2025 Elections

California’s Proposition 50 – the Deception is Real. Pay Attention or it Will Pass. Gilliard and Lacy Get It, Not Sure Gallagher Approach Helps

2025 Elections 5 Responses »

Aug 302025

If only…

I got some emails today that set off alarm bells. In California, Governor Hairgel has put a deceptive ballot measure called Prop 50 on the November Ballot. He is calling it the anti-Election rigging measure, when it will do just that. It disbands the citizens redistricting commission and adopts maps drawn by political consultant Paul Mitchell whose wife is the head baby killer of Planner Parenthood in CA. (The Title is my editorialization)

The campaign and the title and summary is a literal 180 from what the measure actually is. Enter Dave Gilliard (a consultant himself) and Jim Lacy (also a consultant). Both are known conservatives and they did some of the best work I have seen on this measure.

Orange County, CA – – Today, the United States Justice Foundation released the results of two polls on the prospects of Proposition 50. The polls, conducted by Harper Polling, give one of the first independent looks at the special election slated for November 4th, 2025. Both polls were conducted in the last week. In addition to testing Prop 50 the survey tested whether a measure should be proposed to return directly to the independent redistricting commission after the 2026 election.

As some of you know, Lacy sells some of those “slate cards” that fill your inbox with junk mail come election time. Lacy, however will never take money from a tax measure. This distinguishes his “Taxifornia” and “Jarvis” slates from many other so-called Republican slates that will. So the man has street cred. Gillard has always been personally a right winger.

I decided to lift the stats off of the poll. They are staggering and need to be read and re-read.

• Six-in-ten voters support using an independent commission to draw the congressional district maps (61% support, 20% oppose) with 42% saying they strongly support the independent commission.
• A plurality of Republicans (43-32%) and three quarters of Democrats (74-11%) and more than half of Independent voters (58-26%) support the independent commission.
• 49% oppose authorizing the state legislature to draw the congressional district maps (40% support).
• When contextualized as an effort by Governor Newsom in response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas, Newsom’s proposal reaches 52% support.
• Testing the Proposition 50 language, we find support at 54% Yes and 29% No, while 17% areundecided.
• 15% of voters who oppose Newsom’s contextualized efforts mistakenly vote Yes on Proposition 50,highlighting voter confusion related to the ballot language.
• 48% of voters would support a ballot measure to return to the original congressional district map in 2028, when Trump is out of office. Only 29% oppose.
• When highlighting corruption concerns about powerful politicians drawing themselves custom congressional districts, the ballot narrows considerably to 45% Yes, 40% No.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger’s image is in a strong spot at 49% favorable, 27% unfavorable. His imageis positive across partisan and ideological lines.
• When pitting Schwarzenegger’s argument (41%), as the original proponent of the independent commission, against Newsom’s (47%), Democrats are nearly twice as likely to back Schwarzenegger (16%) as Republicans are to Newsom (9%), while Independents side with Schwarzenegger by a 6-point margin.

Sooo, California Republicans and Trump lose. Arnold has a chance of winning. Oh and turn the lie around or everyone will lose.

“The surveys are clear; voters want politics out of redistricting. What they don’t agree on is how that should be accomplished. Defeating Newsom’s plan will take a targeted and aggressive effort that exposes the corruption involved in the drawing of these maps. By a wide margin, voters in California would support returning to the independent commission’s districts in 2028, when Trump and Newsom will both be on their way out of office,” said veteran political consultant Dave Gilliard.

Jim Lacy, founder of the United States Justice Foundation, commented on the findings, stating, “The initial ballot shows a lead for Prop 50 because the Governor has shaped the election as a California Governor Gavin Newsom vs. President Donald Trump and that distinction gives the ballot an edge.

Then enter my buddy James Gallagher that should have read the above before the “Two State Solution” and the latest:

Gallagher Launches Campaign to Defeat Prop 50

Grassroots Coalition Says ‘No Rigged Maps’

YUBA CITY, CA – Today, Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Nicolaus) announced the launch of a new grassroots-based campaign to defeat Proposition 50 on the November 4th Special Election.

