The New Yorker’s Hendrik Hertzberg penned a column about the California Republican Party’s attempt to siphon off what could be roughly twenty of California’s fifty four consistently Democratic electoral votes.  Naturally, they are using the initiative process to try and do this.

Two weeks ago, one of the most important Republican lawyers in Sacramento quietly filed a ballot initiative that would end the practice of granting all fifty-five of California’s electoral votes to the statewide winner. Instead, it would award two of them to the statewide winner and the rest, one by one, to the winner in each congressional district. Nineteen of the fifty-three districts are represented by Republicans, but Bush carried twenty-two districts in 2004. The bottom line is that the initiative, if passed, would spot the Republican ticket something in the neighborhood of twenty electoral votes-votes that it wouldn’t get under the rules prevailing in every other sizable state in the Union.

The Republican lawyers behind this convoluted effort, Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, were deeply involved in the 2003 recall campaign against Democratic Governor Gray Davis that propelled current Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger into power.

It is no surprise that the law firm created a ficticious front group, Californians for Equal Representation, to do their bidding because they have a history of it.

• Dave Johnson reported in his September 15, 2006 The Huffington Post article on new MB&H client Economic Freedom Fund that other Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk’s clients include:
• California Tribal Business Alliance-“an ‘Indian Gaming’ organization” whose “mission statement is ‘to safeguard and enhance the success of the business enterprises of our tribal government members’ ……. and ‘will foster business development and coalition building with like minded government and business leaders in California.'” (Also see this.)
• “Californians for Paycheck Protection-yet another front group-this one sponsoring a California anti-union ballot initiative (Prop. 75). (Their major funders in 2005 (go see how much) included the Chamber of Commerce and the California Republican Party.)” (Also see this.)
• “notorious anti-environmental Congressman Richard Pombo.” (See here.)
• “big tobacco“, with BM&H as “Philip Morris Outside Counsel” (See this.)
• “A different partner at this firm, Thomas Hiltachk, filed the ‘Fair Pay Workplace Flexibility Act of 2006’-a stealth attempt to get rid of California’s overtime rules.”

Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk also represents the Blue Cross of California front group — a coalition of one — aimed at derailing movement on California’s top legislative priority: healthcare.

Two organizations. One address. Zero concern for the average Californian.

Now, just because they filed this initiative does not mean it will make it on the ballot.  They have no shot at making the Feb 5th date.  They could, if they raised the $1 million+ to pay for signature gatherers have a shot at making it on the June ballot.  That will be a very low turnout election.  We don’t have any major races occurring on that date.  Yeah, I know the Migden-Leno race will be big an all, but there is no major mayor’s race in LA or SF.  No constitutional officers up for election.  No Senate race.  If they do make it on the ballot, then a relatively small number of Californians could have a big impact on the presidential election.

This type of arcane rule initiative is among the hardest to pass.  It is not exactly something that grabs people.  There would be a very heavy push back from the Democrats if it looked like this was particularly viable.  I would not be surprised to see a competing ballot measure put up to try and confuse votes.  It worked wonderfully when big PhRMA put up Prop 78 to defeat Prop 79.

This will need to be something we track and see if it gets any traction.

[UPDATE by Julia] Here is an AP article on the initiative.  Arnold says that his is not involved and the CRP says the same.  I find that highly unbelievable, especially on the party’s end.  Notice what Nehring has to say about it.

“We’ll take a serious look at it, once it qualifies for the ballot,” state Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring said.

Not if it makes it on the ballot, but when.  This could be all a ruse to get Democrats to drop a bunch of cash to defeat it, when those dollars/resources could be used elsewhere. 

Who knew that Marinucci’s story a week ago on the hiring of Canadian Christopher Matthews to be the California Republican Party’s deputy political director would lead to his colleague resigning and accusations of breaking the federal law?  Here we are with yet another A1 story at the Chron.  Today’s story breaks the news that the CRP may have violated federal law by failing to demand to see Kamburowski’s green card.

Ron Nehring, who heads the California Republican Party, admitted Tuesday that he — and as far as he knows, any party officials — never saw the green card that would prove that Michael Kamburowski, an Australian citizen hired as the state GOP’s chief operations officer, was a legal resident.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division said Tuesday the law is clear that “it is the responsibility of the employers to check and see that someone is legally in the country and eligible to work.”

Whoopsies.  This may lead to a fine or something, but the greater damage is in extending the story in the news.  The Reeps can’t stand the Chronicle, for it’s supposed left-wing bias.  It must be killing them to see their party’s dirty laundry aired, day-after-day, on the front page.

Right now, they are just hoping this goes away, and quickly, if only because it would avoid giving their opponents the opportunity to lob shots at them:

“This is the typical GOP hypocrisy,” said Luis Miranda, spokesman for the Democratic National Committee Tuesday. “They will scapegoat immigrants to try and win elections, but they will look the other way when it comes to rewarding their cronies.”

Nativo Lopez, national president of the Mexican American Political Association, said the GOP case illustrates that on immigration and border security, “it’s good for (Republicans) when it’s convenient for them — and as long as it comes from a country of their choosing.

