-
CA-Sen: Senator Dianne Feinstein Doesn’t See The Point in Debating Republican Elizabeth Emken
California U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein talking to the San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board
Well, it is clear that Senator Feinstein will NOT be debating her opponent, Republican Elizabeth Emken.
California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, in the midst of a 2012 re-election campaign, said today that she has no intention of debating her GOP opponent, Danville activist Elizabeth Emken, because “I haven’t seen the point.”
Feinstein, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1992, made the comments today during an hour-long Chronicle editorial board session.
Just weeks ago, California’s senior senator walked out on ABC 7?s Mark Matthews when he asked her about her decision this time to sidestep a debate. (“Some reporters get under your skin,” she laughed, when we noted that.)
I had DiFi’s previous refusal to debate Elizabeth Emken here, as Feinstein get testy with a reporter.
Here is today’s video:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/QQYChdau95I[/youtube]
I understand that the Senator is a long-standing and seasoned POL. Most Californians know her stands on the issues and she will win in a landslide.
But, to refuse to debate her opponent leaves a bad taste in most voter’s mouths, including mine.
-
CA-Sen: Why Won’t Senator Dianne Feinstein Debate?
Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
Well, Senator Feinstein doesn’t want to take a shoo-in campaign for re-election and turn it into a gaffe-fest.
Soooo, DiFi will do some token events, raise lots of money and ignore Republican challenger Elizabeth Emken.
Works for her – but pretty pathetic government in very blue California.
Here is the video:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/09gDvV_zHHk[/youtube]
I thought the Senator was going to take the reporter’s shoulder off…..
-
Al Ramirez, CA-Sen, California Republican Assembly, California Republican Party, Dan Hughes, Dianne Feinstein, Elizabeth Emken
CA-Sen: Conservative California Republican Assembly Endorses Al Ramirez for U.S. Senate
While the California Republican Party has endorsed Elizabeth Emken for California United State Senate, the more conservative California Republican Assembly has just announced their endorsement for businessman, Al Ramirez.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Al Ramirez, an accomplished businessman, received the endorsement of the California Republican Assembly (CRA) at the group’s endorsing convention on Sunday.
“I’m incredibly pleased and honored to have the support of the State’s oldest and largest Republican volunteer organization,” said Ramirez. “The endorsement of the CRA demonstrates that our message is resonating with Republicans across the State. We simply cannot afford more of the same socialistic policies of Feinstein and Obama. It’s time to restore the American Dream in California.”
The CRA endorsement is one of the most coveted in all of Republican politics. Ronald Reagan even referred to the CRA as “The conscience of the Republican Party.”
Candidates seeking the CRA endorsement went through a rigorous vetting process which included giving speeches to the entire delegation and facing a session of tough questioning in front of a “Fact Finding Committee.” In order to receive an endorsement, a candidate must be supported by two-thirds of the voting delegates.
Ramirez was endorsed overwhelmingly by a vote of the entire CRA delegation late Sunday morning.
This endorsement has to deliver a decided edge to Ramirez, especially with so many candidates in the race vying to run against the front-runner and incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Millions of dollars were embezzled from her campaign. Twenty-two challengers are trying to knock her off in the June primary. And the stakes in the November election are nothing less than control of Capitol Hill.
But U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein isn’t a bit worried. Her campaign is on cruise control, her re-election all but certain — yet again.
After holding elected office for all but five of the last 42 years, Feinstein is the doyenne of California Democrats. She’s so politically bulletproof that no A-list candidates are wasting their time and money trying to dethrone her.
At 78, Feinstein has become the rare lawmaker who plays to her own political base while not overly riling her opponents. “She should have her easiest re-election ever,” said Gary Jacobson, a UC San Diego political science professor.
Feinstein, who won her last two elections in landslides, attributes her success to her work ethic and her ability to get along with fellow Washington politicians during venomous times. “I am known for working hard, and I can tell you if I wasn’t, I would have some major opposition,” Feinstein said in an interview last week.
Just how little she has to worry about was shown in a recent Survey USA poll. It found 51 percent of California’s likely voters intend to vote for Feinstein, while Republicans Elizabeth Emken of Danville and Dan Hughes of Oceanside were backed by 2 percent each. All other candidates clocked in at either 1 percent or zero.
But, will this endorsement be enough for Ramirez to come in second place above Elizbeth Emken and Dan Hughes?
