Have you emailed Boxer and Feinstein yet?
• Speaking of Sen. Boxer, hats off to her for putting that general in his place and demanding some respect.
• Let the games begin in CA-10, as Ellen Tauscher easily passed through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today on her way to confirmation in the State Department. She could be confirmed as soon as next week.
• The CRP is enraged that an SEIU member would call for action against legislators who don’t stand up for services in this state. They’re using her words in a YouTube ad that she wants pulled down. The funny thing about the ad? Most of the ad is about SEIU intimidating people who vote against them. Umm…should a party where every legislator has signed a pledge of inflexibility really be calling this particular kettle names?
• Arnold wants to tackle water after the budget. Fresno residents apparently disagree. You can catch the video of Arnold’s speech here, with the angry calls for action on water at the end.
• Arnold’s idea of a gift for Sen. Steinberg: a metal sculpture of bull testicles. Seriously. Sen. Steinberg returned them, saying that it took fortitude to protect those who needed protection.
• Some good news on high-speed rail, as indications suggest that California is on track to win a substantial chunk of stimulus money for its HSR efforts. We should know before the end of summer.
• This is just a lame scaremongering effort by the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association, who are protesting $20 million in budget cuts and the loss of 70 agents by running statewide ads that blare “California Legislature surrendering to drug lords in Mexico”. Really, it takes 70 agents to fight all Mexican drug lords? I’m all for staving off cuts, but this is a bridge too far on hyperbole.
• It’s a little old, but I did want to mention that a 90-day moratorium on all foreclosures in the state took effect on Monday, welcome news for people facing the loss of their homes. The way it works it the moratorium stays in effect unless the lender works out a modification program with the borrower. Assemblyman Ted Lieu, who created the bill, said “We must put a stop to the unending tidal wave of foreclosures that has crippled our economy. This law will help people stay in their homes by giving lenders a serious incentive to modify loans.”
• And some news of our always batshit crazy Congressional Republican delegation, John Campbell (CA-48) signed on to the nutjob “birther” bill suggesting that Obama wasn’t born in this country, and the dearly departed Duncan Hunter Sr. spoke during his Presidential campaign at a Minuteman event put on by Shawna Forde, the woman who has been charged in a double-homicide of an Arizona man and his daughter. They’re a classy bunch.
• While the UCLA forecast calls for a gradual rebound in the second half of the year, Chapman U. thinks it might be into next year.
• Joseph Palermo doesn’t like the odds that Democrats will win many concessions this budget season.
• Some poor performing charter schools would be closed under a new plan for a ratings system.
I’m not so sure Boxer was right to dress down that Brig. General. The comments at the Politico piece on this are incredibly harsh on Boxer, and now there are even calls for her to apologize.
I think it’s much ado about nothing, but gawd, some people are getting offended over this.
Boxer has always been a train wreck. She bounced checks when she was in the house and she is just a complete out of touch leftist hack.
She is clearly the intellectual lightweight of the two cal senators, and, luckily for her, no one takes her seriously and she is not chair of any thing remotely important.
The problem is that she is functions at the level of a maxine waters or nancy pelosi, the sort of mix of narcissism and mental illness that is very dangerous.
I get a kick out of maxine waters because she is such a piece of debris that shows why her district is completely disgusting – i have no clue how she is not able to parlay her office into federal funds for her area, while waxman and berman get money poured down their districts. Actually, i do have a clue, she is an idiot.
As for Pelosi, she is frankenstein. Devastatingly not hatted for the job and actually disturbed.
I never took boxer seriously, but this outburst makes me concerned.