Free Republic

If you’ve been reading Wylie Aitken’s humorous take on the Republican convention, you know he’s been trying in vain to find somebody from Orange County who has meet GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. That task will become a lot easier on Sept. 25 when the Lincoln Club and Paul Folino co-host a fundraiser featuring Palin. If you’re interested in what will likely be a high-dollar event, you can find contact information for the Lincoln Club at its Web site.

So what was the final, official vote, anyway, in that race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? And how about the breakdown in the mammoth California delegation? As of earlier today, almost a week after the much-publicized roll call vote that officially anointed Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, party officials still had not released the convention-wide numbers. (It's an academic exercise, we know, but we're still curious about it). The state-by-state roll call was memorably cut off by Clinton herself, when she moved to make Obama the nominee by acclamation. At the time, 32 delegations had weighed in and...

"The audacity - it's a word that's somewhat in vogue now, along with 'change' and 'hope' and 'unity' - the audacity that Barack Obama is offering to us and to our children, the change that he is offering ... quite frankly, is socialism," Wilson told the breakfast crowd. Individual judgment is to be replaced with central planning. Taxes will skyrocket, and money will be taken from people who work for a living and given to people who don't. "One thing we know for certain is that Barack Obama is going to have a massive tax increase were he elected president,"...

Michelle Winslow, a stay-at-home mother of three who home-schools her kids in Temecula, strongly opposes abortion and gay marriage, and said she'll vote accordingly in November. Dan Ault, a recently retired human resources administrator from Corona, couldn't care less about those issues. For Ault, 60, the most important issues at stake in this year's presidential election include runaway fuel prices and the housing foreclosure crisis. Despite their differences, Winslow and Ault both intend to vote for Republican John McCain in November. So, likely, will most voters in Inland Southern California, a longtime conservative stronghold where Republicans hold four of five...

BAY AREA (KRON) -- The unsolved murder of two San Francisco police officers has languished as cold cases for 30 years until now. A federal grand jury has been looking into the murders. Many of the people now under investigation both as potential targets and witnesses in this case are scattered across the country. Many of them are now in their 50s and 60s. Investigators believe the crimes were politically motivated and committed by militant radical groups. On August 29, 1971, sergeant John Young is killed in a barrage of gunfire when two men walk into the Ingleside police station...

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is skipping the Republican National Convention this week in Minnesota to manage an ongoing budget dispute in Sacramento. Republican officials say Fred Thompson will take his place in the prime-time lineup Monday night and onetime presidential candidate will have nearly three times longer to speak than he was originally given for his speech on Tuesday. Schwarzenegger hinted that he might skip the convention at a press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday. "The work for the people of California, and to solve this budget problem, is the most important thing right now for me," he said....

Poll: California Voters Oppose Ban on Gay Marriage Thursday, August 28, 2008 1:30 AM SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A majority of California voters oppose a ballot initiative to ban gay marriage, though they are evenly split on the practice itself, according to a poll released Wednesday. The ballot question essentially will ask voters to prohibit the practice of same-sex marriage, which was approved this year by the California Supreme Court. The discrepancy between voters' general attitudes against gay marriage and their position on banning it could be explained by a hesitancy to remove a constitutional right, said Mark Baldassare, president and...

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is skipping the Republican National Convention this week in Minnesota to manage an ongoing budget dispute in Sacramento. Republican officials say Fred Thompson will take his place in the prime-time lineup Monday night and onetime presidential candidate will have nearly three times longer to speak than he was originally given for his speech on Tuesday. Schwarzenegger hinted that he might skip the convention at a press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday. "The work for the people of California, and to solve this budget problem, is the most important thing right now for me," he said....

McCain's pick puzzles many in valleyGOP LAUDS PALIN AS 'ROLE MODEL'By Patrick May Mercury News Article Launched: 08/30/2008 01:32:52 AM PDT Sarah who? John McCain's decision to yank little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin from the obscurity of the great northern tundra and dub her his running mate had Silicon Valley Democrats and even some Republicans scratching their heads Friday. A brilliant end-run around opponent Barack Obama's mantra of change? A blatant attempt to throw a tantalizing bone to Hillary Clinton's more disgruntled female supporters? "Who's she?" asked Democrat and former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer. "I don't know what McCain's...

