Greg Lucas reports two longtime Republican operatives are among those offering free advice to Jerry Brown.
"Jack Flanigan, a veteran GOP political strategist, is among the informal network of advisers Attorney General Jerry Brown consults in his race for governor. Flanigan said he has no formal role in Brown’s campaign, just offers advice when Brown seeks it.
“I basically respond to his questions. What do you think about X? Who is this person? Why is this person important? What do I do” Probing questions that pop up during the day that he thinks I have special insight into by being Republican.”Also advising Brown is Don Sipple, a long-time GOP media consultant who, like Flanigan, is closely aligned with Wilson and White. Sipple helped Schwarzenegger in the 2003 recall campaign and has produced spots for numerous ballot measures."
As more new negative ads hit the airwaves, Steve Poiner and Meg Whitman are prepping for a Sunday night debate.
"
The
hourlong event, which begins at the Tech Museum of
Innovation at 5
p.m., is expected to be more widely viewed than last
month's debate,
which was sponsored by a Republican donor group in
Orange County. That
debate was available only on a herky-jerky online video stream. "The
goal is to make it available to as many people as
possible," said Bryan
Byrd, a spokesman for Comcast, chief sponsor and producer
of the
debate."
Speaking on hard-to-watch television, Schwarzenegger and his new lieutenant governor hit the late night circuit, with Arnold talking immigration with Jay Leno, while Maldonado talked avocados and sleeping under his desk on the Colbert Report.
The LA Times reports that while Democratic strategist Chris Lehane is taking on Meg Whitman and her ties to Goldman Sachs, his business partner has been hired by Goldman.
"While Fabiani defends the investment banking firm, Lehane will presumably be continuing with missives like this on Level the Playing Field's Facebook page. "Don't miss this article on Meg Whitman's record as a board member of Goldman Sachs. Innocent people lost their homes and life savings during the financial collapse, while elite fat cats made millions. Was Meg one of those who cashed in while the rest of us suffered?"
"Lehane and Fabiani are no strangers to controversy or perceived conflict. In 2001, during the electricity crisis, the duo worked for Edison International. Afterwards, Lehane was hired by Gov. Gray Davis.
"At the time Lehane said there was no conflict, even though the Legislature was contemplating a major Edison bailout bill, because "the governor and Edison have the same energy policy."
Steve Harmon looks at Whitman's attempts to link Brown to Goldman Sachs.
"Trying all week to dig out from underneath a torrent of bad news surrounding her ties to Goldman Sachs, Meg Whitman employed what political observers say is a well-worn campaign tactic: deflecting the harsh glare onto her opponent. It was a difficult sale to make.
"The Republican
gubernatorial front-runner's team has tried to pump up media interest in
a once-obscure 1998 deal between the city of Oakland and Goldman Sachs
to paint Jerry Brown, Whitman's Democratic rival, as
equally yoked as
Whitman is to the ill fortunes of the giant investment
firm now facing a
federal probe for fraud." After criticizing the federal health care plan's impact
on California, Gov. Schwarzenegger said Thursday he supports the law
signed by President Obama. The Chron's Victoria Colliver reports, "Saying he's
"not a party servant, I'm a public servant," the
Republican governor's stance sets him apart from GOP
leaders in other
states who are actively trying to challenge the legislation,
which
President Obama signed into law last month. "As governor of this great state, it is my responsibility
to make
sure that California prepares to implement this reform
right now,"
Schwarzenegger said during a news conference at UC
Davis' cancer center
in Sacramento. "We are ready to roll up our sleeves
and work with the
federal government to get this done."