OK, this is mainly for the political geeks out there; if that’s not you, avert your eyes.
It’s time to ask that eternal question when it comes to ballot slate mailers: “Who PAID to get on the slate and who got DRAFTED and may not even know that they’re there?” I got an e-mail today from a source that had been giving me lots of chances to buy onto the slate being crafted by a Democratic political figure associated with a consulting firm (whose slate contains the names “California” and “Democratic” but is “Not Affiliated with the California Democratic Party“), so I wanted to share with you what things look like from the candidate’s perspective.
As a candidate who has received so many solicitations for mailers in the past few months that I gave my plan to inform you about each one for fear of boring readers to death, I’m not a fan of pay-for-endorsements. But I don’t want to smear all of these candidates for patronizing houses of endorstitution! Let’s try to figure out who paid and who got dragged in to make the paying clients look good! Here are my suspicions — and they are only that!
My plan for re-election included being on this podunk slate mailer!
Candidates in order of apparent placement on mailer:
Barack Obama for President of the United States
My guess: DID NOT PAY. Has a reasonable chance of winning California without it.
A couple of judicial candidates
My guess: DID PAY.
Reason: Priority of placement.
Senate Dist. 31 — Major General Richard Roth
My guess: DID PAY. He has a close race against Steve Clute for who takes on well-funded Jeff Miller in this Democratic-leaning District that borders OC (Corona.) Plus, he’s up near the top!
41st Congressional Seat — Mark Takano
My guess: DID NOT PAY. No way that he doesn’t make the top two (and has to be the favorite to win in Nov.) But his being on the “slate” helps General Roth.
35th Congressional Seat — Joe Baca
My guess: DID NOT PAY. Ditto the exact same above analysis.
(By the way: I don’t recall having a preference in the SD 31 race and I wish the Democratic victor well, whoever it is; I just don’t like pay-for-play slate mailers and do like letting people peek behind the curtain of electoral politics.)
Los Angeles County District Attorney — Jackie Lacey
My guess: DID PAY. (It’s a tough race with many candidates; she needs some boost.)
64th Assembly Seat — Isadore Hall
My guess: DID NOT PAY. There’s no reason that he should. He was probably drafted to help Lacey.
44th Congressional Seat — Janice Hahn
My guess: DID NOT PAY. This race goes to November and it’s just her against Laura Richardson. Why pay?
50th Assembly Seat — Betsy Butler
My guess: DID PAY. Oh, that’s why Hahn may have been drafted. This makes it look like Hahn is part of the same team as Butler (who currently represents the Beach Cities and Torrance.) The 50th AD is a tight race with three credible Democratic candidates — Torie Osborn leads in cash on hand and Richard Bloom is the Mayor of Santa Monica; the Republican might not even make the runoff — and Butler would benefit from association with Hahn. That’s no problem, though, so long as Hahn actually endorses her … and, I just checked, and she DOESN’T. She’s not listed as endorsing any of the three Democrats. Sneaky!
59th Assembly Seat — Reginald Jones-Sawyer
My guess: DID NOT PAY. Reasons: funding leader against impoverished competition, so doesn’t need to; well-liked Party official; and both his first name and last name are misspelled.
54th Assembly Seat — Holly Mitchell
My guess: DID NOT PAY. Incumbent. Maybe comped?
__ Assembly Seat — Norma Torres
My guess: DID NOT PAY. Reason: In no trouble at all. District number not listed. District number also not listed in website. (It’s the 52nd.)
47th Assembly Seat — Joe Baca, Jr.
My guess: DID PAY. He’s in a tight race with Cheryl Brown and a third in this district abutting Torres’s; the one Republican could knock the second place Democrat off of the November ballot. Association with Torres would be good for him.
I’ll stop there; I think that those are the only headliners. Anyway, this is the way that the slate mailers work. Again, these guesses are only my opinions; anyone who wants confirmation can just call the campaigns themselves — Betsy Butler’s for example! I don’t hold people’s paying to be on a slate mailer against them, but I really don’t like making publishers money for spreading choices made by payment rather than merit.
