California

In tomorrow's special election in California’s 36^th Congressional District, Los Angeles city council member Janice Hahn, a well-known Democrat, leads Craig Huey, a Tea Party-backed Republican and businessman. The race, long considered a sure bet for Democrats, seems now to be a little closer than expected. Huey has surged in this heavily Democratic southern California district, according to a Daily Kos-SEIU poll released today, and now trails Hahn by only eight points.

Two months ago, I wrote about the plight of a private, Tocquevillian-style civil association in the small town of Orcutt, California. That group, the Old Town Orcutt Revitalization Association (OTORA), has raised $60,000 in private donations to build a flagpole — from which the American flag would fly — encircled by a memorial to the U.S. armed forces. The flagpole and monument would be located between a highway exit and an adjacent park-and-ride lot, at the entrance to the community’s Old Town section. But the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) refused to grant approval for the project. Finally, citing a 9th Circuit Court ruling, CalTrans declared that hanging an American flag on public land constitutes an impermissible act of “public expression.”

Last week the Supreme Court reentered the business of dubious liberal policymaking with its decision in a case from California, Plata v. Brown. With Justice Kennedy writing for himself and four colleagues, the Court sustained a lower court’s order requiring the state to reduce the number of convicted criminals in its correctional facilities by as many as 46,000.

Perry contemplating throwing a 10 gallon hat in the ring?

California is now "Where Dreams Die."

"Sharron Angle Drops Out Of NV-02 Special Election, Calls Process ‘A Mockery’"

"My question is, what the hell was the Secret Service agent driving the limo doing drinking a Slurpee while on duty?"

"Greece is fast running out of money"

Who's afraid of Chris Christie? Obama.

Alternate headline: "Honestly, Who Cares?"

Stanley Kurtz: "This is Your Pawlenty Wake-Up Call"

"The Center for Public Integrity smears Mitch Daniels"

In the small town of Orcutt, California, a private association has raised donations to erect a flagpole and monument between a highway exit and a park-and-ride lot, at the entrance to the community’s Old Town section.

"JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR"

"Cheney: Justice Probe of CIA Interrogators an 'Outrage'"

Oh goody: "Trump Will ‘Probably’ Run as Independent If He Doesn’t Win GOP Nomination"

Kevin Williamson: "The Democrats want 2012 to be about anything other than deficit-reduction. Expect an onslaught on the social-issues front, from abortion subsidies to gay marriage. Conservatives should not let them change the subject."

While Democrats did well throughout the state of California in last November's election, they didn't everywhere: San Diego took a slight turn to the right.

Dictator from Neptune says capitalism killed life on Mars.

"CAIR Sought Qaddafi Money"

Rand Paul "Tests Presidential Waters"

If you want an abortion in South Dakota, you now have to think it over for 72 hours.

President Obama’s controversial plan for a high-speed rail system took a hit Tuesday as the top California member of Congress, House majority whip Kevin McCarthy, voiced strong opposition to building a new rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco.