I understand your point that "it's not like different languages are spoken in Thousand Oaks and Moorpark or that the cultures are different." Simi, Moorpark and T.O. are basically the same culturally and demographically. And certainly the term "carpetbagger" has come to mean more than it's original meaning having to do with Northerners moving to ... See Morethe South during Reconstruction. But in terms of local politics, you really can't get any closer to a carpetbagger than this. The term is appropriate and it certainly won't be the last time you hear it associated with this contest. In fact, I'm thinking of moving to the 2nd so I can vote against the carpetbagger.

But there's no practical implications of it, just political ones. I understand it will be an issue during the campaign, but it seems to me it's just empty criticism.

Keep to the facts Alan: Parks crossed the aisle herself in 2008 when she supported Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson for State Senate. Her votes lean left 86% of the time,check the records! She is a Democrat and always be a Democrat! A black cat can never change its color, it can spray itself white but eventually the black with show thru!

Audra Strickland should use that during her campaign "that Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks are all the same". She has a lock on the election now.

Strickland becomes a T.O. resident to run for the 2nd District, Parks becomes a Republican to be competitive in the 2nd District. We seem to have a distinction without a difference.

Parks is a Dem. Her voting record is too far left for the district, she endorsed Democrat HBJ in '08, she's endorsing Democrat Susan Jordan this year, she has never met a tax she didn't like.

What more is there to know about Parks and why the district is rejecting her?

A big so-what if Linda endorsed Hannah-Beth Jackson instead of Tony Strickland. A recent Ventura City Council winner did the same and laughed at having there be "displeasure" for not endorsing TS. Just because you are Republican, doesn't mean you have to support the Stricklands.

That's laughter you hear now Katie, laughter at the thought that you have any relevance to any election!

You managed to take a shot at Strickland without addressing the underlying issue----taxes and Parks' love of them!

Linda Parks' dismal record on job creation and economic development will become more apparent as this campaign progresses. She has consistently misrepresented herself to the voters by saying one thing and doing another after she's been elected.

Her positions on environmental protection are extreme and out of step with the voters in the 2nd District. She will now be in a position of having to defend her stand on these and other issues in a competitive race. This is good for democracy and good for the voters in her district.

I look forward to the results.

There have been a number of Republicans (Joe Gibson and Herb Gooch) in the last election for BOS 2nd district that did not have a finger lifted to help. And I believe Joel Angeles took photos and harrased Linda in her first run for Supervisor - there were several articles on it.

The underlying issue is one of carpetbagging - and that is exactly what Audra is doing.

Where did Linda stand on the HomeDepot/Doit Center measure. I remember Dianne Alexander's husband spoke out against having HomeDepot coming in.

And Mike, I sure hope you aren't using tax payer time or equipment for your blogging or monitoring of Eric's musings - your boss wouldn't like it and it is a waste of taxpayer money.

You're finally right about something Katie. During the last 2nd District BOS Election the Ventura County Republican Party didn't do a thing to help Herb Gooch or Joe Gibson.

Why? Because Leslie Cornejo, supported by you, was the Chair. The party not active in any of the elections, was raising no money and providing no help.

Things have changed, the party is now active, raising money and getting Republicans elected....what a difference a Chair makes!

Time to get with the times, Katie. I no longer work for the County. I am doing consulting work, so my time is my time.

You are, of course, ignoring the issue of Linda's misrepresentation of her positions on the issues. She claims to be a fiscal conservative and a business-friendly representative, but her voting record shows otherwise. She has voted for every tax increase that has come her way and she consistently supports undue restrictions on development of private property, which would produce multiple job opportunities and benefits to the County's economy.

I am glad that Audra has decided to throw her hat in the ring. At least now we will get an honest and open debate about Linda Parks' performance as Supervisor. She will continue to try and throw up the carpetbagging smokescreen in an attempt to deflect criticism of her own record. But, I am confident that people in the 2nd District are smarter than that and will see through these tactics.

Audra provides a clear and obvious alternative to the failed policies of Linda Parks. I look forward to this race.

