Now Cross-posted at D-Kos and OpenLeft

One of the things that Republicans learned to do really well in the early 90s was branding.  In the modern era of marketing, the impact is really hard to overemphasize. People are increasingly relying on branding information where they were once using real data. That stinks, but it's the way the marketing game is played these days. So, we either play it or get steamrolled by it.  I bring this up to point out our own failings within the state to build the “Democratic” Brand. So, I poked around a few Congressional (electoral websites) for some good practices and some bad practices. 

I’ll start with one of my favorite Congress critter, Rep. Barbara Lee. Barbara Lee really does speak for me, in many ways. Unfortunately, she doesn’t speak for the Democratic Party very well. There are few mentions of the party on the site, and she hardly mentions that she is a Democrat. The website, overall, isn’t bad. It’s fairly well organized, but more could be done in terms of activating her great base.  But, as I said, she could be doing much more to increase the Democratic Brand to her fans.  All that being said, Rep. Lee’s district is overwhelmingly Democratic, and so the greatest way for her to boost Democratic fortunes is for her to just turn out the vote.

Next, let’s take a look at Loretta Sanchez.  Her Orange County District is D+5, and she’s been relatively safe for quite a few years. In terms of politics, her Progressive Punch Score of 84.53 puts her pretty much in the  middle (#143 in terms of progressiveness) of Democrats in the House. Her election website hasn’t changed since the 2006 election, but we can still take a look for its branding.  The word “Democrat” does appear in the metatags of the site, and in reference to a few of her initiatives on secondary pages.  However, the name of her party does not appear anywhere on the front page.  While some would argue that in her relatively swing district that this could damage her.  However, I would argue that the point of this exercise is to build the Democratic brand to the point that the fact that you are a Democrat is a strength, not some sort of weakness (perceived or otherwise).  So, particularly in a district that could conceivably be called “swing”, we should make sure our more prominent Democrats help other Democrats in the area by promoting the brand. If Loretta Sanchez is the ideal Democrat for Orange County, then she should be using herself as the poster child for the Party.  I’m not sure why she has chosen not to do so in the past, but if a truly great Democratic leader understands the need to foster other Democratic leaders in the Region, even if that possibly causes a few voters to think “Eww, she’s a Democrat, like that Darn Pelosi”. 

Now to a few who are good. And, unfortunately, really good examples were pretty hard to come by in the California Democratic Congressional Delegation.  I’ll start with Bob Filner (D-San Diego/Imperial County).  While the Page doesn’t say in big letters “Bob Filner, Democrat for Congress” like I would like to see, the home page does have a really great little message about why Democrats are great:

The Democrats have taken back control of the House and Senate and now we can get our country headed back in the right direction!  We will refocus on what’s most important to working men and women; bringing our troops home, creating jobs that pay living wages, ensuring quality education and health care for all, and protecting our environment.

That’s pretty cool.  All Dems should have a similar message about why Dems are better than Reeps.  Now, unfortunately for more good examples, I was pressed into looking at Reeps. Now, I’m not saying that I looked at all of our Representative’s websites (of those that even have them), so if people know of more good examples, point them out.  However, probably the best example of branding was from a California Republican, and I thought it should be pointed out.  It is the homepage of Rep. David Dreier (R-Glendora).  The site has your normal mish-mash of great quotes about him.  (For some reason, I don’t see anything about “family values” on there…I wonder why that is, Rep. Dreier?)  But what he does well? Well, he takes a swing at the Dems while glorifying Republicans.  More Democrats should be doing the opposite.

Congress has been run by the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi for more than six months and approval is at an all-time low. That’s because they have blatantly broken virtually every promise that they made in last year’s campaign and have, true to form, pushed for more spending, higher taxes, increased regulation and capitulation in our effort to achieve victory and bring our troops home from Iraq.

We are fighting hard to win the War on Terror, secure the border, grow the economy by reducing the tax and regulatory burden, pursue energy alternatives and encourage individual initiative and responsibility. That’s our positive vision.

As Republicans continue to work hard to earn back our Majority, I welcome your thoughts and ideas.

I welcome your comments on this one. If you know of good (or bad) Congress Critter sites, post them here.  This is something that we need to talk about if it is to get better.

