It’s over! It’s over! It’s finally over! The Liberal OC has the last word on the crazy rumor about the Nancy Pelosi fundraiser, and the Republican spinners at OC Blog have clearly failed in their attempt to create civil unrest among Orange County Democrats. Horray, the non-scandal has died! ; )

OK, and now for more scandaliciousness… Bill O’Reilly now claims that the liberals have declared war on the white, male Christians! Cheese louise, when will these crazy right-wing folks learn to stop stirring up s**t over non-scandals?!

So what “scandals” are happening in your neck of the woods? What non-issues are the Republicans trying to stir up in your area? And is Bill O’Reilly crazy, or is he just talking nonsense? Go ahead. Make my day. Fire away! : )

OK, so you’ve probably seen this by now. Or perhaps, you’ve seen this. Wherever you saw Matt Cunningham’s post about the cancelled Nancy Pelosi fundraiser in Orange County, don’t believe it.

Yes, the fundraiser was cancelled. But no, Loretta Sanchez didn’t “put the kibosh” on a chance to raise money for the Democratic Party of Orange County. No, Loretta Sanchez isn’t against a stronger, better-funded DPOC. No, the Democratic Party is not weak and incompetent.

Follow me after the flip to get to the truth of this matter…

Here’s what Matt Cunningham said on OC Blog and FlashReport…

… Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s ego got in the way.

Sanchez adopted a proprietary view of the dollars the Pelosi/DPOC event would raise. Rather than seeing a stronger, better-funded DPOC as a benefit to her continued representation of the 47th Congressional District, in Loretta’s view the fund raiser would take money away from her.

And here’s why this is completely wrong. The fundraiser actually was for the DCCC, not the DPOC. The fundraiser was on April 29 in Newport Beach, even though many OC Democrats were still in San Diego for the state Democratic Convention. And even though the individuals that scheduled the dinner promised that Loretta Sanchez was already on board with the fundraiser, they did NOT contact her to make sure that she was actually available for this fundraiser.

Basically, this fundraiser was just a disaster waiting to happen. So you don’t believe me? Believe Wylie Aitken. He knows what he’s talking about when he talks about Loretta. Wylie Aitken has been with her since the beginning as a campaign adviser to Loretta. But of course, he also knows what he’s talking about when he talks about the Democratic Party. He has always been a good friend of the DPOC. Read what he said to Total Buzz about that fundraiser.

The cancellation of the event had little or nothing to do with Loretta Sanchez.

The event would have been primarily for the DCCC. Well-intentioned individuals scheduled the evening without making sure Loretta would be available as well as many others within the Democratic donor community.

Loretta did what she should do — in addition to scheduling problems, to give her honest assessment to the Speaker, as to whether the event was properly planned and would be a success.

So there you have it! OK, so you’re still not believing me? Believe Mike Lawson at The Liberal OC. Here’s what he was told about that fundraiser:

The DPOC (with the help of “local Democratic insider”) solicited Pelosi for this dinner. One of the selling points was that Loretta was already onboard.

After Pelosi accepted the invitation she spoke with Sanchez, who hadn’t heard of the event. Once Loretta looked into the benefit, she noticed that there were some people (like the friend of “local Democratic insider”) that were angling to make some good money off of the event; Sanchez, who was never officially onboard with this benefit, backed out. And so did Pelosi.

Maybe Matt Cunningham was right when he said that “ego” stood in the way of this event, but it wasn’t Loretta’s this time. Perhaps the “local Democratic insider” shouldn’t have guaranteed Loretta’s attendance.

So do you believe us now? Oh yes, and look who’s supporting that fundraiser for Loretta this month. So, there! Loretta still cares about us in Orange County. The Democratic Party here is doing a great job in building the party in Orange County. Everyone is doing great, and we’re all looking forward to that fundraiser at Joe Dunn’s house on the 16th.

So much for that rumor! Cheese louise, the OC Republican insiders at OC Blog can’t even come up with a credible runor against us! I guess if this is the worst they can throw at us, then we’re doing a great job here! : )

OK, I just saw this latest piece of folly from every one’s favorite Republican Insider, Jubal/Matt Cunningham of Red County/OC Blog:

The Los Angeles Times published a truly remarkable article today: “MTA Fears A Bottleneck At OC Line.”