Ron, there was nothing that prevented anyone from participating or being active and that didn't happen. And the party is not raising money - it is now washing money. And the party is losing ground for voter registration and holding offices. Times have changed. The only activity now is to support the Stricklands.

You're right again Katie, you were neither participating nor active.

Why Mike - I guess you are right! I was going by your election data in the recent Ventura City Council race. I'm glad to see your comments are being made on your own dime.

I suspect the people of the 2nd District are not going to be happy with a carpetbagger on the ballot - and I suspect several in the county are going to similarly "move" so they can vote.

Audra should stay at home and be a parent to her children - poor kids. That would be the right thing to do instead of running around like a chicken for different offices. Not a good impression.

Ron, by the way, I was the one who suggested that the bylaws be changed because the way they stood there could be no endorsements in contested races. Not that bylaws matter anymore. They obviously aren't being followed for endorsements now because candidates aren't even being called in. Heck, candidates aren't even being listed on the website. CAPC had to start listing them.

Most of the people who did anything, myself included, quit. Yep, I was and still am a doer.

Independent thought - it is a dangerous thing!!

Well Katie, everyone I've talked to said Leslie was told to leave and take you with her. Also you two were the only ones who left, all the electeds stayed.

Care to comment?

Ask Larrisa Nelson, the Secretary for whom I was an alternate, about my departure. Mike Osborn called her first thing and demanded that I leave - she said no. I quit when I was ready (after I got CAPC going). And in fact, Leslie left after me. A number of people left - Bob and Carol Rogers, Wes Shipway, Debi Schulze, and the list goes on. Best thing to do is look at a roster from 2005 and compare it to the one today and then ask where everyone went. And then ask why are you being lied to and what other lies are you being told.

I was never elected by the way. And some of the electeds no longer showed up. And now the committee members aren't even listed on the website.

Those are "most of the people who did anything?"

Four people?

You left, your few friends left, and the Party started electing people.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm Your ability to re-write history is only eclipsed by your inability to grasp the facts.

Jeez Ron - you want me to list everyone??? Here it is from summer of 06

Distrist 1

Jim Prosser
Virginia Gonzales
Gerry Moreno
Mike Osborn
Carol Rogers (alt)

District 2

Wes Shipway
Dianne Alexander
Mark Hynum
Sandy Patrizio
Don Yates
Arkady Milgram

District 3

Clark Johnson
Larissa Nelson
David Tennessen
Chris Valenzano
Dave Irwin (alt)
Terri Landes (alt)
Katie Teague (alt)

Dstrict 4

Peggy Sadler
John Absmeier
Reg Richardson
Debi Schultze
Jason Spadaro

District 5
Leslie Cornejo
Mike Plisky (alt)
Mike Gallardo

Other Alts

Joe Gibson, Daryl Reynolds,Michael Tennenbaum, Kay Deal, Clay Blackmere, Elaine Freeman,

And now??

Mary Osborn – Caucus Chair, Neil Andrews, John McBride, Mike Osborn, Paul Thompson

2nd District-

John Andersen – Caucus Chair, Darin Henry, Rebecca Henry, Don Yates, John Andersen, Arkady Milgram

3rd District-
Chris Valenzano, Toni Strickland, Deyla Valenzano

4th District –

John Absmeier – Caucus Chair, Peggy Sadler, Reg Richardson, Dean Kunicki , Ray Cruz

5th District

Patricia Scordy

Alternates

Daryl Reynolds, Kay Deal, Dianne Alexander

What is the Strickland's new address in Thousand Oaks? I want to bring over some cookies and welcome them to the community.

Thanks for a lively debate, everyone.

To: voter

http://www.jordan4assembly.org/endorsements/view-endorsements/

You said that Linda Parks endorses Jordan, but I don't see her listed. Please don't make stuff up, even if this is just a blog.

Likewise, Scheurn, where can a person look up 86% of left-leaning votes in the records? Do you have a link?

Thanks,
a.person

Katie,

I just checked the election returns for the '06 Primary and it appears that, at least in the 1st & 2nd Districts, most of your friends lost their elections.

