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Meg Whitman: Fudging the Facts (California Accountability Project)
In her campaign for Governor, billionaire Meg Whitman keeps fudging the facts. When Meg Whitman plays fast an loose with the facts, seek out the truth from the California Accountability Project.
Zuma Dogg for California Attorney General?
Did the crowded field to replace Jerry Brown as California’s Attorney General just pick up yet another candidate? Venice Beach’s own Zuma Dogg – who garnered over 9,000 votes against Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – is hinting at a run for the state’s “top cop” position in recent tweets.
The Attorney General race on the Democratic Party side is already ridiculously crowded. Six candidates from across the state have already announced their intention to run and are amassing cash and endorsements:
- Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo
- San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris
- Assembly Members Ted Lieu, Pedro Nava and Alberto Torrico
- Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly
So, does Zuma Dogg mean it? Is he really considering a statewide run to follow on his surprisingly successful local campaign?
UPDATE: Apparently this is the shortest campaign ever. Zuma Dogg is ineligible for an Attorney General run:
Watch This: California Forward’s “Force for Change”
Video shown at the LWVC Biennial Convention in Long Beach May 2009 with keynote dinner speaker Bob Hertzberg.
Watch This: Smithsonian Call to Action – Voice Your Vision
In honor of Night at the Museum: battle of the Smithsonian – which I took my two boys to this weekend – check out:
How Much Will Newsom ‘Buck the System’ On Twitter?
Sole (announced) Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom is taking his Twitter followers out for a spin.
Much has been written on the success Newsom’s found on the microblogging site; amassing a huge number of followers, announcing his campaign via Tweet and doing much of the thumbwork himself.
In the next week, I’ll have a piece that’ll make you look at follower numbers a little differently (and not just Gavin’s). But in the meantime, let’s watch as Newsom test drives these folks and sees what he can get out of them.
Because this is where the rubber meets the road.
Newsom is asking for a small contribution from his 425,563 Followers, sending them to a fundraising page with a goal of 500 donors at five bucks a pop.
In the two post-Tweet hours, 84 cointrubtors have given a total of $1,048.
I’ll update periodically with new totals, and welcome speculation in the comments about how much this ask turns into…
Gavin Newsom: The Humphrey Bogart of California Politics
Twitter user @SGourley on @GavinNewsom
Twitter user @SGourley raises an interesting point about search engines, public personas, and political aspirations by offering the instructions seen to the right.
Following those instructions (running a google image search on “gavin newsom“), you’re greeted with a number of views of the honorable Mayor of San Francisco: taking the oath of office, eating a reporter’s microphone (where’s the video of that one?), lounging with his former wife, smiling with his wonderful new bride, looking goofy in a T-Shirt, looking strong behind a podium, and – shall we say – looking amused in the “3rd Result” that @SGourley is focusing on.
Making Friends and Influencing People
@SGourley assumes that Newsom would want rid of such a picture. But with Garry South – Newsom’s campaign guru (and a guru of mine) – talking up every reporter in his speed dial about Jerry Brown’s time in office (code for “the other guy’s old!”), maybe Newsom wants pictures like this out there.
Part of the allure of a candidate like Newsom (and even stick-in-the-mud Barack Obama) is that there’s a certain brash danger that comes with a handsome young leader. The swagger. The knowing smirk. It’s like Humphrey Bogart is running for office; a drink in one hand, a smoke in the other, and a remit envelop in the inside pocket of his suit.
Decades earlier, Bogart likes what he sees.
In fact, the Newsom photo actually reminded me of a famous picture of Bogart. Out on the town with Lauren Bacall, Bogie found himself face to – ahem – face with Marilyn Monroe.
Bogart’s got a few years on Newsom, and is playing it cooler…
…but there’s that look.
The handrolling of the cigarette is certainly more than any politician could ever muster, because of California’s modern smoking laws and the fact that there will only ever be one Humphrey Bogart.
Same eyeline...totally different meaning!
But, the look is the same.
Which brings me to of another famous photo from that era (and the moral of the story). Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield.
The eyeline is the same, but the meaning is completely different. I’m guessing Lauren Bacall laid the same look on Monroe just after this photo was taken.
And while a Google image search of Jennifer Siebel Newsom turned up no similar shot, take this as a word of warning.
Female Newsom supporters: you probably won’t get the Bogie look, but the Loren look is always right there in your face – or wherever.
