• CA-26,  Julia Brownley,  Linda Parks,  Tony Strickland

    CA-26: Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks Re-Registers as Decline to State from Republican

    Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks and Congressional candidate

    Today, Linda Parks re-registered her voting affiliation from Republican to Declined to State.

    Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, who is running for Congress in California’s 26th District, was expected at noon Wednesday to re-register at the county’s elections division and “decline to state” a party affiliation, which in Californa is the same as being independent.

    Parks said in a written statement that she identifies more with the center of American life than with the far left or right and that she’s taking this step to give her more flexibility in bringing partisan interests together.

    “I believe Republicans and Democrats need to work together and, if elected, I will work with fellow Congressional members regardless of party,” she said. ““Congress is broken and we need to end the partisan extremism to effectively govern, fix the economy and create jobs.”

    Parks has also pledged to not accept money from PACs, unions, parties or major corporations.

    I just saw a tweet, broadcasting that she is now “independent.” Well, actually, she is partially correct.

    Parks has declined to state a political party preference and can use that to list herself on the congressional ballot as “no party preference.” Otherwise, she would have to be designated as a Republican.

    So, here are the candidates in the race (filing ends on March 9):

    • Republican California State Senator Tony Strickland
    • No Party Preference Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks
    • Democrat Moorpark Councilman David Pollock
    • Democrat Oxnard Harbor Commissioner Jess Herrera
    • Democrat Westlake Village businessman David Cruz Thayne
    • Libertarian/Republican Akiva Werbalowsky
    • Democrat Assemblywoman Julia Brownley

    Will Park’s registration move, make any difference in this race?

    Probably not, since the Democratic Party who has backed Parks in non-partisan races for Thousand Oaks City Council and Ventura County Supervisors will have their own “establishment” candidate in Julia Brownley. Also, with Parks declaration that she will not accept PAC or political party campaign cash, she will be hampered as to the amount of advertising that will be purchased by both Brownley and Strickland.

    Linda Parks will try to portray herself as an “independent” to try to win a “top two” spot in the June primary election. But, she will be up against two “oiled” political machines.

    Who will attack Parks first?

    The Democrats or the Republicans?

    Stay tuned…..

  • Buck McKeon,  CA-25

    CA-25: Republican Catherine Wright to Challenge Rep. Buck McKeon

    Assembly Candidate Patricia McKeon and husband, California Rep. Buck McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee

    Yes, it is Catherine Wright from Simi Valley. Remember the name, sort of? Catherine Wright is the daughter of former Simi Valley Mayor and California State Assemblywoman/Senator Cathy Wright and she is going to run against incumbent Congressman Buck McKeon.

    The daughter of a former state Republican assemblywoman and state senator is the latest challenger in the 25th Congressional District race.

    Catherine Wright, 47, a registered Republican whose mother by the same name represented the Santa Clarita Valley during the ’80s when President Reagan was in the White House, has filed for the June primary and, potentially, the November runoff.

    “The lobbyists and special-­interest groups are controlling our country in a lot of ways,” Wright told The Signal on the phone from her Simi Valley home Tuesday.

    “I learned a lot from my mother,” she said. “One of the things I learned is that you have to be one of the people.

    “I used to ask my mother, ‘Mom, why do you have our phone number listed?’ And she would say, ‘I want my constituents to always be able to pick up the phone and call me,’” she said.

    Wright will be challenging incumbent Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Democrat Lee Rogers, a San Fernando Valley doctor, in the election.

    A divorced single mother who lives in Simi Valley with her daughter and mother, Wright said she has issues with McKeon.

    “This whole Countrywide thing, if true, then you’ve got a serious problem there,” she said.

    Last month, it was revealed that Congressmen McKeon and Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, each received mortgage loans from the now-defunct Countrywide mortgage company under a VIP loan program.

    What is interesting is that Wright could actually win enough votes in the June primary election to face off directly against Rep. Buck McKeon again in November.

    Why?

    Because of the top two vote system here in California.

    CA-25 is a very Republican Congressional District and the announced Democratic candidate is essentially an unknown.

    Here is a run down on the Congressional district demographics.

    I don’t know if Catherine Wright will have much campaign cash or Republican establishment support, but she surely will be a pain in the ass for McKeon.

    And, she will have her mother’s support, which you recall she had when Catherine had a few traffic tickets – way back when in the 1990’s.

  • Consumer Healthcare Products Association,  Methamphetamine

    Kentucky to Settle for Compromise Methamphetamine Legislation?

    Methamorphosis as a result of chronic Methamphetamine abuse

    Looks like methamphetaime making precurors pseudoephedrine and ephedrine’s best friend, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) is working its lobbying magic again.

