn't matter what race the candidate is...doesn't matter what sex the candidate is (winks ala Sarah Palin). But Barack Obama is our President and will be for the next four years. However, I am a forgiving guy, and if I were ever to see a speech on TV where President Obama went on TV and said...

(doing Obama impersonation)

My fellow Americans, I am here tonight to announce a startling change. I have realized the error of my ways. I have chosen to disavow Socialism. From now on....I declare myself to be a Free Market Capitalist. Instead of raising your taxes, I intend to lower them. Instead of creating new and useless Government programs, I intend to eliminate them. (dropping impression)

Now, if I could only hear these magical words from President Obama, and see them followed up by actions, I would be running to the polls to vote for him. Hell...the people in front of me standing in line?...I'd be knocking them out of my way to get in their and vote for President Obama. But unfortunately this is not what we have here in America today. His politics are 180 degrees in the opposite direction of where I want this country to go.

So...to all the liberal media out there...let me repeat this, and I think I speak for many, many of the people who are gathered here today. The fact that President Barack Obama is black has absolutely nothing to do with why we are here today. The fact that he wants to raise our taxes and exert more government influence and control over our lives has everything to do with why we are here today.

Before I get to Prop 1A, the other subject I wanted to discuss was the hostile way that these protests, and people just like us, are being viewed by members of our own government. We are gathered here today under the protection of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution... which says that we can peacefully assemble and address our government over our grievances. It is a crucial part of American life. John F Kennedy once said "those who would make peaceful protest impossible, will eventually make violent protest inevitable." None of us want that... and in fact the recent Tea Party rallies were a rousing success. Over 260,000 Americans joined together nationwide to protest, and not a single item in the news about unrest or violence. Yet we are the ones being treated with suspicion and distrust by our own government. Sad, isn't it?

Some of you may have heard about a controversial event that happened recently when the Department of Homeland Security released some insider memos detailing the fact that people like us are being "profiled" as possible domestic terrorists. They even used the phrase "right wing extremist" in the memo.

Let's go down a checklist and compare... do these terms apply to you? Most of them apply to me. Attends Tea Party rallies? Check. Believes in God? Check. Loves country/feelings of patriotism? Check. Feared/predicted or anticipated the economic collapse? Check. Hates abortion? check. Unhappy with illegal immigration? Check. Gun owner? Check. Unhappy with the election results of November 2008. Check. If you meet all these criteria you might be labelled a "threat" to our country. But...here's the one that really bothers me... returning members of our US Military who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Are you kidding me? Can you believe this?

Next week is Memorial Day, and it always upsets me to think of the wonderful Americans who paid the ultimate price for their country. I have a soft spot for them because I served in the military. Now I'm not saying I was "Joe Super Veteran" or anything like that. I never saved anyones life. I never won any huge medals or honors. I never even saw combat. I was one of the lucky ones. When I was in the Army, there wasn't any active fighting going on around the world... a fact for which I thank our former President Ronald Reagan. I was one of the lucky ones. But right across the street from us right now, there are thousands and thousands of wonderful patriotic American citizens who served their country just like I did. But they weren't so lucky. They died in horrible places that most of us can barely pronounce. They died in places like Khe Sahn in Vietnam and in places like Nasiriyah in Iraq. Americans have shed blood in every corner of the globe. More often than not, it was to protect the freedom and liberty of others. There is a reason that you and I and millions of other Americans will probably never visit these places. Courageous members of our Armed Forces made sure that you will never have to.

I'm glad that some of you are recording this, because I have a special message for the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

You are profiling the wrong people. These people are not threats to their country. In fact, it is quite the opposite. People like this are the last chance our country has! So...if you want to continue down this path...if you want to profile and put people on "watchlists'...then go ahead. Do as you wish. I only ask one thing from you, Secretary Napolitano. I want to be the first name on that list. I would consider it an honor...and I think I would be in pretty good company.

OK..on to the reason we are all here. Proposition 1A and oppressive taxation.

Let me start by asking a question. People always say that America is a "free country". Well...is it?

Is it really? We have social freedom about how to live our lives, but the big ticket items.... massive legislation, bailouts...things like that. We don't get to vote on those, do we? We were not the ones who put Proposition 1A on the ballot. But we are here to defeat it. But I ask you, could the common citizen ever get a measure on the ballot that was the opposite of 1A? A measure that said we wanted to lower our State income tax, that we wanted to lower our sales tax and our car tax fees?? I think the idea is highly unlikely. Voters here in California did it once, with Prop 13 many years ago, but even that was just a limit to the property tax.

