( Huckabee on SNL. Very funny.)

Even though I disagree with Mike Huckabee on so much I will admit the guy is the funniest person that ran for president this time. Except maybe Fred Thompson, but that shouldn't count if he wasn't intending to be funny.
Do any of my readers want Huckabee to stay in the campaign?

Looks like the Conejo school district will be closing two schools.

Will Mike Dunn and the rest of the board work together or will there be something to get them splitting into factions again?

Who will claim they are standing up for parents first?

BLOG NOTE: Comments are locked because the servers are under attack from foreign spam bots. I am not making this up. One solution might entail deleting all pre-2007 comments. So, if you need a copy of all those old comments you better start.

UPDATE: Comments working again.

County Supervisor Linda Parks ( R-Thousand Oaks) is going to be all the way up in Santa Barbra for a conference.

Could this be her testing out the chances of her running for higher office? I doubt it for now as County Supervisor is a pretty well paid position that someone can serve long enough to retire from. If you want to see the meeting agenda click on continue reading.

In related Thousand Oaks news the campaign finance reports are coming in over the traffic initiative. If you have more background to fill us in let me know. It so far looks like a battle over big box stores like Home Depot.

Simi Valley does not yet have campaign finance reports available on our city website but Barbra Williamson said she would work on it. Barbra, thanks for checking into it for me. For all those that ridicule the influence of blogs I suggested it here and now Barbra is looking into getting it done. And I didn't even need to attend a meeting.

Denis O'Leary is running for 5th District County
Supervisor ( Currently John Flynn) and he is
using web 2.0 like no other Ventura County
politician that I know. He still needs a facebook
and myspace account to connect up with other
activists.

You can go to his youtube channel and get a good idea what the issues
of the campaign will be. By putting up videos he
is framing the debate and proving he is willing
to tackle the details that people want out of a
county supervisor.

Journalists researching the campaign will find my
blog and that will bring them to his
youtube channel. Then when the other candidates are
asked questions they will be framed in by Denis's
issues.

Denis, good job using technology.

Senator Coburn is an odd man. I support his efforts to cut waste and I like it that he calls his party out for reckless spending. But he does say completely wild things at times.

He recently has said that he now believes that Iraq was a mistake but we are stuck there for the time being. You can read the full story by clicking here.

Oh yeah, he is also a big supporter of John McCain.

The paradox is hard to make a political point out of easily. It appears that more and more people think Barack Obama was right to oppose the war, but that McCain's supporters think Barack Obama is wrong now to end the war.

Is that right?

Timm Herdt is reporting that Jeff Gorell is looking to run for State Assembly again.

Timm, is there a way to link directly to your stories instead of just your main page?

Do you remember when you made up your mind on who you would support for president? Was it made up for you when your candidate dropped out? Was it a particular speech, quote, or event?

Viva Obama!

Do you subscribe to The Star print edition? Do you subscribe to any newspapers?

What about magazines?

Also, feel free to plug your favorite blog.

What have you heard about the different judicial campaigns?

Leave a comment or e-mail me.

Tom McClintock ( Currently State Senate CA-19) has expressed an interest ( or at least his supporters have ) in running for the House of Representatives in 2008. He has wide scale name appeal, high approval from Republican activists, and a state wide fund raising machine.

He is termed out from the State Senate seat he currently holds ( The seat Hannah Beth Jackson and Tony Strickland are expected to battle each other for) and isn't likely to retire from the public sphere anytime soon.

So, will he run?

The Ventura County Republican Party will be holding a mixer @ The Reagan Library. Click on continue reading for details.

Anyone going? What questions should Republicans ask of their leader?

A nationwide group called Drinking Liberally has been bringing people out to bars across America to discuss politics and have a good time. They realize that slow paced traditional party meeting isn't going to bring in much beyond the activist core of a party. A local chapter formed several months back and has been hosting events about once a month.

Democrats have much to discuss including the elections Tuesday, the debates Thursday, and the delegate race in total.

Mark, take a few notes on the back of a napkin and post them here afterwards. Maybe a straw poll about who the members support for president?

If you are interested in attending this local event click on continue reading for more details.

Local Democrats have been holding many more public events with high profile speakers than I ever remember them doing before. The energy level going into the next election is unmatched in Ventura County history as far as I remember.

many groups have helped out. If your group has an event, e-mail it in and I will post it.

