It appears Gallegly did nothing to stop Duncan Hunter from stomping on the views of the people of our district. Heopefully DH can be stopped long enough until Democrats take power.

I wonder why Gallegly never took a strong stand one way or another when a congressman from another region started moving in on his turf? Was he being bullied or did he actually agree and wanted the other guy to take the heat?

Thanks to all the local Republican voters who tried to vote for more of the same. Gallegly will be sitting on the back benches watching the Lois Capps of the world pass legislation, spend money, and conduct investigations. Gallegly is a nice guy but won't be able to do much. He might as well stay home in Simi Valley.

On the other hand maybe something can be done about Rocketdyne by teaming up with local Democrats.

Simi Valley=back bench

Wearing my Ventura County County citizen/Republican hat with this post, I don't think it is going to matter much which party is in power.

The Honorable Elton Gallegly changing his mind AGAIN? I can not believe that from the senior congressman from Simi Valley ! :-)

Islands, by the way Duncan Hunter is considering a run for president in 2008. Here's an article from 10/2006

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter, the House Armed Services Committee chairman who coauthored legislation to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, announced plans on Monday for a longshot presidential bid in 2008.

Hunter, who said support for a strong military and the fight against illegal immigration would be two of his top issues, is the first established Republican to say he would form an exploration committee for a 2008 presidential run.

Hunter will join what is expected to be a crowded field of presidential hopefuls in 2008, with about a dozen other Republicans and an equal number of Democrats lining up for runs at their party's nomination.

"As I finish my final two years as chairman of the Armed Services Committee and serve you, I am also going to be preparing for a run for president of the United States," Hunter said at a news conference in San Diego.

"This is going to be a long road, it's going to be a challenging road," he said. "But I think it's the right thing to do for our country."

Hunter, a Vietnam veteran first elected to the House in 1980, coauthored the Secure Fence Act to build a 700-mile

fence along the U.S. border with Mexico that was signed into law last week by President George W. Bush.

That guy better know if he tries to campaign in Ventura or Oxnard we will make sure everyone knows how he has been slipping in riders to bills that go against the wishes of VC residents. He better move to Iowa because he isn't wanted here.

If Gallegly dares meet him in public anywhere in VC we will make sure every reporter gets a fact sheet on how Gallegly hasn't ever publically stopped this guy from trampling on VC.

Step away from the Islands !

Gallagher should get used to the bench. He is going to sit there more than I did when I played baseball in Middle School.

He couldn't name a post office without permission.

Thanks to all the local Republicans for voting to make us the most ignored area in the Los Angeles region. The idea that a first term member w/ a D instead of the scarlet R next to their name has more power should of shaken some people.

Gallgher is a Simi Valley guy at heart. Maybe he will come back and run for school board.

I wonder if he will have to move his office into the basement or anything? Any word on committees yet?

Wait, not so fast. Elton Gallegly does keep his seniority and that counts for something!

Anyone really think Gallegly will be of any use to Ventura County/Santa Barbara now that he is in the minority party?

Anyone want to bet 5 bucks that he doesn't pass a single of importance?

I think you will be surprised at how much more legislation Gallegly gets passed. You liberals think you own the world, well you don't. You better stop being so partisan because Gallegly has worked with people of all backgrounds and you will be humbled when he becomes even a stronger member of congress. You don't need to be in the winning party to pass laws.

There are plenty that he can do besides pass legislation in the capitol. He can start investigations, pass resolutions, hold hearings, and pass laws.

Wearing my Ventura County County citizen/Republican hat with this post, I don't think it is going to matter much which party is in power.

Posted by: Katie Teague at November 17, 2006 08:28 AM

I think the Democrats will try and get us out of Iraq, I think they will increase the minimum wage, they will try and implement the 9/11 commission recomendations, they will try to lower interest rates on student loans. If the democrats are sucessful in either getting us out of Iraq or at least starting the process in the next 2 years, look for a democratic sweep in the 2008 elections including a Democratic President. The Democrats are not without there corruption but the Republicans in the last 6 years have made the Democrats look like amateurs. With all the corruption in politics I still truely believe that Democrats are more concerned with the poor and middle class than Republicans.

At the very least, our goverment was structured to have checks and balances, now with a Democratic congress and a republican Executive we will no longer have the rubber stamp congress that has existed the last 6 years.

I am sure Gallegly will vote no and have no effect on any of these bills.

Since Gallegly is not going to be passing any laws or getting anything done in the near future we should replace him as soon as possilble. It isn't a knock against Gallegly. The election outcomes aren't his fault.

Anyone think there is a chance he wants to run for leadership in his party? I would think he has been there for enough years now.

I have one main problem with the argumentation so far. The working assumption seems to be that the primary goal of a Representative is to bring something back to his constituents. This justifies the myriad earmarks that everyone seems to hate when other people do them. Frankly, it's a disgusting system, and we have no moral right to speak out against it if we demand the same action from our representative.

Nice blog. Every time you post, leave a link.

I don't expect Gallegly nor do I want him to bring back pork to the district. I want a member that can get good laws passed, including ethics reforms. I think Gallegly is in a position to do that.

I am just wondering really how his job changes and how he views the change.

You might notice almost the entire article is about legislation not amendements to legislation. It isn't about riders to bills, but rather bills.

Do you think Gallegly can get any bills passed now that his party has been rejected across the nation? Will he work with or against Nancy Pelosi? Can he just say "I vote NO on everything Democrats want to do" and come home already?

Hey Owen how 'bout they bring back a finished budget and a few good bills?

Has Gallegly ever worked with Democrats on a bill that passed?

There are very real differences over how to best serve our community, and over what kinds of legislation would be best. Pelosi's ideas are certainly different from that which most of our district would like to see. How then, would having a member in the majority significantly improve our situation?

Moreover, you seem to think that "legislation" is somehow different than pork. It's not ... at least not too substantially. All legislation does something, and usually at the expense of something or someone else. Anything that benefits us almost invariably takes from someone else. That's what government power is all about - dictating who wins. There is a fixed amount of money, and if it goes to us, that means it doesn't go to someone else. This is all done through bills. The problem, for example, with the Farm Act is the act itself, and not just the riders.

Here are a few laws that a powerful legislator could work on that do not involve taking from someone else:

1. The islands hunting project that was favored by Duncan Hunter. It would of never gotten out of a Democratic House.

2. Ethics reforms.

3. STOPPING PORK. Long before the Republicans lost the house they lost their values. I don't want to take Alaska'a bridge to no where, instead I want to cut taxes, pay down the debt, or maybe spend it on needed peojects in any state.

Duncan Hunter is DOA for POTUS. He won't be able to round up the two most important areas in SoCal for conservatives. Orange County might be easy but in Venutra County he is toxic for trying to sneak his rider about screwing up the islands so many times into so many bills.

Has Gallegly ever said anything about the islands?

If Elton is now in the minority party, making him a minority, does that mean he will now be attacking himself as a minority, the way he attacks minorities before every election?

Thanks to all of owen's readers for stopping by my blog.