Basically, Metropolitan Transportation Authority is complaining the Orange County Transportation Authority‘s ongoing program of freeway widening is making MTA look bad. OCTA’s freeway-centered investment collides with MTA’s lightrail-centered priorities at the LA-OC county line in the form of traffic bottlenecks. It’s a vivid illustration of the different outcomes of the two agencies priorities.

OCTA has funneled its money into transportation modes the vast majority of people actually use: freeway and roads. As a result, our freeways move faster than those in Los Angeles. The MTA, by contrast, has prioritized its money into modes of public transit that far fewer people use, i.e. light rail. Or as OCTA Director Jerry Amante put it:

“We build lanes, not trains.”

And we’re supposed to be proud of that? OK, so widened freeways may be useful in relieving traffic in the short-term. As long as we have all these cars on the road, we have to have something for them to drive on. But really, wouldn’t some long-term solutions also help here?

Follow me after the flip for more as I explain why OCTA shouldn’t exactly be gloating over this…

So why should LA County MTA not feel so bad about not keeping up with the freeway expansion happening across the county line in Orange County? Perhaps because MTA has surpassed all the other transportation agencies in Southern California in mass transit? After all, MTA was named “America’s Best Public Transportation System” due to record high ridership, very high commuter satisfaction, and the amazing success of the Orange Line rapid bus service in the San Fernando Valley. MTA should really be proud of the high quality of transit service that they offer to Los Angeles County.

But what do I know about this? What does some “crazy environazi, anti-car zealot” from Orange County know about how successful MTA has been with its transit lines in Los Angeles? Well, I actually use the subway and the bus whenever I’m in Los Angeles, and boy is it great! I can take the Red Line from Downtown LA to Hollywood, and I never have to wait too long for a train as there’s one about every 10 minutes. I can take the 720 Rapid Bus down Wilshire Blvd. from Koreatown to Santa Monica, and I can be at the pier in about 45 minutes. That actually isn’t bad when compared to the nasty congestion often seen on the freeways (with OR without widening). And even late at night, I’m never stranded as there are now 24-hour bus routes throughout LA. Just look at the MTA system map, and try to tell me that Los Angeles County’s transit agency isn’t doing a terrific job of moving people.

Obviously, LA County has figured out the secret to success in not just relieving traffic, but also reducing air pollution and doing something to stop the climate catastrophe. We all know that our vehicles emit much of the carbon dioxide that’s causing climate change. So what can we do about it? Well, how about riding the clean, efficient local mass transit service?! And with all these people riding Metro buses and trains, LA County MTA really is doing its part to fight climate change. But of course, pollutions isn’t the only thing that’s reduced by all this mass transit service. We have to realize that more people using these buses and trains also means FEWER CARS ON THE STREETS AND FREEWAYS. And fewer cars on the streets and freeways means LESS TRAFFIC! If anything, LA County is really

Now compare and contrast what Los Angeles County is doing to Orange County’s preferred “traffic relief” plan. Now yes, we do have buses. And yes, there is Metrolink rail service to Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. However, our transit network in Orange County doesn’t really cover the whole region like what MTA is trying to do in LA County. Perhaps this is because our transportation “solutions” have been centered on expanding freeways and streets. And oh yes, let’s not forget the toll roads. Now don’t get me wrong, roads are important. And so long as we have all these cars on the road, we have to improve our roads to help people with their commutes. However, this is only a short-term solution.

Over the long term, we can’t sustain all these cars on all these roads. So long as we continue developing farther and farther away from urban cores, and all we do about this is build more roads that only spark more development, we’ll never see long-term traffic relief. This is why we need smarter development and smarter transportation planning. And when it comes to smarter transportation planning, Los Angeles County is doing this. If we want long-term traffic relief, environmental health, and an overall better community, we need to figure out how to take these cars off the road and get people moving in a more efficient manner.

This is why Jubal/Matt shouldn’t be gloating about temporary bottlenecks in South LA County. LA County MTA might have a temporary problem that they will have to solve by improving the 5 and 405, but they are implementing a long-term solution to their overall traffic problem by expanding bus and commuter rail options. Hopefully one day soon, more people here in Orange County will push OCTA to do the same.

And if you’re interested in reading some fine examples of Environmental Left blogging against the 241 in which the level of exaggeration, misinformation and confabulation is matched only by the certitude with which they are asserted, then visit anyone one of young Andrew Davey’s posts on his blog or lefty-blog Calitics. But he tries.