“But they are perennially focused on the southern border, and it smacks of racism when they posture against immigrants of color from the south.”

It does not look like Nehring is stepping down over this one, though if this keeps up, he may be forced to.  He has accepted responsibility for the scandal and promised to put in place more thorough hiring processes.  Meanwhile, those lower in the food chain are sniping at the Chron for running this story in the first place.

GOP northern region vice chair Jerry Maltby said Californians should “start worrying about the 12 million illegals, not the ones with green cards,” he said. “If you guys take more time and write about the immigration problem, rather than worrying about what one guy did and didn’t do, it would be more relevant.”

Sorry, Maltby, once the media has their claws into a juicy scandal they aren’t about to voluntarily give it up.  This story has legs and they will run it until it collapses.

Actually, what I am most interested in right now is what Karen Hanretty has up her sleeve.  She didn’t take to well to being told to STFU and is now promising a series of expose posts over at the insider Hill newspaper’s blog.  She filmed a video yesterday, promising a series of posts that will:

…provide a timeline that raises a number of questions for the California Republican Party, as well as for Grover Norquist with Americans for Taxpayer Reform, who is also involved in this intriguing and developing story.

She then goes on a little rant about what Republicans need to do and provides a bit of a hit as to what she has in store for her upcoming series:

They are going to have to clear their ranks of incompetent leaders who refuse to follow their law and try and do things behind closed doors. 

That means our Republican party is doomed.

I almost can see shades of what the netroots tries to do in term’s of Hanretty’s plan to take her party back.  In true Republican form, it is someone already within the party structure, and in fact the former spokeswoman for the CRP who is actually challenging the leadership.  And of course she is using the most insider of all insider blogs to make this pronouncement.  She is pissed to be out of power and is willing to tear down the party to build it back up.  Expect to see some serious resistance from the status quo.

Hanretty has a big megaphone, especially with her regular TV appearances and will provoke a strong reaction from those she goes after.  I guarantee she has some dirt on Norquist, Nehring and others.  It may provide some more fodder for a few more A1 stories by Marinucci.

Make sure that you have some popcorn stocked up.  This one is not over folks.

The California Republican Party’s staff troubles have gone national, with a story in today’s WaPo.  The general narrative is that the hiring controversy is symptomatic of larger problems within the party.  The CRP is described as being in turmoil and infighting blamed for the hiring disaster.  How embarrassing this must be for them. heh.

The revelations come at a time of turmoil for the California party, which tends to be further to the right than its best-known leader, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Divisions between those pleased by Schwarzenegger’s ascendancy and those dismayed by his talk of “post-partisanship” have marginalized the party within the largely Democratic state.

Internal fighting over the structure of the party may have led to poor oversight in hiring decisions, some observers said. Jim Brulte, the California Senate’s Republican leader until 2004, questioned the process that brought the now-disgraced operations officer, Michael Kamburowski, to California.

It is the exact opposite of the image that the new Chairman Nehring was trying to project.  The detail that emerging about the hiring process indicate that he did not do proper due diligence in hiring his former colleague from Americans for Tax Reform.  Nehring was already struggling mightily to retire over $4.4 million in debt.  All of this negative attention will make that task all the more difficult. 

They lack a real bench after Arnold.  Their own governor has sidelined them almost to the point of irrelevancy.  The national mood is moving against the Republicans in general.  Plus, these sorts of stories will drive activists away from the party and make candidate recruitment more difficult.

I feel just soo bad for them, don’t you?

(Also in orange. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Well, it looks like the latest SF Chronicle story on Michael Kamburowski’s immigration problems have knocked him out of his perch as the Chief Operating Officer of the California Republican Party. Damn you wicked irony, why must you always stalk the Republican Party like a successful version of Elmer Fudd? You always create such hilarity, how can I take the Republican Party seriously?

Well,  thanks to the sometimes-fabulous, always-hilarious  Carla Marinucci in today’s SF Chronicle, it seems California Republicans are rid of the “Australian menace.” (Not to be confused with the Canadian Menace.)

Michael Kamburowski, an Australian immigrant who served as the California Republican Party’s chief operating officer, abruptly resigned Sunday — less than 24 hours after The Chronicle reported he had been ordered deported in 2001, jailed in connection with the order, and now has a $5 million wrongful arrest lawsuit pending against U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials. (SF Chronicle 6/25)

Flip it…

Yes, the delicious irony just keeps on giving.  Boy, are they enraged, and are thrilled to get one more “illegal alien” from “their country”.

Fleischman, in a letter distributed to GOP board members Sunday, warned that “needless to say, if any of this is true (especially alleged jail time, and alleged litigation against the U.S. government) it is a very serious matter.”

Red County San Bernardino, another GOP blog site, called the revelations jaw dropping, and added that “if it is true that Kamburowski did not disclose this arrest to the party, it suggests serious deficiencies in his character.”

Fleischman is the heart and soul of the CA conservative blogosphere, and he happens to be a board member of the CA Republican Party.  And, he’s generally a stand-up guy (with neolithic political views).  But, you know, he voted to bring him on board as COO. 