That hardly qualifies as "Most of the people who did anything, myself included, quit."

Losing an election, even you will have to admit, is a very different action than quitting.

Why don't you check if there was a slate mailer or two that were sent out and un(der) reported for those districts?

Look, a number of people quit. Four alone in the two districts you mentioned. And I will absolutely stand by the statement that most of the people who did anything, quit. And the Republicans currently have the voter registration to prove it. It is a blue county now and getting bluer.

Yeah, it's a blue County now. Much to Katie's delight.

Mike,

Nobody likes watching what the VCRCC is doing to the local Republican party...

It's going to be a blue county forever after Audra Strickland is finished sef-medicating her ego by running in the 2nd district. That's one of the Republican's strongest areas and it's going to be ruined. Muahhahahaha!

Did you guys talk with the state or National Republican party before trying this stunt? I'm wondering how far up the food chain this stupidity goes.

Mike,

Nobody likes watching what the VCRCC is doing to the local Republican party... : )

It's going to be a blue county forever after Audra Strickland is finished sef-medicating her ego by running in the 2nd district. That's one of the Republican's strongest areas and it's going to be ruined. Muahhahahaha!

Did you guys talk with the state or National Republican party before trying this stunt? I'm wondering how far up the food chain this stupidity goes.

Read the letters to the editor in today's paper - everyone and their brother knows that the VCRCC is now owned and operated by the Stricklands - employees, interns, relatives. And the rest of the county isn't happy. The only defenders are the fake name bloggers on this and Brian Dennert's blog and they are probably employees of the Stricklands.

Nobody, given Ron Nehring is the supposed chair of the CRP, the stupidty level goes all the way up in the state. He has cost the CRP plenty in funds, etc. not to mention the way he treats women. He should resign. California continues to lose ground.

Katie,

What did you do with all that anger before you focused it on Republicans?

Who are the Republicans, alive now, that you support?

Off the top of my head:

Nationally: George Bush; Guiliani

At the state level: Tom Campbell, Madonaldo, Smythe, Richman,

At the local level: Geoff Dean for Sheriff, Mike Tracey for Ventura City Council,

Don't Likes: Palin, McCain, Stricklands, spineless and/or incompetent wonders locally

Now you do the same!

Let's see,

National
Bush, Romney, Whitman, Giuliani (correct spelling),Gallegly

State
Stricklands, Smyth (correct spelling), Garrick, Denham

Local
Foy, Irwin, Fox, Tracy (correct spelling), Andrews, Parvin, Osborn

A few more probably.

Oooops,

Irwin's not a Republican.

My bad

Hahaha! Thanks for the tip Voter. Heads up Irwin might be the next HBJ republican plant.

Katie are all your picks "centrist" republicans?

Nope - who I pick and who CAPC picks are different things. I'm a conservative Republican - as is Bush.

Palin is an idiot, I never liked McCain and feel that as 28+ years in congress, he is part of the problem, Whitman has no integrity but will no doubt win the GOP primary but not the general, Romney is Mormon and unfortunately the Mormon Church went out of its way on the Prop 8 issue, Guilini is definately moderate and I don't agree with him on alot of things but he is a good leader and I could go on and on but I'll stop.

Katie, if you don't like McCain or Palin, who did you support in the presidential election? Did you hold your nose and vote for them, abstain, or *gulp* vote for hope and change?

Eric, that's the beauty of the American system of voting - it is private!!!

I do think Palin cost McCain the election. He should have picked Condi.

McCain is the ultimate centrist/independent-minded Republican. Why is it that you don't support him, Katie? Oh, I forgot, you are a "conservative" Republican.

Vents - my previous post states that McCain has been in Congress for almost 3 decades and is part of the problem. By picking Palin, he yet again demonstrated that he was interested in votes not substance. The presidency was his to lose, and he lost it.

I disagree with you that the presidency was McCain's to lose. At the time, there was huge public dissatisfaction with the Republican Party because of the blunders of the Bush administration, among other things. I think even if we had resurrected Ronald Reagan from the grave we would have had a difficult time beating Obama in that election given the mood of the nation.

