It’s quite clear by now that Pombo has no problems with taking thinly disguised bribes from Indian tribes, anti-environmentalists, anybody with a few bucks, etc.  Say No to Pombo points out another questionable case from the Tracy Congressman:

That would mean the $5,000 buffalo was, indeed, a gift (albeit an unreported and untaxed one) from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe to Congressman Richard Pombo, serving in his role as Chairman of the House Resources Committee and head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

So I’ll repeat my question from Saturday, phrasing it a little bit differently: If there are “rules banning federal officials from accepting gifts from people who are regulated by, or might do business with, their agency,” why has there been no federal investigation of this apparently unreported gift to Richard Pombo from the Rosebud Sioux? (Say No to Pombo 7/26/06)

The entire post is a compelling read and features some excellent analysis of this buffalo hunt.  As that dirty Ricky story is coming out, Jerry McNerney picked up a big endorsement, that of Pombo primary challenger, former Congressman Pete McCloskey.  While not a surprise, McCloskey’s endorsement  signals an opportunity for McNerney to pick up the votes of a big portion of the approximately 1/3 of Republicans who voted for McCloskey.  And Pombo’s big stash of money shows that he expects no cakewalk this election.  His days are numbered; it’d sure be great to get rid of him before he does any more damage than he’s done already.

All politics is local, right?  Well, if you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger in a precarious balancing act, you pass the buck upward.  Specifically, Arnold is trying to court Latino voters in order to get his magical 33% figure all the while trying to keep the nativists in his party in his camp.  It’s not clear if the strategy is really working:

A heavily Republican crowd grilled Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during a campaign appearance in San Diego County on Tuesday, badgering the governor to justify his position on immigration. Typically, such sessions are a breeze for the gregarious governor, in part because they are publicized among local Republicans to ensure a heavy partisan turnout. Less so Tuesday, when Schwarzenegger, who is seeking a second term, saw firsthand how incendiary an issue immigration still is for many Republicans.

Some political analysts believe the governor is pushing the boundaries of how much he can woo Latinos before he risks alienating his party faithful. Immigration ranked as the No. 1 concern among Republican voters in a major poll released Tuesday.

During a question-and-answer session with 150 people at Harry Griffen Park in La Mesa, the governor never lost his composure, but he did lose at least one vote….“I voted for you. And right now, I don’t see much difference between you and Phil Angelines,” Plata said, mispronouncing the name of the governor’s Democratic challenger. “I don’t see that you’re standing up for the citizens of California,” she said to scattered boos and applause from different factions of the audience. (SJ Mercury-News 7/26/06)

The GOP Coalition is being held together by rubberbands and chewing gum at this point.  It’s one thing to claim a “big tent”, another to deal with the devil as Arnold is forced to do.  The fact remains that the GOP is counting on Schwarzenegger’s celebrity to garner a few votes where they couldn’t before…and that doesn’t sit to well with the Natives.

A couple of polls came out this week as I was vacationing with my sister’s family in lovely, but cloudy, San Diego.  First, we have the WSJ/Zogby poll (H/t CPR) that came out July 24.  It has Angelides up, 44% to 42.3%, with a 3.5% MoE.  So, it’s definitely good news.  Last month’s poll had Angelides up by a fraction of a percentage point.

However, as I’ve said before, the Field Poll is the gold standard in California polling.  And, well, they have the governator with an 8 point lead (45-37).  It’s a little bit worrisome to see the lead in the Field Poll hovering at that 7-8 point lead.  It appears that Phil hasn’t made much headway since the June primary election.

So, it’s a mixed bag, but by no means is it time to panic.  Phil is just beginning to get a good feel for the race, and I have high hopes for the next few months.  He’s been outspent about 15-1, and he’s definitely still in the race.  You might also want to read John Meyers’ post about the silver lining of this poll.  For one thing, Arnold still is struggling with Latinos, losing by 58-22.  He’ll need to pick up some support there to win the race, especially if there’s a big debate about immigration.  As always, these polls will be added to the Poll HQ