Stonewall Democrats will be hosting a former Massachusetts governor that is no longer running for president. At one time he was at the top of the polls but a series of events stopped him.

Democrats, when is the next update on the 472 registered voter difference between you and the Republicans here in Ventura County? When do you predict the county will turn blue? You better do it before you take off for the convention!

The story is still being investigated but it appears that the young student in Oxnard that was murdered was the victim of a hate crime. May our prayers be with the family.

The family has set up a website where you can learn more or donate to a memorial fund.

The California Association of Political Centrists is gathering to discuss transportation and infrastructure.

Will you be going?

Click on continue reading for more details.

Another Democrat enters the race to help Elton Gallegly (R- CA House of Reps.) retire.

In comedy news it looks like Obama is huge in Japan.

Click on continue reading for the press release.

Rep. Elton Gallegly ( R-Simi Valley) is working hard on a new bill.

Thoughts?

Oh yeah, he is running again. With 29 retirements on the Republican side of the House thus far and more to come this must be a relief for some Republicans.

The odds of Michael Tenenbaum or Tom McClintock challenging him are pretty slim. Leslie Cornejo is still asking for full disclosure on his health.

Odds are heavily in favor of Republicans retaining this seat. Thus far Mary Pallant is the only declared Democrat.

Barack Obama won tonight. That wasn't a surprise but the margin of victory was huge. I see his momentum growing by the day. The polls will continue to move in his direction as he wins election after election. I didn't see all of this coming together but now I do not doubt his abilities to bring people in. His new style of campaigning has caught on with millions of people across the nation. I fully expect him to win.

John McCain looks to have withstood the challenge from Mike Huckabee. That ends serious attention paid to Huckabee.

Owen Paun my correspondent inside the McCain campaign has an update from the Potomac primaries that you can read by clicking on continuing reading. Thanks for keeping us updated Owen. The readers and I appreciate it. Where are you going next?

Mike Gibson of Ventura has picked up the paper work to run for county supervisor.

Mike Gibson ( former city council candidate) is looking to parlay his heightened exposure in a campaign against Steve Bennett for the County Supervisor's seat.

Steve Bennett is a champion of campaign finance reform and environmental causes.

Mike Gibson is a free market conservative with a background in planning.

Mike, make sure you add me to your list for press releases. It doesn't take a political expert to predict this will be a tough battle but I look forward to informing readers about your beliefs. Send in anything you want posted including your bio.

Set up a myspace account and a youtube account to bring people into your campaign.

Sidenote: The other day some comments were deleted. The Star hasn't figured out why yet but Katie Teague made the 20,000 comment on this blog. Thanks for posting Katie.

UPDATE: BEFORE YOU BOYCOTT A BUSINESS REMEMBER IT COULD BE SOMEONE POSTING IN THEIR NAME. I HAVE IP ADDRESSES AND IT LOOKS LIKE A REGULAR POSTER WAS WRITING UNDER THE CAR DEALERSHIP'S NAME, NOT THE CAR DEALERSHIP. SO KEEP ON SHOPPING!

The Venture County Office of Education will be filling the vacancy that member Ron Matthews left when he stepped down to care for family. Any recommendations? I want an empty chair so that there can be an election without an incumbent and voters can have their say. But that won't happen.

On another note...

If you look on the right hand side of this page you will see archives from the past few years. Most older entries receive very few comments but a few still get comments from time to time.

The first is entries about dog parks. People still are googling Simi Valley dog park and finding this blog.

The second entries are about Conejo Valley schools. For an example look at this link to see people still discussing them every few days. The conversation isn't civil so don't click on it if you want to avoid name calling. I have stuff to delete again.

UPDATE: Comments on several entries were deleted. I don't know why but to my knowledge it had nothing to do with their content. Maybe The Star staff will figure it out on Monday. Sorry.

With the defeat of Proposition 93 ( Tony you were right that it wouldn't pass) the match between Tony Strickland and Hannah Beth Jackson seems to be set for State Senate CA-19 ( Currently McClintock).

So, when you hear both of their names what is the first few words that come to mind.

This entry got ugly fast. I locked the comments.

I will go first.

Some quick questions about the election results this weekend.