I get why James is doing this. I disagree with the approach. Let me lay it out simply. Despite the fact that Politico ran an article about how Bill Essayli and Richard Grennell screwed James out of becoming a Trump appointed US Atty in the North of CA, launching a formal Republican effort plays in to Newsom’s strategy of making the campaign of deception about Donald Trump. In my opinion, James should have thrown in with the main McCarthy backed effort to derail this.

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I respect James as a Conservative, he has been largely successful as a Republican Leader. He has overseen the capture of several dem leaning seats and he deserves credit for that. He also deserves credit for some amazing fundraising numbers (over 10 Million last election cycle all in). But this effort is complicated and has more downside than up. The email continues:

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“With politicians in control, district maps are drawn to protect their own power, not the people they represent. California voters took that power away from the politicians for a reason—and we can’t let them take it back,” said Gallagher.

Gallagher notes that if Newsom is successful in passing Proposition 50, California may retain only 4 Republican members of Congress after the 2026 election – representing a mere 7% of the Golden State’s congressional representation.

“In the last two statewide elections, roughly 40% of California voters supported a Republican at the top of the ticket. Newsom’s plan to strip our representation in California is corrupt. It’s anti-democratic. And it’s insulting,” Gallagher added. “We will absolutely stop him on November 4^th. The fate of our nation depends on it.”

The NoRiggedMaps.com website is the first publicly available resource for everyday Californians to view statistical descriptions of the rigged maps being promoted by Newsom. It features opportunities for community members to become educated and get involved in the effort to defeat Prop 50.

–

Talking about the redistricting commission is fantastic. That should be the main point for sure. a Conservative Republican is the wrong messenger IMO. It is California. Gallagher needs to find some squishes to carry the commission message and the following message which is also spot on: “Newsom’s plan to strip our representation in California is corrupt. It’s anti-democratic.“

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For as much as I find Arnold distasteful politically, I can’t think of a better rino moderate squish to carry that message. As a hard-core conservative, I chafe against the center-left reality of trying to win statewide in CA.

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There is one other issue I need to address. One of the co-chairs of the Gallagher effort is a candidate for Assembly with an open account. While the Gallagher effort is properly presented as a candidate-controlled account (meaning donations to it are limited just the same as to his own assembly account), my belief and reading of campaign finance rules is that it will also impair the ability of James’ buddy to raise money as well. James is an attorney by trade and I am confident he knows the law, but I had to throw this out there as I have no horse in that Assembly race.

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In conclusion: Jim Lacy, Dave Gilliard and James Gallagher all understand the issues clearly, Corruption and defending the Commission. James Gallagher in my opinion is not approaching delivering the message correctly in this specific case as it can’t be framed as a Conservative Republican issue in a statewide campaign. I believe Lacy and Gilliard are correct using a center-left approach. There is limited margin for error in this tilt, hence my concern and nexus for this post.

CAGOP Update: Fact Check Time, The Opposition to the Establishment Deserves the Truth (and better leaders too)

2025 Elections, 2026 Elections, California Republican Party 31 Responses »

Aug 162025

Blogger’s Note: There is a glossary of terms at the end of this post, so that those not 100% up to speed can get a refresher on the terms and players involved.

I have been silent on the drama surrounding the upcoming CAGOP convention / inner workings of the CAGOP for quite a while. I have been so on purpose, as my goal and my desire is to see more Republicans elected in CA and a healthy prosperous CRP. This is clearly not Steve Frank’s goal.

Mr. Frank has an email publication and blog that has been featuring carefully curated facts, is replete with grossly inaccurate information and deliberate omissions. In his most recent post, he crossed enough lines that I am taking time to respond.

