Free Republic

CARLSBAD, Calif. - Republicans seized on Democrat Francine Busby's comments that sounded like encouragement for illegal immigrants to help her campaign as the GOP sought an edge in the final hours of a surprisingly close House race. Immigration looms large in the runoff election Tuesday in the San Diego-area district some 30 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Busby's remarks, and her subsequent explanation that she misspoke, has drawn much of the attention in the race's last days. Speaking to a largely Hispanic audience last Thursday, Busby faced a Spanish-speaking questioner who said he wanted to help her campaign but lacked...

In California this election season, it's all about you-know-who. From one photograph to the next, in mailers promoting dozens of races on the Nov. 2 ballot, the only discernible difference is which Republican candidate happens to be standing at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's side. The same principle holds with many of the groups for or against this year's 16 ballot initiatives. A door hanger distributed in Los Angeles County even implores voters to "join Arnold" by defeating two initiatives on which Schwarzenegger has taken no position. --- snip --- Over the summer, during state budget negotiations, Schwarzenegger pressured the Legislature's leaders,...