The Last Brokered Convention The last brokered Republican convention was in Philadelphia in 1948. It took Governor Thomas E. Dewey three ballots to beat out several formidable rivals to get a majority of the votes. My grandmother, Florence Doe, was one of those delegates, and late in life she pined for those days when conventions […]

Turning The Clock Back The South Carolina presidential debate on February 13 made it abundantly clear that the only potty trained Republican on the dais was Ohio Governor John Kasich. I would have included Dr. Ben Carson on the list, but after he said the Pyramids of Giza were actually grain silos, I haven’t paid […]

Debbie Does Double Dipping Remember when Dr. Evil put his pinky on the corner of his mouth and declared that the world would be held ransom for ONE MILLION DOLLARS? That movie moment is what came to mind when reading about Assemblyman Devon Mathis’ newest attempt to pass a bill. His signature bill for 2016 […]

What Does It Take to Elect a Mexican Around Here? Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during a recent SPOT meeting that Tulare County is 63% Hispanic and that the sheriff’s department is 43% Hispanic. The sheriff’s goal is to reflect the community, so he was pretty content with the department’s progress. Compared to where […]

We Need To Talk About Trump My 21-year-old son sits in front of the TV while eating his lunch and frets over Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s polling numbers. One of the last polls before the New Year had Mr. Trump at 38%. After months of hearing the same numbers, it’s easy to believe that […]

Hair on Fire The Visalia Times-Delta printed an op-ed on December 10 written by Tulare County Supervisor Phil Cox that set Visalia’s staff and city council’s hair on fire. Mayor Steve Nelsen said, “I take exception to his op-ed,” which was one of the more tame comments. The lingering message Mr. Cox wanted the reader […]

Tulare County Supervisor Election For District 1 Gets Even More Crowded When I first reported on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors District 1 race back in October, I neglected to mention that Visalia Unified School District Board member Jim Qualls was also running. Since October another contender has thrown his hat in the ring, […]

Have You Seen the Picture of Ben Carson and Jesus Yet? For anyone who hasn’t had the time to keep a tally on Presidential Candidate Dr. Ben Carson’s enlightening statements, no worries, I have them listed here. Consider it prep for Thanksgiving dinner when your crazy uncle, who listens to conservative talk show radio, starts […]

It’s Like Watching Your Favorite Sports Team “You know, I think Jeb Bush is toast,” said Nate Silver, political pollster, after the Republican debate. Besides his debate performances, Gov. Bush’s Chief Operating Officer just resigned, or quit, and he has had to cut 40% of his staff. Is it just me or is everyone shocked […]

Can You Smell the Reefer Yet? When Californians vote to legalize marijuana in November of 2016, which seems likely happen, pot will be legal up and down the entire West Coast, including Alaska. But California is the biggest prize of 2016. A victory in California could possibly portend the beginning of the end of the […]