No, most of the time our political problems are because of bad election choices. The wrong ideas are on the ballot, or sometimes the wrong candidates are on the ballot. Sometimes we are presented with a choice between two career politicians, neither of whom is interested in actually changing anything. And that is actually no choice at all. As an example, two months ago, when I ran for Mayor of Los Angeles, two of the City Council Members ran unopposed for re-election. And this was for a job that paid 178K a year! How were voters in their districts ever supposed to achieve any changes, when the very concept of change in that election, was not on the ballot? This is not healthy for our political system. I will tell you what else is not healthy... the very strange concept or belief that the government needs to be all things to all people. This is a core philosophy of liberalism. And it is a lie.

The entire reason we have to face Prop 1A on Tuesday is because the government here in California is out of money. Why are they out of money? Because they have bought into the lie that government needs to be all things to all people. The State has followed the Federal government into the trap of believing in Altruism. That the people in our society need to make their primary concern the well being of others. It is a ridiculous philosophy that most often shows up in nations that have either a Socialist or Communist government. It has never worked in any society on earth, because it goes against human nature. But, they keep on trying.

There are many evils to Socialism, some of the main ones being that it invites tyranny and totalitarianism. One of my opponents in the Mayoral election was a Socialist...and no...I'm not talking about Villaraigosa...I'm talking about the pure, unadulterated Socialist. The one who said that everyone has a "right" to housing. That everyone has a "right" to a job that pays at least $15/hr. That everyone has a "right" to free medical care and to free schooling through college. And exactly how do these Socialists achieve these rights? You guessed it...by taking away the rights of others. Best selling author Mark Levin describes things this way... "This is tyranny in disguise. These are not rights. These are the Statists false promises of utopianism, which the Statist uses to justify all trespasses on another individuals private property." He is right, because Socialism and Communism try to make the imperfect perfect. They try to control the uncontrollable. It can never work.

This type of behavior might sound familiar to all of you, because we are seeing this behavior in our current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He says if we will just give him more and more control over private industry, he can fix everything. But I have bad news for all of you...he is wrong. Government intervention in this crisis is not going to work. Chrysler and GM? I'm sorry, but those companies are dead. They were dead the very first minute the government got its hands on them. It still remains beyond my comprehension how anyone who works for Chrysler or owns stock in them can have any faith in government leadership whatsoever. The same government that severely bungled the US housing market... remember Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?... yeah those two names will go down in history, but not in a good way..... so, this same government who just destroyed the housing market with their meddling is suddenly the same group of geniuses who are now going to save the auto industry?? I think even the most fervent supporters of the current President understand this instinctively and know that it won't work.

All the union members in the world, no matter how hard they stamp their feet or how loud they howl in protest, they cannot save these companies. Nobody can. We live in a free market society. Consumers voted with their checkbooks and said "No, Thank you" to Chrysler and GM products. Unfortunately, failure is part of the process of healthy capitalism. Bad companies fail to make way for good ones. It is not the end of the world. Any country can manufacture an automobile... just like any country can make a television set or a bicycle. The big trick is coming up with the ideas and the products in the first place. And that is where America shows that it is exceptional in todays world. Dell computers, Apple computers, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun, Java, Cisco... none of these companies existed 30 years ago, but they exist today because of American ingenuity. Some of you are here today because of two very new companies, Twitter and Facebook... these companies didn't even exist five years ago, but now have millions of users.

Capitalism, and the power of entrepreneurship is what makes us so special as Americans. Capitalism is not perfect, but it is clearly better than the other choices. Capitalism is about an individual being free to succeed or fail. It is all about risk, innovation and free thought. When I was running for Mayor, I was in a debate at UCLA...just a few steps from here. I was listening to the two Socialist candidates badmouth Capitalism and talk about how it had "oppressed" and "enslaved" the working class. By the time I got the microphone I was furious. I spent several minutes destroying their arguments. I finished my speech by saying that their comments were nonsense. I finished my speech by saying... "Capitalism doesn't oppress you...Capitalism makes your life possible!!"

No, we have nothing to fear from healthy Capitalism. We have everything to fear from heavy-handed and overbearing government intervention in our lives.

