Are you frustrated with people disguising their party affiliation on slate mailers? In the last cycle I have seen Republican candidates supported by their party pay to be included on slate mailers that appear to be from Democrats. Local Democratic candidates have done it too. To purposefully attempt to mislead voters while claiming to be running a honest campaign is a tough task.
If you want to do something the local Democratic Party would like your help. I have copies of most of the mailers if you need to include them with your letter.
I am glad the Ventura County Democratic Party is organizing this letter writing campaign. Here is their request:
Demand Truth in Political Advertising: Send an Email to the FPPC Now!You see them cluttering your mailbox every election cycle. If you're like many California voters, you may even have been fooled by them: deceptive slate mailer advertisements that are meant to trick voters and hide the big money, special interests who pay for them.
Using patriotic pictures of eagles and made-up names like the "Voting Information Guide for Democrats," they fool many unsuspecting voters into thinking they are actually reporting official Democratic Party endorsements, when in fact space on these mailers is often sold to the highest bidder -- in some cases giant oil, insurance, and utility companies! These purported Democratic mailers often take take positions that are the exact opposite of the Democratic Party's values.
MANY GOOD INITIATIVES AND CANDIDATES, INCLUDING PROPOSITION 15, THE CALIFORNIA FAIR ELECTIONS ACT, HAVE LOST IN PART DUE TO DECEPTIVE SLATES.
We urge you to send a letter now asking for serious reform of deceptive slate mailers!California's Fair Political Practices Commission now has a Political Reform Act Task Force that is collecting public comments on reforms of the rules governing slate mailers. The Ventura County Democratic Party has joined groups like California Clean Money Campaign and California Common Cause to ask for SERIOUS slate mailer disclosure reform to put an end to these deceptive practices.
The proposals would institute truth in slate advertising by requiring non-official Democratic Party slate mailers to:
* Clearly say they are "NOT the Official Slate of a Democratic Party Organization" wherever they use the word "Democrat" or "Democratic" Party.
* Identify right under the title when they are "Paid Political Advertising."
* Make absolutely clear that the listings are "Paid" endorsements everywhere paid endorsements are shown and indicate who is actually paying for them.
THE FPPC NEEDS TO HEAR FROM ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC LIKE YOU!Send a letter asking for serious reform of deceptive slate mailers now!
Our easy letter-writing tool will provide you a draft letter that includes the Ventura County Democratic Party's recommendations. (See the rest of our recommendations when you send the email!)
Thanks for everything you do for clean money and fair elections,
Richard Carter, Chairman,
Ventura County Democratic Party
Brian Leshon,
Did a particular slate mailer in the last election trigger this move?
Thanks for including the link to our interactive letter-writing campaign! I hope folks reading this spend a few moments to complete it.
We decided to send out this action after being prompted by the California Clean Money Campaign, which is also asking for comments on suggested reforms.
The disclaimers on these purported "Democratic" mailers are currently set in ridiculously small type. They are designed to fool voters.
The Ventura County Democratic Party also developed its own slate mailers this year, in part to counteract pieces such as one received in the primary from "Democrats for a Better California" which featured Republican Audra Strickland, who was then running against Supervisor Linda Parks. We also wanted to clearly identify Democrats we endorsed in non-partisan races.
(Note: Our endorsed candidates did very well this year, particularly on local school boards.)
- Marie Lakin, Communications Chair, Ventura County Democratic Party
Democrats do the exact same thing with their slate mailers, so stop trying to be all holier than thou.
How many elected county officials have one of their employees printed flyers like Darin M. Henry who works for Republican Assemblyperson Audra Strickland? He was even quoted on some hate mailers against a fellow Republican in the 2006 Conejo Valley Unified School Board race. And his address was used for a Republican slate mailer as the return address.
Stop cherry-picking, Katie. I saw tons of slate mailers going out for Democratic candidates in the last election who claimed they had Republican support too.
Your vindictiveness towards anything Strickland continues here, I see. Darin Henry has every right to print whatever flyers he wishes for candidates that seek his assistance. That's his business for God's sake. You do nothing but bash the Stricklands on these blogs and never have anything positive to say about any Republicans, for that matter. Well, I intend to call you on it every time I see you doing it.
Judging by Marie Lakin's comments, it sounds like the Democrats support regulating the campaign brochure business too. Figures.
Hey leave the poor Strickland's alone Katie! So what if they have never had real jobs and so what if they have done little to nothing for their districts! So what if Tony is a Phony Green Executive! So what if Audra is a carpetbagger who got whipped by Parks! You quit being a big meanie to them Katie or I will hold my breath til I pass out! So there!
Talk about phonies. Linda Parks is the biggest phony of them all. Claiming to be a Republican when she makes Nancy Pelosi look like she's in the John Birch Society. It will catch up with her though.
Wait 'til you hear who will be running against her next time. The dollars are already piling up for this candidate, so there will be enormous financial preparation for this one, which will be Parks' last stand.
Why not do another Mike Osborne phone survey like you did with Audra Strickland? Flush as much money as you want down the toilet like Meg Whitman.