At first I saw Mr. Republican Insider’s latest diatribe against me and against this community, and I was pretty peeved. These folks at Red County/OC Blog can’t even offer up their own facts and engage in honest debate. I had once considered these folks to be rational individuals, and I used to like going there (believe it or not). Well, I guess I was wrong about that.

But then, I started thinking about this. I soon realized that Jubal/Matt Cunningham was actually doing us a favor. Follow me after the flip for more as I explain why we should be thanking Mr. Republican Insider for this…

It dawned on me last night: These folks really do reveal the emptiness of today’s “conservative” movement when they have nothing left but personal attacks and payola as policy. They don’t have any new ideas on how to govern. They don’t have any facts to back up their “vision” of what they want to see in government. They just seem to have lost their way. Now that I think of it, I’m starting to experience sorrow for people like Matt/Jubal. They must feel awfully terrible to be stuck in a “movement” that doesn’t know what it really stands for.

Matt/Jubal might be hurling attacks at me and at the site, but I know that’s not really what this is about. Now that I think of it, it’s about far more than just a toll road to Trestles or a failed war in the Middle East. It’s about the emptiness of today’s “conservatism”. They used to believe that government should stay out of people’s private lives. Now, they want to examine EVERYTHING we do in our homes and in our bedrooms. They used to believe in fiscal responsibility. Now, they don’t mind complete fiscal insanity. Is this what “conservatism” has become?

Maybe this is why even the traditional “Roosevelt Republicans”, “Eisenhower Republicans”, and “Goldwater Republicans” are leaving this party. Today’s Republicans just don’t stand for what people used to call “conservative”. The GOP truly has lost its way.

But in the meantime, look at what’s happened here. Look at all the activism happening here. Look at all the intelligent policy discussions that we have all the time. We progressives seem to have no problem coming up with great ideas, sound policy, and factual arguments to back them up. And yes, people are actually excited about what we have to say and about what we want to do.

I guess that’s why I should be thanking Mr. Republican Insider. He can call me whatever names he wants. I don’t care. I just like the fact that he’s only proving the point that today’s progressives are the ones with the sound policy and grassroots energy. : )

Mr. Republican Insider and his GOP insider friends can trash my fabulous Congresswoman all they want, but they won’t ever take Loretta down. I just love Loretta Sanchez too much to ever see her being maliciously attacked by these jerks.

See the extended.

She knows what’s best for Orange County, and for her constituents. They don’t. It’s really that simple. Here’s the always fabulous Chris Prevatt from The Liberal OC:

CA-47 Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez has taken a few hits this past week for her support of Congresswoman Susan Davis’ efforts to save the San Onofre State Park from bisection by the 241 toll road extension that has other routes it can follow.

Andrew Davey, over at Calitics, has a post today lauding Sanchez for her efforts. There is a myth out there that somehow her stance will cost her support from organized labor, thus allowing a Republican (Van Tran) to take the seat.

Oh, we love you too, Chris! The Liberal OC is THE BEST LOCAL BLOG in California! But anyways, back to Loretta:

To our friends over at Red County/OCBlog a word of advice…

Don’t hold your breath! The Democrats and organized labor will never let the likes of anti-worker, anti-environment Van Tran skate to victory in the 47th.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: LORETTA IS OUR CHAMPION! She is doing what’s right for our community, and she won’t let a bunch of right-wing bullies pressure her into doing otherwise. That’s why we’ll always love Loretta! : )

(Looky, looky here! It’s none other than Jubal/Matt Cunningham coming onto our fair site to respond. Hi, Jubal! ; ) – promoted by atdleft)

Tell you what; you’re still a relevative [sic] young man in good health who obviously supports this president and this war. Do what hundreds of other soliders have done. Put your life on hold and go enlist. Ask to be assigned a unit going to Iraq. Support this war and this president all you want. But the veto is not supporting the troops. The veto is a sentence to extend this quagmire to satisfy a tyrant president’s stubborness and refusal to admit mistakes.

Dan Chmielewski said that to Republican insider/consultant/”blogger” Jubal/Matt Cunningham on Monday, after Jubal/Matt spewed out the same old Republican talking points that Democrats hate the troops. Well, all hell soon broke loose as Jubal/Matt had his fit. I guess it’s so much easier to “support the troops” by blithely sticking a yellow ribbon on a Middle-Eastern-oil-guzzling SUV while ignoring the real hell that our troops must suffer in Iraq.