____________________

Who is John Galt...??    CUT FOR LENGTH

________________________

We are at a moment of crisis in this country right now. Some of the speakers at other Tea Parties have said that it is the largest crisis in American history. I disagree. We have faced worse times. The American Revolution, The Civil War... World War 2... Cuban Missile Crisis.. no, we have faced worse times. This is merely a financial and economic crisis that was brought about by a meddling government and a crisis that can be solved by getting the government out of the way of the free market.

We face some tough choices right now. But best selling author Mark Levin would say that we only face one choice...Liberty or Tyranny. We need to rediscover our American principles. The idea that a small government gives you big freedoms, and that a Big Government gives you very little freedom. The idea that the government, in annexing large parts of the economy, is actually annexing large parts of your personal freedom.

-------

56 men - edited out for time

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Endorsements

This may be coming a little late, (as I was trying to redesign my personal website to get this information out there, but it didn't work out in time) but I figure it is better late than never and I wanted people to be clear where I stood.

Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich for Los Angeles City Attorney

I'm very happy to endorse "Nuch" Trutanich for Los Angeles City Attorney. I met Nuch when we were both campaigning for office during the election in March of 09. Several events I attended featured Mayoral candidates along with City Attorney and Controller candidates. Listening to Nuch speak made me aware of who he is and what he stands for. I can simplify this and describe my opinion of him in six words.

Nuch Trutanich is a man's man.

And that is not a backhanded slap at Jack Weiss, either. I'm simply saying that, as a guy who has served in the military, there are other men in the world you can respect and admire. Guys who you would want in your platoon if you were facing heavy enemy fire. I trust Nuch instinctively. I want him on my team in anything.

Weiss, on the other hand, if he were in my platoon, I would never let him leave my field of vision. Simply put, I don't trust Weiss.

Weiss has been trying to smear Nuch with mailers saying he represented this rotten so-and-so when he was a lawyer. So what? As an attorney, sometimes you have to represent people you don't agree with and don't particularly care for.

(Kind of like how Weiss represents the residents of District 5 in City Council.)

It looks like Nuch is picking up momentum and I would call him the favorite right now. I wish him the best.

David Vahedi for Los Angeles City Council, Fifth District

To simplify this, I will just say that David Vahedi is the better choice here.

Paul Koretz is a career politician who is partially responsible for the current budget crisis, as he served in the State Assembly for several years recently. Koretz will say or do anything to win. He has no integrity.

I like Vahedi and the way he treats people. I have seen it myself at City Hall.

I am hoping Vahedi will win. Koretz would just be another liberal hack politician, beholden to vote for whatever position his big money and big labor donors tell him to support.

Rabbi Nachum Shifren for California State Senate - 26th District

Here is a really interesting situation. I know the Rabbi from various campaign stops and Republican Party activities. I like the Rabbi a lot. He is politically pretty far to the right, even further to the right than I am. But I like that about him. He is not backing down in this race or pandering to get votes. That is not his style.

He goes straight ahead in his attack plan. The Rabbi isn't going to spare anyones feelings in this race.

He is clearly superior to Curren Price, who is just another hack - a career politician who got termed out in a different district and shamelessly moved into the 26th just to earn yet another government paycheck.

Go Rabbi!

Tina Park for Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees

I have met with Tina on several occasions, and I have a soft spot for her because she was one of the earliest people to sign my petition so that I could run for Mayor. She is a wonderful lady and I really hope she wins.

No on 1A -- No on all ballot propositions

This is a no brainer. The Governor wants you to vote to raise your own taxes. How dumb does he think we are?

No on 1A...it clearly is going down to defeat. The other measures are just excuses and ways to slide money around. Force Sacramento to make real changes. No on every ballot proposal.

Westwood Tea Party Rally - Sun. May 17th

I will be a featured speaker at the Westwood Tea Party Rally on Sunday.

WESTSIDE REPUBLICANS MOURN THE LOSS OF JACK  KEMP. MEMORIAL DAY IS MAY 25TH. SEE OUR TRIBUTE PAGE  

 

  WESTWOOD

TEA PARTY

 

 SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009 3:00-6:00 PM 

TEA PARTY   RALLY @ the Federal Building11000 WILSHIRE in WESTWOOD!

 

Sponsored by Westside Republicans.