Linda Parks could win any office she runs for.
We'll see, brother. We'll see.
For being a phony Parks sure kicked the living h*ll out of the Strickland/VCRCC cabal. Whoever these lame O's run against her they will lose like the loser Audra.
I don't think so, my friend. The VCRCC has many successes to point to that their counterparts, the chaotic, unstable VCDCC can only dream about.
Jeff Gorell, Mark Lunn, Peter Foy, Elton Gallegly, Jeff Bennett, Steve Hintz, Bob Huber, Jim Monahan, Neal Andrews...Should I keep going?
See that's the difference, (forget Republican) just being a good public servant and a bad one. You, and the narcissitic greedy power-hungry tyrants you promote; soley consider being elected as success. Some of those people you mentioned have been office for decades and have zero accomplishments.
Linda Parks works very hard on behalf of the citizens she serves. Linda Parks has accomplishments to show for it. Audra Strickland, and all the ankle bitters that work for her; know very well how much the People appreciate Linda Park's hard work and accomplishments.
Linda Park, a true American hero; has done much much more than all of your long list of dishonest, untrustworthy, knucklehead, burned out, moderately psychotic, tyranical, guber, limey, lobby-loving, yes men put together.
Simply ask Jeff Gorell how long he waited before he told the voters he wasn't going to be able to serve the citizens because he "decided" to frolic with his male friends; in very tight quarters, in the Navy.
How long did Jeff Gorell hide his decision from the public? Can you really say with a straight face he didn't do it for selfish reasons?
Eric Ingenmunson,
This isn't just about snacks and fun activities. People's lives are on the line. This isn't about bans and putting barriers up for Americans. This is about freedom and liberty and giving people more options and more opportunity. We don't want to end up waiting, in our car that barely runs; in the fast food line, scanning the dollar menu for sustenance. We're not going to fall for the VCRCC Republican lies. I will never be your friend as long as you are a enemy of America and everything it stands for.
Linda Parks is a poser. She needs to come clean with the voters and admit she's a Democrat in Republican clothing. That's when I'll respect Linda Parks.
As far as her service to the community, I don't see her performing any better than any of the other four Supervisors, with the exception of John Zaragoza, who's the biggest waste of space I've ever seen up on a dais. His staff does all his work for him and he just basks in the glory. One smart thing he did though was leaving the Oxnard City Council before the sh*t hit the fan.
Steve Bennett, (and I say this reluctantly), runs circles around Linda Parks as far as service to his constituents goes.
I talked to Eric and he doesn't want to be your friend either.
That's very sad for Eric because I just got back from Ruth Chris and if he was my friend he would have had a two inch thick porterhouse served on a 400 degree plate served to you while it's still sizzling with his choice of three incredibly delicious side dishes instead of his usual Big Burger and curly fries.
Quite frankly I believe someone has to own property or live in Thousand Oaks to fully come to grips with everything Linda Parks has done for us. It angers me greatly when people like Eric Ingenmunson try to enrich themselves making the tax-payers pay to listen to our public servants speak when we already pay their salaries, their offices, and so on. He doesn't even live in Thousand Oaks which Linda Parks serves. A person has to be a real sleaze ball to even try something like that.
If you can't understand that I can't help you. You need the help of a psychologist and those pills that make people like you jump over beach grass.
Nobody, you're a sick puppy. But, you should consider writing fiction, since it's more in alignment with your far-flung ideas about Linda Parks and what she's done (or not done) for her District. There are a lot of unhappy campers living in her District that are fed up with her outrageous takings of private property in the name of preserving open space. She is one of those limp-wristed Democrats who believe that the government knows best what to do with your money and your property.
Obviously, she's managed to bamboozle the majority of folks in her District into thinking she's looking out for their best interests (at least a majority of those who actually vote). Trust me, she is not. But that's OK, because she's in her last term in office.
Eric,
You're doing that thing where you refer to imaginary people that agree with you. Eric you are suffering from a disease called Osborn syndrome. It first appeared not too long ago when Audra Strickland ran for County Supervisor. Some of the most profound symptoms are a acute loss of honesty combined with delusional political thoughts and behavior.
It's too late for Mike Osborn. Maybe it's not too late for you.
Nobody,
I'm not Eric, but you're probably lucky I'm not. Because Eric would rip you a new one and feed you your old one for breakfast.
I've noticed when Nobody gets in a bind and can't offer any intelligent rebuttals, he starts with the name-calling and Strickland/Osborn bashing. This just illustrates his weakness, lack of character, and creativity deficit.
I've got a question for you, Nobody, and try for once not responding with your fifth grade level intellect.
What do you make of Obama's so-called "compromise" with Republican lawmakers to extend the Bush tax cuts? Was this a complete sell-out from someone who campaigned vehemently against extending tax cuts for the rich, or what?
To me, it highlights his inexperience on the national stage. He's now playing with the big boys, but instead of letting them be the first ones to blink, he caved immediately at the first opportunity to make a deal. The liberal wing of the Democratic Party have been castigating him all week over this. It looks like he won't be coming back for an encore performance in 2012, folks.