Why would the O.C. Register allow a paid political consultant to opine on their editorial pages? That is exactly what happened today, as Red Klownty blogger and political consultant Matt “Jerbal” Cunningham wrote an op-ed opposing an effort by Democrats to tax plastic trash bags.
Now I don’t disagree with Matt’s conclusions, for the most part, but one has to wonder – is this guy being paid to do this by the Plastic Bag Association? Or have they hired one of his red-faced pals?
There is no question that plastic bags are bad for the environment, but a recent study revealed that the reusable cloth bags that have become popular are crawling with microbial pathogens. Perhaps biodegradable plastic bags are a better solution? Or paper bags?
Bottom line – the effort to tax plastic bags – and consumers – up to .25 cents per bag, is onerous but allowing a consultant like Jerbal to write op-eds isn’t the best idea the folks at the O.C. Register have ever had.
“is this guy being paid to do this by the Plastic Bag Association?”….. Hmmm
Would it be comforting to you Pedroza to know that if he was paid that the money were private donation with string attached to write an article?
According to your logic from your previous post he should disappoint you if he would not take it… Huh?
Fiala,
Kissing up to Jerbal now? Good grief. You haters do make a nice couple though.
The Register pays folks about $25 for these op-eds. But Lord knows how much Jerbal may have been paid by industry sources to advocate this position.
As #2 pointed out, Jerbal has no credibility and should not be writing op-eds when he is a paid shill.
“Kissing up to Jerbal now?”…. No!
Jubal is irrelevant here!
I am scrutinizing your twisted logic, that is all.
Mr. “Cuttingham” is incredulous! I have canceled my subscription to the Register, that is capitalism and free choice.
Robin,
Good call! That is a great way to let the Register know we don’t like to see paid shills on their op-ed pages…
Occam’s Razor suggest a more innocent explanation.
Matt has been pretty consistent on his stand towards taxes: NO. (the Measure M renewal is the only pro-tax stance I can remember Matt taking.)
Matt makes his living as a communications consultant. Getting his name in the Register is his bread-and-butter.
So why would Matt need to be *paid* to write an anti-tax piece for the Register’s op-ed page? Presumably Matt would jump at the chance.
Moreover, Matt and OC Register Senior Editorialist Steven Greenhut have are, um, not close friends. So presumably any Matt submission was closely scrutinized by Greenhut.
Lastly, who cares if Matt was paid to write editorial? The relevant points are: does the editorial make sense? does it constructively move the debate forward? As Deng Xiaoping said, “It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.”
Tyler,
I think it does matter if Jerbal was paid by an industry association to write the op-ed in question. If he was that should have been noted.
That is the problem with allowing a paid shill to write op-eds in the first place – conflict of interest!
Greenhut does not run the Register’s Op-ed department. So he may not have had any say in this.
Could it be that you don’t see the conflict in this because you blog for Red County?
BTW, Matt sold an ad last year to the Santa Ana Measure G committee, on Red County. That measure was a property tax increase for alleged school remodeling in the SAUSD. The district has already remodeled their district offices and tried to use the money to pay administrators. I opposed Measure G – Matt advertised for them on his blog. So much for fighting taxes!
This post and the Jordan Brandman post should make it crystal clear that when it comes to Pedroza, principles don’t matter: it’s all about who personalities and who Art does and doesn’t like.
Art slams Brandman for not opposing taking $50K from a non-profit to fund some admin positions. Somehow, in his twisted logic, that is arrogant and telling the non-profit what to do with their money. The bottom line is Art doesn’t like Jordan because he takes advice from Pringle (who Art hates) and because Art wants Dems to back a Latino for higher office, not white guy Jordan. The refused grant is just an excuse for Art to rip on Jordan.
Art is upset at Cunningham because the op-ed reminds him that Cunningham is taken seriously, and Art isn’t. Cunningham has been able to make a living as a political consultant, and Art couldn’t hack it when he tried to do it.
Remember, with Art personalities always trump principles. Always.
