** GIULIANI IN “SILICON VALLEY.” Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had a fundraiser this afternoon in Burlingame, billed by supporters as a Silicon Valley event. (Actually, in point of fact, Burlingame is not in the Valley, it’s on the San Francisco Peninsula, north of the Valley.) He’ll also do some fundraising in Beverly Hills, following on the heels of birthday fundraising in New York (he turned 63 on Memorial Day), where he was dogged by 9/11 victim families and firefighters union officials, who, striking at the heart of his candidacy, assail him for his leadership on and immediately after 9/11. But that is another matter.
Giuliani attacked the former first lady, whose husband, former President Bill Clinton, was a great favorite of California’s high tech elite, for supporting increases in capital gains taxes and rolling back the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthiest.
Giuliani is just the first of three major presidential candidates to appear in Silicon Valley, or thereabouts, in just over 24 hours.
Democrat John Edwards is doing a town hall meeting at Google right now. Hillary Clinton herself will address the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which provided a backdrop for one of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s events in favor of his comprehensive health care plan, last week. And Barack Obama will be arriving this weekend.
** VILLARAIGOSA IS A NATIONAL CHAIR OF HILLARY CLINTON’S CAMPAIGN. As revealed yesterday on NWN, LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this afternoon endorsed Hillary Clinton at an event on the UCLA campus. Villaraigosa will serve as one of the national chairs of her presidential campaign.
** AL QAEDA’S AMERICAN PRISONERS STILL NOT LOCATED. A 19th day of searching by thousands of US troops south of Baghdad for the two remaining surviving American soldiers captured in an ambush by Al Qaeda has ended. The prisoners have still not been located.
** ARNOLD IN CANADA. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tour continues. He visited a stem cell research lab in Toronto and announced that UC Berkeley’s Stem Cell Center and Canada’s International Regulome Consortium will coordinate research. He and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty then announced the creation of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, which will coordinate and fund cancer stem cell research of both Canada and California researchers, universities and private industry. The Ontario Institute of Cancer Research (OICR) will donate the first $30 million, that’s Canadian dollars, to fund the new consortium.
Then Schwarzenegger addressed the luncheon of the Toronto Economic Club, where he received the Newsmaker of the Year award. This afternoon, he meets with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Hunter in the national capital of Ottawa.
** REPUBLICAN SCUFFLING ON IMMIGRATION CONTINUES. The McCain campaign wonders if Mitt Romney, now a staunch foe of illegal immigration after previous ambiguous statements, will respond to President Bush’s characterization of criticism of the immigration bill as “empty political rhetoric, trying to frighten our citizens.” Probably not.
** INFORMAL BUSH-PUTIN SUMMIT SET FOR MAINE. With relations between America and Russia deeply strained as Russia reasserts its role as a great power and cracks down on dissent at home, President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on July 1st and 2nd at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.
** CALIFORNIA AND ONTARIO ACCORD ON CLIMATE CHANGE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, continuing his jaunt through Canada, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty for the American state and the Canadian province to develop ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. As Ontario is Canada’s chief car-producing province, it may not be as amenable to California’s overall cap on greenhouse gas emissions. But the premier of the Canadian province has committed it to follow California’s new low carbon fuel standard, in which the carbon content of transportation fuels sold in the state is to be reduced 10% by 2020.
“We are going to work with Ontario to develop a similar low carbon fuel policy in their region,” says Schwarzenegger, “which is even more powerful because Ontario is known as the ‘Detroit of Canada,’ the hub of all the automobile manufacturing. So what we are doing here today would be like establishing a Low Carbon Fuel Standard in Michigan. Just imagine the progress we will make in our fight against global warming.”
** WHO KIDNAPPED THE BRITS IN BAGHDAD? A top aide to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says their militia did not kidnap five Brits from the finance ministry, as many suspect. It would seem an odd move, since Sadr is back from Iran and his movement, which has begun cooperating with US forces, seems poised to play a significant role in a new Iraqi government that may be at least partially worked out in negotiations between the US and Iran. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t do it, for reasons yet unfathomable.