As an ideological conservative, I am cringing at the behavior of Mr. Frank and his writings as they reflect more on the Conservative opposition to the CAGOP’s establishment than anyone else’s. I would love nothing more than to see a good solid ideologically conservative chair of the CAGOP someday, but it will never happen as long as Frank is in the mix. Lying and emotional manipulation are not conservative values.

Frank writes the following:

McCarthy, Patterson, Ross, Munger, Schwarzenegger to RUN anti Newsom Redistricting Effort: California Republican Party NOT Part of the Real Effort

(Note: Tom Ross who is taking a leading role in the anti-Newsom Redistricting effort, is a consultant. For several years he was a designee of the Chair for Team Cal on the CRP Board. At the first meeting, an hour after the organizational convention ended, she fired the Chair of Team Cal—which raises money for the CRP (even though the bylaws say the Chair of Team Cal—not the CRP Chair—appoints the Team Cal Chair. When he spoke up against this, CRP Chair dressed Ross down and dismissed him)

Is the way Chair Rankin treated Team Cal Chair Tom McKernan and Tom Ross the reason the California Republican does not have a say in the management of the fight against Newsom? Is it part of the reason the Assembly and Senate Caucuses ENDED their financial arrangement with the CRP? (On Monday I will expose the CRP finances. A hint: In six weeks, from July 1 to August 14, the CRP went from $3.8 million cash on hand, to $2.94 million cash on hand.)

Outright Lie #1 / Lie of Omission #1: Frank writes that Tom Ross was fired by the CAGOP’s Board in violation of the CAGOP’s By-Laws. Ross’ lawyer did get involved, but they backed off of filing an actual lawsuit after lawyer letters were slung back and forth because Ross’ crew realized their position would not win in court (Steve has parroted their position repeatedly). As long as the Team Cal money is spent in accordance with its’ individual charter, the CAGOP’s board gets to pick the leadership. Steve Frank knows about the legal drama and has refused to write about it, including Ross and co. standing down – thus adding a lie of omission to the outright lie about the by-laws of the CRP.

Lie #2, when Tom Del Baccardi was chair and getting advice from Steve Frank, they attempted to take over Team Cal and did not have the support of the CAGOP’s board at the time. So, Mr. Frank’s duplicity is on full display. He knows the truth yet wrote what he wrote above. Lying is not a conservative value. This was not the first time it was attempted, but the first time it succeeded because Corrin Rankin had her ducks in a row.

Note: every bad thing I ever head about Mr. Ross came from Mr. Frank. I don’t know him that well, just that he is a moderate and a paid consultant. Thusly, it is absurd that Steve is now treating Ross like a victim, it sounds like the democrats protesting attempts to stem the crime wave in Washington D.C. Anything Trump tries to do, the democrats oppose, including 70% support issues. Anything Corrin does, Frank opposes.

Stupid Statement #1: Frank asks if the firing of Ross was part of the decision for Kevin McCarthy to set up an independent federal effort to oppose Gavin Newsom’s gerrymandering constitutional amendment. Kevin McCarthy would not walk across the street without Trump, Inc. telling him it is ok. Remember, McCarthy got run out as speaker of the house, but within mere months, Matt Gaetz who orchestrated McCarthy’s ouster was himself out of office too. If you think Trump, Inc. had nothing to do with that you are a fool. If you think McCarthy + the RNC is going to raise $100 Million for this without Trump’s advice and consent, you are Steve Frank.

Also note, that Corrin Rankin has been to Mar-A-Lago and is a hard-core Trumper with contacts throughout that team. As I wrote yesterday, nothing is as it seems.

The headline of his blog is an almost true statement. Charles Munger is a donor, not an employee of the effort. Arnold will likely be a campaign mouthpiece and his recent attacks on Trump vis a vis the meeting with Putin appear to be timed to allow him to appeal to trump haters. Ross and Patterson have been paid consultants of McCarthy’s crew for years, so nothing changes there.