We are working with several ANTI-TAX groups and are expecting

significant, exciting speakers.

Bring: American flags,

placards, & commitment.

 

COME JOIN:

KEVIN JAMES                                                                      EVAN SAYET 

870 krla                                                    Writer, producer, Comedian   

 http://krla.townhall.com/pages/KEVINJAMES       http://www.evansayet.com/blogframeset.htm

STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY!

 

 STAND UP FOR LESS TAXATION!

 

 

STAND UP FOR AMERICA!

BASIL HOFFMAN                                            GARY AMINOFF

  

 

 

ACTOR, Writerhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0388819/                                         SFV GOP President.

 

 

 

 

TONY KATZ

 TCOT Radio

Villaraigosa = Epic FAIL

The new cover of the June issue of Los Angeles Magazine has a large photo of Mayor Antonio Villariagosa on the cover and calls him out for being a failure.

No surprises here... I ran against him for Mayor because I felt he was one of the worst political leaders in the United States. He did nothing to slow or stop illegal immigration... the cost of which (for social services, free medical and such) is crippling both the City and the State -- and there is no end in sight. In fact, he pretty much encouraged illegal immigration with his rabid, socialistic pandering speeches to the masses.

His budgetary mess will cripple Los Angeles for years. All because he was too weak of a leader to slash department budgets or lay off personal staff members. He was a puppet for the teachers and labor unions who used their combined might to force him through the doors at the Mayors Office in 2005.

His pathetic showing in the 2009 election against 9 opponents who were largely unknown (and who combined didn't have 10% of the Mayors money, fame, or media access)  was a serious blow to any further political ambitions he might hold. 

His embarrassing extramarital affair caused great humiliation both to himself and to people who had publicly supported him.

But hey...don't blame me. I didn't vote for the guy.

Never have, never will.

The Last Word on David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg

I remember the first time I met David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg. He was coming out of the City Clerk's Office on Ramirez Street as I was entering to pick up some signature petitions in order to run for Mayor. I had read the City Clerks Office website listing of candidates who had declared for the election, and had done a little research on all possible opponents in order to be prepared for any eventual debates. I didn't know much about David before meeting him. Previous to my running for Mayor, I had not attended any City Council meetings, I didn't watch Channel 35 or any other public access channels, and I had missed the LA Weekly issues where Zuma Dogg had been mentioned. Even though I was active politically and voted in every election, I had never heard of David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg. So naturally, I wondered, "Zuma Dogg" ??...Who is this guy?". 

Recognizing his trademark stocking cap and sunglasses from online articles,  I stopped him and introduced myself and we talked for a few minutes. "Awww man..!" he said, looking at my lapel button, "you already got professional buttons and everything?Awww man...!!". He seemed a bit distressed that other candidates were moving forward  and spending money, (even though none of us had officially met the technical requirements to be on the ballot). We had a little talk about the Mayor and the petition signature requirements for us both to run for Mayor. He mentioned a few things about his activism over the last three years. After a few minutes we said goodbye and went on our separate ways.

Little did I know that this was going to begin what I would call somewhat of an unusual friendship for me. Unusual in the fact that Zuma Dogg and I are politically and ideologically not on the same page, but we seem to get along just fine. My initial impression of him was not very positive. I thought that David was a bit of an odd fellow, somewhat of a hippy, and a definite wannabe rapper. I didn't think very much of him as a Mayoral opponent and I didn't think he would even get 500 votes in the election. I was clearly wrong about his level of voter support in the long run, but I remember it being my clear and honest opinion at the time. However, David changed my opinion about him during the campaign, and that was something that I did not expect.

I remember looking for information about David on the internet, as I wanted to be prepared to defeat all my opponents in the debates and in the election. There was plenty of information out there to find. Davids community activism was all over the internet. Photos, videos... all there to see... including this video, which is one of the most bizarre, but also one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen. I love the fact that Bernard Parks, a former Police Chief, a former Mayoral candidate, and a sitting City Council Member -- had to spend a minute of his day complaining about Zuma Dogg and his antics, only to have Eric Garcetti overrule him and have Zuma pull a prank on the whole Council exactly as Parks had warned. Too funny.

Fans and supporters of Zuma Dogg will tell you that he is a tireless community advocate, a fighter who supports the little guy against powerful political forces. On the other side of the aisle, critics of Zuma Dogg will tell you that he is a 44 year old man who refuses to get a job and financially support himself. They both have a point. 