Well, The Liberal OC just couldn’t let go. Chris Prevatt offered Jubal/Matt the challenge once more:

So Matt/Jubal, since you seem to support this debacle in Iraq so much; since you seem to believe that this war is really about terrorism and not an occupation; since you support this President and his stubborn insistence that there is something over there that can be won, other than oil and no-bid contracts for his friends; why don’t you put your butt where your mouth is, step up to the plate, and become part of King George’s noble cause.

So will Matt Cunningham take up the offer? After all, doesn’t he share King George the Chimpy’s vision of victory? Oh wait, aren’t we headed toward victory?

This just in from The Liberal OC:
http://www.thelibera…

A right-wing pundit is actually asked to fight the war that he so cherishes

I’m not sure where to even being rebutting this post, which is a rich combination of paranoia and grandiosity that would make your hero Art Pedroza proud. […]
Andrew, if you really want to see a “noise machine” all you need to do is read your own posts: loaded with straw men, unsupported assumptions, jumped-to-conclusions, screechy rhetoric and paranoia.

Hey, looky here! Jubal/Matt Cunningham responded to my post, which was a response to Jubal/Matt’s response to Art Pedroza’s original “Chismes” post on Orange Juice that caused the entire Orange County Republican Party to explode. Ain’t it amazing how these supposedly omnipotent Republican insiders are shaking at the boots at the thought that their ridiculous scheme to allow someone who ran one of the most racist campaigns in Orange County history to run their “voter registration program” in minority-majority Central County is being exposed? And that the sheer stupidity of this plan of theirs is now out in the open, for all to see?

So why is Jubal/Matt still fuming over this? Well, he completely lost control. And why is he so angry about that? Well, I’ll tell you all about it after the flip…

So what’s the problem here? Well, the Republican Party’s master cyberspace spinner has lost control of the message. He tried so hard to save the OC GOP’s latest blunder from becoming a massive train wreck…

Smart move. There’s no shortage and wannabees and armchair consultants in OC politics. What there aren’t a lot of are campaign operatives with proven track records of success — especially in central Orange County. The OC GOP would have been remiss to pass up utilizing someone who’d been toiling in the central OC vineyards for the past year running very successful voter contact program. Saulo ran the most successful aspect of the Lynn Daucher campaign (the absentee ballot program), and then managed Trung Nguyen — who nearly everyone expected to do no better than third or fourth — to within 3 votes of victory in the 1st Supervisor District special election.

… But all that hard work and fast spinning of Jubal’s couldn’t save his party from the ultimate reality on the ground.

It looks like the first installment of this new column was quite a hit. The O.C. Register’s Total Buzz blog covered our chisme regarding the guy tabbed by the OC GOP to register new voters in central Orange County. That would be Saulo Londono, the campaign manager who sent Trung Nguyen to the border to stop the Mexicans. I’m sure that will go down real swell with the people of Santa Ana!

I love what Londono had to say about the story, over at the Total Buzz, “Although the blogs are heavily dramatizing the situation, the real reason for being quiet (about the new job) is quite simple: strategy.” Sure – great strategy. Maybe they can get Lupe Moreno and Tan Nguyen to help register new Reep voters too!

Red County/OC Blog stepped up to defend Londono, predictably. Matt Cunningham/Jubal referred to Londono’s successful track record. Last time I looked he LOST the last two campaigns he headed up. Maybe second place means first place in Jubal’s book?

Jubal is angry because Jubal can no longer control the message. In the bad old days, when OC Blog was really the only big kid in Orange County’s political blogosphere, Jubal/Matt can simply get the good word out on his clients and control what was said about them online. And since OC Blog was really the only big source for what was happening in OC’s political scene, everyone would just believe what Jubal and his minions were saying…

However, this isn’t the case any longer. Orange Juice now offers different perspectives on what’s happening throughout the county. The Liberal OC now offers a progressive point of view to counter the right-wing spin at OC Blog-land. And yes, now I’ve become a thorn on Jubal’s side as well. Basically, Jubal’s not the sole star of the show any more. The new kids on the block are finally growing up, and speaking out.