** A NEW/OLD TACK. With the lawsuit to overturn California Attorney General Jerry Brown’s ballot description having predictably failed, and with new polling indicating positive prospects for the initiative to change term limits next February, the backers of the current term limit law in the Golden State, headed by Washington-based US Term Limits, are turning to a golden oldie tactic. Attack the politicians. They intend to attack the state Legislature as corrupt and do-nothing. It’s not a popular institution, though it’s not as unpopular as it was, so it’s not an unsound thing to do. But with the relatively minor distinctions between the current version and the proposed version — 14 years allowable in both houses today (only six in the Assembly, eight in the Senate) vs. 12 years allowable in both houses in the new version, but all 12 could be served in the same house — voters may shrug at the fuss. That’s especially true if Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is very popular, weighs in on behalf of the change.
** AL QAEDA’S AMERICAN PRISONERS STILL NOT LOCATED. Thousands of American troops are now in the midst of an 18th day of searching for the remaining two US soldiers captured by Al Qaeda in an ambush south of Baghdad. They have had no luck so far. But the activity may be preventing Al Qaeda from having the time and space to film the captives in a propaganda bonanza.
** Track global and national energy prices in near real time via Bloomberg. Most crude oil prices have dropped to the $63 per barrel level.
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I don’t see why people care so much about changing term limits there. A few years difference here or there. So what?
Personally I’m against term limits of any kind but if we have to have them, and I guess we must, then this is good news and I hope this passes.
Here’s an interesting view re: term limits from former SF Board of Supervisors president Matt Gonzalez, who was being interviewed about possibly running against SF mayor Gavin Newsom again.
from BeyondChron:
“Q: How have you enjoyed being in private life?
A: Well, it’s been very good to me. It’s made me think that instead of term limits, we ought to make elected officials leave public office for a while before they can seek successive terms. Maybe after two terms, make them spend one out.
It’s good for reflection. Lets you see things with fresh eyes, and allows you to truly identify with the frustrations regular citizens have with governmental bureaucracies.”
Isn’t Gonzales a vagabond who can’t decide what to do with his life? He’s not going to run against Gavin Newsom.
I wonder if term limits mean much one way or another.
Actually, I think they tend to make individual legislators less important.
I should write about that.
Maine? Isn’t that were Fred Thompson hid the Red October? Wait, that was Chesapeake Bay near Maryland. Let’s hope no side trips are planned. I bet Putin is still pissed about that from his KGB days.
I think it was Alec Baldwin who hid the Red October, along with Sean Connery. I think it was Maine.
Well, Captain Ramius killed Politburo Officer Ivan Putin. Was that Vladimir’s brother?
I was just about to say that the zampolit’s name was Putin.
He was not actually a politburo officer, since the politburo was the inner political steering group of the Kremlin, but a political officer.
In the Soviet armed forces, units all had political officers assigned to ensure the “reliability” of command and procedures.
Bob Sallady at the silly La Times political blog let his mask slip with the snarkiest digs at Schwarzeneger yet.
Ann, I’ll break the Barbara rule and respond to your insipid comment re: Matt Gonzalez: you have no idea what you are writing about. Gonzalez is a successful public interest attorney and remains active as a member of the Green Party. Lots of people think he’d be a good candidate against Newsom; Gonzalez says Newsom should be challenged but that he prefers former Mayor Art Agnos for the job.
Obviously, he’s already decided what to do with his life and is doing it. The Democrat party establishment didn’t think he was a vagabond when they brought out the big guns like Al Gore to campaign for Newsom, who barely beat Gonzalez. His point re: politicians taking time off to get in touch with reality shows more wisdom than most current, former, or would-be officeholders have.
Insipid, Paul? Insipid is what you say about a man who claims to lead a movement and drops out of politics because he lost his mayor’s race. Insipid is what you say about claiming that Art Agnos is his candidate. That’s like saying he has no candidate. lol
Paul sounds like a Republican with “Democrat party.”
Sorry Ann. After months of reading Paul’s posts, he does not register on my GOP-dar.
Ann, Salladay was just channeling his inner-Heinlein from Starship Troopers. “For the everlasting glory of the Federation, shines the name, shines the name Rodger Young.”
Salladay’s going out heels clicking and on-the-bounce.
they hid the sub in The Hunt for Red October” in the Penobscot River
It is hard to believe there are thousands of US troops still searching for the prisoners. I wonder if it’s true.
It is hard to believe there are thousands of US troops still searching for the prisoners. I wonder if it’s true.
What’s Perata going to do with his Golden Pig Award?
I got to think Arnold is going to ask a high price to endorse the term limit thing. No reason for him to stick his neck out otherwise.
