Obama wasn’t even done shaking hands before the McCain surrogates were working the room. Bob Pacheco, California Statewide Latino Coalition Chair for Sen. McCain and Hector Barajas, Communications Director for the CA GOP were both circling, Todd and I talked with Mr. Barajas about a number of issues. Nothing particularly new or revolutionary in here, but it was interesting to see how quickly they were on it and how strictly the talking points were churned out.

He termed universal health care to be “radical” and wants to know how Obama plans to pay for it (of course this hasn’t been an issue for GOP leadership who just pays on credit for everything) and pumped up the market-based healthcare solutions for small businesses. Tried to hammer Obama for voting to increase taxes on “people who make as low as $32,000.” A nice talking point, and a popular one lately, but entirely false of course:

   * The resolution Obama voted for would not have increased taxes on any single taxpayer making less than $41,500 per year in total income, or any couple making less than $83,000. The $32,000 figure is approximately the taxable income of a single person making $41,500 per year, after all deductions and exclusions.

   * Obama’s vote (for a non-binding budget bill) does not change the fact that his own tax plan would provide a tax cut of $502 for a non-married taxpayer earning $35,000.

Tied things back to California issues and politics, trotting out Villaraigosa, Karen Bass, Fabian Nunez, and Gil Cedillo as examples of inefficient Democratic leadership that spend and spend but get no results, particularly in education.  He specifically cited the dropout rate of LA Unified as his proof, and mentioned that more than half the state budget goes to education without noting how desperately state GOP legislators want to make cuts. Sticks carefully to the percentages to avoid any talk of the declining raw amounts of money and the hopes to keep it in decline by the CRP. I can’t even begin to go into all the angles here, except that certainly Republicans are closing ranks on behalf of Dems if any help was needed. Top Clinton supporters being brought out as Obama boogeymen is certainly interesting.

Then the really fun stuff. John McCain is apparently MORE serious than ever about competing and winning in California. 7 offices are opened, 6 more opening this week with at least 3 more to follow (which would be 16 total. Obama currently has at least 18 statewide offices). 14 California staffers will likely be expanding to 21 in the near future. Why will this work so well? Apparently it’s because John McCain has unpopular proposals but the guts to talk about them. As an example, Barajas notes, McCain is willing to push more offshore drilling even though people object…apparently to the obstruction of their ocean views. “But what good is an ocean view if you can’t afford to drive to it?” On the pulse of the state.

Will CDP or Obama or both have people available tomorrow when McCain’s done? Hopefully. I’m kinda surprised nobody’s here today unless it’s just not even worth the effort for a foregone state.

[Update] It’s particularly interesting that the spin focused so heavily on Los Angeles. The struggles of LA Unified were pinned on a number of LA-based Latino Democrats which presumably wouldn’t have much of a national profile- such as Nunez and Cedillo. Pretty naked attempt to specifically undermine Latino Dem leadership, but the scorched earth style- that Latino leadership period is failing the greater Latino community seems like it’s on the edge of being really insulting. It isn’t like these folks got elected by…not Latinos. So the spin boils down to “Latinos elected Latinos who screwed over Latinos so don’t listen to the bad public servants that you elected to represent and serve you.” I guess in the absence of an effective strategy, anything will do…

[Update] Todd has his recap up now which reminded me of another gem: That McCain will play well in California because he’s a Western Senator. I can’t for the life of me imagining a single person that I know in California thinking “You know who really gets me and my needs? Arizonans.” It’s just…not something that rings likely.

I’m at the San Diego Convention Center next to MyDDer (his liveblog) and Calitics alum Todd Beeton where Barack Obama is about to address the assembled luncheon along with Tom Nelson of Divided We Fail/AARP and Rep. Joe Baca.

I’ll throw up anything interesting that may pop up. So far I’m struck by the sponsors: Chrysler, Shell, Sodexho, Walmart, Allstate. Not exactly the best neighborhood partners in the world, which is probably why they want to be here.

Update: Wal-mart’s CEO (Lee Scott) knows many people are being squeezed in today’s economy. He is glad to help by providing affordable health care. wh- wh- what?

Update: The theme of the luncheon is “The Power to Change History.” Obama’s wheelhouse right? Tom Nelson is talking about the struggles of food, gas, and medicine. Providing affordable health care (I bet he and Lee Scott have different visions here), and protecting social security.

Update: I don’t have numbers for overall attendance, but the Ballroom for the luncheon is set up to accommodate about 2,250 after space was cleared for press. The overflow room is probably roughly 700 with the same accommodation and it’s filling up fast as well. Who’d’a thought this would be a big draw?

Update: A number of McCain and GOP folks working the room immediately ahead of Obama’s speech. Notable because there don’t seem to be any Obama folks around- got the impression that nobody’s really seen Obama people yet today. They’re definitely here, he flew in last night. I know this not because I’m a creepy stalker but because every local news station covered it. San Diego, the 8th largest city in the country, is excited for the attention. As are the demonstrators outside that run from Obama supporters to American Independent Party supporters to Minutemen to anti-choice to overtly lying racists. The rich tapestry of America.

Update: “What’s the best economic stimulus package? A high school diploma.” Bob Wise, former long-time member of Congress and Governor of West Virginia is up now and talking about education issues for Strong American Schools (Founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, headed by Roy Romer). Also on stage are future leaders, and Wise is discussing the importance of raising a strong new generation of leaders. The rhetorical stage is being set quite nicely for Obama.

