ABC news is reporting from the parties at the Republican convention. Check out the band "Hookers and Blow" playing at party thrown by a former aide to Tom Delay. For Democrats Tom Delay has provided many chances to attack corruption or scandals.
ABC news reported that the California Delegation to the Republican convention was invited to a party featuring a pig roast and reggae music sponsored by oil companies. Anyone know if the Ventura County ( CA 24 properly) delegation mentioned in this article attended it? Do you recognize anyone in the video? The California delegation is mentioned about 1:15 in the video. You can ask Glen Becerra or Neal Andrews questions at his blog by clicking here.
I look forward to seeing them answer questions from their readers about who they met, what parties they went to, and what they think of their candidates.
I will ask Sandy Emberland if she attended any parties of interest not mentioned in the local Democratic delegation's blog. To view their blog click here. The Star took down their blog but when it is back up I will post a link.
This commentator for the conservative group "Focus on the Family" was joking about praying for rain of Biblical proportions to come down on the acceptance speech of Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention. Watch the video to see all of his joke in context.
I attended the forum at Saddleback Church Saturday night. I am thinking through my reactions and I will write about it in the coming days. For instant talking points and analysis you have plenty of resources. I want to write about the event after some of the dust has cleared.
I am disappointed that John McCain was not in "The Cone of Silence" as Pastor Rick Warren said he was when he started the night. Both candidates were asked the same questions so having staff be able to prepare someone for a few more minutes for the upcoming questions could be helpful.
I have a transcript and I assume many of you watched the forum. If you did or did watch the forum leave me a comment with your thoughts.
I was wondering what passages from scripture either of the candidates would bring up in their answers. The only direct reference I caught was from Barack Obama when he mentioned America's greatest failings and brought up passages from the Book of Matthew. Here is a basic quote from Matthew:
The rest of my thoughts I will write about soon. But many people are putting out their guesses for VP so I figured it would be a fun discussion here.
What are your top three predictions for each candidate?
Do you think the story will leak early before the text messages go out? If Barack Obama can control his campaign from leaking this information early it will be a great sign of his control over his staff and supporters.
Here are my picks in no particular order:
Barack Obama
1. Hillary Clinton
2. Evan Bayh
3. Tim Kaine
I will make my John McCain picks later.
Did you sign up for the text message? Text JOIN to 62262 if you want to receive Barack Obama news by text.
( Have you seen Wedding Crashers? See if you can spot political celebrity John McCain in this clip. Extra points if you catch the other political celebrity in the clip.)
Local Republicans are putting together an event to support John McCain. Click on continue reading for details. Have you seen any other local John McCain groups or events? There is a high priced fund raiser in Los Angeles at the end of the month.
Will John McCain supporters that attend this event be working for all Republican candidates or are they able to work primarily for John McCain?
Where is the closet location to Simi Valley to pick up a John McCain sign?
Before you click on the video do you know the Bob The Builder theme song? Very funny video. I heard the Bob The Builder theme song the other day and I went to youtube and discovered that many people already made the connection into a video.)
Local Barack Obama supporters are putting together a great organization. I was surprised I didn't see more Democratic leaders at the event but I the UFCW hall was full of supporters. There will be Barack Obama signs, stickers, and magnetic bumper stickers at this meeting. Here is a video from the last meeting:
Here is the meeting information from the local Barack Obama campaign volunteers:
Obama Monthly Meetup for the 24th Congressional District - Wednesday, July 23, 7 - 9 PM, UFCW Orchid Room in Camarillo
On June 17 we had a terrific meeting in Camarillo with about 190 supporters attending. We covered the basics on what to expect moving forward; hosting events; developing city groups; phonebanking; canvassing and traveling to other states.
On July 23 we have scheduled the second monthly meetup. This event will be co-hosted by Deborah Dent, CD 24 Obama for America Coordinator and Roni Flowers, Obama for America Volunteer. This will be an opportunity for Obama supporters and city group members to meet together, welcome new volunteers, participate in a brief Q & A and receive information on the campaign's general election plans for California . Also, Roni Flowers will conduct a workshop on voter registration.
( The test reads: West Regional Office West Regional Headquarters Henderson, NV 89074 Office number is 702-425-8845 Email California staff at california@johnmccain.com )
The Hannah-Beth Jackson campaign is opening an East County office. Click on continue reading for details. That is going to be great for East County Democrats. I went to Tony Strickland's site to see their different offices ( I know they were hiring staff in SB but maybe they are working from a party HQ?) but they only have a Thousand Oaks address. That is pretty far from the other end of the district. But I guess that is closer than John McCain's nearest campaign office.
The John McCain Campaign has a California office. In Nevada!
Seems they outsource the work from California. I went to the McCain campaign and when I clicked on California it directed me to their nearest office. I guess this is what they are talking about when people complain that jobs are leaving California.
Have you heard any McCain news coming from Ventura County. I asked Ventura County McCain supporter Neal Andrews to write something up about their current efforts that I expect to post in the next week.
