Over the email Monday night I got an invitation to an “Elections Panel: Issues and Trends” hosted by J.W. August, Managing Editor of Channel 10 News. Channel 10 is an official co-sponsor of this event.

The speakers on the “Expert Panel”? Francine Busby, Democrat candidate for the 50th Congressional District, Steve Freeman, an author of a book that asserts that President Bush stole the 2000 election, Mark Price, a local Republican activist, and Ken Karan, Co-Founder of Psephos and one of the attorneys against Bilbray in Bilbray v. Jacobson. Quite a balanced forum…

Great news for Poizner supporters this morning: his campaign strategy worked! Congratulations to everyone involved – you’ve taken a campaign that was 50 points down (is that even possible in the real world) and spent millions upon millions to get to… 30 points down. The last Field Poll showed Whitman around 63 and Poizner around 14. The poll circulating this morning from Probolsky Research put the numbers at 47-19.

Now of course I’m being a bit sarcastic. Most of the recent polls have the Whitman lead in the high 40′s so the poll this morning could also be an anomaly, but assuming it’s accurate the thing I noted was that the Poizner growth was within the margin of error of most polls — meaning he may not have actually moved his own numbers at all.

I don’t know about other readers, but I haven’t heard a good thing about the Poizner campaign’s erratic charges that Meg Whitman was Sopranos style threatening him in order to make him drop out of the race. Want to have some fun? Do what I did yesterday and call a few local Poizner supporters and ask them what they think. They are mortified. Frankly, I think this whole mess is important, and a good thing. The GOP came within a few months of potentially nominating a candidate, Poizner, with this kind of lack of common sense. But we didn’t. He blew up early. The campaign is now over for him – the only thing he can spare us is the endless tv ads and himself further embarrassment. Got this article from Poizner’s hometown newspaper several times in the email this morning and last night:

We all enjoy the fun and games of politics, like public safety workers coming to doors during an election in “costume uniforms” during the recent special election here in Oceanside, but I got a press release from the Poizner for Governor campaign today that makes me think that the Commissioner, or maybe his staff, have lost their collective minds. In short, Poizner’s campaign has reported the Whitman campaign to the FBI, the US Attorney, and the AG for “threats and intimidation.” For the sweet love of all that is holy, Poizner wants to be GOVERNOR and he doesn’t even know the old rhyme by children sing about sticks and stones?

Watched some of the news this morning where the MSM newscaster was virtually apoplectic over the news that the unemployment rate had fallen. I listened closely: no actual numbers. Then I went to CNN. Same thing. Both networks were crowing that the Obama plan was working, of course.

So what are the numbers? This month, with a plus or minus of a few points, we went from 17.5% to 17.2% unemployment. Seriously? This is statistically meaningless. Oh wait, tomorrow the great cry of triumph will be that the jobless rate didn’t grow! Doesn’t anyone remember the past? Jobs always pick up the last couple months of the year as manufacturers and retail get ready for the holiday crush.

For the love of Pete why don’t we just get rid of the private news and let the President run it out of his press shop? No need, actually. See, government doesn’t have to use its heavy hand to edit the news if the people in the news are already fellow travelers of the government.

It’s pretty old news, but much of the country thinks that the media is anti-Republican, or at least that they lean to the left. Of course, reporters claim neutrality. One of my favorite posts on the old ‘Red County’ San Diego was the list of the numerous San Diego Union Tribune employees, people directly involved in reporting the news not ink monkeys, who gave to Democrat candidates.  But it got better over the last couple days when Alex Roth, a former Union Tribune reporter who many of us thought tilted to the left, and who now works for Mayor Sanders, compared the GOP to the Heaven’s Gate suicide cult. Way to go Alex! Welcome to your new world – you don’t write the stories any more.

As entertaining as it is to read about Marti Emerald’s shenanigans down in the City of San Diego, up here in the north county we have another show down looming in the Bilbray Congressional seat. Here is the campaign warchest tally:

Bilbray (R) – 430k cash on hand

Busby (D) – 144k cash on hand (5k of debt)

Roberts (D) – 122k cash on hand

Pretty low numbers for Busby. With the Democrats on the defensive this year she may have gotten herself into a fight with no backup. Finish her off for good Brian!

Like many people I was irritated when Red County changed it’s format to a system that was impossible to use, and unfriendly to the only place I cared about: San Diego. THANKS to Mighty Thor and Barry Jantz for SDRostra.com.

Anyway, there is soooo much to discuss about north county – it’s been several months since my last post on Red County. How about the Kern recall in Oceanside? Is is just me or are the firefighter unions all over this county totally out of control? Paycheck protection anyone?  Couldn’t the council have done that BEFORE the recall attempt? How is the campaign actually going?