Read this story about a local candidate (where I once sat on the city council) who apparently got a bit overzealous in setting up a backdrop for her photo and video shoot…

La Mesa mayoral challenger talks trash Shades of the William Hurt character setting up a falsified shot inthe classic "Broadcast News" scene.

My advice today is simple. As a public official — or as a "public" candidate — anything you do outside the confines of your own home will be seen by someone.

Whether you do it…well, you might consider measuring that not by whether you think you can get away with it, but instead by if you want to see a story about it in the newspaper.

Actually, you know, you could also measure whether to do it by asking yourself if it’s right or wrong.

Just a thought.

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All of Barry’s enlightening advice…and other posts._… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail… … Read More

Part of the reason why a reasonable Propositionlike 23, which would merely abate the radical "Global Warming Solutions Act" until California reaches ‘only’ 5.5% unemployment, is the failure of California businesses to "man up"

The Tipping Point probably came in the last decade, when California big businessturned intoa craven political creature. The LA Times confirms recent polling that Prop 23, which was slightly ahead in September at 52 to 41% is slipping to 44 – 49%.

Even liberal economists recognize that the Global Warming Solutions Act will cost billions to energy businesses and transportation directly. The GWSA will have astatistically zero impact to planet earth. But "green" business will thrive. Yet the percentage of so-called green jobs is maybe 3%. While 97% of the work force suffers, 3% benefit. Liberals successfully created an emerging government favored elite.

The two oil companies who help pony up some $9 million is facing 16 separate committees ranging from the notorious Sierra Club to billionaires in Silicon Valley. They argue that Prop 23… Read More

The campaign website you have up…it looks great!

Just wondering, though. Why would you have a website, partly to show how accessible you are, but make it so difficult for people tocontact you through it?

There’s an online contact form, you say, where people can sign up to donate, endorse or volunteer.

Yep, there is.But, where is the phone number and email address? I’m not seeing it.

So, let me get this straight. If a reporter on deadline wants to make contact, you want them to fill out a form? The potential donor that has some questions and wants to talk to you directly first, same thing?Fill out the form?How about the voter that simply wants to call and talk to you? Did you include the online form indicating, "Make a request to talk to the candidate"?

I bet someone told you that you’d have so many people contacting the campaign, that it would be too burdensome to field all the phone calls and emails without a web form.

Maybe it’s really too burdensome to run for office.

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All of Barry’s … Read More

Last night I had the opportunity to appear on KCAL9 news in Los Angeles for what was about an eight-minute segment of myself and Democrat activist Kerman Maddox in a debate over a myriad of California political issues. Our appearance was moderated by KCAL’s longtime political reporter Dave Bryan…

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Thought I was done? Nahhh, just thought I’d give you the last 10 days to implement my previous advice. Your campaign should be humming along by now.

So, are you disappointed by the small turnout for your precinct walk over the weekend? I thought so. You know, it probably doesn’t help to be calling volunteers on Thursday and Friday to ask them to come out on Saturday. Poor advance planning on the part of the campaign doesn’t make your crisis a crisis for anyone else, especially when they’ve already made plans.

You (or, hopefully, your campaign staff) should be calling volunteers as much as two to three weeks in advance, then following up with them as it gets closer.The pitch should be about options, not an opportunity to say yes or no: "We’re walking this Saturday at 10 am and 2 pm, and next Saturday at both those times. Which is best for you?"

Two weekends left. Better start calling.

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All of Barry’s enlightening advice…and other posts.… Read More

A new poll released from my friends over at Wilson Research Strategies have both Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman up.

The survey, taken last week on the 13th and 14th of 800 Likely Voters, shows Carly over Boxer 46%-43%, and Whitman up over Brown 45%-44%.

As public polls get tossed around almost daily now, it is worth noting than an independent analysis earlier this year showed Wilson Research as the second most accurate polling firm in the country, and just a hair out of the top spot. So, as publicly available numbers go – these might be pretty good ones to pay attention to.… Read More

The ongoing legal saga regarding California Young Republicans has taken a significant legal turn. YR dissidents led by Andy Stanley and affiliated with Congressman Kevin McCarthy, lost in court yesterday. Jenniffer Rodriguez was elected President and Rohit Joy was elected as Secretary of the California Young Republicans at the February, 2010 California Young Republican Convention. Mr. Stanley’s group did not accept this result and appealed it first to the parent organization, the Young Republicans National Federation (YRNF). The YRNF rejected their election challenge. The dissidents then filed a second challenge, this time before the California Republican Party volunteer organization’s committee. The dissidents lost this hearing as well. The YR dissidents filed an arbitration action against Rodriguez and Joy, burdening both of them with potentially ruinous legal fees and arbitration costs.

The arbitration was scheduled to commence on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. The arbitrator already indicated that he was going to require the losing party to pay the arbitrator’s fees, which added up to… Read More