Jill, I thought they put Red October up there in Maine, but I couldn’t remember the name of the river and don’t have time to look it up.
I think Schwarzenegger’s price on term limits is pretty clear.
Salladay’s a one note reporter who doesn’t understand politics.
“I think Schwarzenegger’s price on term limits is pretty clear.”
Redistricting? Does he still insist on Congressional?
He either bargins-out Congressional and insists for concessions on something else, or insists on keeping Congressional in and effectively kill the measure.
Jillian,
Welcome back…where you been?
Term limits is one of the issues I don’t give a damn about. It’s a stupid idea that didn’t solve anything and doesn’t hurt much, either.
Term limits was something I strongly supported back in the day, not because of Willie Brown, the target of Prop 140 whom I very much admire, but because of so many of the rest of the legislators, whose overinflated view of their own self worth, intelligence and related character traits was not remotely connected with the reality. Plus the overwhelming sense of privilege…
But after a few years, when the effects began to percolate throughout the Capitol and beyond, I decided that I had made a huge mistake of judgment. I never imagined that it would largely result in limiting the field to aggressive, ambitious operatives who have virtually no interest in developing policy expertise on any given topic of interest in the state, but are intent only on concentrating power, and jockeying for another job or position, either in the lobbying corps or in another elective office.
Seeing the few great public servant members arrive, and then have to watch as they are forced out prematurely by the artificial time limits serves to remind me of the stupidity of my thinking when I voted for term limits.
I am not sure this initiative would improve things much, if at all, nor am I convinced that it would hurt anything either.
What seems to have happened in the wake of term limits is the concentration of power in the leadership, particularly in the Assembly. To me it seems to have extended beyond that enjoyed by those in the Brown-Unruh-McCarthy-Roberti-Lockyer days. Nobody knows squat about anything, so the Speaker, the Pro Tem, and their staff have assumed full control of the entire policy apparatus — to hell with the committee chairs, individual members, and similarly insignificant pieces of furniture. The potential value added by those who may be up to the task, but are trapped in these lesser positions, is never tapped into. They are instead forced to defer to the better judgment of the leadership.
This is not a good thing, and we should have just left it up to the voters in the districts to decide on what they want — trust in the system for once.
Of course, Willie Brown is the main reason term limits passed in the first place. He was a natural target for the right, given his pigmentation and politics. Plus, he really pushed the whole power deal, with some choice, arrogant quotes.
Looks like the Republican race is about to get even more complicated with reports Fred Thompson is about to form an exploratory committee and start serious fundraising.
Hap – you are my new BFF.
The GOP is waiting for Fred and Newt to join the race. Then they will have a road company for “Twelve Angry Men”
I’m not sure who gets the Henry Fonda/Jack Lemmon part. I’m not sure, given the audience, that any of them want it!
I reported some time ago that Fred Thompson would declare this summer. There are too many candidates for me to keep reporting the impending declarations of the latest iteration of the obvious.
For example, Hillary is still not a formally declared candidate for president!
Henry Fonda is still the best.
In Harm’s Way, in which he is one of the stars, along with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas, ended up as the Memorial Day movie.
Even though he has only a small fraction of the screen time as the Admiral Nimitz figure — and Wayne and Douglas are good in their much bigger roles — he owns every second of the movie that he appears in.
“The GOP is waiting for Fred and Newt to join the race. Then they will have a road company for ‘Twelve Angry Men’”
I ok, that get’s my first ever LOL.
Although, I think it should be the sequel, “Twelve Even Angrier Men.”
In Harms Way is a classic for so many reasons. But what makes it so much more than a war movie is how realistic it portrays their personal lives. From John Waynes character who is divorced and hasnt seen his son much, to Kirk Douglas’portrayal of a rabble rousing but tough Naval guy, who rapes a nurse. Really powerful.
Bill, did you mean to say Bill Clinton lowered capital gains taxes? Because thats what he did, I believe. He did raise the income tax of the wealthiest 1.2%
Very well said, Hap.
they tend to make individual legislators less important.
For better or worse — they toss out people who would eventually build up the base of knowledge and influence to make big changes, as well as the lazy know-nothings.
If the citizenry is paying attention, we already have a natural system of term-limits. They’re called “elections”.
