Jeff Solsby

OC/DC: OC's Bond Maestro Speaks Out in Washignton Post

By Jeff Solsby | 09/24/08

Bill Gross, chief investment officer and founder of Newport Beach, Calif.-based PIMCO, published an opinion column in today's Washington Post outlining how main street might gain from a federal triage program targeted at Wall Street.Gross writes that the "bailout...is anything but," and outlines the potential upside for taxpayers (and presumably investors who invest in bonds supporting the operation or securities aided by it).He writes, "I... read more »

OC/DC: Disecting MSM Reporting on Palin

By Jeff Solsby | 09/11/08

My morning commute was punctuated by a clear example of what many would consider a bias, or at least lack of clear context, in reporting of issues relative to what I will broadly call "conservative Christians."  By this I mean generally those who fall into the evangelical and fundamentalist categories.Seattle, Wash.,-based National Public Radio reporter Martin Kaste (pronounced: cost-ee) traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska, and other cities to... read more »

OC/DC: A Refreshing (De)Mint

By Jeff Solsby | 09/10/08

Washington is long on gobbledygook-spewers and short on straight-talking, articulate politicians willing to explain an issue even when that explanation includes why a position has changed.  Many conservatives praise South Carolina's junior senator for being the latter.In today's Wall Street Journal, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) penned a great op-ed column outlining his thoughts on Gov. Palin's fiscal conservativism.  Good stuff. ... read more »

Blog Wars

By Jeff Solsby | 08/14/08

"Blog wars, please let these blog wars...stay."  (With apologies to Bill Murray)LAObserved has an interesting piece from Los Angeles-based writer Kevin Roderick about an ongoing spat between LAObserved and another LA blog.  Read for yourself here.  OC's had it's share of blogwars, so take a break and read up on those of OC's neighbors. read more »

Celebrate an Anniversary

By Jeff Solsby | 08/11/08

Don't forget to celebrate an important anniversary soon approaching: the 30th year since the founding of Social Distortion.  What does this have to do with OC politics?  Not much, but stay with me.When a certain Red County.com editor moved into the spokesman's office in the Speaker's Press Office during the too-short-lived Republican Assembly majority of 1996, he quickly moved in two items that spoke volumes about his priorities. ... read more »

Darwin Awards: Foothill Style

By Jeff Solsby | 08/07/08

Am I crazy?  Did the LA Times story linked in the morning Red County clips really report the following:  "A man who said a mountain lion attacked him Wednesday when he tried to pet one of the cougar's cubs led to the closure of Orange County's Limestone Canyon and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and the temporary lockdown of a nearby elementary school."Send the "Darwin Award" to the man who wanted to pet the cute and cuddly (his words)... read more »

OC/DC: OC Judge Rogan Mentioned in Washington Post

By Jeff Solsby | 08/06/08

The Washington Post's "In the Loop" column written by Woodward and Bertstein protege Al Kamen, notes OC Judge James Rogan and the status of his pending federal district judge nomination.  Rogan also earns the distinction of being an "old Loop favorite."  Awww.A link to Kamen's column is here. read more »

A Look Inside the "Legal" California Pot Economy

By Jeff Solsby | 08/05/08

I posted over at FlashReport this morning on an interesting article I just finished in the New Yorker looking inside the medical marijuana economy in California.  The story offers an interesting look at all sides of the issue and is a good addition to a summer reading list.  Check out the story here and learn more about the author here.Here is a longer post I put up at Flash. read more »

OC/DC: Book Recommendation

By Jeff Solsby | 07/29/08

Permit me a few minutes to promote a book I just finished reading, "Destroyer Captain" by Adm. James Stavridis, Commander of the U.S. Southern Command.As much as I love sailing, ships, the sea and the three intertwined in books, I rarely stray from the biographies of political or historical figures and the occasional O'Brien -- what a welcome diversion.I learned of this book through a book review authored by former Pentagon spokesman Larry Di... read more »

OC/DC: Novak in for Tumor Treatment

By Jeff Solsby | 07/28/08

Washington, D.C.-based columnist who recently wrote about the OC Lincoln Club's effort to restore policies of fiscal conservatism to the GOP, has been diagnosed and is seeking treatment for cancer, according to the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz.The posting was page one on the Post website just now, here.Novak's column in today's Post offered some interesting insights into the McCain-Obama battle, here. read more »