Poor, Poor Republicans.  The opportunity for schadenfreude is nearly impossible to resist here. But even Steve Schmidt, the man that ran Bush’s ’04 Campaign, and Schwarzenegger’s ’06 Campaign sees the irony and hypocrisy of the Republicans on these issues:

Former White House adviser Steve Schmidt, who ran the re-election campaign for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, angrily described the appointment of Kamburowski as “almost a parody of incompetence and malfeasance.”

“Somebody who has been imprisoned, faced deportation, has never worked on a state political campaign … and who is suing the government for harm inflicted by his deportation order defies description,” Schmidt said. “The bylaws of the Republican Party invest enormous authority in the position of chief operating officer — and it’s clear that this person brings no experience and qualifications to run a state party of the size of California, not to mention the assorted legal issues involved.”

Of course, Schmidt is more a corporatist than Minuteman-type, so  it is hardly shocking that he would level this criticism at Ron Nehring, the current CA Republican Party Leader, and San Diego anti-immigation zealot (well, San Diego Republican and immigration zealot are probably redundant, aren’t they?).  But, the tone of that remark is just classic.  But, now that Kamburowski is out at the CRP, Schmidt needn’t worry about ol’ Mike’s threats.

Kamburowski generally suggested that Hanretty will never be able to eat lunch in Washington again.

“This story would not have the ‘legs’ it does were it not for the role Karen Hanretty is playing in fanning it,” Kamburowski said in his letter. “I do not know Karen, but I find the spectacle of someone who has fed at the trough of the CRP (California Republican Party) behaving in this way despicable and sad. If she desires a career in Republican circles in Washington — she may find her career rather short-lived.”

By the way, IMHO, this story should win Marinucci some kind of award. If no Pulitzer arrives, we may have to create the Calitics Journalism Award.

Break out the popcorn folks.  The Republicans are writing each other nasty letters and using the Chronicle to lob shots at one another over the CRP’s hiring of a Canadian to become their director of research and political technology.  On one side you have mouthpieces of the CRP and on the other, former CRP official spokeswoman Karen Hanretty.  She has become a reliable quote against her party, in much the way that Gary South has become from the other direction.  I really have to side with Hanretty on this one.  There are plenty of qualified people to take that job already in the country and the move is embarrassing to the party.

Michael Kamburowski, the Australian who was recently hired as the CRP’s COO, shot off a letter to the party’s executive board, from which John Wildermuth is quoting over at the Chron Blog.

Kamburowski generally suggested that Hanretty will never be able to eat lunch in Washington again.

Much more below the fold…

“This story would not have the ‘legs’ it does were it not for the role Karen Hanretty is playing in fanning it,” Kamburowski said in his letter. “I do not know Karen, but I find the spectacle of someone who has fed at the trough of the CRP (California Republican Party) behaving in this way despicable and sad. If she desires a career in Republican circles in Washington — she may find her career rather short-lived.”

This letter appears to have been sent out prior to Hanretty’s appearance on CNN, where she went after the CRP for potential improper use of H-1B visas.

I really do love Hanretty’s response to the letter, which makes him look incompetent professionally, thus refuting the notion that he should have been hired in the first place.

Hanretty called Kamburowski’s letter “a peculiar response to a leadership decision.”

“You attack someone personally when you want to deflect criticism,” she said in an interview on Thursday. “When you feel you have the moral high ground, you don’t need to change the subject.”

The letter wasn’t a threat to Hanretty, said Hector Barajas, a state GOP spokesman who suggested his former colleague is “trying to make a living by attacking other Republicans.”

Wow, look at that from Barajas.  In a short span he denies there was a threat, then insults her again.  Knowing Hanretty, I expect her not to let these statements lie.  She has plenty of outlets to get her point across and she is tenacious.  I look forward to more entertainment.

You know, the Republican Party spiffed up their website, and honestly, it’s a lot bettero. I mean, thank goodness, it doesn’t have flying stars across the top. Good Work, CRP. I guess, but you can take the ugly stupid shit off the site design, but the ugly, stupid shit is still there in the text.

First, I’d point to this press release, entitled “100 Days of a Democrat Congress: 10 Bills Successfully Name Post Offices, Courthouses, Federal Properties.” First, you’d expect somebody who works for the party that advocates English as the official language would, um, know how to use the language itself. “Democratic”, Mr. Nehring.

Now, it seems that Rep. Ken Calvert missed the memo about post offices being such a horrible waste of time.  Why? well, Mr. Calvert put out this press release three days later congratulating himself on, wait for it, yup, naming a post office.  Wow, that timing is a killer.

One more thing, for all Mr. Nehring and his crew complain about the post office namings in the 110th Congress, would you like to take a stab at how many post office naming bills were introduced in the 109th Congress? Do you? Do you? Well, I’ll tell you: 135. Yup. 135, or about one for every day and a half in session. Yup that’s 135 post office bills in 239 days in session (shattering the previous low-water mark of 252 days in session).

So, I guess Mr. Nehring and Rep. Ken Calvert should get their facts straight before they start on the attack.