Party Line

Re "Romney says he'll do what Obama couldn't," Aug. 31 Unheard of in modern political history and downright Orwellian is how the Republicans at their convention ignored their own most recent two-term president, George W. Bush. In their collective group-think mode, do they believe that this will erase his eight-year tenure from our memories and rewrite the history of their time in office? No. I remember Bush and his terms in office. I also remember how America used to honor the position, if not the person.

SACRAMENTO - California's $8-an-hour minimum wage needs to go up, says Watsonville Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo. And he may be getting the votes he needs to make it happen. But don't count on it; Alejo has tried this before. Alejo is the author of AB 10, which would give the Golden State its first minimum wage increase since 2008. The bill would raise it 25 cents an hour next year, 50 cents in 2015 and an additional 50 cents to $9.25 an hour in 2016. In 2017 and annually thereafter, hourly pay would be adjusted upward automatically, based on the state's inflation rate.

When they remove Lenin from the mausoleum the Soviet people will have only one line to stand in--the bread line. ROBERT EDELSTEIN Visalia

WASHINGTON - After a contentious debate, the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday narrowly approved former Sen. Chuck Hagel to be secretary of Defense, moving the fight over President Obama's controversial Cabinet choice to the full Senate. Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska, won the 26-member panel's endorsement with only Democratic votes. All 11 Republicans present voted against his nomination; one GOP senator was absent. The full Senate will begin considering Hagel's nomination Wednesday, with a final vote possible by week's end. Several GOP senators have threatened to delay the vote, but the White House appears confident it has enough votes to prevail.

The limos were lined up around the block for the L.A. Opera company's opening-night performance at the Music Center earlier this month of "La Boheme," conducted by Placido Domingo. In Los Angeles, opening night at the opera traditionally launches the fall social season, and this year was no exception. As one opera-goer put it: "You got the feeling the opera was only a prelude to the party." L.A.'

Before Kevin Costner and Michael Roberts opened their Pasadena restaurant, Twin Palms, they invited 480 of their closest and dearest friends to a dinner party. The guests admired the resort-like decor. They checked out the two old namesake palm trees. And then they helped themselves to a huge buffet. Little did they know that they were mere guinea pigs, in attendance to try out recipes and give the staff a chance to rehearse.

"Senator Pays Price for Defying GOP" ( Aug. 26) just amazed me. The bitterness and party-line control of the Republican Party is amazing. Where is it written that, when elected, state senators under no circumstances can cast votes from the heart, have minds of their own and think logically, unless it falls within their own party's viewpoints? These types of controls destroy the very fabric of our state and federal elections. I cast my vote for those running for public office on vision, merit and what they have to offer, regardless of party.

WASHINGTON -- After a sometimes contentious debate, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted on party lines and narrowly approved the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel to be secretary of Defense, moving the bitter fight over President Obama's Cabinet choice to the full Senate. Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, won the 26-member panel's endorsement with only Democratic votes. All 11 Republicans present voted against his nomination, with one absent. The full Senate could vote as early as Thursday to confirm Hagel, although several GOP senators have threatened to seek delays.

Re “ Dear GOP: Change or Die ,” Column, Nov. 11 Steve Lopez pokes fun at the GOP and even tells Republicans to get out of California if they're so unhappy. (So much for the role of dissent in a democracy.) But jeer as he may, Lopez cannot pin the state's shortcomings and looming downfall on anyone but the Democrats. In the last state election, there were many young, qualified and articulate Republican candidates, many of them minorities and women, who were soundly beaten nevertheless.

Re "Romney says he'll do what Obama couldn't," Aug. 31 Unheard of in modern political history and downright Orwellian is how the Republicans at their convention ignored their own most recent two-term president, George W. Bush. In their collective group-think mode, do they believe that this will erase his eight-year tenure from our memories and rewrite the history of their time in office? No. I remember Bush and his terms in office. I also remember how America used to honor the position, if not the person.

WASHINGTON - As Rep.Paul D. Ryan begins to campaign as the presumed Republican vice presidential nominee, one aspect of his political career will be with him always: his votes. After nearly 14 years in Congress, the Wisconsin representative has amassed a record on many of the critical issues that have come to define the country's partisan divide. Overall, Ryan's votes define him as a loyal GOP foot soldier - one who has sided with party leaders even in cases in which some other small-government conservatives have refused to do so. In crucial moments near the end ofGeorge W. Bush's presidency, for example, when the White House pleaded with Congress for a bank bailout plan to save free-falling financial markets, Ryan joined the effort to pass the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

The fresh twists offered by California's new election rules are challenging candidates gearing up for November to find ways to attract votes from the opposite party. That could be key in the hottest races the June primary spawned, forcing many like-minded competitors to court voters they previously could have ignored. The fall ballot will feature 28 contests between members of the same party: nine with Republicans and 19 with Democrats. Reaching for votes across party lines could be necessary to win in many of those cases.

WASHINGTON - A House committee voted along party lines to find Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt of Congress for failing to provide subpoenaed documents in the flawed Fast and Furious gun-tracking case, just hours after President Obama for the first time asserted executive privilege and backed the attorney general's refusal to release the material. The developments Wednesday set up a political standoff going into the November election and a significant constitutional clash between the White House and Congress that may not be resolved until after a lengthy journey through the courts.

Ever want to video chat with a few of your closest friends? How about 11 of them at the same time? That's what video chat service ooVoo offers free through Facebook and a new iPad app. The company, whose name represents two sets of eyes looking at each other, lets users access video chat rooms from the iPhone and Android phone over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G LTE as well as via Web and desktop apps. The desktop apps allow up to 12-way chat, screen sharing and sharing of files up to 25 megabytes.

Mitt Romney's evolution from Republican primary partisan to general election candidate has begun in earnest. Thursday morning, on the rooftop of an old downtown office building here that houses his Pennsylvania headquarters, Romney signaled the start of his efforts to reach across party lines to voters in the middle of the political spectrum, those who will be critical to his chances in a race against President Obama. “I really appreciate your willingness to come out here today and spend some time with me,” Romney told a group of supporters who had gathered on a rooftop deck on a flawless spring morning.