-
CA-Sen: Ex- California POL Chuck DeVore Cannot Let Go
You would think this Texas living, ex-California Assemblyman would let this year’s California U.S. Senate race just happen, right?Wrong.
Chcuk DeVore went to my friend, Jon Fleischman’s site and penned this endorsement of Dan Hughes who is running in the California June Primary election for United States Senate. The incumbent is long time Democrat U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Dan’s leading opponent, Elizabeth Emken, ran for Congress in 2010 and placed fourth in a four person GOP primary despite putting in significant personal money. Emken’s biggest political contribution before that, other than to her own campaign, was the $1,000 she and her husband gave to liberal Republican-turned-Democrat Senator Arlen Specter in the year he ran against conservative champion Pat Toomey, now a U.S. Senator. Her main efforts in public policy have been to lobby to have more state government health insurance mandates – a policy that drives up the cost of insurance for all of us. In fact, she was even paid $151,486 to professionally lobby Democrat Members of Congress to expand what ObamaCare covers and what we taxpayers are on the hook for.
Dan Hughes has been in the race only a brief time while Elizabeth Emken has been running since last year. Yet Emken has only generated around $39,000 while Hughes is the top fundraiser among Senate GOP candidates. Dan is a committed and very hard working candidate who is spending his time and money to stand up for conservative principles and take the fight to Dianne Feinstein.
One of Hughes’ opponents on the Republican side is Elizabeth Emken, whose Senior Communications Adviser, Mark Standriff, wrote this piece in response.
For the record:
- Elizabeth Emken formally entered the U.S. Senate race in late January. Chuck, you are just plain wrong on this.
- Elizabeth Emken opposed passage of Obamacare, and she has made it her first priority to repeal Obamacare. Chuck, you are just plain wrong on this.
- Elizabeth Emken is a rock solid conservative. She has a team that can (and has) won statewide. And she is far outpacing all other GOP opponents in money and endorsements, including conservatives like Bill Jones, Lew Uhler, and Ron Nehring. Chuck, you are just plain wrong on this.
- By attacking Elizabeth Emken’s past financial ”support” for an incumbent Republican U.S. Senator, Chuck is attacking Rick Santorum, Jon Kyl and other conservatives who also supported the re-elect of that incumbent Senator. Again, Chuck, you’re just plain wrong on this.
You remember, Chuck DeVore, the former Orange County based Assemblyman who wasted $ hundreds of thousands of Republican donors money in running a futile U.S. Senate primary race against former Rep. Tom Campbell and Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
Here are the results of DeVore’s last election – the one in which he received less than 20% of the vote:
Mark Standriff in his piece talks about SOUR GRAPES from DeVore.
Chuck, isn’t it time to just let it go?
-
CA-Sen: Unknown Candidates Line Up Against Sen Dianne Feinstein
California’s Senor U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
Why these folks are bothering, is beyond me.No proven Republican candidates have stepped up yet to challenge Sen. Dianne Feinstein, but six little-known longshots plus Laguna Niguel’s Orly Taitz are trying to gain traction.
Senate hopefuls Elizabeth Emken, Dan Hughes, Al Ramirez and Greg Conlon were pumping the flesh at last month’s convention of the California Republican Party, according to the Sacramento Bee’s coverage of the event.
There’s also Ron Paul-styled Republican Rick Williams and San Diego County businessman John Boruff.
Noe of these candidates has a hope or a prayer to beat DiFi.
In fact, the California Republican Party was unsuccessful in recruiting any known POL to run – doesn’t that tell you something?
-
CA-Sen: Elizabeth Emken Announces Run for United States Senate
Elizabeth Emken and family
Elizabeth Emken announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for California United States Senate yesterday, Is she is succesfull in winning a top two spot, she undoubtedly will face off against long-time incumbent Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein.I believe Emken is the only announced Republican candidate.
She has previously run for office in California’s 11th Congressional District in 2010. She finished fourth in the Republican primary election with 16.7% of the vote.
Emken will face a tough race against the popular and very well heeled incumbent Senator who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Here is a video of her past race:
Her Senate campaign website is here.Unless lightening strikes, I would say Emken’s chances of beating Feinstein are very slim.
-
Bud Selig, California, Dianne Feinstein, Flap's California Morning Collection, Frank McCourt, Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Marathon
Flap’s California Morning Collection: June 21, 2011
A morning collection of links and comments about my home, California.The buzz in the Capitol today is that long time Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein is not polling well in the latest California Field Poll. In fact, her numbers are the lowest for her since 1992. If any pundit really thinks DiFi is vulnerable, I will refer them to Carly Fiorina who was the last Republican challenger to a California Democratic U.S. Senator who was deemed vulnerable = recently re-elected Barbara Boxer.