UPDATED: I took the time and tracked down a short clip of Newsom eating a reporter’s microphone mentioned above – a still of which appears in the “gavin newsom” image search @SGourley is talking about. Oh Gavin, you cad!
David Plouffe or Mitch Stewart: Who’s more of a pill? (Watch and decide)
Organizing for America, the nationwide undertaking that picks up where the Obama campaign left off, has a video out today encouraging folks to join their Pledge Project in support of President Obama’s budget and program blueprint.
The video is in the stlye of Obama for America campaign manager David Plouffe’s frequent and popular webcam updates – right down to the compelling delivery.
Mitch Stewart, Director of the new OfA, hits all the thrilling Plouffe-ian notes: The stoic, staid monotone. The mind-nimbingly spartan slides. Art direction consisting of Obama signs and maps on office walls.
Nothing like sticking to what works, eh?
So look at the video above and the one below and tell me, who’s more boring Plouffe or Stewart? And does it matter if they continue to be so successful?
Newsom Tweets New Baby, Will @GavinNewsom Be On The Birth Certificate?
The 2008 election cycle elicited amazing new uses of technology in politics.
It’s only February ’09, but we’ve now seen where the 2010 election cycle is heading…
San Francisco Mayor (and California Gubernatorial explorer) Gavin Newsom Tweeted his impending fatherhood.
Economy is important when you only have 140 characters to share something as special as your first baby, so let’s break down the message:
- Going to be a father
- Wife is pregnant
- Very excited/proud
The first line is the news.
The second clears up a major question – imagine the field day Drudge would have if the Mayor was carrying the child!
The third shows that he’s not some out-of-touch, San Franciscan, liberal, child-hating elitist. Nope. He’s stoked.
And I’m stoked for him.
Congratulations, Mayor Newsom…but please don’t put @GavinNewsom on the birth certificate.
SF Chronicle: For Brown and Newsom, Age Is Just a Number (of Facebook friends)
A line of differentiation is appearing in the California Gubernatorial Primary.
It’s a generational line.
Emboldened by the hip young cat who brushed off claims of inexperience and won the White House, the exploratory campaign of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (Born: 1967) is making no bones about casting their main opponent – Attorney General Jerry Brown (Born: Before the Earth cooled) – as old…
“This will no doubt be the first governor’s race in California history – if not nationally – where one candidate sat on the other candidate’s lap as a little kid,” crows Newsom political consultant Garry South…Â (San Francisco Chronicle)
…or out of touch:
“The question that I think Californians will have to come to grips with is, does California need the same governor in 2011 that it had in 1975?” said Newsom strategist Garry South. (Los Angeles Times)
Oh, that Garry South. Such a trouble maker.
Who knows if this line of attack works? We’re not talking about John McCain here. This is Jerry Brown – a very different opponent to label as old or out of touch.
That didn’t stop the Chronicle from looking for age spots on Brown’s campaign techniques:
Example: the dramatic disparity between Brown and Newsom on the social networking site, Facebook, a spectacularly successful fundraising and networking tool for President Obama’s campaign.
Newsom has launched an effort to raise “30,000 supporters in 30 days,” already amassing more than 25,000 contacts on his Facebook site, with 300-400 more signing up daily. Brown, son of the late Gov. Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, has less than 700 Facebook contacts.
The San Francisco mayor has used Facebook, Twitter, his Web site and blogs (on Daily Kos and Huffington Post) – all tools that appeal to younger voters – to attract hundreds of people around the state to town hall meetings in the past month. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Here are a few bones I have to pick with this analysis…
First, recent Pew findings deflate the “internet is for young folks” myth:
Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the “Net Generation,” internet users in their 20s do not dominate every aspect of online life. Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online. And even Silent Generation internet users are competitive when it comes to email (although teens might point out that this is proof that email is for old people). (Pew Internet and American Life Project)
Next, all of the candidates; Newsom, Brown, Garamendi and Villaraigosa are on Facebook. You can also find Antonio, John, Jerry and Gavin on Twitter. I’ve seen several of them as authors on prominent blogs, and all are tapping their respective email lists.
Finally, victory isn’t as simple as merely using the tools, or amassing high friend-counts on the SocNets. It’s about establishing bi-directional communication, speaking in the language of the web (which changes daily), and showing something authentic to the online community’s magnificently well-honed bullshit detector.
