California Sleazin'

If you're wondering how and why the GOP has effectively walked completely away from California, the biggest electoral prize in the nation and home to one in seven US voters, it probably has something to do with the candidates they have.

One of four gubernatorial candidates introduced to California Republicans recently is a registered sex offender who spent more than a decade in state prison, convicted of crimes including voluntary manslaughter and assault with intent to commit rape.

Glenn Champ, 48, addressed hundreds of GOP delegates and supporters Sunday at the site of the state party's semi-annual convention. Introduced by party chairman Jim Brulte and allotted 10 minutes, Champ spoke in between the main GOP candidates, former U.S. Treasury official Neel Kashkari and state Assemblyman Tim Donnelly of San Bernardino County.

Champ, a little-known political neophyte from the Fresno County community of Tollhouse, did not directly mention his criminal past during his speech but said, "In my life, I've been held accountable because of my stupidity. I do not want anyone else to be enslaved because of their lack of knowledge."

But he's a serious candidate.

Champ's rap sheet is lengthy. Court records show that in 1992, he pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed firearm. In 1993, he was convicted of two counts of assault with intent to commit rape and as a result was placed on the state's sex-offender registry.

In March 1998, he accepted a plea deal on a charge of loitering to solicit a prostitute; later that year, he pleaded no contest to a voluntary manslaughter charge after hitting a man with his vehicle, for which he was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, according to court records.

This guy is a violent criminal.  I understand he's served his time, but check out his version of remorse:

Champ said his life experience could help him deal with politicians in Sacramento. He calls them criminals, saying, for example, that they routinely infringe upon constitutionally protected gun rights.

"I know what the criminal mind thinks, and I know how it works and I know how to stop it, and that's something [other politicians] don't get," Champ said.

The convicted violent sex offender and rapist is the real victim here, because anyone who wants reasonable gun safety laws is the real criminal.  Please, Republicans, why would you not want to nominate this awesome human being for governor of California?  He stands for everything the Republican Party stands for, after all.

Our Liberal Media Strikes Again

Cry not for professional news martyr Sharyl Attkisson (who quit CBS news because she wasn't allowed to scream BENGHAZI loudly enough.)  She's doing fine as the new conservative talk show darling, railing against the liberal bias that pervades our news media (although strangely not the large block of coordinated conservative media sources in America.)  She was railing again today in Philly about the debunked and retracted story that the White House gives interviewers questions to ask in interviews with the President.

Another conservative media personality isn't quite ready to let go of the Arizona news anchor's retracted claim that White House reporters give press secretary Jay Carney their questions in advance.

Philadelphia talk radio host Chris Stigall spoke Friday with former CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson, a favorite journalist of conservatives who resigned from the network earlier this month, reportedly because she thought it had a liberal bias.

Naturally, Stigall asked for Attkisson's thoughts about Catherine Anaya, the Phoenix television anchor who made the claim about the White House reporters earlier this week on-air during a visit to Washington before quickly retracting it and apologizing.

On his show on Friday, the day after the retraction, Stigall provided credulous coverage of the story reminiscent of other conservative sources. He perfunctorily noted that the anchor "retracted" the story, right before he read the original claim and asked Attkisson for her take on Anaya's "off-handed observation."

"So, is this woman just misunderstanding what she saw or is it true?" he asked.

Attkisson made clear that she hadn't actually heard Anaya's comments and said that she never saw questions provided in advance during her occasional stints at White House press briefings. But she said she "wouldn't be surprised if sometimes there is that sort of level of cooperation with some questions that want to be asked."

"I didn't actually see that going on, but that's because LIBERAL BIAS ARGLE BARGLE."

Frankly, FOX just needs to hire her so she can go on her daily hate rant against the President.  She'll be very happy.

StupidiNews, Weekend Edition!

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