Anyone that works for Trump, Inc. / McCarthy will make a ton of money off of the effort – hat tip to them. They had better succeed. (P.S. I endorse any and all legitimate efforts to oppose Gavin’s ballot measure) I am not being paid by anyone related to things CRP or the ballot effort.

Then Frank writes that he is going to expose the CRP’s finances. Since Mr. Frank has demonstrated an inability to read and write with integrity – my guess is he will post a bunch of stuff with cherry picked facts and inaccuracies. However, one thing everyone can know for certain is that the information he got – from which he will cook up his latest BBQ of BS – is from the current CAGOP Treasurer Jack Guerrero.

It is my opinion that Jack Guerrero lacks the courage to do the deed himself (aka blowing open the finances of the CAGOP) and is using Frank as the delivery vehicle. I can only conclude that Guerrero is getting ready to run for another office (on the heels of helping Jerry Brown appointed Supervisor Chuck Washington get re-elected in Riverside County despite the district being R-Leaning). Guerrero has never raised more than $35K for a run, including when he ran for State Treasurer. Washington raised about a Million all in. What is it? Is race #7 Congress this time for Guerrero?

I have been told by several (I have no direct proof – see the difference in how I am presenting this?) that Guerrero was asked to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement by CRP Staff. My guess is they anticipated everything CRP ending up in Steve Frank’s email inbox via Jack. This sounds plausible. Given that Guerrero has not done the financial reports, is reputed to be non communicative with staff and has not signed a single check, it makes this bit of hearsay very believable. I have no doubt that Jack refused to sign the NDA and has also refused to do his job. He was expelled from the Cudahy City Council a few years for missing meetings, then he carpet-bagged to Riverside County to help the GOP lose a supervisor race there.

Here’s the deal – I’ve been told that several of the above players and Molly Parnell have been attempting to interfere with the CRP raising money. I have worked with Parnell on campaigns (but I don’t say I agree with her on party stuff), and she is a professional, period. If you can hire Parnell to raise money for you, do it. These assertions by Frank about Patterson / Parnell in past blogs are false, had I been able to substantiate them, I’d have lit them all up myself.

Further, Corrin Rankin has Ron Nehring and Kevin Faulconer on her team, both have influence and networks of their own. I’ve been told they are telling people they are going to raise gobs of money of their own for a CRP led effort as well. Thusly, I am dubious at this time on any assertions about the CAGOP’s finances until everything comes out in the wash.

I have seen a long history of everyone CAGOP Related in and outside of the party over-promise and under-deliver. I want to be wrong. I want them all to succeed.

Some have attempted to add the issues with the “One Ask” program and the “leg” to this situation. Those issues are separate from anything related to the Newsom attempted re-draw of the Congressional Map. If you want to know why McCarthy and crew are leading the opposition, someone needs to call Trump, Inc. and ask why there is a separate effort going on. There are a ton of people in that orbit within the opposition that can get the frank truth from that crew in DC.

You deserve the frank truth, not a BBQ of BS.

Meantime, one can only conclude that Jack Guerrero and Steve Frank want to take down the CAGOP at a critical time when 5 seats in Congress are on the line. They should work for Thomas Massie with this mentality. Conservative Leaders should stand up to both of them and tell them to put a sock in it for the good of us all.

CAGOP / CRP = California Republican Party, the official Republican Party in CA

Team Cal – a subset of the CAGOP created by a bequeath many years ago to elect Republicans

RNC – Republican National Committee

Trump, Inc. – a Generic Term used to refer to President Trump’s political operation

Corrin Rankin – the current Chair of the CAGOP

Steve Frank – a 50 year Veteran of CAGOP politics that is in his late 70’s with a reputation for inaccurate statements and difficulties with the truth. Known as a conservative leader.

Tom Del Baccardi (Becarro) – former CAGOP Chairman whose tenure was marked by chaos and ended with the party bankrupt and in debt. Monicre is a reference to his well-known foibles at conventions.