Update: NCLR President Janet Murguia is finishing the table setting in her introduction of Sen. Obama. Earlier speakers covered health care and education, now involvement in civic life, multiculturalism, the housing crisis, DREAM Act, and immigration reform. She finishes up by almost calling Obama the next president of the United States. Tipped hand a little bit.

Update:

Change does not come from the top down. Change comes from the bottom up. change doesn’t come because someone in Washington says it should…When you organize neighborhoods into coalitions and workers into unions.

Update: Brings down the house defending exploited workers and harassed immigrants:

The system doesn’t work when 12 million people are living in hiding and tens of thousands are crossing our borders illegally…when businesses are…exploiting workers and neighborhoods are terrorized by ICE…when mothers are ripped from their babies…the system isn’t working and we need to change it.

This election is nothing less than a test of our allegiance to the American dream.

Heavy on immigration reform, “bring those 12 million people out of the shadows and give them a path.” They should pay a fine, learn English, get in line. “Practical solution.” Well then.

Update:

Too many young people, they’ve given up hope way too early. the children who attend overflowing classes in underfunded schools…They’re counting on us to invest in early childhood education…To recruit an army of new teachers. To make college affordable to anyone who wants to go. Because that’s how you give Americans the tools to compete in a global economy.

Update: Veterans are depending on us to build a 21st century VA…including mental health care. What if they’re just feeling blue I wonder?

Update: “Make it [health care] affordable for anyone who wants it.” Who doesn’t want it?

Roughly: Introducing a new plan to provide real relief for small business owners. Championed by Hillary Clinton. It’s a plan that would help more employers provide health benefits to their employees. If you’re a small business who wants to provide health care, I’m going to provide a tax credit. Will help create not just new jobs but good jobs. Jobs with health care. Jobs in America. That’s how we’re going to change the system in this country.

“Imagine how powerful you could be in November if you translate your numbers into votes.”

Update: “We’re going to shake things up.”

“This November we’re coming together to turn the page on the failed policies of the past. Together…we will transform this nation.”

Final update: No Joe Baca? hmm.

“The system is broken” was the theme of the speech, focused on how to bring Latinos further into the mainstream of U.S. society by transforming the avenues for participation.

Our governor was on This Week this morning and as Arnold has a largely undeserved reputation for being an environmentalist George Stephanopoulos decided to ask him some questions on that topic. The answers were quite revealing, and should give Obama a major opening to attack McCain should he be interested in doing so.

ABC doesn’t yet have a transcript up, so I’m borrowing from John Campanelli’s transcription. First up, he destroys McCain on oil drilling:

Arnold: I have no interest in off-shore drilling off California. People can do it wherever they want…[McCain] can give us the rights to drill offshore but we will say “No thanks, we will not drill because we want to protect our coasts.

Stephanopoulos: That’s more important than bringing down the price of gas, bringing down the price of oil?

Arnold: First of all, let me tell you, anyone who tells you drilling, nuclear power, alternative fuel, fuel cells will bring down the price right now is pulling wool over your eyes because we know that will all take at least 10 years.

Which is of course the point I made when this drilling nonsense first emerged. Offshore drilling will line oil company pockets and contribute absolutely nothing to the easing of gas prices. The “wool over your eyes” comment is priceless – let’s hope the Obama campaign replays that quote often in the days and weeks to come.

Arnold took the opportunity to go further in explaining the need for a sustainable energy policy, praising Jimmy Carter’s approach:

Arnold: But it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do those things. The problem in America is not that we don’t have ideas. It’s that we aren’t consistent. Jimmy Carter in the late ’70s came in with a great energy policy. He talked about (couldn’t make this out), tax credits for people investing in windmills, and all those things. And then President Reagan came in and scrapped the whole thing because oil prices came down and said it didn’t make sense financially. Well, many countries all over the world  stayed with the program even though oil prices came down. In Germany, with solar, they’ve been working on it for 30 years and they are number one in solar. I think that is what we need to do. We need to stay the course. We got to go and stay, “Here’s the plan: here’s how we get energy independent. We need renewables, we need nuclear power, we need alternative fuels. All of those kind of things. Let’s do research. Let’s never go off course, no matter who the administration is or no matter what the oil prices. Let’s stay on course. That’s the big problem in America.

It’s a great set of points he makes – Carter’s energy policy was smart, but Reagan came to power and promised America a painless return to the cheap oil days of the 1950s and led a conservative attack on sustainable energy and transportation alternatives. America certainly would have been better off had we continued with the late 1970s energy policy instead of abandoning it for cheap political gain.

Stephanopoulos went on to ask Arnold if he’d serve in an Obama cabinet, Arnold said he won’t rule it out. That may be the main media takeaway from the interview, but the more important statements were those quoted above. Arnold does recognize the need for a more sensible energy policy and also admits that McCain isn’t on board with it – instead McCain prefers to continue the failed policies of Reagan and Bush, policies that have caused gas prices to soar and thrown our economy into recession.

Of course we need to not go too far here. Arnold’s own record on energy and the environment is not good. His water bond proposal would ruin the Delta and spend $9 billion on wasteful and damaging dams. He greenwashed himself with AB 32, but continues to target public transportation for crippling cuts. He has endorsed Proposition 1 on high speed rail but hasn’t taken a leading role in campaigning for it. He could help implement a wind and solar strategy in California, along the lines of what Proposition 7 proposes, but prefers to remain silent on the matter.

So ultimately his appearance on This Week is more of the usual environmental grandstanding we’ve come to know and love from our governor. But this time it has political value for Democrats and Obama in particular, who would be smart to exploit these comments for all they’re worth. It would be a good way for Obama in particular to start flipping the script and generating his own news for a change.