My personal opinion of Zuma Dogg? I think David is interesting and funny -- a very animated and colorful guy. I respect the fact that Zuma Dogg is passionate enough about City politics to attend every City Council meeting for three years, giving him a much better attendance record than any of the current City Council Members, who get paid about 178K per year to do their jobs. I think Zuma Dogg serves a purpose in City politics, as he is often the source to whom insiders leak sensitive information about City misadventures. Do I think he has a career in politics ahead of him? No. Any political opponent he faced in the future could raise the issue that David has not been responsible enough in his personal life to warrant any consideration for a political office that included high-level responsibilities. I'm not being mean about this, I just think it is a fact. But hey... what do I know? On March 3rd 2009, over nine thousand people voted for Zuma Dogg to be Mayor of Los Angeles. He got fourth place in the election, even though he publicly admits on his blog to being homeless and sleeping on the streets. 

There have been many critics of Zuma Dogg in this forum that have been rather mean-spirited in their comments towards him and his lifestyle, and David has reacted negatively towards reading those comments. I don't think David has thick enough skin to deal with the abuse you face in life as an elected official. I think David has a calling somewhere else in life. I could see him as a radio show host. I could also see him as a side character on a TV show. Maybe even a rap music performer. He's really not that bad. I actually kind of liked his music video.

Shameless Pandering, CD 5 Candidates at War, & Marys Big Payday

Shameless Pandering

Today I happened to be at Olvera Street around 2pm when I saw some of the most shameless political pandering I have ever seen in my life. It was so bad it was embarrassing. A large crowd was enjoying some Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Live music was playing, people were dancing and having a good time. Then came the mood-killing effect of City Councilman Jose Huizar. He grabbed the microphone and started to play Master of Ceremonies.

"Hey," he said in Spanish "who is from Mexico?" A huge cheer.

Continuing the pandering, he rattled off the names of different states.... eliciting a cheer from various crowd members. When he got to "Districto Federal!", there was huge cheer.

(I didn't know so many residents here had come from Mexico City, or D.F. as they call it there).

Huizar then turned and introduced and handed the mic to Jack Weiss!!

(I was stunned to see Jack Weiss there..)

Weiss tried to bumble his way through some campaign fluff in Spanish, but it sounded awful.

"Me llamo Jack Weiss...." . The crowd was deadly silent in response.

I really dislike Jack Weiss, because he is my City Council Member and he is terrible.

But today I almost felt a tinge of compassion for him. An ounce of sympathy.

"My God," I thought, having an epiphany, "this is what the end of a political career looks like."

Weiss -- bumbling around in a language he doesn't speak -- desperately pandering to a group that didn't give a damn about him or his fight for the City Attorneys Office. 

Huizar got the mic back and said a few nice things about Weiss... kind of half-apologizing to the crowd.

The translation from Spanish was somewhat to the effect of "Not bad for a white guy, huh..?"

The crowd didn't care. They wanted the mariachi music back on again.

The whole thing was painful to watch.

CD 5 Candidates at War

Things are getting a bit prickly between Paul Koretz and David Vahedi in their 5th Council District race.

Koretz and Vahedi are bombarding 5th District Residents with mailers.( Check the close up detail on the photo above ). I have received about five or six from each of them. Each one gets a little more defensive and hostile.

Koretz is leveling baseless accusations and charges at Vahedi that he is somehow responsible for the bus bench advertising here in Los Angeles. Vahedi is countering that Koretz is a lifelong politician who will say or do anything to get elected. Vahedi is also saying that Koretz moved into this district just to run for City Council. Not sure about that charge, as I believe that Koretz is a lifelong City resident...but the charge of "Career Politician" is hard for Koretz to avoid.

I wonder why Koretz is bashing Vahedi so hard... when Koretz claimed he was so confident about winning just a few short weeks ago. 

Marys Big Payday

It looks like one of the favorite Mayor Sam posters that people love to bash is having a good week.