    A compromise bill aimed at curbing methamphetamine production in Kentucky would place further restrictions on the sales of over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine.

    Last week, Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, withdrew a bill that had made it to the Senate floor. That bill would have required a prescription for all medicines containing pseudoephedrine, except those in liquid or gelcap form.

    The new bill would only require a prescription for the medicines after a patient has purchased 3.6 grams per month and a maximum of 15 grams annually. Gelcaps and liquids would still be excluded.

    The bill would also prohibit anyone convicted of a meth-related offense from buying the drugs without a prescription for five years.

    Stivers said the new bill, Senate Bill 3, gives people who use the medications “adequate opportunity without incurring medical expenses or the cost of a prescription to access these on a monthly basis and an annual basis.”

    Currently, purchases are limited to 9 grams per month and 120 grams annually.

    Legislation aimed at requiring a prescription has been opposed by several senators and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, an industry group that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising and lobbying against the bills presented by Stivers.

    Yet, Kentucky had 1,200 Meth Labs discovered in 2011, which is an increased number from the previous year.

    This is all about money folks and just for a few drug manufacturers. I detailed the story earlier here.

    Kentucky like other states should simply require a prescription for pseudoephedrine and be done with the hometown or local Meth Lab. Then, law enforcement can concentrate on the importation of methamphetamine from Mexico.

    These compromise bills, including electronic tracking systems are just BS and not as effective.

    Who are the drug companies trying to fool?

  • Gasoline Prices,  Steven Chu

    Video: Obama Secretary of Energy Steven Chu: Energy Dept Working To Wean U.S. Off Oil, Not Lower Gas Prices

    Watch all of the embedded video above but note that Obama’s Secretary of Energy Steven Chu is pretty good at making excuses and really is unconcerned about rising gasoline prices for the American consumer. He has a larger agenda – get Americans weaned from imported oil. Oh really?

    How about Solyndra?

    Wonder how this will play on the Obama Campaign stump?

  • Pinboard Links,  The Morning Flap

    The Morning Flap: February 29, 2012

    A Barred Owl is shown near Mount Vernon, Va. To save the endangered spotted owl, the Obama administration is moving forward with a plan to shoot barred owls, a rival bird that has shoved its smaller cousin aside. The plan is the latest government attempt to protect the northern spotted owl, the meek, one-pound bird that sparked an epic battle over logging in the Pacific Northwest two decades ago.

    These are my links for February 28th through February 29th:

    • Rules Chairman Dreier announces retirement after 16 House terms – House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) on Wednesday morning announced from the House floor that he would not seek reelection this year.

      “We all know that this institution has an abysmally low approval rating, and the American people are asking for change in Congress, and so I’m announcing today that I will leave the Congress at the end of this year,” the 16-term member joked.

    • Students, police clash in Spanish city Barcelona – Spanish students angry over austerity measures have clashed with police in Barcelona and set fire to garbage containers.

      Police said officers in riot gear charged against a crowd of students outside the stock market in Spain’s second largest city in the country’s northeast and made an unspecified number of arrests. They had broken away from a larger rally of thousands of striking students.

      The fire set to the containers spread to a car and protesters smashed a bank window.

      Some later made their way toward the University of Barcelona and took refuge in a plaza inside the campus.

    • Obama administration plan would kill rival bird to save spotted owl – To save the imperiled spotted owl, the Obama administration is moving forward with a controversial plan to shoot barred owls, a rival bird that has shoved its smaller cousin aside.

      The plan is the latest federal attempt to protect the northern spotted owl, the passive, one-pound bird that sparked an epic battle over logging in the Pacific Northwest two decades ago.

    • Catholic school fires gay teacher planning wedding – The Rev. Bill Kempf, St. Ann’s pastor, said in an emailed statement that the parish was “recently informed by one of its teachers of his plan to unite in marriage with an individual of the same sex. With full respect of this individual’s basic human dignity, this same-sex union opposes Roman Catholic teaching as it cannot realize the full potential a marital relationship is meant to express. As a violation of the Christian Witness Statement that all Catholic educators in the Archdiocese of St. Louis are obliged to uphold, we relieved this teacher of his duties.”

      The Christian Witness Statement, which educators sign when applying for Archdiocese work, says all who serve in Catholic education should, among other requirements, “not take a public position contrary to the Catholic Church” and “demonstrate a public life consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

      The Roman Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals who remain “chaste,” but it takes a strong stance against same-sex marriage and homosexual acts.

