OC Blog

Obama & The National Anthem

Yesterday I received an e-mail with this picture from a recent Democratic event in Iowa.

OK, I thought. This snapshot could very well be taken completely out of context. For all I know, Obama could have placed his hand over his heart the second after this photo was taken.

CNN/YouTube Debate Debacle

I'm making an exception to custom by posting a few national news-related items today. The following about the CNN/YouTube Republican debate are from today's Political Diary (OpinionJournal.com's daily political news digest. It is an awesome service and costs only $3.95 a month).

PD points out how NPR's Mara Liasson viewed the debate:

"I think CNN does itself a great disservice when it doesn't apply the exact same kind of criteria to both debates. I covered both of them. In the Democratic debate, I don't think there were any questions that were clearly coming from, you know, a Republican point of view. They were generally sympathetic. They were about global warming and health care and education, all kind of Democratic issues. They weren't challenging them. There was one kind anti-tax question, I think, but they weren't challenging the basic principles of the Democratic Party. There were lots of questions last night [at the GOP debate] that were. I think the question about the Bible was mocking. I think one of the abortion questions was clearly not from someone who was pro-life"

And as John Fund reports, it turns out a large percentage of CNN's "undecided voters" posing video questions were actually partisan activists:

Fred Thompson Rally This Saturday

O come all ye Thompson faithful to the Laguna Woods Village Clubhouse 3 this Saturday for a rally for the presidential candidate.

All the information you need is contained in this flyer, which you will need to show at the gate so you can see Fred.

The closer we get to Iowa and New Hampshire, the fewer opportunities we will see these guys in OC, so now is a good time to catch Fred and any others who come around the Orange Curtain.

Re-Scheduled Fred Thompson OC Trip Set for December 1

Presidential candidate Fred Thompson will be coming to Orange County on December 1 for a fund-raising luncheon at the home of Julian and Aleen Mosvesian. This is one of the fund-raisers that were canceled during the wildfires.

Click here to view the flier with details.

Romney Nabs A Few More OC Endorsements

Mitt Romney grabbed a few local endorsements recently to add to his existing pile o' endorsements, per a Romney campaign press release that came over the transom:

    * Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell
    * Fullerton Mayor Shawn Nelson
    * Former State Senator and Former California Secretary of Education Marian Bergeson
    * Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry

Busta Rudy Move

Martin Wisckol already posted about this yesterday, but the makers of the "Giulani Girl" video have been electronically tugging at my elbow to post it, as well. And so I relent:

Fred Thompson Cancels SoCal Campaign Swing In Light Of Fires

This just came over the transom from the OC Business Council:

In light of the wildfires throughout the region and significant disaster relief efforts, Senator Fred Thompson regretfully has cancelled his scheduled trip to Southern California next week. As such, OCBC will be unable to host the presidential candidate at the event announced earlier this week.

Senator Thompson has sent his deep apologies for the cancellation and OCBC apologies for any inconvenience. All pre-paid registered attendees will receive a full refund as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your interest in meeting Senator Thompson, and OCBC will make every effort to bring national leaders to Orange County to discuss business priorities in the busy year ahead.

It's Official: Wilson Endorses Rudy

Scott Graves heard from an inside source in the Giuliani campaign that former Governor Pete Wilson will endorse Rudy Giuliani for President.

According to Scott Martelle of the LA Times, this endorsement has become official. Now Claremont Professor Jack Pitney predicts that this endorsement might be more of a problem in general elections as it could alienate Rudy by association with hispanic voters because of Wilson's championing of Prop 187. However, in the primaries, this is just the type of endorsement Rudy needs as he is pulling away with the nomination. He has just closed in on Romney in New Hampshire and is ahead in Florida and South Carolina.

If Rudy doesn't maintain his more moderate approach on immigration, he better hope that California changes its electoral rules from winner-take-all,  or as Brian pointed out in an earlier comment, he will be vulnerable to the stinging array of Spanish attack ads.

My Interview with Governor Huckabee

Today I sat down with former Arkansas Governor and colorful presidential candidate Mike Huckabee for an interview about his underdog candidacy. He was very candid about his time as governor and talked at length about Petreaus, taxes, and then environment. His calm and ability to articulate issues could go a long way on the campaign trail. Look for him to rise. Click the video below to see what I mean.

Irvine: Is Agran Country Also Ron Paul Country?

A friend forwarded me this e-mail that went out today from the Ron Paul for President campaign:

Phew!  With just over two days left in the Meetup fundraising competition, we've seen nothing but flip-flopping at the top of the leaderboard.

The New Hampshire Meetup led over the weekend, but Manhattan quickly shot by with a monstrous Monday.  And just when we thought they were running away with the grand prize, Irvine, CA surprised everyone, catapulting into a slim lead.  So don't get discouraged, because each Meetup group in the top ten is still within just three maximum donations of $2300...

Check here for the latest standings:  http://www.ronpaul2008.com/meetup/standings.