Joe Scott 3: The Body Politic

No On Drilling, Meg Backs Arizona

30 July 2010 |permalink | email article

In the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a new Public Policy Institute of California poll finds that Golden State opposition to offshore oil drilling has skyrocketed, while at the same time two-thirds of residents support the… read full story

Arizona Ruling, Pressure on Obama

29 July 2010 |permalink | email article

A ruling by a federal judge in Arizona on Wednesday basically vindicated the Obama administration’s high-stakes gamble to challenge the state’s tough immigration law and to assert the primary authority of the federal government over the Grand Canyon State… read full story

Boxer vs. Forina: Democratic edge

28 July 2010 |permalink | email article

While the Nov. 2 California showdown between Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman for governor is getting the lion’s share of attention political railbirds are taking a closer look at the race between three-term Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer… read full story

Has Brown found his groove?

27 July 2010 |permalink | email article

Does it hurt to be an incumbent running for a higher office? Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, the Democratic candidate for governor who is being pummeled daily in non-stop commercials by billionaire Meg Whitman, is not one to turn down… read full story

AB 32: Climate Change Fight Begins

26 July 2010 |permalink | email article

A multimillion dollar effort to save AB32, California’s groundbreaking climate change law, has caught fire. The San Francisco Chronicle reportedly exclusively that major Democratic donor Tom Steyer will put in $5 million and hook up with Ronald Reagan’s former… read full story

Daniel Schorr’s Death, New Media Issues

25 July 2010 |permalink | email article

The legendary broadcast reporter and commentator died on Friday at 93. He was for over 70 years a respected and hard-driving broadcast and print journalist whose work brought him into conflict with censors, network superiors and the Nixon administration.

Pot: Key Democrats Punt on Prop. 19

23 July 2010 |permalink | email article

Proposition 19, the Nov. 2 ballot measure which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana, is developing some significant opposition from surprising quarters, notably leading Democrats, including liberals and state Democratic Party officials.

Jerry Brown, the state attorney general… read full story

Who will Arnold endorse?

22 July 2010 |permalink | email article

Does Gov. Schwarzenegger’s mere 22 percent approval rating in the recent Field Poll make him too toxic to embrace as Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown escalate their battle to succeed him? No, and he may surprise the… read full story

Obama’s tough summer, and more

21 July 2010 |permalink | email article

A Washington Post/ABC News poll last week suggested that in the summer of his discontent there is some solace for President Obama in comparing him with Ronald Reagan – the last president to take office in the midst of… read full story

Parsing Jerry Brown’s Fall Strategy

20 July 2010 |permalink | email article

A recurring question in California politics is why Jerry Brown is holding his fire until Labor Day, or later, to engage Meg Whitman in their nasty battle for governor. Chris Matthews, MSNBC’s “Hardball” host, asked the former governor how… read full story

Intelligence War: Vietnam, Iraq and Now

19 July 2010 |permalink | email article

In an echo of the past President Bush soon after 9/11 persuaded Congress to rush to war in Iraq in reliance on discredited intelligence. In 1964, President Johnson followed the same path by persuading Congress to authorize broad military… read full story

Dog Days: Meg and Jerry

18 July 2010 |permalink | email article

CBS, on its Saturday evening news, finally got around to discussing the California gubernatorial race pitting lifetime Democrat Jerry Brown against Meg Whitman who did not bother to register with the Republican Party until 2007. Late to the recent… read full story

The Two Faces of Meg Whitman

16 July 2010 |permalink | email article

The billionaire former eBay chairman has a problem reconciling her various positions on Latinos and llegal immigration. The Republican gubernatorial nominee continues to insist that her positions on the subject are similar to those of Democratic Attorney General Jerry… read full story

Economy: Dems Falter, Advantage GOP

15 July 2010 |permalink | email article

James Carville famously coined the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid” in the Clinton era. Leading Democrats understand that he was correct but have failed to take dramatic steps to jump start the economy. That’s because Republicans have successfully used… read full story

State budget: Change to majority vote?

14 July 2010 |permalink | email article

As perennial delays over California’s state budget show no signs of resolution, a Field Poll indicates two-thirds of voters are prepared to let lawmakers approve the spending plan with a majority vote. Given the current $19 billion budget deficit… read full story

Conservative Summer of Discontent

13 July 2010 |permalink | email article

The one truism about the Tea Party movement is that it has no national leader. Instead, legions of angry nihilists have a favorite adverb which is easy to remember – no! And then there are Republican conservatives like Rep.… read full story

The Fight Over High-Speed Rail

12 July 2010 |permalink | email article

Here’s another issue on which Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown disagree. It’s high-speed rail. As the San Jose Mercury News reported, the outcome could shape the election, and determine whether the next governor will either look ahead or be… read full story

Can Petraeus Trust Karzai?

11 July 2010 |permalink | email article

As he took charge of the war effort in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus boldly declared that “we are in this to win.” But if his initial meeting with President Hamid Karzai last week is any indication the commander got… read full story

Meg Copies Obama Playbook

09 July 2010 |permalink | email article

We now know the secret of Republican Meg Whitman’s campaign to defeat Democrat Jerry Brown for California governor in November. She’s determined to copy piece by piece Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign strategy and make the “Obama Playbook” her own.

Latinos: Jerry Brown’s Major Challenge

08 July 2010 |permalink | email article

President Obama’s decision to move forward with a legal challenge to Arizona’s stringent illegal immigration law will, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza notes, be of prime importance to Latinos, the fastest growing demographic group in the country and a… read full story

U.S. Sues Arizona; Prop. 187 Redux

07 July 2010 |permalink | email article

The Justice Department filed suite Tuesday against Arizona, charging that the state’s new immigration law is unconstitutional, and requesting a preliminary injunction to stop the legislation from taking effect July 31. Predictably, Republican Sen. John McCain, seeking reelection, oddly… read full story

New NFL Stadium: Site Battle Looms

06 July 2010 |permalink | email article

At some point in the foreseeable future a new NFL team will play again in the Los Angeles area, but not before a new state of the art stadium is built. At issue now is a major collision between… read full story

Obama: Reprise Truman’s Summer Surprise?

05 July 2010 |permalink | email article

A major question facing the architects of President Obama’s 2008 victory is whether they are more focused on a 2012 repeat than dealing with the prospect of taking sizeable losses in the November midterm elections.

“I think the prospect… read full story

Newsweek: L.A. Biz Magnate To Bid

02 July 2010 |permalink | email article

The Washington Post Company, which put Newsweek up for sale in May, is down to a final round of bids. Two wealthy businessmen are moving ahead with their bids: Dr. Sidney Harman, the audio equipment magnate, and Fred Drasner,… read full story

Health Reform Law: Public Support Up

01 July 2010 |permalink | email article

The health-care overhaul, bitterly attacked by Republicans and the radical right as socialism, gained increasing popularity from May to June, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll.

A Washington Post report suggests that the Obama administration’s… read full story