California Reps. -- Waters, McKeon, Issa, others -- weigh in on Obama's Afghan troop plan

California's is the largest state delegation in the House of Representatives -- 34 Democrats, 19 Republicans -- so you can always expect a diversity of opinion from its ranks. That’s certainly the case as representatives react to President Obama’s call for 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan.

Some say he’s going too far, others that he’s not going far enough. No surprise there, but here’s a sampling of Golden State opinions, from both sides of the aisle:

Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley): “Partial measures and artificial deadlines are not acceptable. He questioned whether the troop increase is “enough to achieve our goals with minimal casualties. I hope it is, but I also urge the president to keep an open mind on deploying more troops if necessary.... I also question announcing a July 2011 deadline to begin troop withdrawals. That only tells our enemies to lay low for 18 months.’’

John Garamendi (D-Walnut Creek) said the people of Afghanistan will be “better served if we focus our efforts on improving the socioeconomic conditions of the region instead of sending more of our brave soldiers to fight in this war.”

Darrell Issa (R-Vista) said Obama’s “insistence on a timetable for leaving Afghanistan before his plan has even begun casts serious doubt about his commitment to a successful mission.”

Barbara Lee (D-Oakland): “I must respectfully disagree with the president. Afghanistan needs a political solution — not a military one. Adding more troops won’t change this important fact.”

Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita): “All Americans want to see our troops leave Afghanistan as soon as possible after successfully completing their mission, but we want that redeployment to be based on the events and conditions on the ground — not the Washington political clock. Setting a date certain to begin withdrawing U.S. forces risks undermining the very mission the president endorsed.” But McKeon, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, applauded Obama for ordering a troop increase. He said he hoped Obama would travel throughout the country to rally the public behind his strategy.

Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach): “I’m in favor of an Afghan approach. Not an American or European approach. As long as we have U.S. or NATO combat troops there, this strategy will not work and if given the opportunity, I will vote against funding for the current additional troop request.”

Pete Stark (D-Fremont): “Lasting peace can only come through a diplomatic solution.” He called the announcement a “great disappointment.”

Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles): “I cannot support a continued policy of waste and open-ended spending in Afghanistan, especially given the severe economic challenges we must confront within our own country.” However, Waters also said that Obama “at least spoke of an exit strategy ... but he did not provide sufficient details on how we would achieve our goals and be able to withdraw from Afghanistan.”

-- Richard Simon

Click here get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. And we're also over here on Facebook.

Photos, from top: President Obama at West Point. Credit: Associated Press; Darrell Issa. Credit: Associated Press; Howard "Buck" McKeon. Credit: Getty Images; Maxine Waters. Credit: Bloomberg

 

Is Obama more religion-friendly than his party? Many Americans think so, says new poll

President Obama's administration is seen as more friendly toward religion than the Democratic Party as a whole, a new Pew poll has found.

Thirty-seven percent of Americans said they view Obama as religion-friendly, while only 29% said they see the Democratic Party that way, according to the poll.

The findings aren't surprising. During his campaign for the presidency, Obama courted religious voters more aggressively than most recent Democratic presidential candidates by putting faith front and center.

In July 2008, during the height of the presidential race, then-Sen. Obama pledged to expand a controversial White House program that gives federal grants to churches and small community groups.

Later that summer, during a forum at evangelical Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Orange County, Obama, who is Christian, spoke of "walking humbly with our God" and quoted from the Gospel of Matthew.

It paid off. 

Forty-three percent of voters who said they attend church weekly chose Obama over Republican John McCain, according to the National Election Pool exit survey, a change from recent election trends, in which religious voters overwhelmingly chose Republican candidates. Among occasional worshipers, Obama won 57% of the vote.

The Pew poll found that the Republican Party is still seen as friendlier toward religion than either Obama or the Dems. Forty-eight percent of those polled viewed the GOP as friendly toward religion.

The poll, which was conducted in August by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, also asked people about their views of the news media, scientists and Hollywood related to religion.

Fourteen percent of voters said they view the news media as friendly toward religion, and 12% said they view scientists that way. Only 11% said they see Hollywood as friendly toward religion.

-- Kate Linthicum

For a heads up on other nifty polls, and an alert for every new Ticket item, follow us on Twitter.

Photo: Then-Sen. Obama, left, appears at a forum in August 2008 with Pastor Rick Warren at Warren's  Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Warren led the invocation at Obama's inauguration in January. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Carrie Prejean confirms 'sex tape,' but ...

Carrie Prejean, some might remember, is the California beauty queen who gained instant ignominy in some circles by agreeing with President Obama's ridiculous notion that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.

This was said to make Prejean outrageously conservative although Obama, who is a male and said the same thing throughout the endless presidential campaign, was ranked as the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate a year ago now. That must be what passes for progress nowadays.