Harm’s Way, the novel (by an LA Times editor!), the original title, has elements of greatness amidst all the soap. It manages to glorify the Navy while showing it warts and all.
Kirk Douglas is great in it, such a charming bastard. I actually became a fan of Michael Douglas watching his dad in this.
And John Wayne is very good, as he is in his other great Navy movie, which is even better, They Were Expendable, where he doesn’t even play “John Wayne.”
Mitch, re the Clinton tax stuff. What I was saying is that Rudy attacked Hillary for backing some increase in cap gains and marginal rates for the very highest income.
RM, what you and Hap are saying is what I was trying to get at in my diplomatic way.
I was at a reception for new legislators a few months ago, where the organizers neglected to provide name tags.
So of course I had no idea who these folks were. As some were introduced, I recognized names, but still, it was obvious that more them knew who I was than I knew who they were.
It’s all about leadership figures. It’s Arnold and the top leaders. That’s why I can release and leave the ins and outs of hearings on redistriciting plans to the Sac Bee and so forth.
Nothing will be decided there.
Hap/RM…
While I never liked term limits, I couldn’t agree with you more.
Mr. Bradley…
Totally agreement, In Harms Way is a wonderful movie.
As is Back To Bataan. The story of which is truly told in a recent book by Hampton Sides, “Ghost Soldiers”
Folks,
Sorry. I’m Mr. Anonymous.
I’m so glad you clarified that. We were about to have to send Romulan agents after you.
Best World War 2 movies, in order of greatness;
The Great Escape
Stallag 17
Guns of Navarone
Where Eagles Dare
In Harms Way
The Longest day
Check out They Were Expendable.
http://www.amazon.com/They-Were-Expendable-Philip-Ahn/dp/B000F0UUJG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3030579-6924028?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1180575281&sr=1-1
In my opinion, it’s in a class by itself.
It’s about victory in defeat, the tale of the PT boats in the Philippines after Pearl Harbor. Starring Robert Montgomery, a real life Navy combat hero of World War II now best known as father of the star of Bewitched, the young John Wayne who forgets to be “John Wayne,” and Donna Reed.
Directed by another WWII vet. Name of John Ford.
I wrote a treatment for another movie, called East of Java, which the star decided not to do. About the little known sacrifice of the US Asiatic Fleet as, essentially, a speed bump to buy time for the US after Pearl Harbor.
re:best ww2 movies
should we not have the Sly Stallone movie with Pele…c’mon,that was good stuff.
And you left out
“Fighting Leathernecks” with John Wayne
“Kelly’s Heroes” with Clint Eastwood
“Battle of the Bulge” starring Henry Fonda (THAT was a great WW2 movie)
Well, if we’re going into all this stuff, don’t forget The Dirty Dozen.
And … attention Mssrs. Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, A Bridge Too Far.
And let’s not forget Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.
Enough of war. What about happiness?
Oh man…I TOTALLY missed the Dirty Dozen…Lee Marvin at his best with Charles Bronson, Jim Brown — what a great film. But I have to say, Band of Brothers was tops on my list. I have watched that series several times and always seem to find something in it that I haven’t seen…whether its a character or something in the cinematography….just amazing.
Didn’t the author, Steven Ambrose, pass on last year? Ambrose was a professor at University of New Orleans, was also a pretty cool speaker whom I got to listen to one time in DC. He would tell these stories (in both his books and in person) that were so vivid you felt strangely a part of it. You could almost sense what it was like for a 18 or 19 year old kid in combat in WWII.
A Bridge Too Far…was Sean Connery in that…or am I confusing him with the role he had in another WW2 movie?
Happiness is:
1.) George and Dick are gone in 16 months…
2.) The Boston Red Sox have the best record in baseball…
3.)The Republicans are stumbling and bumbling around like drunken idiots at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington DC….
4.)Seeing that the New York Yankees (and their payroll which is nearly double the GNP of Niger) are TIED for LAST PLACE with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays — the Phil Angelides of Major League Baseball….
5.)Knowing that Matt Gonzalez will NEVER be Mayor of San Francisco — not in this or any century. He may seem like a leader but, I caution you that spouting off idealistic liberal themes in front of unrealistic so-called progressive dittoheads does not a Mayor make. (Oh and Paul, Gonzalez did not BARELY lose to Newsom. In very real terms, he got his ass kicked and any sane political person, except for Matt and Chris Daly, knows that.)