Ron Nehring – another former CAGOP Chairman whose tenure remains controversial to this day and opinions vary about its’ effectiveness. Part of Rankin’s inner circle. Nehring runs the Leadership Institute with David Stafford Reade.

David Stafford Reade – political consultant / operative, long term affiliation with CRP, known for his effectiveness at organizational drills and electing legislators.

Kevin Faulconer – former Mayor of San Diego, moderate GOP leader, fundraiser and part of Rankin’s Inner Circle

“Legislative Leadership” aka “The Leg” – refers to the Republican leaders of the California State Senate / California Assembly and their staff as a unit. Each legislative caucus has their own staff, operation and accounts.

Jack Guerrero – the Current Treasurer of the CAGOP

Kevin McCarthy – former Speaker of the House, Moderate Leader, Fundraiser, Lobbyist and power broker on the national stage

Jessica Patterson – former CAGOP Chair and acolyte of McCarthy

Molly Parnell – professional fundraiser, long time contractor for the CRP.

Tom Ross – political consultant, long time affiliated with the CRP through Team Cal. Moderate Leader.

“One Ask” refers to a now defunct fundraising program where members of the State Senate, Assembly and CRP would all raise money and then split it according to the agreement. Meaning “One Ask” raised money for all three groups simultaneously.

CAGOP Update: Leaders Lead and California Democrats Are Getting Hammered by the CAGOP (Finally)

2025 Elections, 2026 Elections, California Republican Party 30 Responses »

May 112025

Leaders Lead. You’ve read this axiom a bazillion times in my political lifetime in critiques of the CAGOP Leadership.

It appears that Politico and Newsweek may well have been attempting to sound the alarm to their fellow democrats with articles they wrote in March. Perhaps they recognized the sea change in the CAGOP. Even flaming communists recognize leadership – even as they quote clinical trump haters like Mike Madrid and continue to miss the fact that 2025 Trump is not 2017 Trump.

Enter the Corrin Rankin administration.

The California Democrats blocked a provision in a bill introduced by one of their own assemblymembers that would have made soliciting 16 and 17 years olds for sex a felony. This went national and was a monster embarrassment for the dems.

Why did this go national? The CAGOP went straight for their throat. The democrats went berserk on the floor of the legislature as well making some of the most insane arguments I have seen in favor of leaving solicitation of 16 and 17 years olds a misdemeanor.

you gotta wonder if Mike Madrid was in mourning over this

Yep the CAGOP made news by torching the democrats like Mark Gonzalez (who I believe has major personal issues) that led the charge to water down the sex trafficking bill. Gonzalez made headlines with his insanity.

Wanna buy a Teenager? Ok with me.

It got so bad that the stuff went national. You can see Gay Republican Guy Benson torching Mark Gonzalez for equating buying teenagers for sex with Gay Rights.

The CAGOP’s rapid response on this issue caused headlines everywhere. I do not recall seeing anything like this in 20+ years of doing CAGOP politics. It was so bad that the democrats ran ads accusing the Republicans of doing what they did!

This is what happens when Leaders Lead.

And of course the Sacramento Bee lied multiple times trying to cover for the democrats, but CAGOP Vice Chair John Park tore in to them along with others:

I doubt the Bee makes a correction because they have become and out and proud Pravda-style rag. (Versus some thin veneer of journalism in the past)

And then, the Coup. The democrats realizing that fake ads, the Sacramento Bee and others could not save them, capitulated:

Absent the CAGOP getting ads up and spending real money (make a note, the CAGOP has money and is raising plenty more), none of this happens.

Leaders Lead.

Now, if I was the CRA / others in the opposition, rather than sitting in silence creating the impression that you are upset over the success… I’d suggest the next time the Rankin Administration kicks some ass (pun intended), try a response like this:

The CRA applauds the effort by the CAGOP to embarrass the extreme left on the issue of prostitution

Today, the humiliated democrats had to undo one of many insane votes they took in the legislature, agreeing after all to make buying 16 and 17 year olds for sex a felony. We applaud the CAGOP for their leadership in spending money and earning a million impressions highlighting this issue. When we opposed the current leadership of the CAGOP at the March 2025 convention it was because for years we were told “We’d take the fight to the democrats” only to see them take the fight to conservatives.