Having several Guest Columns and Orange Grove’s published in the Register over the past few years let me clarify a few points. Although Steve Greenhut is part of the editorial board, the man in charge of this feature is Mike Tipping who was very helpful in cleaning up my articles.
Having read the piece earlier today I was surprised by the topic and author. That said I agree with the point Matt is making.
The one area that needs to be addressed and added relates to any personal or financial involvement Matt has with any industry connected to the subject of his story.
In my blog posts on property rights I do have a bias in support of victims and do not hide that position when posting. The same was true with the Measure M extension that I opposed.
Whoa, there Art. Tyler makes a good point. A critical mind discerns the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the argument. You may or may not care for the messenger, but the message can be analyzed for its own merit.
Flawed thinking and omission of fact can be the result of self-interest, but these will surely be found out.
Hey Robin Marcario: violate the secrecy of anyone’s absentee ballot lately?
PS: If you are a regular reader of the Register you should know that they are always receptive to submissions by anyone with a story to tell.
And yes Art, I was paid $25 for each story published. That is not a complaint when you consider being able to express your stance on an issue that is read by tens of thousands of Register subscribers.
Larry,
I too have been paid for writing op-eds in the Register. However, that is very different from being paid by industry to advocate on their behalf.
David,
I said in my post that I agree with opposing the bag tax. My problem is seeing a paid shill like Jerbal on the Register’s Op-ed page.
Tyler’s point seems to be that it is ok for Matt to write such op-eds because he has fought taxes in the past.
But Tyler himself brought up Measure M – and I mentioned Jerbal’s tacit support for Measure G. So Jerbal’s past position on taxes is mixed at best.
Bottom line – i don’t think paid shills should appear on the Register’s Op-ed page. Tyler feels otherwise but that is no suprise as he blogs for Red County.
#9,
I have had several op-eds published in the Register and in the L.A. Times.
Unlike Jerbal I am not a paid shill. That is the big difference between us.
I wonder what the Founding Fathers would have thought of paid political shills?
“My problem is seeing a paid shill like Jerbal on the Register’s Op-ed page.”
So only unpaid shills like you should have that privilege, Art? Who made you the judge of who should and shouldn’t have their op-eds published? Talk about arrogant. You shouldn’t let your hate and envy show so brightly.
You don’t even have any proof to back up your accusation. Typically, you go for the personal attacks, because you can’t win the argument on merit.
Brandman and Cunningham are head and shoulders above Art in credibility and respect. And it drives Art crazy because he thinks it should go to him.
#17,
I could care less what the Jerbalitos think of me. Google Brandman and Cunningham and you will find our blog. They will be forever haunted by the Orange Juice.
Green with envy.
While Art is surely capable of defending himself I respectfully disagree with you.
Did you ever hear the expression “conflict of interest?”
Have you watched elected officials recuse themselves from decision making when they had an interest in conflict? In fact the topic of “conflicts” was covered in the Ethics Training course that I took earlier this year.
I have no angst over Matt or anyone else writing for the Register. However, if Matt is compensated by the industry covered in his piece that should be acknowledged below the story. The Register has also published one of my reader rebuttals confirming that opposing positions are given equal ink and space.
If you are a regular reader of the Register you will often find articles written by politicians such as Assemblyman Chuck DeVore promoting our need to expand our use of nuclear energy. That’s his agenda and it is also mine. Should the Register refuse to publish his Commentary?
Larry,
Well said! We need to know if Jerbal or any of his pals work for the plastic bag association.
Jon Coupal, from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, also wrote an op-ed this week about the plastic bag tax. Why didn’t the Register run his op-ed instead?
Art.
Valid point. Although Jon has had several op-eds published by the Register while this is the first I have seen from Jerbal.
The issue is still open. Was Jerbal compensated by any involved third party?
Larry,
How much is Pedroza paying you to write your pro gulag socialistic crapola disguised as conservatism?
Stanley. Are you performing an audit on “just compensation” for Juice writers for Arnold?