UPDATE III:Our friends from Color of Change stopped by to say, “Big news — James, our director, talked with a credible reporter who talked with Carolyn Kilpatrick, who, after being pressed, said that there is a Fox debate in the works, it just hasn’t been announced.” Is Barbara Lee going to let this happen?

UPDATE II: ColorofChange worries that the CBC Institute is still in talks with Fox and says, “This is no time to let up the pressure. They could be waiting for it to blow over so they can announce next week.”

UPDATE: No need to call, the CBC Institute made a smart move, Fox lost out to CNN. Huge victory for Color of Change and a great day for the Democratic Party

Can a couple of Californians — armed with little more than internet connections and the truth — change the Congressional Black Caucus?

The Politico’s Ben Smith is reporting we will soon find out. James Rucker and Van Jones are set to use their organization Color of Change to challenge the boneheaded exploration by the CBC Institute of hosting a debate for Fox “News”. The opening salvo is going out via email and links to a Robert Greenwald video Fox Attacks: Black America. The email says in part:

Fox News has a horrible record of attacking Black people, leaders, and cultural institutions. But at this very moment, the Congressional Black Caucus Institute is negotiating to partner with Fox to host presidential debates prior to the 2008 elections.

For the CBC Institute to partner with an organization like Fox News-given its hostility to Black political interests-would be shameful. You can help prevent them from making this serious mistake by calling on them to drop negotiations with Fox […]

Given its record, Fox News shouldn’t enjoy the support of Black political or cultural institutions connected to the Congressional Black Caucus. We believe the CBC Institute will change course once it realizes that Black America, if not all of America, is watching. Please join us in making sure they hear us, loud and clear:

http://www.colorofchange.org/cbci/

It should be expected that this video will be seen widely, in just three weeks his video Fox Attacks Barack Obama has been viewed 349,341 times.

Following the massive backlash and victory against the Nevada Democratic Party’s attempt to get in bed with Fox, Matt Stoller explained:

Over the past three weeks or so, the progressive movement – bloggers, Moveon.org, grassroots activists, filmmakers – pressured the Nevada Democratic Party to drop Fox News as the host of a presidential debate in August. In pursuing this short campaign, we made two basic arguments that were eventually accepted by party leaders.

First, we argued that Fox News is not a news channel, but a propaganda outlet that regularly distorts, spins, and falsifies information. Second, Fox News is heavily influenced or even controlled by the Republican Party itself. As such, we believe that Fox News on the whole functions as a surrogate operation for the GOP. Treating Fox as a legitimate news channel extends the Republican Party’s ability to swift-boat and discredit our candidates. In other words, Fox News is a direct pipeline of misinformation from the GOP leadership into the traditional press.

The current trend in the Party to hold leaders accountable for counter-productive decisions will now be waged in the Congressional Black Caucus and against the CBC Institute. Where do California members stand? Who knows, but you can ask them:

CA-09: CBC 1st Vice Chair Barbara Lee – (510) 763-0370

CA-37: Juanita Millender-McDonald – (310) 538-1190

CA-35: Maxine Waters – (323) 757-8900

CA-33: Diane Watson – (323) 965-1422

You can also sign the petition and call the Congressional Black Caucus Institute at (202) 785-3634. But first, check out the video.

I figured this might be a nice thing to share, since a lot of people don’t know some of the downticket races and props so much… again these are my views, and not that of Calitics.

Hi everybody, so I filled out my absentee ballot and already sent it in, it’s the only way to fly in Oakland since our know nothing Elections Supervisor bought a bunch of Sequoia systems fraud machines despite popular outcry… anyway here’s how I voted:

Partisan Offices – statewide
—-
Governor – Phil Angelides
Lt. Governor – John Garamendi
Secretary of State – Debra Bowen
State Controller – John Chiang
State Treasurer – Bill Lockyer
Attorney General – Jerry Brown
Insurance Commisioner – Cruz Bustamente (with waffling)
United States Senate – (blank) or Diane Feinstein (see below)
United States Representative – Barbara Lee
State Assembley – Sandre Swanson
Judges – re-elect
Statewide propositions.
Proposition 1A-NO!
Propositions 1B-1E Yes.
Proposition 83 – NO!!
Proposition 84 – Yes
Proposition 85 – FUCK NO!!!
Proposition 86 – Yes
Proposition 87 – HELL YES!
Proposition 88 – No
Proposition 89 – YES YES YES! HELL YES!!
Proposition 90 – NO!
—
City of Oakland
—
Measure M – yes
Measure N – YES!
Measure O – YES YES YES!