It appears that we are seeing something different now than we have for the last generation of CAGOP leadership. We are cautiously optimistic about the future direction of the CAGOP and look forward to more leadership like this from the Rankin Administration.

Instead, the opposition missed an opportunity to show mature leadership. Leaders Lead.

Did you know that the CAGOP Voted to Audit All of Their Accounts? Guess Who Voted No?

2025 Elections, California Republican Party 49 Responses »

Mar 272025

Remember Jack Guerrero’s acceptance speech when he won election to Treasurer of the CAGOP? Top-down audit? Doge CAGOP?

Well, he had a chance to. At the most recent CAGOP Board Meeting – Jack Guerrero objected to unanimous consent when it was moved and seconded to audit the CAGOP. I guess Jack has been comparing notes and listening to Steve Frank. It is quite the bear trap when you have to oppose your own publicly stated positions in order to be different.

Every. Last. Board. Member. Voted. Yes. Except Jack. Whoops. (The yes vote includes Robert Rego who Guerrero defeated for Treasurer just last week)

2025 California Republican Party Convention Recap: Meet Some of Team Rankin and Some Unsolicited Advice for the Opposition

2025 Elections, California Republican Party 14 Responses »

Mar 262025

I still love you guys, but you keep blowing it

Maybe I am wasting my time writing this blog. Some would tell me that the following passage of scripture applies:

“… nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Matthew 7:6 NKJV Bible

The concept is can your audience handle and act on the message? Or will they shoot the messenger? I have a lot of people in the opposition I consider friends. I am also of the belief that there are a few people within the ranks of the opposition that are unhealthy leaders at best, and at worst would have some sort of diagnosis.

The opposition will never win or achieve their goals of “taking back the CAGOP” when they are listening to morally corrupt people.

I chose the photo of me with the FBI hat on to commemorate that the FBI showed up at my front door after the CAGOP’s staff freaked out over me blowing my stack on them. I was working for Steve Frank’s ill-fated Chair Campaign in 2021. I have zero regrets about standing up for my principles, but that race and seeing the players involved started a process.

I was told by mutual acquaintances that just weeks after losing his bid for CAGOP Chair, Steve Frank characterized my working for him as a “Marriage of Convenience” and that he still hated me. This is the kind of behavior I used to trash David Stafford Reade and others for. Steve is a leader in the opposition, yet morally, is equivalent to any of the ‘bad guys” I used to trash. I damn near got hauled to prison by a couple of FBI agents while trying to elect the guy chair…

When you add the fact that Steve Frank’s column is full of outright lies, manipulated facts and opinions that should be in the DSM manual – he has decimated his legacy as a leader. Frank is 78 years old and should have retired several years ago. As he gets older and angrier, his destructive impact on the opposition increases… similar to a star going supernova when it dies.

I have learned a life lesson, I will retire from the political scene before I wreck my legacy. I will carry the memory of watching Steve spiral as he has aged with me the rest of my life… and I am not alone.

Secondly, forgive people. (more on that further down the post)

From an email sent to me by an opposition member:

I told Mike and will be telling Jack to drop kick Steve Frank and warned them about Sky Jones. She is a grifter and scammer.

Sky Jones is someone featured in one of my past posts.

And the next two came to me via text:

“…The vitriol and rabid behavior exhibited by the Morrell gang was ridiculous. The lies, the in your face coercion tactics were beyond shocking…”

“… it’s becoming clear that our MAGA base is being infiltrated by real conspiracy theorists…”

There were several that recognized that Steve Frank needs to go and the opposition would do well to marginalize Mr. Frank and make him go away.