DiFi is not going anywhere except back to the Senate, barring any health problems. But, I wonder who the GOP will run in 2012 as the sacrificial lamb?
The poll graphic:
In Los Angeles, everyone is talking about the L.A. Dodgers and the owner Frank McCourt. The Commissioner of Major League Baseball who took over control of the team some time ago from McCourt disapproved a new Fox Sports television contract which may precipitate a sale of the team, lawsuits, and/or a bankruptcy filing. Likely, there will be all of the above, but most folks in L.A. want McCourt and his wife to be gone and the Dodgers to concentrate on baseball.Oh yeah and McCourt owns the Los Angeles Marathon too. I might just have to run in Pasadena next Spring.
OK – on to the links:
Steinberg raises legal questions over pay issue
Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, made it clear that there are legal implications — lawsuit, anyone? — with the decision on legislative pay that state Controller John Chiang is expected to make Tuesday.
Steinberg suggested that any decision by the Controller would be legally questionable.
The question that got Steinberg reverting back to the lawyer that he is: Will you be able to hold out and negotiate all summer if your members are not being paid.
The unspoken suggestion: that legislators would cave on demands of $2 billion to $6 billion more in cuts to schools, universities and public safety to ensure they get their salary and daily expenses.
“It is a bad precedent for anybody in the executive branch to question the quality of a budget passed by the Legislature,” he told reporters after a quick Senate session Monday. “Because to do so is to shift the balance of power … in a way that is dangerous.
“Think about if there was a governor, a treasurer or controller from the other party and they were unhappy with the quality of the budget the Legislature passed, they would have the ability — if Proposition 25 is interpreted in a way some suggest — to say it’s not good enough, we withhold your pay until you make all of the decisions and and all of the cuts that we believe are appropriate.”
The follow-up question: Could withholding legislators’ pay “tip the balance” to legislators accepting the governor’s cuts?
“If it is an attempt to tip the balance, then it is a conflict of interest like California has never seen,” Steinberg said.
Salary matters are best decided by the Citizens Compensation Commission, Steinberg said, and legislators should not be forced to determine their vote based on whether or not they would be paid.
Why McCourt must go, from one baseball blogger
Many kudos on baseball websites today for blogger Larry Behrendt’s detailing of the case against Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, from the interlocking companies that mean the Dodgers now pay rent for their own stadium and parking lots, to the ticket revenue that gets drained elsewhere, to the huge debt and lavish personal spending. Behrendt posted before commissioner Bud Selig stepped in today to nix the deal with Fox. But that’s exactly what Behrendt felt Selig must do…..
Over the next two weeks, Bud Selig will face the defining moment of his career as Commissioner of Major League Baseball….
There is no doubt: Commissioner Selig should reject the Dodgers-Fox contract, seize control of the Dodgers, and sell the team to a responsible owner who will (with the grateful help of millions of my fellow left coasters) restore the team to its former greatness. Selig must act to prevent Frank McCourt from continuing to plunder the team. Selig must act before the team is saddled with even greater debt, while the team’s reputation can still be salvaged and the team is still marketable to a worthy owner….
How much have the McCourts managed to extract from the Dodgers? Well, if we ignore the debt the Dodgers took on so that the McCourts could buy the Dodgers but include the McCourt salaries, the McCourts have withdrawn from the Dodgers anywhere from $109 million (Frank McCourt’s estimate) to $141 million (Jamie McCourt’s estimate). The truth is, the real amount the McCourts plundered from the Dodgers may be more than $141 million – at the moment, all we have to go on is what each McCourt has been willing to admit to.
I(In case you were wondering, during their ownership of the Dodgers the McCourts have paid not one penny in income tax.)Is Lynn Woolsey retiring? Is Gavin Newsom interested in that seat?
We’re getting the distinct feeling that something is up. Just got an “advisory” that Rep. Lynn Woolsey will hold a press conference at her home Monday in Petaluma “joined by Rep. Barbara Lee and friends and family.”
Hmmm. Remember, back in December Woolsey’s peeps told us she was “thinking of” retiring and they’d let us know by June. Tick…tock…tick…
All that Woolsey spokesperson Bart Acocella will say is: “I can tell you that she will make an announcement on the 27th about her future plans.”