Both liberals and conservatives have been bickering and chuckling and pointing fingers of hypocrisy ever since. Also, Prejean had breast augmentation, some keen-eyed critics noted, which is certainly unimaginable for any American female let alone ones successfully participating in the beauty business.

Anyway, Prejean lost her Miss California USA sash when she allegedly failed to fulfill ...

What H1N1 swine flu? Majority of Californians intend to ignore the late vaccine: Times/USC poll

A new poll confirms that the Obama administration and federal health officials have failed to convince Americans -- at least those in the most populous state of California -- of the seriousness of a H1N1 swine flu pandemic.

A majority of those registered voters polled by a new survey team involving The Times and the University of Southern California said they believed the new, delayed vaccine was safe.

But a majority also said they had no intention of getting it.

The findings come from a new Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California College of Letters, Arts & Sciences Poll. The survey, which interviewed 1,500 registered voters from Oct. 27 through Nov. 3, was conducted for The Times and USC by two nationally prominent polling firms, the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and the Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies.

Today's results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Only 5% of those polled said they had already been vaccinated. Of the rest, 52% said they didn't plan to get vaccinated. Of the 40% who said they wanted the vaccine, 12% said they already had attempted to find it but couldn't. 

Of those polled, 70% said they think the H1N1 vaccine is safe for most people, and only 17% said there was a strong chance the vaccine is unsafe.

Last month the Obama administration declared a national emergency over the H1N1 pandemic, as The Ticket reported here. But the government program has come under fire for long delays in deliveries of the vaccine.

Rep. Ron Paul has even called the federal program a "total failure." Obama officials, who are overseeing the vaccine distribution, have blamed the delays on manufacturers.

A previous national poll, as The Ticket reported here, found a large majority of Americans also intended to skip the recommended medical action.

-- Andrew Malcolm

No margin of error here. One-hundred percent of those clicking here get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us   @latimestot  And we're also available over on Facebook.

Photo: Baltimore Sun (Another satisfied young vaccination customer).

Californians say no more gay marriage votes: Times/USC poll

A majority of California voters opposes putting the issue of gay marriage back on the ballot for another referendum.

According to a just-released survey by the new polling team of The Times and the University of Southern California, a small majority of Californians favors the right of gay couples to marry.

But a far larger proportion of the 1,500 registered voters in the new poll opposes putting the issue back on another statewide ballot next year. This week Maine became the 31st state where voters, in effect, defeated the idea of gay marriage in a statewide vote.

Not surprisingly, same-sex-marriage views were sharply polarized by political party; 66% of Democrats thought it should be legal and 71% of Republicans opposed it. Nonpartisan voters were less enthusiastic than Democrats but still backed it, 59% to 34%.

Overall, the smallest majority of 51% of California voters favored marriage rights for same-sex couples and 43% opposed them, according to the survey, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

However, a surprisingly large number of Californians -- almost 60% -- were certain that they did not want the issue revisited in 2010, just one election cycle after it last hit the ballot.

-- Andrew Malcolm

No margin of error here. One-hundred percent of those clicking here get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us  @latimestot  And we're also available over on Facebook regardless of gender.

Photo: Associated Press

Now that Garamendi's gone, Schwarzenegger has a decision to make

California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi was sworn in as a member of Congress today. He will represent the Bay Area's 10th Congressional District. He's a Democrat, but his rise creates an opportunity for Republicans, as we'll explain in just a bit.

Garamendi won the seat with almost 53% of the vote in a special election on Tuesday, soundly defeating Republican businessman David Harmer.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swore Garamendi in. She said his win, along with the election Tuesday of New York Democrat Bill Owens, meant one important thing: Two more Democratic votes when the healthcare overhaul hits the floor of the House on Saturday.

Mark Silva has more on what Pelosi said over at our snappy new blog about the goings-on in Washington, D.C. Now.

Garamendi's new gig means the lieutenant governor's seat is now empty.

And that means, as our colleague in Sacramento, Shane Goldmacher, explains today, that Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now has the power to name a replacement. Except that Schwarzenegger's choice will have to be confirmed by the Democratic-dominated Legislature -- which could set up a political showdown.

-- Kate Linthicum

And you have the power to get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Simply click here, or follow us @latimestot.

Photo: John Garamendi and his wife, Patti, celebrate his election victory Tuesday night. Credit: Associated Press.

Mother Pelosi explains her view of politics

For fans of politics who rise early on autumn Saturdays, ABC's Rick Klein tips us that "Good Morning America" plans a profile of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tomorrow.

In case you don't get enough of her during the week.

A couple of tidbits from ABC's interview with the Democrat:

Remember when she received the gavel as the first female House speaker back in 2007 and the podium looked like recess from "Romper Room," with Pelosi family members climbing everywhere?

ABC's Bill Weir asked the mother of five how being a parent affects her public life. Pelosi replied:

I view my work in politics and government as an extension of my role as a mom.

