This in from longtime FR friend Rob Stutzman, who among other hats, is a senior consultant to the Meg Whitman for Governor campaign…
CRP Convention Highlights Whitman’s Allies,
Exposes Brown’s Faults
By Rob Stutzman
Think Barbara Boxer is happy about running with Jerry Brown? Someone should ask her.
Think California Democrat Party Chairman John Burton, who once said, Jerry Brown is “the most self-serving, inept politician that I have ever met in my 35 years in politics,” is pleased to have Jerry’s dead weight on his shoulders? Someone should ask him.
Think Speaker John Perez and Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg wish they had a nominee leading their ticket that appeared to give a rat’s tail about legislative races? Maybe they should be asked.
Jerry Brown is a one man band. He hasn’t held a real campaign event in about a month. He has appeared once with his ticket. My democrat friends must be wondering if he will ever begin to actually run for the office he says he wants to be re-elected to occupy.
So far he’s been content to let labor unions do his bidding by spending millions of dollars exclusively on negative advertising , which he openly begged them to do.
So far, his idea of campaigning is having one of his communications deputies on the his taxpayer funded payroll hit send on the latest press release, followed up with calls to a few media outlets.
He sails into Bell to issue subpoenas for pension and pay records of public officials, but nearly two weeks have passed since news of his own unusual pensions have surfaced. No documents have been forthcoming from Brown to clear up real discrepancies unearthed by The Orange County Register. But Jerry’s dodged questions on the matter.
While Jerry talks about prosecuting the makers of bouncy houses, the state grows closer and closer to bouncing checks, and he’s expressed no plan for the future other than saying, “the process is the plan.”
In contrast, Meg Whitman has just wrapped up a very successful state GOP convention weekend. Don’t believe me. Here’s how the fourth estate saw it.
“As the state party concluded its convention Sunday, however, Republican activists said the GOP was leaderless no more,’’ The Sacramento Bee reported. “Party leaders say Whitman has embraced her new role since winning the party’s nomination in June by raising money for down-ticket statewide candidates and exerting her control over the party’s agenda.”
As I told The Bee, I haven’t seen this kind of well-organized and well-funded victory operation since 1994.
The Associated Press wrote, “For the first time in memory, California Republicans have a diverse statewide slate of candidates to field this fall, a lineup their state party chairman calls ‘an inspirational ticket.’ Coupled with national momentum for conservatives, the California GOP is hoping this might be their breakthrough year.”
And The Los Angeles Times ran the headline, “State Republican Party Looks to Turn the Page.” The story reported “On Sunday, the party unveiled two websites to court minority and women voters. The GOP ticket includes a Latino, an African American and an Asian American. For the first time, two women hold the top slots, for governor and Senate.”
Meg Whitman really does believe in teamwork. It’s how she built eBay and it’s how she will govern in Sacramento.
Fresh from his victory last week, State Senator-elect Sam Blakeslee wrote Meg supporters a thank you note: “I could not have gotten across the finish line without Meg Whitman and the efforts of her incredible army of supporters across the state. Meg’s encouragement… was crucial to my victory.”
Meg also sent volunteers to Rancho Cordova to walk door-to-door for Rep. Dan Lungren and Jack Sieglock, the Republican seeking to unseat Assemblywoman Alyson Huber.
Where’s Jerry? Not in San Luis Obispo or Rancho Cordova helping the Democrats.
He was with one old friend this past weekend.
Saturday night he held a fundraising event with Jodie Evans, his former campaign manager who now makes headlines as co-founder of the anti-war group, Code Pink. She sat on the advisory board of International Occupation Watch – a group that conspired to convince U.S. soldiers to desert. This is also the same hideous person that once told the mother of a decorated American killed in combat that her son “deserved to die in Iraq if he was stupid enough to go over there.”
Maybe the other Democrat candidates are keeping their distance from Jerry for a reason: self-preservation.