Even with the state’s new redistricting plan likely to create a very-different looking 6th District, there’s already a line forming to snag the super-safe Democratic seat-for-life, starting with termed out Assemblyman Jared Huffman and activist and author Norman Solomon, Marin County Supervisor Susan Adams, state Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, and Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane.
Here’s another name to toss in the mix: What about Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom?
Yes, we know the duties of Lt. Gov. are…uh…pressing. Especially when he has to walk the Governor’s dog. But eyebrows raised when Newsom just moved to…wait for it…Marin County to live with his in-laws after they had their second child.
Enjoy your morning!
-
CA-Sen: Sen Dianne Feinstein in Re-Election Trouble? Uh No
California Democratic U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein
The must be smoking crack over at Hot Air to even suggest that DiFi is in any trouble.A new poll from California shows Dianne Feinstein falling below 50% in re-elect support, a rating than in any other state might mean something. McClatchy sends up the red flag from the latest Harris Poll, which gives the four-term Senator only a +4 on support for a fifth term, hitting below 50%: (…)
Despite this poll analysis, Senator Feinstein is very safe, especially with the expected turnout for Obama’s re-election to be high. I mean, if Carly Fiorina gets blown out by 10 points against Sen. Barbara Boxer who was much less popular and there was a lower Dem turnout of voters…..
And, should Feinstein, who will be 78 in June, have health problems, the California Dems have a deep bench with Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ready to duke it out as her replacement.
-
Mike Huckabee’s PAC Raising Funds to Defeat California Senator Dianne Feinstein?
This missive came into my e-mail box this afternoon. Now, Huck is not at CPAC and begins his book tour soon, so what is he doing here:California needs a conservative United States Senator. Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein has been in Washington too long and it appears she’s stopped listening to California voters – after all, you didn’t want bailouts, you didn’t want the stimulus package and you sure didn’t want Obamacare. Thanks to elected officials like Senator Feinstein you got bailouts, you got the stimulus and you got Obamacare.
Senator Feinstein like all of the Democrats up for re-election in 2012 is a large reason our nation is going bankrupt. Sadly last week, when given a chance to begin to redeem poor legislative choices, Senator Feinstein voted AGAINST the repeal of Obamacare.
Huck PAC is preparing to help conservatives win the California Senate seat and defeat other vulnerable Democrat Senators across the nation. We are asking 100 California supporters to donate this week towards this goal. Will you make a donation of $5 or more to stop Senator Feinstein and the budget-busting Democrats in Washington?
I have sent this email to just 1,000 California voters across the state. I am counting on a response from you. If you would prefer to donate by mail, please send your check to Huck PAC at:
Huck PAC
Attn: Stop Senate Democrats Fund
PO Box 2008
Little Rock , AR 72203California and America would be better off with conservative Senators like Marco Rubio in office. Together, we worked sohard to take back the House – now you can help conservatives take back
the Senate. Please chip in today.Fighting for California,
Mike Huckabee
California’s Senior Senator Dianne Feinstein, unless she has failing health is a lock to win another Senate term in 2012. She will likely win by over fifteen points in a deep blue California.
So, why is Mike Huckabee fundraising for her defeat? Since the money goes to his PAC, which he controls, I assume he could use the money for whatever race he deems fit.
Or, is Huck, just getting some name ID out her in California for a possible 2012 Presidential run?
-
Chuck DeVore to Challenge Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2012?
Termed out California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore
Yes, and I received an e-mail from Chuckles last week saying he will be running for something in 2012 and asking for money to get his California state campaign account out of debt.
If he thinks he can beat long time Senator Dianne Feinstein who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, he is suffering from delusions of grandeur. Even the LEFT is skeptical and they are not greats fans of DiFi.
Despite getting only a small vote share in the GOP Senate primary this year (as conservatives decided to go with the slightly-more-electable Carly Fiorina), Chuck DeVore is talking Senate again, for 2012, when Dianne Feinstein will presumably run for re-election. Or is he? All he’s saying is that he’s likely to run in 2012, but hasn’t decided what office. Senate is the only thing that’s available, though, which makes his statement seem kind of strange (unless he’s talking about trying to rejoin the state Assembly). If Barbara Boxer could still win by 10 points in a terrible year, the more-popular Feinstein in a presidential year is an even more daunting target, meaning that DeVore may be the only prominent GOPer crazy enough to take on the task.