      Robin said his partner did, indeed, sign a witness statement. “We just didn’t realize we were making a ‘public’ stand,” Robin said. “There’s nothing that’s been hidden about our relationship at any point. I go to the staff parties. I show up at the school concerts. … It doesn’t matter until somebody with the Archdiocese is sitting in the room.”

    • Romney Camp Will Haunt Santorum With Robocall Story – Mitt Romney’s campaign will spend the next two weeks reminding Republicans around the country of Rick Santorum’s last-minute attempt to convince Democrats to vote for him her ein Michigan, a Romney aide said Tuesday night.
      “It’s a major issue. [Santorum is] trying to pass himself off as the true conservative in the race, but he’s supporting the liberal Democrat line against Governor Romney,” said Ryan Williams, a spokesman for the Romney campaign.
      He added of Santorum’s efforts to find Democratic help in the state’s open primary: “This isn’t going anywhere.”
      A campaign aide said Romney may even work Santorum’s courting of Democrats into Romney’s stump speech going forward.
    • Worried Dems pressing Obama on gas prices – Congressional Democrats are ramping up pressure on President Obama to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to prevent rising gas prices from threatening the economy and their election-year prospects.

      They are growing anxious that the price of fuel could reverse their political fortunes, which had been improving due to signs of growth in the economy.

      Republicans have hammered Democrats on the price spike, repeatedly noting that gas prices — now at $3.72 per gallon for regular — have doubled since Obama won the White House. 

    • AD-38 Video: Patricia McKeon Tells the Tea Party Why She is Running for the California Assembly » Flap’s California Blog – RE: Dude, Patricia McKeon is an embarrassment to the Republican Brand.

      No, wonder GOP registration has fallen to 30…

    • Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-29 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-29
    • Day By Day February 29, 2012 – Par for the Course | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day February 29, 2012 – Par for the Course
    • Romney’s sigh of relief – Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball – Phew!

      The sound you hear is the loud sigh of relief from the Romney campaign. A great deal was on the line in the oddest of places — the state of his birth, the state where his dad served as governor, the state he won against John McCain four years ago. A few months ago, no one could have imagined Mitt Romney being hard-pressed in Michigan, and yet it happened.

      Rick Santorum may have lost by a few points, but he scored a moral victory by making Romney work for the Wolverine State. This was a real contest that Santorum might have won had Romney not put the pedal to the metal. After all, based on pre-primary surveys and exit polling, Santorum won the actual Election Day vote, suggesting both that Romney’s superior organization delivered for him again in absentee balloting but also that among the party faithful who simply showed up on Election Day, Romney continues to have considerable problems.

    • 53% of Self-Identified Democrats Voted for Santorum – CBS News’ Exit Poll finds that 9 percent of respondents identified themselves as Democrats. Among that group, 3 percent voted for New Gingrich, 17 percent each for Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, and 53 percent for Rick Santorum.
    • How Can Twitter Possibly Help Small Businesses? | Networking Exchange Blog – How Can Twitter Possibly Help Small Businesses? | Networking Exchange Blog
    • Analysis: Super Tuesday won’t help clear up GOP race – Analysis: Super Tuesday won’t help clear up GOP race
    • Romney regains footing, shifts focus to Obama – Romney regains footing, shifts focus to Obama
    • Memo to Republicans: Ignore Ron Paul at your peril – Memo to Republicans: Ignore Ron Paul at your peril
    • Today in Research: Universal Flu Vaccines Might Actually Work – The Atlantic Wire – Health – The Atlantic – RT @TheAtlanticHLTH Minty nicotine mouth sprays may help smokers quit:
    • Christie As VP Doesn’t Help Romney – Quinnipiac University Poll – Romney will need to balance his ticket with either Marco Rubio, Susan Martinez, Gary Sandoval or Rand Paul
    • @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-29 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-29
    • Can You Balance California’s Budget? » Flap’s California Blog – Can You Balance California’s Budget?
    • President 2012: Mitt Romney Wins the Michigan Primary Election | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Mitt Romney Wins the Michigan Primary Election
    • Update: Romney Wins Michigan – President 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Big in Arizona – Michigan Too Close to Call | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Update: Romney Wins Michigan – President 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Big in Arizona – Michigan Too Close to Call
    • The Mounting Minuses at Google+ – WSJ.com – To hear Google Inc. Chief Executive Larry Page tell it, Google+ has become a robust competitor in the social networking space, with 90 million users registering since its June launch.

      But those numbers mask what’s really going on at Google+.

