Californians Know

On a recent trip to California, Gizzi got an earful from local conservatives outraged by President Bush’s stance on immigration. Orange County’s Jon Fleischman, editor of the online “Flash Report” political newsletter, told him: “Between its support of amnesty and its support of big government, the Bush Administration does an awful lot to demoralize Republicans out here.” When asked if the administration was out of touch with party activists on illegal immigration, former State GOP Chairman Shawn Steel said: “Badly. And you hear that phrase, ‘out of touch,’ all the time at party meetings. That’s the view of the vast majority of Republicans here, and if it continues, it will be very destructive to us.”