1. How come so many people talk about Huckabee as VP but nobody talks about Romney?

2. Will conservative voters rally behind Huckabee if he continues to win?

3. If Barack Obama wins big this weekend will it change the results of national polls?

4. What happened to Rudy Giuliani in Ventura County? He had major support but he never seemed to catch on.

5. How much credit does Neal Andrews of Venutra deserve for helping McCain?

6. When both parties have a nominee are you folks still interested in Owen Paun updates?

7. How many of the states does Barack Obama need to win to declare a major victory this weekend?

8. If Barack Obama wins big but is barely ahead in the delegate count what will the headlines report?

Discuss any other thoughts about the results as they come in.

Looks like development issues are once again heating up in Thousand Oaks. Any word on who the major players are in this story?

As more and more cities grow towards their limit I expect more issues like this will be coming up across our county.

In Simi Valley I am glad that the city approved an urban fill in area at the corner of Madera and Los Angeles instead of more development ( or in the case of Happy Face Hill attempted development for the time being) in the hills.

Your thoughts?

Here is the local results including how many voters voted in each primary.

Your thoughts?

Your thoughts?

I don't always post who I support because I figure if you are reading a political blog you already know anyway.

That being said I support Barack Obama and I am asking for your vote. If you are not a Democrat all you need to do when you go to your polling location is to ask for a Democratic ballot. Make sure your friends and family know this tonight and tomorrow.

To read some of my reasons for supporting Barack Obama click on continue reading.

( Why isn't this spot playing in more places you McCainiacs? )

For people that have been reading for the last few months you will remember Owen Paun. He has traveled across the country on his own dime to help nominate John McCain. I admire Owen because he traveled to Iowa back when many local Republicans were backing people like Rudy Giuliani ( who spent the most amount of money in American history per delegate) , Fred Thompson, and others.

Now that the Mac is Back it looks like Owen Paun had foresight to help McCain while he was down but not out.

Owen has just e-mailed me his latest update on why he supports John McCain. Read it and add your thoughts. Owen, if/when McCain wins the nomination does that take immigration off of the table as a point to debate between the parties? McCain has made a an effort to remind people that immigrants are children of God too which is much different than the message of Tom Tancredo who wanted to end immigration both legal and illegal.

What should Owen Paun do next? Should he go national and keep working for McCain or should he start organizing Ventura County?

I think local Democrats want you to pack up. At least until they beat the Republicans at the voter registration drives.

To see his endorsement click on continue reading.

( Another endorsement for Barack Obama. Can he build any more momentum? )

Hey,

I have talked to many people that are confused by what primary they can vote in so I figured I would explain.

To vote in the Republican Primary you must be a Republican.

To vote in the Democratic Primary if you are not a Democrat you must ask for a Democratic Ballot.

If you are a Democrat you will be given a Democratic ballot. But if you are not a Democrat you can ask for a Democratic ballot when you got to vote.

This was the choice of the parties, not the government. Democrats invited more people in and Republicans chose to keep their primary only open to Republicans.

This article explains more about the reasons.

With that knowledge I encourage you to ask for a Democratic ballot regardless of party and vote for Barack Obama.

Feel free to link to my explanation or to forward this on. I don't want people to be excluded from the primary because they didn't know to ask.

So, what do you think of the logic? Do you think it was the right choice for either party? Republicans are you content knowing the system favors an ideologically pure candidate? Democrats are you content with non-party members helping to choose your nominee?

This ad was playing in some California markets according to news reports but I didn't see it.

What ad of the campaign season or of the Super Bowl was your favorite?

Yes we can.

This game is only for those with the will to back up their statements. Have you ever heard someone say "If _________ wins I am leaving the country" type statements?

Well here is your chance. I expect all of you to put down a promise or two. Use this format:

IF ______________ wins I promise to ______________.

If you want to see mine click on continue reading.

UPDATE: There are some funny promises in there. Make sure to get your promises in before the polls close.

I am still waiting on ML Peterson's, Barbra Williamson's, and Owen Paun's comments.

