Capitol Weeekly looks at
how the governor's race and the national Democratic trends may affect the down-ticket races. "The question is how two very different trends, one national and one unique to California, will play out on Election Day. Democrats seem poised to make big gains nationally, with party leaders talking openly about taking control of one or both houses of Congress. But in California, Democrats find themselves trailing badly in the governor's race, potentially slipping in legislative races, and losing their grasp on two or three additional statewide offices.
Once again, California seems out of step with national trends. As the country has turned more conservative in its voting in the last decade, California has solidified its role as a Democratic anchor, with both U.S. senators, both legislative houses and every constitutional office in Democratic hands.
But some observers say the national picture may determine more of what happens in down-ticket races than the outcome of the governor's race. "
Pete Wilson won with a bunch of people, but that was in 1994 and there was a national Republican tide," said political historian and GOP strategist
Tony Quinn. "Now, the national tide is going in the opposite direction, but Republicans are doing well here.
Bruce McPherson is the appointed incumbent."
"As the governor's race hurtles toward the endgame, challenger Phil Angelides is trying to close a large gap in the polls
by attacking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's character, while the governor is hiring new staff and announcing an official overseas trip in anticipation of a second term," reports Peter Nicholas in the Times.
"Looking for another way to distinguish himself from the governor, Angelides spent the last month talking about his opposition to the war in Iraq."
"That didn't shake up the race either."
"'You don't like to see a campaign change course with less than three weeks in the election,' said
Larry Gerston, a political science professor at San Jose State University. 'And when that does happen, it means they're changing course because what they've done to date isn't working.'"
"
Daniel Mitchell, a professor of management and public policy at UCLA, said: 'He is attempting to get whatever media attention he can…. He doesn't get on the Jay Leno show and Schwarzenegger does. It's hard to compete.'"
Though Leno still hasn't come calling, Angelides will appear live in studio on the '
Adam Carolla Radio Show' this morning around 8:25. Angelides will appear on the show after the 80’s glam rock band Warrant, and prior to
Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends, according to a campaign press release.
Does Angelides want to be governor, or a
Surreal Life cast member?
The Bee's Kevin Yamamura reports: On Wednesday, "Angelides, in a phone interview, said Schwarzenegger
never fulfilled a promise he made during his 2003 recall campaign to review the groping allegations."
Enquiring minds want to know -- did Kevin call Phil, or vice-versa?
"'It was the governor who told (former NBC anchor)
Tom Brokaw on national news that he would fully look into this matter and tell the people what it was all about," Angelides said. 'He was the one who made his commitment and didn't keep his promise.'"
This follows Tuesday's allegation that the governor supported South African apartheid.
"'Phil Angelides is a desperate man and his campaign is imploding,' said Schwarzenegger campaign spokesman
Matt David. 'He began this week saying publicly that his flailing campaign would go down the path of character assassination, and true to his word, yesterday he called the governor a racist.'"
"
Bill Carrick, an Angelides political adviser, said the Democratic challenger began raising personal charges in response to questions posed by reporters earlier this week about the governor's character. He said Angelides is raising legitimate issues."
"'There's a real question here about the governor's character, his authenticity,' Carrick said. 'He admitted he did unspecified bad things, but at the end of his campaign he said he was going to conduct an investigation and report to the people his own findings. That never happened, and it's the same kind of pattern that has been typical of a lot of his public policy positions.'"
Daniel Weintraub looks at what, if elected, the gubernatorial candidates
might do on health care. "Given their records and their pledges, it seems safe to assume that Angelides would be more likely to use the power of government to try to intervene in the health insurance market, apply mandates on employers and use tax dollars to pay for care for those who cannot afford it now."
"Schwarzenegger might give the issue a higher priority than he has so far, but would still be more likely to take an incremental approach reflecting his concerns about employers and the economy."
"Whether either approach can do much to reduce the number of uninsured, many of whom are recent immigrants working for small employers in low-wage jobs, remains to be seen."
CW's Shane Goldmacher looks at
how Capitol staffers are spending their fall recess. "As the evening sun bakes the Sacramento skyline, 20 Democratic staffers are abuzz on the telephone on the ninth floor of the Senator Hotel.
"Hi, I am calling on behalf of the California Teachers Association. The teachers support Lou Correa …"
That's about as far as most of them get before the voice on the other line interrupts--or hangs up entirely. Then they start again, making hundreds of calls until long after the sun has set."
CW's Malcolm Maclachlan looks at
life after some of the Assembly's most outspoken members. "What do Dennis Mountjoy, Ray Haynes, Jay LaSuer and Jackie Goldberg have incommon? In case that last one threw you, it isn't their political views. It's how they express them.
According to many of their staff and peers, this termed-out quartet were (by varying degrees) the most loquacious, outspoken and humorous the Assembly had to offer in the last couple years. The lower body may be less entertaining without them."
The LAT's Seema Mehta looks at the
election for secretary of state. "Voting advocates say that whoever is elected will play a vital role in the future of the state's and the nation's elections.
"'California has provided a lot of leadership for the nation in the area of voting-technology reform," said
Kim Alexander, president and founder of the California Voter Foundation, which does not endorse candidates. '
Secretary of State [Bruce] McPherson has provided that leadership; Debra Bowen has provided that leadership in her role on the Senate Elections Committee.'"
Meanwhile, the candidates
debated yesterday.
Whoever is elected to the post will get to look into racist mailings and bad voting machines.
"A state probe into who sent an intimidating mailer to foreign-born Hispanics in Orange County
is focusing on Republican congressional candidate Tan D. Nguyen's campaign," reports the Orange County Register.
Well, that takes the wind out of the sails of conspiracy theorists.
"Nguyen, who is challenging Rep.
Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, in November's election, did not return a call seeking comment."
"Yolo County election officials are
skeptical that many vision-impaired voters will use the county's 150 electronic voting machines in next month's election," writes Ryan Lillis in the Bee.
"They're even more skeptical that many of those same voters will need to hear instructions in Vietnamese."
"Yet two weeks ago, when officials began programming the machines,
the directions for use by voters with vision disabilities came out in Vietnamese."
"'
We thought it was extremely charming, but on account of the county not having many blind Vietnamese voters, we e-mailed the company and they sent us the right software,' said
Freddie Oakley, the Yolo County clerk recorder."
Finally, "
Susan Blad Seldin, 41, former Democratic Party grass-roots organizer who co-founded FieldWorks, a Washington-based campaign consulting and political strategy firm,
died Oct. 14 at University of California at San Francisco Medical Center."
"Ms. Blad Seldin developed graft-versus-host disease after a successful bone marrow transplant to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma."
"After studying political communications in college, she worked with the California Democratic Party. She also was deputy campaign manager for party chairman
Phil Angelides's first, unsuccessful race for state treasurer in 1994."
"That year, she came to the Washington area to work for the Democratic National Committee as executive director of College Democrats of America. In 1998, she became western states political director."
We'll miss ya, Susan.