    • President 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Big in Arizona – Michigan Too Close to Call | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Big in Arizona – Michigan Too Close to Call
    • World business, finance, and political news from the Financial Times – FT.com – Democrats grow confident of House win –
    • Democrats grow confident of House win – FT.com – Democrats grow confident of House win
    • Democrats grow confident of House win – Democrats say they are optimistic that they can regain control of the House of Representatives in the November election, an outcome that would mark a sharp reversal from the thumping defeat dealt to the party in 2010.

      “We’ve gone from a gale force wind against us to a sustained breeze at our backs,” said Steve Israel, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, on Tuesday.

    • Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe to retire in blow to GOP – In announcing her plans, Snowe, 65, emphasized that she is in good health and was prepared for the campaign ahead. But she said she was swayed by the increasing polarization in Washington.

      “Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term,” Snowe said in a statement. “So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate, which is what a fourth term would entail.”

      Snowe’s retirement represents a major setback for the GOP’s efforts to regain a majority in the Senate. As a moderate Republican, she may be the party’s only hope to hold a seat in the strongly blue state.

      Republicans did get some traction in the state in 2010, including electing Republican Paul LePage as governor.

      But in a more neutral political environment, and in a federal race, Democrats will be heavy favorites to steal this seat from Republicans — their best pickup opportunity in the country, for sure.

    • Low Michigan turnout blamed on little interest, ballot confusion | Detroit Free Press | freep.com – Low Michigan turnout blamed on little interest, ballot confusion
    • AD-38: Patricia McKeon Answers Questions from The Simi Valley Tea Party » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Patricia McKeon Answers Questions from The Simi Valley Tea Party
    • Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The National Association of Dental Laboratories Honors Award Winners at Vision 21 Meeting in Las Vegas – The National Association of Dental Laboratories Honors Award Winners at Vision 21 Meeting in Las Vegas
    • The Afternoon Flap: February 28, 2012 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Afternoon Flap: February 28, 2012
    • President Obama Suggests Romney Shoveling ‘A Load of You-Know-What’ – As Michigan Republicans headed to the polls Tuesday morning, President Obama delivered an aggressive defense of the bailout of the auto industry and his presidency in general, harshly criticizing GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney – though he never mentioned him by name.

      “I’ve got to admit, it’s been funny to watch some of these folks completely try to rewrite history now that you’re back on your feet,” the president said to a raucous crowd at the United Auto Workers Convention. “The same folks who said if we went forward with our plan to rescue Detroit, ‘you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.’”

    • Reid blasts Romney on Senate floor – There’s no mistake who Harry Reid’s political target is as Republican voters head to the polls today in Arizona and Michigan.

      On Monday, the Senate majority leader held a conference call blasting GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for touting endorsements from immigration “extremists” like Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. And on the Senate floor Tuesday, Reid attacked Romney’s opposition to President Barack Obama’s bailouts that many credit for saving the Detroit auto industry.

      “I’m sorry to say that life support system that the Detroit auto industry was surviving on, Republicans wanted to pull the plug. One man who is now seeking the Republican nomination for president of the United States said, ‘We should kiss the automobile industry goodbye,’” Reid said, without naming Romney.

      “He called the death of American auto manufacturers ‘virtually guaranteed,’ another direct quote. And so he argued we should just let Detroit go bankrupt,” he added. “But he wasn’t alone. Republicans in this chamber agreed, many of them agreed, Democrats weren’t willing to give up on American manufacturing” and manufacturing jobs.

    • The Michigan primary: Five counties to watch – Voters in Michigan head to the polls today, carrying the fate of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s presidential bid in their hands. Win Michigan and, as expected, Arizona, and Romney almost certainly reasserts himself as the clear frontrunner in the Republican race. Lose Michigan and the calls for Romney to reconsider his candidacy will begins. It’s that simple.
    • Low Michigan turnout blamed on little interest, ballot confusion – Turn-out in today’s presidential primary election looks to be about the same or less than it was four years ago, according to a sampling of clerks in key precincts the Free Press is using to analyze the vote.

      “The absentee voter ballot requests are pretty much the same as last time,” said Farmington Hills City Clerk Pam Smith. “We’re right on par with that and we’re planning for that kind of turnout.”

      Smith said there were no reported problems at precincts this morning and she expected to get updates later in the day on how many people voted in person.

  • Day By Day,  John Boehner

    Day By Day February 29, 2012 – Par for the Course



    Day By Day by Chris Muir

    Republican House Speaker John Boehner, just like his GOP predecessor Newt Gingrich is a Big Government, go-along type of personality. Boehner hasn’t written his books yer, but he is not a movement type of POL.

    Now, the Democrats are boasting that they will retake the House in November.

    While this is doubtful, the GOP House Leadership should be purged in January just as a matter of their incompetence to drive a conservative narrative.

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