Art and I agree to disagree on several issues. However, the Register is a Freedom Newspaper and they can accept whomever’s commentary they wish.
Let’s not go off track on the core issue of this debate. Is Matt Cunningham connected in any shape or form to the plastics industry? That’s all folks. Please stay on point.
“Is Matt Cunningham connected in any shape or form to the plastics industry?”….. that is not the point!
The point is: Should someone receive any compensation with string attached!
You stay on truck Larry!
Well lookee here! Larry Gilbert, Mr. Christian, lowering himself to Art’s level by calling Cunningham childish names and using “when did you stop beating your wife?’ arguments.
WWJD?
#25,
I’m pretty sure Jesus would toss the red-faced clowns from the temple…
Hey Art,
Wasn’t that study about the microbes funded by the plastic bag industry, as well? I’m pretty sure that’s the case, but I’d have to check…just thought you’d be interested in that.
Great post though. I just got in a fight with Cunningham about this on Facebook.
http://www.ecosalon.com/could-reusable-shopping-bags-make-you-sick/
This says that report came from a plastics consortium in Canada.
Chris,
It is such fun messing with Jerbal! He has such thin skin…
It is interesting that the plastic people put out that study. They must have given the reusable bags to homeless people for a few weeks then tested them!
Chris Caesar, OC Register reporter, thinks Art’s unsubstantiated accusations make for a “great post”?
That speaks volumes about Caesar’s values as a reporter. Somebody ought to forward this to his editor. Reporters are a dime a dozen nowadays, anyway.
#30,
Since when is it wrong to speculate? Jerbal is a paid shill and out of the blue he writes an op-ed about an obscure bill. It is not far-fetched to imagine that he is making a few shekels – or perhaps one of his pals is. God only knows what the plastic bag manufacturers are paying folks to shill for them…
“Jerbal is a paid shill”…. and Pedroza is jealous.
Should they pay Pedroza it would be a OK.
Have you ever been paid for your crapola printed here Pedroza?
“Google Brandman and Cunningham and you will find our blog. They will be forever haunted by the Orange Juice.”
ROTFLMOA! Google your own name, Art! You’re the one who’s haunted by a bad Google profile!
Chris.
So, based on the link which you kindly provided, I guess we can opine that Matt failed to credit the testing lab that he refers to yet overlooked providing their names in today’s Orange Grove.
Not exactly plagiarism. Therefore Justice Gilbert would label this a first time “misdemeanor” rather than a “high crime” punishable by waterboarding.
“Therefore Justice Gilbert would label this a first time “misdemeanor” rather than a “high crime” punishable by waterboarding.”….. Hmmm
Every joke is based on true subconscious believes of the joker. Now we know what kind of joke Christian you really are.
30: Seems that whether or not a newspaper should allow a paid political consultant to write an op-ed piece (one that seemingly plays loosely with the facts) is a legitimate question. Cunningham probably should’ve had a full disclosure in his column. You’ll note I also challenged Art’s assertion that these cloth bags were unhealthy, so all is not what it seems…
If you do think my editor needs to see it, please pass it along!
34: Hey, I didn’t say it was plagiarism (unless I’m misreading you). I just don’t think a study commissioned by the plastics industry is “independent” as Cunningham suggested.
“Cunningham probably should’ve had a full disclosure in his column.”
Disclose what, Chris?
I’ve been reading your FB discussion with Cunningham. Should all your OCR bylines by accompanied by a full disclosure that you’re a left-winger?
No wonder newspapers are going down the toilet.
He owe’s the Register $24.50
This was a useless piece, except if your a second rate blogger, wanting attention.
Wait a minute…….we took the bait. Good move Jubal.
KILL THE HEAD AND THE BODY WILL DIE!
Chris,
I guess number 30 doesn’t believe in free speech…
No, because I have never accepted money to represent political interests, I just say what I think. The guy is citing industry reports and calling them “independent,” I don’t really think I have much to answer for here.
I’m glad you read the thread on Facebook; I see nothing wrong with that.
Art, I think I agree with you there. ^_^