So apparently it's been a bit of eat-your-vegetables tough love and some timeouts that the speaker has dished out to CIA folks in recent months.

Pelosi also sought to explain that awkward moment recently when her Senate counterpart and fellow Democrat Harry Reid put his arm around her while talking to reporters. The speaker recoiled, fueling mumblings about tension between the Hill's top two Democrats.

No, no tension, claims the liberal San Francisco representative: The Nevadan with the high unfavorable ratings back home is a great Senate leader.

What really bothered her, Pelosi says now, was not a man's patronizing hand on her shoulder, but Reid's seeming blanket endorsement of President Obama's Afghanistan policies, even future ones.

He was saying that we were all going to support whatever the president said about troops to Afghanistan, and which, well, remains to be seen until we see what the president puts forth.

Take it from Mom.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Speaking of hands, use yours to click here for Twitter alerts of each Ticket item. Or follow us  @latimestot  Also on Facebook here.

Photo: Associated Press

Democrat Mayor Gavin Newsom quits bid for California governor's office

Gavin Newsom, the controversial mayor of San Francisco, abandoned his bid for the Democratic nomination to run for California governor next year, succeeding term-limited Republican incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Newsom said he made the decision with "great regret" because he "found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to -- and should be -- done." (See his full statement below.)

The harsh political reality, however, is the real reason is his campaign was getting no statewide traction or much money, despite recent campaign help[ from ex-President Clinton. Ex-governor, ex-mayor, current Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown remains the invisible 800-pound donkey in the political room. Brown hasn't even....

Clever Calif. Dem Garry South says one specific Republican would make 'a great governor'

Garry South, the ever-voluble, ever-quotable political strategist, has made a name for himself with his provocative, often outrageous statements on behalf of Democratic candidates and causes.

More than a few of his candidates have cringed -- even if they were privately pleased -- as South scorched the Republican opposition. (Most of his inflammatory, over-the-top remarks are, in truth, about as random and spontaneous as a precision-guided missile.)

Nonetheless, it was something of a surprise at a California Chamber of Commerce forum today in Napa, Calif., when South had this to say about GOP gubernatorial hopeful Tom Campbell:

"He's a great guy. He would make a great governor. You can quote me on that."

OK.

True, South probably said those nice things because he's convinced that Campbell, the pauper in the 2010 Republican gubernatorial race against big-spending Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner to succeed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has no chance of winning.

That, of course, remains to be seen.

Some have drawn a comparison between Campbell's circumstances and another vastly outspent dark horse candidate who improbably managed to beat a pair of free-spending millionaires: Gray Davis in 1998.

His campaign, not incidentally, was run by none other than -- oh, look! -- Garry South.

The difference, South pointed out, was Davis' support within the Democratic base, something the heretical Tom Campbell -- he of the 32-cent-a-gallon gas tax hike proposal -- seems to lack among the state's tax-hating Republican base.

What makes South's comment especially noteworthy, however, is his current role, managing the gubernatorial primary campaign of Democratic San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

If Campbell is such a great fellow with all that promise, why isn't South supporting his bid for governor?

"I'm a Democrat," South replied. "You need to ask?"

Jamie Fisfis, a Campbell strategist who joined South on the panel along with consultants for Poizner, Whitman and Democratic Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, had this to say afterward: "Sounds like Garry's trying to destroy another Republican candidate he doesn't want to face in the general election."

South, it might be recalled, helped engineer the defeat of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan in the Republican primary of the 2002 governor's race, helping ease the way for Davis' reelection. [Updated 9:40 a.m. Oct. 30: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Riordan ran in the 2006 primary.]

-- Mark Z. Barabak

Speaking of smart political moves, click here to get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us  @latimestot  Also on Facebook here.

Photo: South's office.

Sunday shows: Axelrod, Thune, Jarrett, Kyl, Dodd

ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos: Obama senior advisor David Axelrod and a round table with E.J. Dionne, Peggy Noonan and ABC's Jake Tapper and George Will.

Bloomberg's "Political Capital" with Al Hunt: Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.).

CBS' "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer: Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Kerry (D-Mass.).

CNN's "GPS" with Fareed Zakaria: Thomas Ricks, "Superfusion" author Zachary Karabell, "Keynes: The Return of the Master" author Robert Skidelsky, John Micklethwait of the Economist, and Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.

CNN's "State of the Union" with John King: Emanuel, Sens. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and Kerry and CNN's Donna Brazile and William Bennett.

"Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace: Terry McAuliffe, Sens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.),  Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and John Thune (D-S.D.).

NBC's "Meet the Press" with David Gregory: White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, John Podesta, Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Maria Shriver, California first lady and special NBC correspondent.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Why wait until Sunday for politics? Click here for Twitter alerts of each Ticket item. Or follow us  @latimestot  Also on Facebook here.

Photo: White House (Jarrett with Obama).