( A t-shirt from "Those Shirts")

I had a blast at the Republican party debate the other night. I had the chance to speak to:

Elton Gallegly, just for a few seconds ( House of Representatives CA-24)
Glen Becerra ( Simi Valley City Council )
Paul Miller ( Mayor of Simi Valley )
Barbra Williamson ( Simi Valley City Council )
Audra Strickland ( Member of the Assembly )
Tony Strickland ( Fmr. Assembly Member, Mitt Romney supporter, and State Senate candidate) Tony, thanks for the kind words.
Timm Herdt ( Reporter for the Ventura County Star)
Anderson Cooper ( CNN Moderator )
Tom McClintock ( State Senator CA-19 )
Mark Van Dam ( Moorpark City Council)
Keith Millhouse ( Moorpark City Council)
...and many other interesting people.

I had Tom McClintock sign an amendment from the Bill of Rights. Guess what amendment and why if you can.

Anderson Cooper signed my 1st amendment and I had Elton Gallegly sign Article I ( right below Dennis Hastert).

As far as the debates went I was entertained. Here are my thoughts on the individual candidates:

Mike Huckabee: I get it. He won Iowa + Chuck Norris backs him. But he also thinks environmentalism has harmed the country. Why is he still in the race? Oh yeah, I forgot he is hoping to split the vote with Mitt Romney so McCain gets the nomination and picks him as VP to appease the activist right wing of the party.

Ron Paul: Please keep this guy in the debates. Regardless of his performance at the polls the entertainment value demands he stays in future events. Ron Paul doesn't say the same 3 talking points over and over ( Foot Soldier in the Reagan Revolution, 9/11, or Washington is broken).

Mitt Romney: If Law and Order needs a President as an actor I suggest Fred Thompson help him out. Mitt Romney I think won the debate. I don't know if it will change many minds but he seemed cool under pressure, dignified, and prepared for the debates. Although it was funny when Mitt Romney denied his own quote just to have it read verbatim back to him:

VANDEHEI: Governor Romney, I interviewed you in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago and we talked a little bit about illegal immigration. You've taken a very hard stance against illegal immigration. You said at the time that you felt that there's, for a lot of illegal immigrants who are here, under your plan, we could deport many of them within 90 days. How could that happen? How could we do it that quickly?

VANDEHEI: At the time -- I can just give you the quote if you like. You said that "many of those could be deported immediately," but that would allow slower deportation process for those with thought as quickly as 90 days.

Also, did anyone else notice Mitt Romney said that Ronald Reagan was not only wrong to sign the 1986 Amnesty Bill but Reagan would admit he was wrong?

Romney might have won the talking part of the debate but with Arnold, Rudy, and Mrs. Reagan ( if the reports that she privately backs McCain are true) all supporting McCain I think his message of momentum gave him the clear advantage.

In addition, Barbra Williamson is now backing him. Maybe other elected officials will come around before next Tuesday? C'mon folks supporting him once he has already won is not going to be courageous. Feel free to post your support here so you can show you supported him before he won.

John McCain: I think John McCain comes across as authentic but his debate performance was lacking. He seems cranky, quick to throw in a sharp elbow, and no where near as refined as Romney. I don't think voters will trust McCain on most issues besides war but that might be all he needs. Hillary and especially Barack will take advantage of his poor debating skills if given the chance.

Between Romney and McCain I would vote for McCain because he has the moral authority to command our troops in a way that Mitt Romney could not.

Outside of the Reagan Library I saw many supporters for Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney, but the most supporters were there for Ron Paul. I was driving so I didn't get a great view though. Feel free to add your report if I missed something in this section.

Thanks to the Reagan Library staff for including me. It was a blast.

So, what was your take on the events?

Here is a message from a local Democratic activist about the major changes in voter registrations across Ventura County:

The Ventura County Democratic Party is very excited about the steady movement of our registration numbers over the past 4 years. It's been a lot of hard work and determination by volunteers, working the various fairs in the county, tabling in front of stores, going door to door, holding registration drives at schools, support from our electeds and efforts from new groups like Vote Blue, to get where we are today.

We've got a great team in the local Dem Party and more are joining us to get involved in this exciting Presidential election year. Congrats to all involved who made this happen; I'm so proud to be a part of this team. Let's keep pushing and show the Reps how "a mission is really accomplished."

Democratic spin aside what accounts for this major momentum on the side of Democrats?

Pick a date that you think local Democrats will announce they have successfully taken the county. if you are correct I will give you the front page of my blog for a week to choose what I write about.

This prize could be worth some major publicity for your organization.