Mary Cummins-Cobb looks to be getting a big settlement from the City for a sexual harrassment case against former Animal Services Director Ed Boks. The City Council, handing out money like candy, (as is their usual behavior) seems to have agreed to fork over $130K to Cummins-Cobb. Writer Rick Orlov had the front page story on this for the print version of the Daily News.  You can read the whole legal document here, with all its interesting details. Cummins-Cobb seems to be one of those "Conspiracy Theorists" who believe that people who work for the City were intent on destroying  the life and career of a woman who started out with the City ...as a volunteer .... cleaning animal cages. ( Clearly, she had to be stopped .)

Her charges against Boks may or may not be true...I don't know. But I would have preferred that she sue him personally instead of making all the city residents pay for the mistakes of a flawed employee. But, this is Los Angeles, and irresponsibility and unprofessional behavior is generally the rule, not the exception. 

Congrats Mary! The City should only have to write about 3,000 more parking tickets to pay you off !

The looming Civil War in The Republican Party

I was talking with a friend the other day who is a high-level figure in the Republican Party here in California. I discussed with him my theory that there is a Civil War brewing inside the Party. Two election cycles of defeats have made the party meetings and discussions very rancorous. Moderates and Conservatives have been wrestling for control of the party, and in the end, only one side can win. 

"It's too late" he said, "the war is already here."

He went on to explain in great detail about some of the battles that have been fought in the party on multiple levels. There are battles at the local, state and national levels right now, and almost all of them are occurring at the same time. He explained the situation in the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, where there was a sudden coup last year involving a chaotic meeting where voters removed longtime head Linda Boyd from power. I didn't know Linda Boyd personally, but she and her husband had been important figures in the party for a number of years. However, other individuals in the party felt she was being destructive because she and her husband Doug opted to support Democrat James Hahn for Mayor in 2005 instead of Republican Walter Moore. It appears to be true that Doug Boyd was actually paid $30,000 to support James Hahn.

If these accusations are true, then I fully approve of their ouster. It makes no sense to have party leaders who do not support members of their own party. I have heard that there was some complaining and poor behavior by Walter Moore over this issue of non-support of his candidacy in 2005 . Even though I disagree with Walter on many issues, this is one where he would have received my full support. As a party, the Republicans have to support their own. On this issue, there is no room for compromise. Walter may have been a moderate, but you don't throw him under the bus for a liberal Democrat just because the Democrat wrote you a big check.

This is what is happening to Republicans at every level right now. We are suffering in elections because the candidates are abdicating their principles. The Boyds are only one example. Look at Arlen Specter. He is a contemptible and desperate man who only cares about holding onto power. He needs to go, and so do many other career politicians just like him. The Civil War that is brewing is happening because we need to get rid of people like Specter. If we don't, we run the risk of becoming a Party that radio show host Mark Levin says "stands for nothing, appeals to nobody, and is only supported because the alternatives are worse."  

I am a Conservative. I believe that Conservatives should be in charge of the Party, and that when we regain control, the Party will start winning again. We have to stop letting Moderates into power. They have shown a tendency to abandon core principles and core value systems. For too long, we Conservatives have been told that we are the ones who need to change. That we need to be more flexible and follow the mood of the electorate. No! I reject this thinking. Leaders who operate in this manner are showing that they have no coherent value system. Conservatism is all about freedom and opportunity for the individual. It was the guiding faith of our Founding Fathers. Abandoning our principles and core values is the antithesis of what we are all about. Moderates have shown us that they can do this easily. That is why Moderates lose elections.

The party is so fractured right now, that the media can't even identify who the leader of the Party is right now. New RNC Chairman Michael Steele stepped up to the plate and told everyone that he is now the boss. That is nice, but he is so new that people aren't comfortable with him yet, and he has already had a few slip-ups while speaking publicly for the party. The Mainstream Media decided to label radio show host Rush Limbaugh the new leader of the party. He is a respected and trusted voice among Conservatives, but he is an entertainer and not the party leader. So...who will lead us into the next election cycle? We have many good options.

Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee are favorites among the Conservatives.

Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are popular with Moderates. Bobby Jindal and Newt Gingrich haven't openly declared their intentions, but they seem to have some support also. Some people have mentioned Eric Cantor or General Petraeus. But it is also possible a new figure will rise to the challenge.  Our next leader  could be toiling in obscurity right now. The future is always full of surprises. 

In 2004 , heavy favorite and lock-certain-nominee Senator Hillary Clinton was making plans for moving back into the White House in 2008. Barack Obama, on the other hand, was only hoping he would be fortunate enough to win his election in Illinois to become a United States Senator.