Can Phil Angelides come back?
That’s the question just two days before delegates gather in the Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s hometown of Sacramento for the annual California Democratic Party convention. The party’s pre-primary endorsement once seemed his for the taking. Now, says Angelides press secretary Brian Brokaw: “Our goal is to get the most votes” of the delegates. The endorsement requires much more than that, 60 percent of the vote. There are signs a separate campaign on his behalf is picking up some steam. But trouble still abounds.
Until very recently, virtually all the experts picked the two-term state treasurer and former state Democratic chairman as the slam dunk choice for the party’s nomination to run against Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. That was before ex-eBay honcho-turned-state Controller Steve Westly toned up his candidacy with a test market tour of smaller, more outlying areas of California. That was also before he launched an effective TV advertising drive presenting his upbeat, moderately liberal persona. And before it struck more than a few Democrats that in order to go up against a governor who was once the biggest movie star in the world, it might be a good idea to have a candidate who is good on television.
Responding to Westly’s late February move onto television, Angelides went on the air only two days later, nearly matching him at times in spending. But Westly moved forward and, according to the Field Poll, Angelides’ favorable rating among Democrats during his continuous month of TV advertising actually declined even though there were no ads attacking him. An impromptu April 5 debate between the two men on a Univision program, preceded by the only Angelides-organized rally of the year, this to attack Westly as an Arnold apologist, led to a strong Westly showing head to head with the treasurer and commenced a three-week period of mostly public drift for the once frontrunning Angelides campaign.
Now, with private Democratic polls of swing legislative districts indicating a continuing Westly lead, Angelides is trying to mount a comeback, attempting to tamp down expectations for the Democratic convention he had been expected to dominate, going back on the air with his own TV ad, and thankful for the multi-million dollar help of his longtime patron and former business partner, Angelo Tsakopoulos.
The Sacramento development kingpin and his daughter have funded a controversial independent expenditure campaign, spending $5 million for two weeks airing of an ad featuring the endorsement of firefighters and police unions. The ad was produced by veteran Democratic consultant David Townsend, a longtime Tsakopoulos associate who most recently worked with the developer on a plan to build a new arena for the National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Kings. I spoke with Townsend yesterday as he made the drive to San Francisco for the Giants-New York Mets baseball game.
According to the consultant, who has worked with many top Democratic politicians, the establishment of the Tsakopoulos-backed Californians for a Better Government group and launch of his ad is prompting other Angelides supporters to come forward and fund a third week of advertising.
“Folks who couldn’t afford to do their own IE (independent expenditure),” says Townsend, “for Phil are starting to come forward for this effort. I think it’s coming together.”
“Voters still don’t know who these guys (the two Democratic candidates) are. The primary is still fluid,” he asserts. “Steve doesn’t have this thing in the bag.”
For his part, Angelides yesterday chose the man-bites-dog scenario of pitching his notion of higher taxes on the wealthy and closing corporate tax loopholes at the California Chamber of Commerce conference in Sacramento. But the move didn’t get much press coverage. And the “exact” plan as he dubbed it three weeks ago when he unveiled it at his anti-Westly rally, is still pretty vague.
If Angelides is going to come back, he is going to to have to demonstrate that his brand of leadership is clearly superior to Westly’s. The self-proclaimed candidate of substance needs to be able to answer the where’s-the-beef question with more than a paragraph or two in lieu of a plan. And he is going to have to get out around the state and generate some public enthusiasm. Three weeks after launching his assault on Westly, very little of that has happened. The primary election is now less than six weeks away.
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Whats more disappointing is the fact that he has not removed it yet.
What’s more disappointing, “Sam,” is:
A. You are wasting more of my time.
B. You have still failed to properly identify yourself.
C. You haven’t taken a proper look at the post.
For those of us who are obviosly not so computer savy, who is Sam Park…
And, Tony, the next one who was going to be required to obey the ID rule here as a spinner for a campaign …
What is apparently your last distortion here is that I posted “Sam’s” e-mail address. I posted his FAKE e-mail address to demonstrate his need to properly identify himself.