Take the Facebook numbers cited in the Chronicle…
When his campaign launched this friendraiser, Newsom already had about 23,000 supporters banked. In the two weeks since – with active outreach on Facebook and multiple blasts to their email lists – they’ve climbed to just over 27,000. Growth of 4,000 (about 17%) over two weeks. Not too shabby.
On the other hand, Jerry Brown had only 400 friends and change when he dropped his 25 Random Things list at the end of last week. In the week since, Jerry has shot up to over 1,500 friends (over 350% growth) with little extra effort. His novelty and authenticity also earned several earned media hits in meatspace.
The raw numbers are still very much on Newsom’s side, but Brown’s tapping of the meme-of-the-moment had a dramatic effect on the reach of his online community. For that instant, it was Brown who was more fluent in the language of the web.
Online Organizing is not unlike Field Organizing; The Grind does matter. But catching that imaginative spark – riding that wave of the internet zeitgeist – can supercharge you in bursts.
Staying open to those memes and turning those bursts into your Grind is how you dominate.
Watch This: The Gay Alphabet (HD)
You always knew there was something different about the alphabet. Admit it.
We all had out suspicions, and now they can be put to rest.
The alphabet has come out of the closet in this new video: The Gay Alphabet.
25 Random Things About Jerry Brown
Controversial official portrait of once (and future?) Governor Jerry Brown
California Attorney General (and gubernatorial candidate) Jerry Brown is the latest person to succumb to the 25 Random Things craze that’s sweeping across Facebook.
How did I know this? I saw a Tweet on the JerryBrown2010 Twitter profile.
6. My official portrait as Governor was quite controversial and the legislature refused to hang it. My Father said if I didn’t get a new one, I could never run again. It is now hanging and I am still running. (Facebook: Jerry Brown’s 25 Random Things)
Embracing the latest meme sensation and promoting it through the hot new social medium (at least among hack and flack elites) is a defiant response to those critics who wonder “does California need the same governor in 2011 that it had in 1975?” as my old boss Garry South recently put it.
Does tapping new channels to communicate with voters indicate that Brown would not be the same governor he was in the days before many of Facebook’s most fervent users were born?
Does use of young technology demonstrate a young spirit? Does use of a fresh political medium show a mind open to fresh policy ideas?
Now, after two years as state attorney general, this Democrat who first ran for office in the era of Janis Joplin and the Beatles is remaking himself yet again. This time, Brown’s quest is to recapture the job he won 35 years ago: governor of California.
But Brown is already facing a quandary that could bedevil him in this, his 12th campaign: How does a man so closely identified with California’s past show that he is best fit to lead the troubled state into the future? (LA Times)
If the answer to the haters isn’t in the use of such technology, maybe an answer lies within the 25 Random Things. I’ve pulled a few out below:
I’ve seen lists of “25 Random Things About Me†that people are sending around Facebook. I thought I would share my own list with you.
3. In 1958, I took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Later, Pope John XXIII dispensed me from these obligations.
12. I worked with Mother Theresa in India at the Home for the Dying.
14. I sued Richard Nixon’s lawyer for helping the President cheat on his income tax.
18. I knocked my opponent to the canvas in a 3 round boxing match at Senior Fight Night.
Those few items show a leader of restraint and compassion; who respects the rule of law; and who will put on gloves and throw blows. But perhaps the most salient of the 25 Things is number 24:
24. The first time I became Governor, I followed an Actor (Ronald Reagan).
The whole list is absolutely worth checking out. Brown leads a life unlike any officeholder. So head over to Jerry Brown’s Notes on Facebook, and see what he has to say.
Ed. Note – Jerry’s not the only one Twittering. If you want to follow Reelpolitik’s tweets, find them at http://www.Twitter.com/Reelpolitik. Also, I will NOT be doing 25 Random Things.
Antonio Villaraigosa (Re)Launches Campaign Site (Not for Governor)
Next month, voters in Los Angeles will go to the polls and re-elect Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for a second term.
Sorry to burst your bubble, Zuma Dogg.
With all that campaigning left ahead of him, the Mayor has decided to tap these newfangled internets and do some of that online organizing that worked so well for our new President.
The bottom line is this: my site is your site. The slogan of this campaign is “bringing people together, getting things done,” and in the new world of online campaigning a website can provide just the place to make that happen. I hope you’ll join us there and get involved. (from Villaraigosa email blast)
Check out his site: Antonio Villaraigosa for Los Angeles.