The “why’s” are below the cut.

Partisan Offices – statewide
Governor –
Phil Angelides

It’s an easy decision really, Arnold has been playing the part of a moderate ever since he got his ass handed to him in the last “special election”. Phil Angelides, has the brains, the know how, and the plan to lead this great state, and it’s the rare case where the establishment backed candidate is actually the best one of the bunch. It breaks my heart that his idiot campaign manager is such a fool and might blow it.

Let’s be clear, no Democrat or Independent should vote for Arnold… Period.

oh and Pete Camejo used to be cool, but is kind of a dick now.
I voted for him over Gray Davis, and would gladly do so again, but the Democratic Nominee is a Pragmatic progressive, what the hell is Pete doing in this race anyway?

I really hope Phil can pull it off, but rather then just hope, i’m going to canvass and call for him this weekend.

Lt. Governor –
John Garamendi
Tom McClintock is an asshole. One of the biggest assholes in CA.
Garadmendi is kind of “eh.” but has his moments. I’m not his biggest supporter like some folks, but he’s good… I like Phil a hell of a lot better personally. He’s big on stem cell research… so am I, ’nuff said.

Secretary of State –
Debra Bowen
uh… Verified Voting activist/superstar vs. Arnold’s Diebold loving appointee?
no fracking contest. I am totally all about Debra Bowen, and you should be too.

State Controller –
John Chiang
He’s a good dude.

State Treasurer –
Bill Lockyer
I could make a statement about the statewide office “revolving door”, but i’ll save that for my buddy Cruz.
Lockyer has done a decent enough job as AG, why not let him handle the money?
Sure.

Attorney General –
Jerry Brown
I had my issues with him as mayor of my city, and it bugs me that he’s so adamant on the very Draconian Death Penalty, but Poochigian is far worse and has way more of a douchebaggy name. ha ha! I guess Jerry’s plan is to hold every office in the state before he dies…

Insurance Commisioner –
Cruz Bustamente
I literally felt dirty in the recall after I voted “NO” (esp. since Gray Davis was an ass and I wanted him gone, just not that way), and then voted for Bustamente, even though I really wanted to vote for Arianna. I have rarely felt “dirty” after voting except for when I voted for that useless waste of flesh. The ONLY thing I can think of that he did that I liked was the lawsuit against Enron after the rolling blackmail… which was admittedly heroic and kind of awesome. Otherwise… he’s a jackass! And… it seems like you see the same 6 or 7 names every cycle as they all play this game of musical chairs changing positions. Totally lame. Ugh, a tactical vote at best… but at least i get to vote FOR Phil and Debra this cycle.

United States Senate –
Oh DiFi! DiFi, DiFi, DiFi… you bum me out, i’m glad this will be your last Senate term, as you are a constant source of elitism and frustration. I hate that you are so beholden to big business, you’re most “reliable” when it comes time for the one liberal boilerplate issue I am most mushy on… gun control. I hate that you embolden torturers, and need to have crushing amounts of public outrage before opposing real a-holes like John Roberts confirmation. There are a few things you are ok on, but overall, the only reason to vote for you is because Democrats need to take control of the Senate to keep checks and balances and such around. I may vote for you, I may not… I wrote myself in for the primary, because quite frankly, I could do a hell of a lot better job. If I do vote for you, it’s because Dick Mountjoy, while a wonderful pr0nstar name would be a absolutely horrid Senator, not because you are worth a damn at all.

United States Representative-
Barbara Lee
One of my top 10 politicians ever, and my representative, if half of the congresspeople out there had even a quarter of her integrity and guts we’d be a lot better off.

State Assembley-
Sandre Swanson
Seems like a good dude, smart progressive type, and Babs likes him. Besides what am I going to do, vote “Peace and Freedom”? It’s Oakland baby!