The gap between those who support and those who oppose same-sex marriage is closing, and a poll indicates that backing for a proposition to ban such marriages is lagging. Those were two of the main findings of a poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California and released Wednesday. The wide-ranging poll found that 60 percent of those surveyed favor bringing home troops in Iraq, that President Bush's approval rating is 24 percent and that 63 percent of likely California voters favor universal health care. However, the biggest concern among Californians today is the economy, the poll found. The...

San Diego, CA ... Gay rights and labor unions called the boycott in July to protest Manchester's donation of $125,000 to Proposition 8, which would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Manchester's money, along with contributions by several other prominent San Diego residents, helped provide the funding to put the initiative on the November ballot. The measure would overturn a California Supreme Court decision in May that paved the way for California to follow Massachusetts as the second state in the nation to allow same-sex marriages. ... A prominent developer, Manchester has been a generous political contributor. State...

LOS ANGELES, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - California churches are joining together in a determined effort in support of Proposition 8, the November ballot referendum that opposes the California Supreme Court's ruling in May allowing same-sex marriages to be performed in the state. Organizers of the ambitious interfaith alliance plan to coordinate a synchronized expression of support of Proposition 8 by having 1 million people place signs on their yards, which say "Yes on Proposition 8", in unison late in September. "This is a rising up over a 5,000-year-old institution that is being hammered right now," said Jim Garlow, pastor...

Proposition 8, the ballot initiative to protect marriage, has announced that it has received a $1 million contribution from the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. In a press release, spokesman for the Knights of Columbus, Patrick Korten said that the donation from the Knights "is both an indication of how important we believe this referendum to be, and an encouragement to other groups and individuals of all faiths to lend their support as well.” “From the day the organization was founded 126 years ago, strengthening and protecting the family has always been central to...

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama used his own name and heritage to make a point about change at a fundraiser that raised a record $7.8 million for his campaign in San Francisco Sunday.Others wrote checks for as much as $14,000 for the special Asian-Pacific Islander VIP reception filled with CEOs, executives and spouses - a few in elegant saris - that included a meeting and individual picture with Obama.Obama told the group - which included many Indian and Pakistani immigrants - that he is not only familiar with their cultures - but also proud of his lifelong association with them....

<p>WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has broken her ankle and will skip next week's Democratic National Convention.</p> <p>Feinstein, who was one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's top supporters, was to have chaired California's delegation to the convention in Denver.</p>

A confident Barack Obama raised an extraordinary $7.8 million Sunday at three California fundraisers, most of it in large checks to a Democratic Party committee. “I will win. Don’t worry about that,” he said to the crowd of about 1,300 at his third event of the evening, according to the pool report. He was warmly received by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called him "a leader that God has blessed us with at this time." Obama echoed some of the themes he discussed when he described Pennsylvanians as "bitter" and stoked controversy three months ago, but did so much more...

The recent headlines about the legalization of gay marriage in California and the efforts to reverse that decision have left me dismayed. I may be in the minority among my fellow Christians, but I find myself increasingly ashamed by the words and actions of the leaders of the religious right. Why are so many squandering precious time in an attempt to outlaw gay marriage? We could be putting our efforts for God to much better use! There are far more pressing issues the world is facing today. It should not be the priority of so many to prevent two men...

The speculation began first with Hillary, then it was Clark, a strong flirtation with 'change' soul-mate Kaine flipped to an eye towards stability with Indiana's Bayh, but now all of that has shifted over to Biden -- Joe that is -- that outspoken senator from Delaware that hails from the same part of Pennsylvania as Hillary Clinton's family and makes C-SPAN so darn interesting.

California - Barack Hussein Obama raised over $7.8 million Sunday at three California fundraisers Sunday, mostly from pro-abortion and gay activist groups, teachers unions, atheist action committees, and of course, Hollywood celebrities.He was warmly received by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who, In an apparent attempt to connect with religious liberals, called him "a leader that God has blessed us with at this time." After Obama spoke, Pelosi closed to roaring applause by again evoking God's name, this time in conjunction with the Democrat Party's highest cause: "In closing, we again give thanks to Almighty God for blessing us with His servant Barack Obama, who has done so much...

A confident Barack Obama raised an extraordinary $7.8 million Sunday at three California fundraisers, most if it in large checks to a Democratic Party committee. "I will win. Don't worry about that," he said to the crowd of about 1,300 at his third event of the evening, according to the pool report. He was warmly received by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called him "a leader that God has blessed us with at this time." Obama echoed some of the themes he discussed when he described Pennsylvanians as "bitter" and stoked controversy three months ago, but did so much more...