The Mayor is also encamped in the usual spots you see politicians these days:
- Antonio Villaraigosa on Facebook
- Antonio Villaraigosa on YouTube
- Antonio Villaraigosa on Flickr
- Antonio Villaraigosa on LinkedIn
- Antonio Villaraigosa on MySpace
- Antonio Villaraigosa on Twitter
Some cynics may question the utility of launching a campaign website so late in your election cycle. Surely, it isn’t related to a certain 2010 race the Mayor is likely to enter. This couldn’t possibly be just a warm up for a bigger campaign, right?
A Note About the Re-Runs
If you’re a reader or subscriber and are wondering why I’m posting clips from 2006 campaigns, here’s why:
At some point a while back, I decided to take YouTube up on it’s increased file size allowances and re-upload a number of clips from back in the day, when there was a 100 MB limit.
I’m finally getting around to actually doing it.
Enjoy some oldies but (hopefully) goodies, like this piece from a Southern California tour with then-State Treasurer Phil Angelides – who is now emailing his ass off for the Apollo Alliance (which has nothing to do with Battlestar Galactica).
Funny Money – Rick Jacobs’ Courage Campaign Passes Counterfeit “Arnold Bucks”
Here’s the latest creative effort from our good friends at the Courage Campaign Issues Committee, calling attention to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sending Californinans IOU’s instead of much needed aid or tax refunds.
Many Californians are so overwhelmed by this paralyzing crisis that they’ve just tuned it out. As a result, Arnold is not being held accountable for his failure to lead.
That’s why we decided to try something a bit unorthodox — raise awareness by using humor to highlight the absurdity of these IOU’s, or what we are calling “Arnoldbucks.”
We asked one of our members to see what would happen if he tried to use “Arnoldbucks” as legal tender at a few businesses in the area. You won’t believe what happened. It’s all caught on camera — even a few security cams.
Know a friend who might need a laugh? Share this video with them, download your own Arnoldbucks below, then tell us your ideas. (Courage Campaign: Arnold Bucks)
My favorite part: “The State of California would gladly pay you Tuesday for a cheeseburger today.”
Arnold can haz cheezburger?
Indie 103.1 is Dead. Long live Indie 103.1
New logo for a new Indie 103.1 - now going all web-based
Driving to work this morning I was a little surprised to hear Sinatra’s My Way on Indie 103.1 FM. Not too terribly surprised, mind you. Free from the usual constrained playlists, Indie was capable of anything.
What followed the last trailing strings of the Anka-penned tune was very disheartening for me. A promo that Indie 103.1 was leaving the radio dial and becoming an internet-only broadcaster.
I don’t know how this change will effect their revenues and budget, and worry that the array of hosts won’t stick around for web only broadcasting.  WIll this be goodbye to Jonesy, Rollins, and the other great jocks Indie has had picking and spinning records since going on the air a few years back?
Aside from losing a great voice for independent, new and local music on the Los Angeles airwaves; I always take stations changing formats hard. I grew up around the radio business. Since he was seventeen – not too long before I was born! – my dad has been a disc jockey. A station changing formats hits a radio station like a factory closing. People and families who work there are thrust into a very uncertain situation.
So here’s the best to Indie 103.1 in its new incarnation, and to the staff and their families who will be effected by this change. May Marconi smile down on you from the radio heavens.
I’ll leave you with an in studio acoustic performance by The TIng Tings on Indie 103.1 (including That’s Not My Name):
Behold! It’s Your Congress on YouTube
In a pair of advertising-free zones within the YouTube-iverse, your United State House and Senate are embarking on an adventurous new way of communicating with the American people.
Here’s how YouTube lays it out:
So, why are your elected leaders coming to YouTube? The short answer is: you. Your use of YouTube and other online platforms to speak up on political issues and hold your leaders accountable has shown just how powerful this medium can be. You’ve shown your elected officials that in order to be in contact with you, they need to come to the platforms you use most, and engage with you directly. (YouTube Blog)
The Introductory video is suffers a little from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s performance – if this video is Valkyrie, McConnell is Tom Cruise – but Reid, Pelosi and Boehner are game and do a good (albeit stiff) job of sharing the thinking behind this project.
I took a few minutes to check out some of the other clips, and one Member’s work surprised me. Republican Representative Howard “Buck” McKeown, from California’s 25th Congressional District.