I guess this is the real issue here. Now it certainly is important in and of itself that the OC Republicans are hiring someone who was part of a VERY RACIST CAMPAIGN to head a minority outreach and voter registration program in Central OC. However, another major issue has entered into the fray. The Orange County Republican elite is no longer in control of what we say and what we think online. Competition has arrived, yet the supposed “champions of the free market” don’t seem to like the free flow of ideas and opinions.

Too bad for them. ‘Cuz this new diversity of thought is really letting some fresh air rush in behind the Orange Curtain. ; )

(Oh yeah, and before I forget… Horray for Orange Juice! They’ve been so courageous during this whole time in standing fast against efforts by the Orange County Republican Party to censor them. I only wish I had the tenacity of Art Pedroza, Claudio Gallegos, and the entire O-J Team! : ) – promoted by atdleft)

A long time ago I was told that in this business you are judged by your enemies. If your enemies are mostly democrats then you must be doing something right. They’re willing to tear you down, especially people like Andrew Davey who posted on the Calitics page. He’s just a punk with a computer.

That was former campaign manager for Republican Alan Uke in the 50th Congressional District, campaign manager for Republican Lynn Daucher in SD 34, and all-around insider in the Orange County Republican Party, Bryan Lanza… Speaking about little ol’ me. So why is the OC GOP political elite suddenly wailing over me at Red County/OC Blog? Follow me after the flip to find out…

Remember when I called out the Orange County Republicans for blaming Orange Juice blogger Art Pedroza for their own problems with Latino voters? Well, Jubal/Matt Cunningham found out about it… And he’s not very happy with me right now for shining some light on the OC GOP’s ridiculous decision to hire someone who was part of Trung Nguyen’s virulently anti-immigrant and anti-Latino campaign to head a voter outreach and registration effort in Latino-heavy Central County. So what is he doing about it? Oh, he’s just resorting to bashing ALL OF US who have the nerve to call out the OC GOP on their great mistake.

Of course, there are the inevitable detractors. ex-Republican Art Pedroza thinks it is bad idea because Trung Nguyen posed in front of the border fence for one of his mailers. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Let’s not hire the guy with the proven track record of success because of a mail piece (which Art terms “anti-Latino,” which I suppose it is if you look at it through MeCHista-colored glasses). And Saulo committed the cardinal sin of being a staffer for Assemblyman Van Tran, a stain not even Saulo’s previous stint with Lynn Daucher, the previous object of Art’s political affections, could wipe away. Too bad anti-Van Tran prejudices obscure the ability to render a fair estimation of Saulo’s talent and experience. And here’s some fan mail for Art’s post and Claudio Gallegos hyperventilation-disguised-as-a post/All-Republicans-Look-Alike-To-Me rant from local lefty Andrew Davey. It should speak volumes when the attaboys for attacking Saulo are coming from the Left Wing.

Oh, joy! So now I REALLY KNOW what these GOP insiders think of not just me, but of bloggers in general. We are supposed to be their tools, their mouthpieces, their vehicles to spread their propaganda… Kinda like what Jubal/Matt Cunningham and his buddies do all the time at OC Blog. And when we’re not doing a good little job of spreading the Orange County Republican Party’s propaganda, we’re just worthless “punks with computers”. Never mind that most of us bloggers consider ourselves to be independently minded individuals who are not beholden to ANYONE. In fact, I thought that the real goal of political bloggers is to take on the establishment. I didn’t know that we were supposed to be PAID SPINNERS FOR IT.

I guess this just reveals the true dilemma with Republicans and blogging. The blogosphere is meant to be a force of nature, something that no one can control or should control. Bloggers have minds of their owns, and they shouldn’t be forced or bribed into promoting someone else’s agenda. However, Republicans don’t seem to understand that. They think they can control what we say and do in the blogosphere. And when they fail in trying to dominate us, they whine and scream about our petulant, “punkish” behavior. My goodness, no wonder why Art Pedroza left the Republican Party. I complain when Jubal/Matt tries to rough me up every so often, but what if I had to deal with this all the time, and from someone who’s supposed to be my comrade in arms? No wonder why Art could not take any more of their disgusting consultant-driven, insider-incestuous, corruption-fueled extreme right-wing noise machine.

To them, we’re just “punks with computers”… Who are threatening their entire power structure.