Dr. Diamond, you as the endorsed Democratic Candidate for the 29th State Senator District, we would be interested to know if YOU PAID for your Slate Mailers? We have found that lot’s of times the Slate Mailers….including a good one the Hofenblum out of the South Bay have been “iffy” at times with their fill ins when those in Districts where no body paid…would be filled in by either the Local GOP or Dem Central Committees.
The Slates are mostly bogus however. You will find weird Republicans added to the Democratic Slate, or OddBall Democrats on the Republican Slates, or even worse some really bizarre candidates on the so-call Independent Conservative Moderate Progressive Tax Payer Slates…..get the idea?
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No, I haven’t bought any slate mailers at all. If I’m on a slate mailer, it will either be from the county party or some group that isn’t selling spots on the slate.
*Dr. Diamond….as one of your cadry of unpaid political consultants we would advise you to pay the money and get on at least two: The Democrat and the Independent.
If you can convince Jim Lacy…you might also want to get on the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Slate as well. They all get you votes, because so many people are the lazy louts that the elitest political hacks think they are.
Hmm. Usually there are asterisks next to the people who paid to be on the slate mailer.
That may actually be a requirement under campaign finance laws.
All I have in my e-mail is a list of names, offices, and photos laid out like a slate mailer. None have asterisks. Maybe that comes later.
No idea if it is a legal requirement and probably not going to check.
That’s right, I always told by the asterisk – they haven’t stopped doing that, have they?
I really think you should get yourself onto some rightwing mailers, Greg – I like the Winships’ idea of Howard Jarvis. After all, your opponent Bob Huff, the “quarterback for redevelopment,” has NOT been a fiscal conservative. And I bet they’ll take your money anyway, if you’ve got it – hell, I’ll chip in a few bucks to get you on a rightwing mailer!
I’m trying to think of a right-wing mailer I’d consent to be on, let alone paying for it.
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Chuck Norris endorsements?
The Howard Jarvis one. What, you would feel dishonest or dirty? Come on, the case can be made that you would be more fiscally conservative than the Quarterback For Redevelopment.
(Depending on how we define fiscally conservative of course. I’m comfortable with how we could.)
While I would hope to be less profligate than Huff, my sense of the HJTA is that they are anti-taxation, period. To paraphrase Obama, I’m not against all taxes and expenditures, I’m against stupid taxes and expenditures.
Yes, but what if they take your MONEY??? And a whole shitload of Republicans vote for you on that account?
*Asteriks? How naive……please…..if you see an asterik on a slate mailer….it would also have a full disclosure….Paid for by….
Sorry fellas and gals…..Slate Mailers are paid political advertising ….and Dumbo really
couldn’t fly without the help of those crows….
*Dr. Diamond….being that you are a purist of the first order. We are open….name one
Slate Mailer that will be putting your name on it …..without some paying? In fact name anyone that gets their name on a Slate Mailer other than the Presidential Candidates and the U.S. Senate choices……which are merely chum……the various campaigns probably kick in anyway – even if unsolicitated.
If the State or County Parties have a slate mailer, those would count.
*You will have to dig out the info Dr. Diamond. Normally, those are third party created and if so….they are paid for by the party. However, the party usually asks that you
pay if you want to be onboard….”their mailer”. Check into it though……you never know.
In the slate mailer in 2010, the party did not, so far as I know, ask their endorsed candidates to pay for play. That’s the kind of chintziness and lack of respect for the hard work of candidates that I fight battles about within my party — and I did so well before I chose to run for office.
Mike Gatto was in a mailer which made him appear as though he was a republican! Think about that one, eh? Every time THE SCAM worked, he not only got a vote, but his opponent lost a vote! So in essence, that would be two votes for the price of one!!!!
Will somebody please tell me why this blatantly misleading practice is legal? In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve, but not when the vote is rigged using deception! Then the bad guys get in and before you know it, they’re the only guys left!
Unfortunately, it seems that nobody is minding the store, so deception will become even more rampant and our government will suffer as a result, which means the people will suffer even more.