The good folks at TechPresident also took notice of the Man From Santa Clarita:
McKeon introduces his interns, legislative staff, and the person who will answer your call should you ask for information on a congressional tour. At one point, McKeon even turns the camera on his startled “new media guy” named Robert. It’s well worth a watch to see Hill staffers in their natural habitat. (TechPresident)
What is it about Latter Day Saints officeholders that makes them such natural YouTube stars? MittTV was a gem in the primaries, and now Buck McKeon (of all people!) is turning in interesting product in the sphere.
I may never watch a video with any of the congressional leadership again, but I’ll be keeping an eye on that Congressman directly to my north. Sadly, I may be the only one…McKeon’s 13 videos (dating back seven months) total up to less than a thousand views; 862 at the time of my writing this.
The Scariest Email I Have Ever Recieved (Ever)
So, I’ve been Twittering a bit more lately.
Follow my tweets and you’ll be in good interesting company, none other than Bush’s Brain: Karl Rove.
Yesterday, my inbox was visited by the scariest email I have ever received:
Hi, Jeremy D. Thompson (Reelpolitik).
Karl Rove (KarlRove) is now following your updates on Twitter.
Check out Karl Rove’s profile here:
http://twitter.com/KarlRove
Best,
I doubt there is much insight I can provide to Karl (there’s no denying his acumen), but maybe every so often I can put a smile on his face.
My Candidate Statement for California Democratic State Central Committee
In 2010, California Democrats face two statewide contests that could require an unprecedented marshaling of resources:
- It is likely that the Republican gubernatorial nominee will be extremely wealthy and capable of self-funding their campaign.
- Rumors persist that Governor Schwarzenegger will mount a challenge Senator Boxer for her seat.
On their own, either of these races would present a challenging fight. In 2010 we may be called upon to respond to both.
Answering these challenges will demand a recommitment to local organizing in all 58 counties and enhancement of CDP’s use of technology for direct voter contact and messaging.
As an Assembly District Delegate to the State Central Committee, I will advocate for CDP’s better engagement in the grassroots and netroots to successfully defend Senator Boxer’s seat and take back the Capitol.
Drawing on more than a decade’s worth of campaign experience – beginning as a field organizer, and most recently as Senior New Media Advisor to the Obama campaign in California – I will bring a combination of tested techniques and willingness to experiment with evolving tools to carry out the mission of the California Democratic Party – to win elections.
Governor Schwarzenegger’s Hit Christmas Family Movie (but not Jingle All the Way)
The good folks at Courage Campaign Issues Committee (disclosure: I’ve done a bit of work for them) are making spirits bright…at the Governor’s expense.
Robert in Monterey talks about the piece at Calitics:
The Courage Campaign, in partnership with Donkey on the Edge and with the support of Cheri and Naren Shankar, put together this video of Arnold’s “California Carol” – Arnold is visited by the ghosts of California past, present and future, showing him the error of his ways.
Unfortunately, California’s Ebenezer Scrooge isn’t going to have a Christmas morning change of heart and suddenly decide to provide funding for schools and health care. Not unless we the people demand that he stop cutting and start saving California by signing the Democratic budget deal. (Calitics – Arnold’s Nightmare: A California Carol)
Lest ye forget, this is not the Governor’s first foray into holiday entertainment. As bad as the situation is in Sacramento, do we really want him going back to this…
More Holiday Season Charitable Videos
Earlier this morning I posted a pair of videos from the Advent Conspiracy and TOMS Project Holiday. Those are just two of the many videos looking for more meaningful giving during the holidays:
Already done your part for those less fortunate? You can help spread the joy of giving through the Vlogbrothers’ Project for Awesome. All you have to do to participate is create a video about your favorite charity or cause and encourage the YouTube community to support it. The Vlogbrothers have even have promised to donate $1000 to the charity that inspires the best video – so get to work! (YouTube Blog)
Here’s the Project for Awesome clip mentioned at YouTube:
Have you seen any effective, moving, or powerful calls to action this season?
Advent Conspiracy, TOMS Project Holiday and the Spirit of Christmas
I usually say, “Videos = Votes” (but not today)
There’s a mantra I repeat, beating it like a drum (some would say a dead horse): Videos = Votes
Tonight I’m singing a different tune…a Christmas Carol, no less.
As we’re being urged to shop our way out of a recession, the Advent Conspiracy Promo Video above and the TOMS Project Holiday video below are reminders of how small gestures (by American holiday standards) can make a world of difference elsewhere.
Clean water.
A pair of shoes.
Simple things that would elicit false smiles and hollow thanks here, but reflect the real spirit of the season.