A second toxic opposition leader is Tom Hudson. I have written about this guy a lot. When he gets up to speak at convention, it is a signal to the gathered convention to vote opposite of anything he said. His legal “advice” helped drive several county parties in to ineffective chaos. The democrats should put the guy on retainer. The older he gets, the worse his already clinical level of rage gets. He overcompensates for everything he lacks as a man with Anger. It is a sad waste of talent. As long as he has influence on the opposition, the opposition will be ineffective and morally corrupt.

We had a laboratory for when Steve Frank and Tom Hudson ran the CAGOP – Tom Del Bacardi. The Party was $2MM in the hole when Del Becarro was ousted as Chair after one miserable failure of a term. (It also included a lot of lost seats everywhere in California as well)

I have known Hudson and Frank for over 25 years and have ample personal experience and evidence with both of them. They both need to go and smart, disciplined people would do well to separate them from anything that matters, period.

Even now, Steve Frank is writing about how Tom Ross is a victim of Corrin Rankin. Almost every negative thing I ever learned about Tom Ross came from Steve. Ross is the consummate “Swamp” player if there ever was one. Steve Frank’s lack of moral compass shows clear as he is going to oppose everything the CRA ever wanted if it is Corrin Rankin doing it and he is defending team McCarthy swamp creatures as well.

The opposition has no clue who Corrin Rankin is, Steve Frank and Tom Hudson want it that way.

Rankin is going to clean up the CRP. Many things that I heard old now deceased CRA dinosaurs talk about 25 years ago are coming out of Corrin. She wants the party to follow its’ bylaws. She wants to increase participation and transparency. It sounds like Bill Back’s presentation to CRA in 2002! (Back lost to Duf Sundheim)

So do Frank and Hudson want a healthy CAGOP? Nope, they want control and are leading the opposition into the abyss in the process.

Corrin’s first batch of appointments tell the story:

Scott Winn manages her political operation. Scott and I have a lot of negative history – but nothing speaks to who Winn is better than the fact that he was willing to talk with me and work with me on her behalf despite our history. Several people tried to being David Reade and I together and Reade refused every time. Jessica Patterson and Andy Garakhani were the same way – cross them once and you were done forever.

Scott and I were able to connect, bury the hatchet and move foreword. He is an outspoken Evangelical Christian and lives like it. I don’t agree with him on everything, but he will serve us all well. More importantly, he can tolerate disagreement and work with people.

Ron Nehring, again Nehring and I have had some negative history as well in recent years. That said, Ron is capable, connected and accomplished. In my formative years in politics, I attended a Leadership Institute seminar he facilitated. The information altered the course of my career in politics and I still apply it to this day. Nehring has connections across the world, developed in the 20 years since he served as CAGOP Chair. I believe Nehring will succeed and add value to the CAGOP. And thank you Ron Nehring for that Leadership Institute seminar I attended in 1999!

Kevin Faulconer. Didn’t like him as a Governor candidate. Love him as a fundraiser and connection person. The role Corrin has placed him in is ideal for the GOP. I only know Kevin politically, I do not know him as well as I do Nehring and Winn. I hope Faulconer Succeeds.

Matt Shupe. He is a talented PR Guy and will be better than anything the CAGOP has ever had in that regard. Shupe is best known for his work on behalf of Harmeet Dhillon – soon to be confirmed as the #2 in the DOJ.

Kevin Lincoln. Don’t know much about him other than his service as Mayor of Stockton and his recent near-miss for Congress. He seems to be an up and comer in the GOP scene.

The message is simple. Corrin Rankin’s GOP is not the CRA GOP. It is not the McCarthy GOP. If you decide to participate and be a part of it, there is room for you. That alone is a dramatic change from the last 25 years I have been around CAGOP politics.

You don’t have to compromise your principles, you just have to be willing to work with people… You have a choice: the same losing with Steve Frank and Tom Hudson – or trying something new?

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