I agree that McCain wasn't the best candidate we could have fielded. I voted for Giuliani in the primary, but he self-destructed early in the campaign. McCain's pick of Palin for VP was, as you say, designed to attract more conservative voters and ended up backfiring on him. But, I think he did his best under the circumstances and I feel that, the way things are going right now, we should have a much better chance in 2012. It's going to have to be someone other than Palin though.

What I couldn't believe was that McCain lost in this county. And he was ahead until he picked Palin and steadily lost ground nationwide. But such is life. At least we both agree that Palin would be a terrible choice for 2012. Maybe Romney but the Prop 8 thing is going to kill him. Guliani is getting to be too old. It will have to be some new meat I think.

I didn't think it was that surprising that McCain lost in this County. Remember, the Obama momentum wave was in full force at that time and the County has, in fact, become a blue County (much to my regret).

I don't think Romney is the best choice for 2012 either. Not so much because of Prop. 8 (it won, remember?), but because he is too representative of the past in the Republican Party. I think we're going to need fresh blood in there in 2012. What do you think of Tim Pawlenty & Bobby Jindal?

If Jindal is the Louisianna guy - he might have a chance.

Yeah, I agree, he's a good guy and has some fresh ideas that may be welcome in today's political environment. His response to the Obama inaugural speech was kind of lame, but everyone has a bad day.

I wasn't impressed with his speech either.

You both are forgetting that McCain/Palin were leading in every poll right up to the time the economy tanked in late September.

When the economy crashed hard on Bush's watch McCain was finished.

While the economy tanking might have been the final nail in the coffin for McCain, voter, I think the momentum was already swinging Obama's way well before that.

There were many other issues associated with the Bush administration that worked against McCain's election as well - the war in Iraq, the Wall Street bailout, his ties with big oil. Not to mention all the untimely scandals involving Republican members of Congress in the months leading up to the election.

KVA:

I disagree...

Palin's selection energized what up until then was a dispirited Republican base in a way that McCain's American-Hero legacy, coupled with his Maverick-like behavior (i.e. McCain-Feingold) did-not, nor could-not.

Further, both the media buzz leading up to and the actual timing of Palin's selection, on the same day as Obama gave his Hollywood extravaganza acceptance speech in Denver, effectively overshadowed the media-hype results that Axelrod and Plouffe were banking on. If my memory serves me correctly, news of Palin’s selection trumped Obama’s acceptance speech hits on numerous Internet sites, by substantial numbers.

To paraphrase James Carville 1992 statement, "..It was the September 2008 rapid economic meltdown stupid that sank McCain, not Palin .."

Remarkably, after a little more than only one-year in office, Obama's approval ratings are hovering in the mid-40's range, after dropping lower and faster (i.e. 20%+) in his first year in office than any other President; millions of Americans are out-of-work, with real unemployment rates approaching 20% for the 18-24 year old cohort; there are more troops in Iraq and Afghanistan than when he took office, Health-care legislation is in shambles, and Wall-Street investment banks, including his crony-capitalist friends at Goldman-Sachs, are doing “God’s work” and reaping record profits and bonuses, courtesy of the American taxpayer, while millions struggle to keep their homes and jobs.

With a record like that, is it any wonder that less than nine-months before the 2010 Mid-Terms, it’s the Democratic base that is depressed, dispirited and increasingly fractured? Not to mention the current wholesale desertion of Independents, who were crucial to the Democratic recapturing of Congress, and Obama's 2008 Presidential victory, from the Democratic-fold.

And as George Santayana reminds anyone who will listen, "..Those who forget the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them.."

Now, as someone once said, in American politics, two weeks is an eternity.. So anything can, and likely will happen between now and November of 2010. But one thing is certain, if Obama and the Democrats can't get their political act together and effectively improve America's economic future for the better, and fast, come November of 2010, they will experience an electoral blood-bath which will make 1994 look like a skinned-knee..

NostraDemus