According to the pool report, Sen. Barack Obama told a crowd of over 1,300 in California not to worry, "I will win." Speaking at his third California financial barnstorming event yesterday -- a day that brought in a total of $7.8 million -- Obama was welcomed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She said he was a leader "that God has blessed us with at this time."

The two-hour event, attended by nearly 5,000 church members in the main auditorium and remote overflow venues, began with Warren posing questions first to Sen. Obama, as determined by a coin toss, after which the two candidates met on stage and embraced in one of their last appearances prior to their respective conventions. The second half of the program featured the same questions directed to Sen. McCain by Warren, who stressed that the candidate had been placed "under a cone of silence" prior to his turn on stage. Warren organized his thoughtful, yet hard-hitting line of inquiry into four categories,...

Now we know why the Obama campaign has been so reluctant to put their candidate on the same stage as John McCain. The difference between the two last night was striking. While Senator Obama punted on questions of great importance to the American people, and sidestepped even simple questions about whether the United States must defeat evil, John McCain offered the straight talk voters expect of a candidate for President. Senator McCain's responses reflected his long record of bipartisanship, the anecdotes accumulated from a lifetime of service to this country, and the depth of his experience on matters of...

Casting aside the hostilities that have marked their contest recently, the two senators endeavoured to woo evangelical voters, a crucial voting bloc that was instrumental in electing George W Bush twice. They were brought together by prominent evangelical Rick Warren, pastor at the huge Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. He quizzed each of the candidates separately for an hour on election issues and moral concerns, and brought them together briefly in the middle of the meeting. As a regular church-goer comfortable talking about his faith, Mr Obama is ostensibly better placed than most recent Democratic candidates to win over...

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Until recently, an event like this would have been unimaginable: The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees meeting at a megachurch to face questioning from an evangelical preacher. ... But the usual dynamic is not at play this year. More so than any Democrat since Jimmy Carter, Obama talks regularly about his Christian faith, reflecting both his own mid-20s conversion, which has played a key role in the portrait of himself he’s drawn in his two books and on the campaign trail, and his need to battle a mostly beneath-the-radar rumor campaign falsely claiming he is a...

Lake Forest, Calif.— It’s fair to say that in the hours before John McCain appeared with Barack Obama at the “Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency,” here at Pastor Rick Warren’s famed southern California mega-church, there were at least a few McCain insiders who were a bit nervous about their candidate’s prospects. Obama can be remarkably polished in this sort of situation. Unlike other Democrats, he’s not afraid to hang out with evangelicals. McCain, on the other hand, can at times be cranky and take pleasure in irritating his base. Could he come out ahead in this one? Team McCain...

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain briefly shared a stage at Rev. Rick Warren's cavernous Saddleback Church on Saturday night as they discussed what their faith means to them and highlighted their vastly different views on issues, none more stark than abortion. In the two-hour forum, Obama said it was above his "pay grade" when asked to define when a baby gets human rights. But McCain quickly answered, "At the moment of conception." The Republican senator from Arizona drew frequent applause from the nearly 2,800 members of the evangelical church in Orange County with crisp answers...

Share your thoughts about the Saddleback Civil Forum, which starts at 8:00pm EST.. Will Warren throw softballs on the issue of abortion? Will he give both candidates free passes? Will this be an attempt to minimize the lives of the unborn while giving higher priority of less urgent social issues?

The upcoming joint appearance by Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain at Rick Warren's evangelical Saddleback Church is co-sponsored by a left-leaning group led by a Unitarian-Universalist minister who once headed her denomination's homosexual advocacy office. Meg Riley is the board president of Faith in Public Life, whose board members include other theological liberals, including a pro-abortion Muslim leader and a Jewish rabbi, reported OneNewsNow. The group's stated vision hints at its challenge to the influence of the so-called religious right, saying it "envisions a country in which diverse religious voices for justice and the common good consistently impact public...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will not attend the Republican National Convention if his state’s budget crisis is not resolved before the GOP gathers on September 1. “I will not make any commitments. I will not go on vacation. I will not leave the state. I will not do anything until I have a budget,” he told the Los Angeles Times. His state’s budget deadlock is in its seventh week as California faces a $15.2 billion deficit, The Hill newspaper reports. Schwarzenegger told The Times that he had been in talks with John McCain’s campaign about a speaking role at the...