( Maybe this video explains some of the reasons for the differences between the candidates. Not much reinforces the perception of being old like not knowing how to use a computer!)
If you google the following names check out the number of results you get:
Barack Obama:
56,600,000
George Bush :
45,100,000
This election seems to be about Barack Obama and not John McCain. Because of the extended primary, his becoming the first African-American nominee of a major party, and his connection to young voters it is obvious he is well positioned to draw excitement to his campaign.
But how did he top George W. Bush ( or for that matter both George Bush's combined) who has been president or a candidate for president for almost 8 years? Is there really more being written about Barack Obama in the last couple of years then it was about Bush in total?
The 1992 election was about George Bush Sr. and the economy. In the 1996 election Bill Clinton was the topic of discussion, not Bob Dole. The 2000 election was in part a referendum on Bill Clinton. In 2004 the campaign was about George W. Bush but then shifted to being about John Kerry.
This election, for both sides, has become about Barack Obama. When I listen to KFI or watch television it seems that Barack Obama is more often being talked about. Even John McCain is resorting to trying to get some attention from Barack Obama instead of generating his own. He advertisements are all over the internet in odd places like next to Obama Girl or on website promoting racially charged lies about Barack Obama. If you google Barack Obama you even get paid ads by John McCain.
With John McCain's inability to attract excitement on his own it isn't surprising he wanted to be with Barack Obama at town hall meetings!
The Myspace results are easier to explain. Among young people Barack Obama is way ahead.
What do you think about how the candidates are using the internet?
Have you seen or heard about the Obama Girl video hosted on youtube? It has been around since June 13, 2007. Funny enough there wasn't many pundits predicting he would have a serious chance at the nomination back then.
Click here to play the version with subtitled lyrics.
Anyways, I know John McCain's ads are placed using key words but it is funny where his ads keep popping up. He really is going negative early in this election. An attack ad placed on a comedy video? Seems like they don't have a sense of humor. It would be like running a negative ad when the other candidate is on SNL or The Daily Show.
Here is another John McCain ad:
Again, I know his campaign is using key words to place ads. But that being said they should be embarrassed to be running an attack ad on a sleazy website devoted to spreading lies. Barack Obama is a committed Christian. Only the most politically ignorant think he is a Muslim. It has been debunked in so many ways already.
McCain understands what it is like to be smeared by political opponents. I have seen all sorts of trash about him including that he betrayed other POW's when he returned home and of course the dirty attacks from Bush supporters in 2000 before the South Carolina primary.
It is time John McCain's campaign gets an intern to check where their web ads are being placed.
If you see any funny online advertising send me a link.
It seems John McCain is anxious over Barack Obama's ability to connect with voters and make news. Check out these events from the last few days:
Here is Barack Obama, in church on Father's Day, calling on fathers, especially African American fathers, to be there for their children.
( it already has close to 40,000 views on Youtube.)
Here is Barack Obama calling for help on behalf of the victims of the midwest funding. He also flew in, helped out , and used his campaign organization to get people to help:
And on his front page you see this:
And what is John McCain up to? On his front page it has a long list of Finance Events. He is also hosting town hall Meetings with the campaign helping to select audience members, which isn't what they were claiming it was going to be. Even Fox News called them on it.
So, is it in Barack Obama's best interest to be at every meeting that John McCain wants to hold? Most likely not. But it might be in our nation's best interest to watch them debate each other many times.
I think both campaigns should compromise. Barack Obama's campaign has already agreed to a total of 5 events between here and the election in November. Maybe he should add in one or two more events. Having a weekly event over this summer is a little too much and it is an attempt to get Barack Obama out of the type of campaigning he has been very effective at thus far.
Now that I have said all of that let's take this to the local level.
Of course Rep. Elton Gallegly is the heavy favorite to win. But wouldn't it be great if he participated in at least 1 event with his opponent that was focused just on their race this summer? A town hall forum where the audience could ask questions of them and a recording would be broadcast on cable?
What about Hannah Beth Jackson and Tony Strickland? What excuse do they have for not meeting at least once a month to answer questions from the audience or a panel? Do you think it would be good for democracy to watch them debate their different visions across our district?
To make the events fair I don't care who they ask to moderate them. The Acorn? The Star? League Of Women Voters? A Rotary Club? What about other elected officials? Maybe even no moderator at all but instead a Lincoln Douglas type event where each candidate gets a few minutes to talk and they switch back and forth for an hour?
If enough people show their interest I will invite both campaigns to debate and report back which campaign refuses to debate.
I like the no host format so neither campaign can argue they don't think the moderator in unfair.
I haven't seen Hannah Beth Jackson in a debate or speak before a large audience but I have seen Tony Strickland do it a few times and he seems well practiced at it. I know his critics doubt him but his public speaking skills are pretty good. He can read an audience better than many local politicians.
What do you think? Should they do monthly debates across the district?