Yeah and when you take the supposed fake email address in combination with my next post that says the .com should be a .net, then you get my real email address. God, how did you make it through journalism school? I already told you that the two things taken together equate to a publishing of my email address — now remove the post, or here from my attorney. He will call you and say he is representing Sam Park. At least you will finally understand that there is no need to identify myself.
You sure are uptight Bill.
Look, my incredibly time-wasting friend.
Go back and see how it is edited.
You get one more chance to properly identify yourself.
If you do not, you are gone.
Folks, this really is not going to turn into a flame war locale, especially when the flamers on one side are sole purpose partisans who repeatedly refuse to identify themselves.
I told you this after the incident Saturday night and the song remains the same.
The next time this happens, I will no longer give people a second chance (much less a seventh chance), I will simply remove their posts.
Bill, have you thought of just having an open thread where these folks can pound each other into submission?
Maybe if you give them a topic, one chance and a 300-word limit to layeth the smacketh down…
Are there any debates scheduled between now and June 6th?
Gospodin Bierko, that is one solution. But it offends my aesthetic sensibilities. So, and you will appreciate this, as an honorary Russian thanks to my friends, I will employ an old-style Russian solution. Shoot first and ask questions later.
Santiago, yes, there is a debate set for May 3rd. The League of Conservation Voters in Los Angeles.
Sorry to be a pest . . . Will that be televised or is it something that is open for the public to try to attend? Radio?
Not a problem, not sure about attendance, it will be televised I believe, I’ll have the details here when the event is closer.
The Democratic Debate, from ecovote.org
The California League of Conservation voters (CLCV), the political voice of California’s environmental community, will host what may be the only widely televised debate between the Democratic candidates for governor.
The CLCV Democratic Party Gubernatorial Debate on the Environment will be held at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 3rd, 2006 in Los Angeles at the Museum of Tolerance, less than five weeks before the June 6 primary.
The candidates, State Treasurer Phil Angelides and State Controller Steve Westly, will engage in a 60-minute debate focused on their plans to protect California’s environment. Marc Brown, KABC-TV news anchor, will moderate the debate, and a distinguished panel of CLCV Board members will direct questions to the candidates.
”No single person has more impact on protecting California’s environment than our Governor,” said Susan Smartt, CLCV Executive Director. “The debate will highlight the environment as an issue in this campaign and remind Californians that our environment is a key factor in virtually all of the challenges facing our state, from the economy to healthcare, from transportation policy to social justice.”
WATCH THE CLCV DEBATE ON YOUR LOCAL STATION:
KGO Ch. 7 San Francisco: Will air live Wednesday, May 3, at 7 pm
KABC Ch. 7 Los Angeles: Date of broadcast TBD
KTXL Ch. 40 Sacramento: Will air Saturday, May 6, at 12 noon
KGTV Ch. 10 San Diego: Date of broadcast TBD
KFSN Ch. 30 Fresno: Will air Sunday, May 7th, at 4 pm
KERO Ch. 23 Bakersfield: Date of broadcast TBD
Revisit this page as the event approaches for more broadcast details as they become available.
CLCV Board members Wendy James, H. David Nahai, and John A. Pérez will make up the panel at the debate.
Wendy James is President of the Better World Group, which provides specialized public relations and communications services for businesses, government agencies and nonprofits.
H. David Nahai is President of Nahai Law Corporation, a firm specializing in real estate and environmental law. He is Chair of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and a member of the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners.
John A. Pérez is Political Director of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Local 324 and a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles.
Last updated April 26, 2006
© 2006 California League of Conservation Voters. Contact us.
[...] Informed sources had said that the real goal of the campaign was to spend $10 million on Angelides’ behalf. Veteran Sacramento consultant David Townsend, who produced the ad for the committee, told me on April 25th that funds in addition to the Tsakopoulos $5 million were flowing in. A third week of advertising would follow the two weeks of advertising that has just ended. “Folks who couldn’t afford to do their own IE (independent expenditure),” said Townsend, “for Phil are starting to come forward for this effort.” [...]