McDonald's, home of kids' Happy Meals and the Big Mac, has been cited by a boycott campaign for sponsoring conferences at which homosexuals are trained to be activists in advancing their own sexual preferences, according to the American Family Association. The AFA has launched a boycott campaign of the company for an anti-family agenda and public condemnation of traditional family supporters as being motivated by "hate." The AFA's petition and other outreaches have been assembled at the website BoycottMcDonalds.com. Now there's more reason for members and supporters of traditional families to be upset with the fast-food chain. "McDonald's does it...

Dear E-Team, I am pleased to announce that we have launched our newly redesigned campaign website. I hope that you can visit my website on a regular basis, we will be updating the blog with the latest developments on the campaign trail and I will be blogging about the important issues facing our nation. I hope you had a chance to hear our radio ad "The Real Energy Crisis." It is crucial that we continue to point out the stark difference between our call to drill for American oil and the Charlie Brown/Nancy Pelosi prohibition that got us into this...

... A Southern Baptist minister who breaks the conservative mold. Touted by some as the likely successor to Billy Graham. On Saturday, pastor Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life," will do what no one else has yet accomplished: bring the presumptive GOP and Democratic presidential nominees onto the same stage to discuss their views. It's a sign of religion's importance in the 2008 presidential campaign. The event, back-to-back one-hour interviews at Mr. Warren's California megachurch, will be broadcast live on CNN and streamed on the Web. It also represents the emergence of a new style of evangelical leadership on...

Barack Obama and John McCain are scheduled to make a joint appearance Saturday at Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif. No other candidates have been invited, which has ticked off Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr. Russ Verney, campaign manager for the former Georgia congressman, has just sent out a mass e-mail saying Barr will seek a court order to require the church to invite him, too. Which perhaps is an odd thing for a Libertarian to do — asking a judge to determine whom a church should invite into its sanctuary.

California's unemployment rate in July continued its upward flight, rising to 7.3%, a four-tenths of a percentage point jump from its June level, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday. It was the worst unemployment showing since July 1996 when the Golden State was still recovering from a deep recession that began in the early 1990s.

O.K., sorry for the vanity but I have a concern. This Saturday night, McCain and Obama do a forum together at Saddleback Church, where Rick Warren is the Pastor. This can be crucial, relative to the religious vote in this presidential campaign. Many think the smooth-talking Obama is going to come off great and leave John McCain, who is not one to talk about regligion, looking like a dolt. Many believe this will be a huge opportunity and advantage for Obama. I wish to heck Rick Warren would have left well-enough alone. He's just got to have some "spotlight". This...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Rev. Rick Warren said Thursday that his upcoming forum with Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama will be aimed at asking them tough "heartland questions." The Rev. Rick Warren appeared on CNN's The Situation Room Thursday. The candidates will appear together at Warren's 20,000-member Saddleback mega-church in southern California. "Well, I'm a pastor, not a pundit," he told CNN's Suzanne Malveaux on Thursday's "Situation Room." "One of the things we're going to do is I'm going to ask identical questions to both candidates, which will be different. "I'm not going to play 'gotcha' with one candidate...

When John McCain and Barack Obama appear on the same stage Saturday at the sprawling religious campus of Orange County's Saddleback Church, their presence will vividly underline the reach that has made Pastor Rick Warren among the most significant evangelists of his generation. ~snip~ But Warren's willingness to soft-pedal political issues once central to U.S. evangelicals, such as opposition to abortion, has opened him to criticism that he has strayed from his calling to spread the Gospel. It's likely that both fans and critics will be watching closely when Warren plays host to the two presidential contenders at his church...

UPI: Sheehan, known for her protests outside President George Bush's ranch in Texas, said she's collected enough signatures to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate for Congress, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The state's official description of Proposition 8 on the November ballot will remain as is, a statement that the measure would eliminate same-sex couples' right to marry in California. Sponsors of the measure argued that the title and summary drafted by Attorney General Jerry Brown were argumentative and designed to encourage voters to oppose Prop. 8. But after two defeats in court last week, the Yes on 8 campaign said today it would not appeal to the state Supreme Court. "We intend to leave the final outcome to the voters," said campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Kerns. The initiative would amend the...