On John McCain's website there is a section of campaign gear you can purchase that have an environmentalist theme to them. Even though some far right critics attacked him for it and said he would not earn green votes for his efforts ( I do know one young environmental activist that is a Republican but the environment is her focus. Being Green keeps people like her from shifting their support to candidates like Barack Obama.) I believe it is a major change in American politics.
It appears as though George W. Bush will be the last anti-environmental president. Republican and Democratic leaders agree that climate change is real and human influenced. They also agree that actions needs to be taken.
( Tony Strickland and Hannah Beth Jackson agree climate change is real and human influenced. Kind of reminds me of this odd couple.)
In our area Tony Strickland is trying to show that he is an environmentally friendly candidate. He has spoken many times about his company, GreenWave Energy Solutions, and their effort and exploring more alternative energy sources.
His critics will attempt to claim the whole thing is a greenwash attempt. That he voted against the policy preferences of all the prominent environmental groups while he was int he state assembly. They also ridicule his company because it doesn't have a product, a profit, or even revenue beyond investment capital.
All of that may or may not be true.
But what is true is more important. The day when environmental protections only came from one party are over. To be an anti-environmentalist isn't going to be effective any longer.
The new debate is over what party has better ideas on the ways in which we provide for our energy security and protect our environment. The battle of ideas has shifted over. Republicans are quickly trying to get green as many of them distance themselves from past policies and statements.
Remember this one from Ronald Regan?
Republicans will not go back to Ronald Reagan's statements that show him at odds with environmentalists, but instead they will argue that their free market solutions will be a better way of protecting the environment.
Democrats will have to make the case that Republicans are not serious in their new found devotion and that their policies will be ineffective. But the middle has shifted and the new debate has been set.
The campaigns locally have already started adapting to this new world. Tony Strickland's campaign sent out a press release touting an award from a political wing apparently of The United Chamber of Commerce to his energy company.
Expect Hannah Beth Jackson's campaign to be critical of his voting record, his plans, and his company. Expect them to be critical of the award. But don't expect the environment to be an issue that only one party attempts to win votes off anymore.
For the Republican Party as a whole it will take more than an election cycle or set of candidates to gain voter trust but they won't be giving up.
Click on continue reading to see the press release about Tony Strickland's Award.
I know Moorpark city council member Keith Millhouse has been a strong advocate of working together to address climate change but has anyone seen a statement that shows where Elton Gallegly stands on the issue?
County Supervisor Peter Foy ( Peter, if you want to clarify and extend your remarks I will post them on the front page) is isolated as a part of the old guard that denies the earth is heating up at all. In the future there will be more Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger ( check out the Green theme to his website as he moves beyond the Republican Party), John McCain, Newt Gingrich, and if he is successful Tony Strickland.
Put another point on the scoreboard for Team Strickland.
( Rep. Gallegly arguing on behalf of the troop surge.)
There is a new Ventura County based blog devoted to ending the war in Iraq. The war is not very popular in public opinion polls but yet the level of activism against the war has been pretty subdued.
Has your position on the war shifted since the start or run up to the war in 2003?
Click here to see their blog.
Click on continue reading to see details about their next event.
If you plan on going please send in a brief write up and a few photos afterwards.
On a related note watch this John McCain campaign ad:
Did you catch what shirt the woman at the end was wearing? Watch it again before you click here.
Did you see it the first time? Do you think it is really what it looks like?
( If you know the story behind this picture from Rep. Gallegly's website I would like to know.)
I have heard there is an interesting story about The Ventura County Republican Central Committee's process in endorsing Rep. Elton Gallegly for re-election. Is there some problem with their bylaws because it is a contested primary?
If you know more about this please fill us in. I went to the endorsement page but there wasn't any listings. Click here to see Rep. Gallegly's current listings.
His website also details his positions on three issues: Taxes, Immigration, and Terrorism. See how many times you find the word Iraq on his issues page. Is he trying to avoid connection to the war?
( Rep. Elton Gallegly discussing his views on The Surge)
The VCRCC also has an online poll about the 2008 presidential election. Options include the war on terrorism/Iraq.
I recently wrote about Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) who is the ranking minority member on the Committee on Natural Resources with Rep. Gallegly. It looks like Don Young cannot get anyone to donate to his legal defense bills to attempt to protect him from the criminal investigations he is facing. I am calling upon Rep. Gallegly to stand up and denounce the Bridge to Nowhere and Young's other over the top antics. Even in heavily Republican Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young are behind in the polls because of their connections to illicit earmarking combined with their connections to a shady business. Elton, how can you stay silent on this issue? Be a leader and stop these people from dragging your party down. It is a matter of time before they are arrested or defeated for reelection. And if that doesn't happen they will instead continue to drag down your party. Why not help put an end to their abuse of power?
This blog is devoted to the nuts and bolts of local politics.
Have some political Info you want released? Let me know! I want to publicize fundraisers, parties, Web sites, meetup.com events and anything else happening in Ventura County. So, send them to briandennert@yahoo.com.
