AD71 Watch: Can Blais Get Traction In Riverside County?

Red County/Riverside blogpen member Phil Paule posted about the AD71 GOP primary this week, specifically about candidate Neil Blais, a Rancho Santa Margarita councilman and generally considered one of the front-runners in the race:

At the Riverside County Republican Party meeting this Thursday (tonight) Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor is the guest speaker. In the spirit of being green this would be a great opportunity for some of the Orange County candidates for the 71st Assembly District like Neil Blais to car pool out to the Mission Inn  and meet real Riverside Republicans.

It must be frustrating to the OC candidates for the 71st to see Corona Councilman Jeff Miller ( Paule Consulting Client) every time they turn around at a GOP gathering behind the Orange Curtain.  What really must have Blais and others reaching for the Tums is to see OC political heavyweights like Rep. Ed Royce support Jeff Miller over the all the Orange County Candidates.  My advice to Neil and the gang- plug in your GPS to the electrical outlet in your car and enter in ""Mission Inn," we Republicans meet there once a month, but save some of those Tums, you will need them when the June 30th fundraising reports come out.

Phil also had this to say about Blais and the Davis-Sanchez-Surfrider anti-241 axis:

Last week Corona Congressman Ken Calvert and San Diego Congressman Darrell Issa (I work for him) put up a hard fought fight to try and stop the envio crazed Democrats from stopping completion on the 214 toll road in south Orange County.

What does this have to do with Riverside you ask? Well 71st Assembly candidate Neil Blais who sits on the TCA (the toll road board) did not raise a peep as the Democrats shut down his road.   This speaks volumes about Blais.

You can read the rest of this post here.

Comments

[Karl Rove]

Phil Paule (who's wife fundraises for Jeff Miller) once again has his facts incorrect.

Blais is NOT RSM's representative on the Foothill-Eastern TCA Board. Jim Thor is. Blais is an alternate on the currently dormant TCS board, the joint agency formed several years ago studying the then proposed merger of the two toll roads. Maybe a small detail, but none-the-less, a factual error that shows that Phil Paule has no credibility when he can't get the facts correct.

As far as silence on the 241 issue, not so. I talked to his campaign this morning and Blais has done four things so far-

He has submitted an editorial to the OC Register on the subject (which has not been published).

He has co-signed, along with a host of South OC city officials a letter to Senators Feinstein and Boxer protesting this action, and requesting it be removed from the bill when it gets to them (assuming it remains when it leaves the house)

He has personaaly contacted Congressman Gary Miller to ensure his efforts are focused on the House floor on removing this amendment when the final bill is voted next week.

And, last night, at a city council budget meeting, he requested, and obtained an emergency action to pass a city resolution condemming the actions taken by Davis and Sanchez. This resolution will be sent to every congressman/woman in Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties.

Short of getting on an airplane and knocking on the door of every congressman in Washington, what else is there to do?

And what has Jeff Miller done- ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I don't think Miller even knows where Foothill-South is, because he has never shown any interest in it. Where is the City of Corona's resolution of protest?

Phil, if your candidate really is that desperate for you to post this garbage, then maybe he should just get out of the race while he still can before he gets further embarrassed by your stupid diatribes.

[Allan Bartlett]

Hey Phil, are you talking about the same Ken Calvert that:

1. likes to solicit oral sex from heroin addicted prostitutes?

2. makes questionable land deals that are under scrutiny by the feds?

3. had records seized by the FBI?

4. is the poster boy for needed earmark/pork/appropriation reform?

Powder Blue Report

[71 opinion]

Blais is not even the leading candidate from OC at the moment. That title belongs to JP, who he has latched on to the immigration issue very effectively. Right now, Blais is fighting it out to see who comes in third and fourth.

[71 Opinion]

Blais is not even the leading candidate from OC at the moment. That title belongs to JP, who has latched onto the immigration issue very effectively. Right now, Blais is fighting it out to see who comes in third and fourth.

[Karl Rove]

JP who?

Isn't he still trying to raise money to pay off his %50,000 city council campaign debt? It seems to me that if he were credible at all, we would hear more from his campaign.

Maybe he hasn't paid his vaunted campaign consultant?

[Interesting]

Right now, Miller has most of the leg endorsements, including former clients of Blais consulting company. Ledesma most likely will get McClintock because of his consultant who works for McClintock. Coranado Communications has Choi, who also has the endorsements of former clients of Blais consultant. Where are all of the rest of the caucus members going? Silva, Spitzer, Walters, Devore?

[question]

Who is JP consultant...I heard nobody would touch him..no money and no chance

[Joe G is the man]

Joe G is his consultant.

[Phil Paule]

Hey Karl Rove

Speaking of getting your facts right, do you happen to know how many fire stations the proposed City of Wildomar must have.

I look forward to your answer Gary.

PS Councilman- I put my real name on my posts, maybe you should do the same, or are you afraid to defend your buddy Neil's record under your own name.

[Karl Rove]

Desparation time Phil? You seem pretty upset about having anyone respond to the propaganda you are putting out.

And the fact that you avoided addressing my response to your ridiculous statement about Blais just tells me that you stepped in it again. Is this the best you and Gilliard can come up with?

As far as your assumption concerning who I am, I am not him. But I do know him well. In fact that is where I got the information from in my response to your ridiculous post.

So if you want to accuse me of being someone I am not, feel free. I don't mind.

[Phil Paule]

Karl-
I am way too busy to banter back and forth with you right now. I am having to save the Wildomar Incorporation effort. Apparently there was a major hick-up with the consultant.

[intransigent2]

Miller is doing everything right. He will have Riverside County locked up, and is making great inroads in the OC.

Both the activists and the money people really like this guy, and he actually runs a successfull business.

He has done a great job in building the RCGOP from a dead stop to very nice growth.

Also, was very effective as pro business Major of Corona.

What is not to like?

[name doesn't matter]

Why would someone resort to personal attacks? Maybe to divert attention from the truth, since they don't have any facts to support their position.

The fact is that Neil Blais is a frontrunner because everyone knows he can get the job done.

[Phil Paule]

Word has reached me that 71st Assembly Candidate Neil Blais and a few of his fellow councilmember’s in Rancho Santa Margarita are upset by my Blog posts. Well welcome to the big leagues Neil. If you want to run for Assembly-this is what a real campaign is like. I have been through years of them and it takes a thick skin and a set on you be in the political arena. If you can’t handle Phil Paule on a BLOG how in the hell are you going to stand up to the Democrats in the Legislature. I have news for you Neil, they don’t play nice either, just ask Spitzer. The difference is Spitzer fights back.

The problem with Blais is that he serves on a 5-0 council where they backslap each other 24/7/365. I doubt Blais has any concept of fighting for his principles because he has never had to do it. We need more fighters and less glad handers in Sacto.