One of the most maddening set of ads this political campaign season are the ads the Democrats are running against Mike Villines and Abel Maldonado.Both men were key Republican votes for last year’s budget in which Governor Schwarzenegger and the Democratic legislative leaders choose to raise taxes rather than make tough spending cuts.According to an email that I just received from Democrat Dave Jones (who clearly purchased or was given a GOP list), Villines raised our taxes $14 billion. Republican voters don’t need Dave Jones and Gavin Newsom to tell us what Villines and Maldonado did last year.We know. What we need Dave Jones and Gavin Newsom to tell us is the truth:that the Governor and their party supported and encouraged Villines and Maldonado to change their positions and cast that vote.I know that no one held a gun to their head but the pressure “to do the right thing and pass a budget” was great.And I’m … Read More

This is the kind of data that moves political giving. A win for Carly Fiorina over Barbara Boxer in California is not just a pickup of one seat in the United States Senate (possibly the win that gives a majority to the GOP) — but the symbolism of such a win, going into the 2012 elections, would be staggering. Especially when you consider that the Democrats have pulled out all of the stops for Boxer, including campaign events featuring both the President and Vice President.

If you have any doubt about the importance of a final and hard push for Fiorina in the closing days of this campaign season, read this memo from well respected pollster Dave Sackett of the Tarrance Group. Then recommit to doing as much as you can, whether through financial giving or grassroots activism… MEMORANDUM DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2010 TO: CARLY FOR… Read More

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

Every cycle there is a race or twothat confounds the “experts”. Last week in Sacramento I was telling people to watch the South Bay part of Los Angeles for such a race. In particular I would tell anyone that would listen to look at the 53rd Assembly District.

The 53rd assembly District is made of many of the Beach Cities including El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Redondo Beach, and Torrance. The seat is an open seat with term limits forcing out Assemblyman Ted Lieu.

The Democratic nominee after a bruising primary is trial attorney association fundraiser Betsy Butler. The GOP nominee is radar systems engineer and South Bay Tea Partyleader Nathan Mintz. Mintz has raised over a hundred grand and secured endorsements of former Mayor Richard Riordan, Supervisor Don Knabe and the Mayors of several cities in the District. He has a good ground operation well.

With all that comes some polling from Stephen Kinney and Public Opinion Strategies.

The survey was conducted of 300 likely voters in the 53rd Assembly District from October 16th through October 17th, 2010. The margin of error of this survey… Read More

With unemployment in California at 12.4% and climbing, millions of Californians are looking for work. News reports on local job fairs describe thousands of people showing up in the hope they can find some type of employment from one of the few companies still able to hire. In essence, these job fairs have become no-jobs fairs, exposing the ugly truth that Californians are desperate for work. Drawing attention to the government policies contributing to decreasing employment opportunities, Americans for Prosperity California launched a “Save Our Jobs” Tour last week. Part of the tour includes a “No Jobs Fair” exhibit that shows exactly how regulations such as AB 32 are set to kill more than 1.1 million additional jobs in California.Each display at the "No Jobs Fair" showed an industry that has already lost jobs due to over-regulation, and is set to lose even more due to AB 32.

… Read More