Judges
re-elect all… got caught with my pants down on this one, but since I don’t have any beefs rightn ow, i’ll just be ready next time.

Statewide propositions.
Proposition 1A
NO!
I already have to do the legislatures job a couple times a year because so many props like this have the budget locked down.
fuggit. Transportation funding is vital, but mandatory amounts are dumb, and i’m sick of it, and having to research these stupid things.

NO!

Propositions 1B-1E
Yes.
I’m still pissed that this somehow has turned into “Arnold’s issue” when he had to be dragged kicking and screaming into it just in time for election season. But whaever… infrastructure is important.

Now again, don’t we elect a fracking legislature for this crapola???
STOP BOTHERING ME!!!

Proposition 83
NO!!
A Blatant sop to get out the religious types that are always concerned about “focusing on the family” as well as authoritarian a-holes. Look, I think sex offenders are horrible too, but this is Draconian! GPS monitoring for life?
That’s a slippery damn slope. All of the empty posturing that goes over sex offenders sickens me almost as much as the offending itself. Ok, not really… but still… come now. The standards are fine now.

Proposition 84
Yes
Bond measure make me curl up my lip like Billy Idol, because the mantra seems to be “borrow, borrow, borrow”, but this is about water safety and flood control. Every week in rainy times when I drive to Roseville and I see the Delta swelling, I get images of the levees and New Orleans.

no thanks.
It’s a begrudging yes, but a yes, nonetheless.

Proposition 85
FUCK NO!!!
Yet again another winger “base turner outter”, a “waiting period and parental notification before termination of a minor’s pregnancy”. Right, because it’s far too easy to have this horrible operation performed now right? I am for personal freedom, and that includes a woman’s right to have dominion of her own body, including minors.
I cannot emphasize FUCK NO, enough.

Proposition 86
Yes (with some waffling)
Sorry smokers! Try to see beyond the pocketbook on this one.
I’m all for everybodies personal freedom to fuck up their lungs and give themselves cancer, but we still don’t have real education about the drug that is tobacco and we need that.

a few concerns have been raised by some friends of mine on this… mainly that it goes to private hospitals and adds stuff into the constitution, which bums me out… but still, i’m a soft yes.

Proposition 87
HELL YES!
Reduce dependence on foreign oil? Reduce air pollution?
Wait, why would anybody be against this again?
Oh yeah… the oil companies.
Screw them!

Proposition 88
No
It sounds good on first read, property tax to pay for more funding for schools right?
It creates a bad amount of bureaucracy, and who decides what are “academically successful” schools anyway?
lame!
no.

Proposition 89
YES YES YES! HELL YES!!
This is the public financing of elections, if you are going to vote for only two things this year… well… then you are being silly, but the key is to vote for Phil Angelides and this. Because god damn… I mean GOD DAMN… this will fix soooo many of our problems. Not the least of which is that you need to be an eccentric billionaire to win a statewide race in this damn Nationstate of ours called CA.

Proposition 90
NO!
Uh… dude? Why are NY Libertiarians writing propositions for California?
Eminant domain is BS, but so is this:
From speakout:

This measure has so much to dislike that it brings together in opposition one of the most unusual alliances imaginable. Joining virtually every environmental group in the state in opposition are taxpayers rights groups, the California Chamber of Commerce, consumer groups, scientists and public health agencies and even the California Farm Bureau.

That a-hole Tom McClintock likes it too, so that should be reason enough to vote no. A good rule of thumb is if the left and right both agree on something, there’s probably something significant happening.

Pretty much everybody agrees this one is BS.
NO!

—

City of Oakland

Measure M
yes
Whatever. Some BS about the polce and fire retirement board… just reading about it made my attention wander, there’s no argument against, no penalty. If it wasn’t about peoples retirement I wouldn’t have voted either way at all.

Measure N
YES!
Kick ass new library at Henry J. Kaiser center?!
HELL YEAH!

edit: and also more funding for critical library infrastructure and other things my librarian friends can tell you more about.

Measure O
YES YES YES!
If you are against this Measure you are truly against Democracy… come on… ranked choice voting! Who loses? We’d be looking at city council member Aimee Allison if this already went through!
besides less elections = better in my book.