California: Ron Nehring

The Yacht Party wrapped up their convention in Sacramento yesterday, and while they didn't censure the members of the caucus who voted for tax hikes, they did deprive them of support in future elections.  There's a problem with this, of course - only Dave Cogdill and Anthony Adams are running for their seats in the next election, as everyone else is termed out.  In addition, what this really prevents is slate mailers, not really anything else.  It doesn't prevent mailers that candidates can buy a spot on, or funding from individual members of the party, etc.  This measure is good for the "heads on a stick" crowd but not for much else.

The Yacht Party wrapped up their convention in Sacramento yesterday, and while they didn't censure the members of the caucus who voted for tax hikes, they did deprive them of support in future elections.  There's a problem with this, of course - only Dave Cogdill and Anthony Adams are running for their seats in the next election, as everyone else is termed out.  In addition, what this really prevents is slate mailers, not really anything else.  It doesn't prevent mailers that candidates can buy a spot on, or funding from individual members of the party, etc.  This measure is good for the "heads on a stick" crowd but not for much else.

Shawn Steel, one of three Republican National Committee members from California, is looking for a "superstar" to be the face of the party as the next RNC chair.

"I'm looking for a superstar that can go on T.V. or radio and put a couple of sentences together and make an effective, immediate presence, not somebody who has to be trained and tested," Steel, who will vote for the next RNC chair in January, told PolitickerCA.com.

While experience in front of the camera is important, it is hardly the only requirement, Steel said.

California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring is in Washington, D.C., this week attending a three-day meeting with other Republican officials hosted by high-profile conservative groups.

The discussions, Nehring said, will concern "the future of the party and the conservative movement."

The meeting, hosted by Americans for Tax Reform and the American Conservative Union, has attracted a number of the candidates for chair of the Republican National Committee.