"As citizens of California,” Catholics need “to avail ourselves of the opportunity” to overturn the the California Supreme Court’s May 15 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, said the California Catholic Conference in a statement issued last week. The California Catholic Conference is the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan qualified today for a November showdown with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, collecting the signatures needed to get on the ballot as an independent candidate for Congress. "We're very excited," said Sheehan, 51, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who is well-known for her protest outside President Bush's Texas ranch. "Now we have to get organized and regroup." Republican Dana Walsh and Libertarian Philip Berg will join Pelosi and Sheehan on the Nov. 4 ballot. The collection of signatures by Sheehan's campaign was more exciting than usual. On Wednesday, the campaign was...

A ballot label that declares Proposition 8 "eliminates (the) right of same-sex couples to marry" will remain intact after a Sacramento County judge today dismissed a challenge by supporters of the measure. Sponsors of the Nov. 4 ballot measure had argued that Attorney General Jerry Brown's formal title and summary of the measure were prejudicial. But Sacramento County Judge Timothy Frawley disagreed that Brown acted in favor of opponents of the measure when he changed the ballot title -- "Limit on Marriage" -- that was on petitions circulated last year to qualify the ballot measure. "Petitioner has failed to explain...

It looks like a once beloved figure in the so-called antiwar movement is about to face a humiliating rejection by her peers.Three years ago this August, anti-American activist Cindy Sheehan was foisted on the American people by Marxist front groups and their allies in the mainstream media.Sheehan became a media darling when she was attacking President Bush over the war in Iraq. She became a household name--more well-known than the first soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor in the war on terror, SFC Paul Smith--for her nearly month long protest of President Bush in Crawford, Texas during his...

SACRAMENTO - PG&E, the huge utility that serves Northern California, has waded into the controversy over same-sex marriage by donating $250,000 to the campaign against Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage. The donation was announced Tuesday morning by Equality California, a gay rights group that is opposing the ban, and PG&E officials. In a news release, Nancy McFadden, vice president for PG&E, said the utility was "proud to join No on 8 and Equality California to protect the freedom to marry for all Californians." A spokeswoman for Proposition 8, Jennifer Kerns, said she was not surprised.

If voters approve a November ballot measure banning same-sex marriages in California, thousands of gay and lesbian weddings conducted since the state Supreme Court legalized the unions on May 15 will probably remain valid, Attorney General Jerry Brown said today. The potential effect of Proposition 8 on existing same-sex marriages is already being debated among legal scholars and opposing sides in the Nov. 4 ballot measure campaign. Brown's position is significant because his office will represent the state in lawsuits over Prop. 8's validity and meaning if it passes. The measure would amend the state Constitution to declare that "only...

Ralph Nader, the former Green Party candidate and scourge of many Democrats who blame him for Al Gore's defeat in 2000, earned a place on the California ballot Saturday as the newly minted candidate of the Peace and Freedom Party. Nader won the party's presidential nomination over the spirited challenge of a socialist candidate, Gloria La Riva, in an eclectic gathering of the political left in a Sacramento hotel. The crowd at the Peace and Freedom convention was minuscule when compared to the crowds who will greet John McCain at the Republican convention at the Xcel Energy Center in St....

According to local pastor Wiley Drake, the 5.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Southern California on Tuesday was not just one of those typical seismic events that take place with some regularity in these parts, but it was "[a]nother queer quake trying to get California's attention." Apparently, the Lord is mad about the legalization of gay marriage in this state. He can't be that mad, given that the quake didn't cause any death or much destruction, but Rev. Drake offers a warning: "We had better listen. 5.4 this time what is next!?" Drake is something of a caricature of a religious-right...

Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates in California are going after a state ballot proposition that would allow parental notification on abortions. They are saying the measure's ballot summary should be changed because the teen the law is named after was married at the time of the abortion that killed her.Named for a 15-year-old girl who died just four days after a legal abortion left her with a torn cervix and fatal infection, Sarah's Law, if approved, will protect the health and safety of young girls.The California Secretary of State qualified Sarah's Law for the November ballot after backers submitted...

July 30, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As the California Marriage Amendment debate heats up Barack Obama and John McCain have made clear their respective positions on the issue. Two weeks after the California Supreme Court announced its decision to allow same-sex couples to "marry", opponents of same-sex marriage succeeded in placing on the November ballot a proposed constitutional amendment which states: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." If passed, the measure would reverse the recent court decision. Mr. Obama recently made his position public in a letter sent to a San Francisco homosexual...