Pro-Business Coalition Stuffing My Mailbox to Elect a Democrat?
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| Also listed in: Courage Campaign Staff |
I'm sure by now, your like me, tired of your mailbox being stuffed with stacks of political literature for and against candidates in the upcoming statewide primary elections. Living in Inglewood, I have the distinct honor of being a targeted voter for candidates in the high profile Los Angeles County Supervisorial race and the low-profile contest for the 25th Senate District.
Being only the third competitive elections for this supervisorial seat in roughly 50 years, I am not surprised by the level of campaigning by the leading candidates and the resources behind them. But when it comes to the State Senate seat, a business coalition appears to be going overboard (and wasting a lot of money) with its direct mail outreach.
The Democratic candidates: former legislator Rod Wright and current Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally. Wright was termed out of the Assembly in 2002 and has run for several offices since then including an L.A. city council seat and a state senate seat neighboring the district he's currently running in.
Dymally, a veteran politician who is a retired member of Congress and former Lt. Governor of California. Today, he is 10 years older than John McCain and shows no intentions of slowing down.
In the era of term limits, sitting incumbents usually out campaign their opponents through direct mail, paid canvassers, etc. by raising substantially more money, but Dymally appears to have met his match in a former elected who hasn't been in office in 8 years and has embarrassingly lost two races since then.
Still, my mailbox has stayed constantly full of mail from the campaign to elect Rod Wright.
By the numbers, since January 1st, Hon. Mervyn Dymally has raised $403,361.93 and has spent $341,264.93. Rod Wright has only managed to raise $129,996.88 and spent a thrifty $159,336.22 during the same period. (According to the California Secretary of State Website)
Thank goodness for political disclosure laws. Following the money trail I have that the pro-business lobby known as "Alliance for California's Tomorrow, A California Business Coalition" is basically funding the Wright campaign to the tune of $353,793.30 since January 1.
Checking my stack of stuff, I can see that most of the mail I have received that either supports Wright or opposes Dymally is paid for by the business coalition. Researching the Secretary of State's website I also find the folks who fund this coalition.
Surprise, surprise, it's the usual pro-business anti-labor forces that stand in the way of progressive solutions time and time again in Sacramento. A small selection of this list includes
California Chamber of Commerce PAC
Sempra Energy
Young's Market Company
Anthem Blue Cross
Jobs PAC (An Independent Expenditure Committee of the California Chamber of Commerce)
California Real Estate Political Action Committee
Health Net
Phillip Morris USA
Apparently, conservatives have taken to trying to help elect moderate, business-interest friendly Democrats to prevent progressives from being elected to power in democratic districts.
So if Rod Wright is elected by the voters, I shall take comfort knowing that the business interests of this select group which usually oppose my interests will likely find a beholden friend in NRA-awarded Rod Wright.
Of course, Dymally has been no clear cut progressive himself. Over the last several years he has taken plenty of big bucks from pharmaceutical companies and their ilk and has been on the wrong side of very progressive statewide ballot measures.
Full Disclosure, I am not paid nor do I endorse either candidate in this race and I am therefore glad term limits still exist so that I am only stuck with these two for eight years. I've survived President Bush, I am sure I can survive having either of these men as my State Senate representative, unless the Chamber of Commerce pulls Wright's card.
A frustrated voter.
Being only the third competitive elections for this supervisorial seat in roughly 50 years, I am not surprised by the level of campaigning by the leading candidates and the resources behind them. But when it comes to the State Senate seat, a business coalition appears to be going overboard (and wasting a lot of money) with its direct mail outreach.
The Democratic candidates: former legislator Rod Wright and current Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally. Wright was termed out of the Assembly in 2002 and has run for several offices since then including an L.A. city council seat and a state senate seat neighboring the district he's currently running in.
Dymally, a veteran politician who is a retired member of Congress and former Lt. Governor of California. Today, he is 10 years older than John McCain and shows no intentions of slowing down.
In the era of term limits, sitting incumbents usually out campaign their opponents through direct mail, paid canvassers, etc. by raising substantially more money, but Dymally appears to have met his match in a former elected who hasn't been in office in 8 years and has embarrassingly lost two races since then.
Still, my mailbox has stayed constantly full of mail from the campaign to elect Rod Wright.
By the numbers, since January 1st, Hon. Mervyn Dymally has raised $403,361.93 and has spent $341,264.93. Rod Wright has only managed to raise $129,996.88 and spent a thrifty $159,336.22 during the same period. (According to the California Secretary of State Website)
Thank goodness for political disclosure laws. Following the money trail I have that the pro-business lobby known as "Alliance for California's Tomorrow, A California Business Coalition" is basically funding the Wright campaign to the tune of $353,793.30 since January 1.
Checking my stack of stuff, I can see that most of the mail I have received that either supports Wright or opposes Dymally is paid for by the business coalition. Researching the Secretary of State's website I also find the folks who fund this coalition.
Surprise, surprise, it's the usual pro-business anti-labor forces that stand in the way of progressive solutions time and time again in Sacramento. A small selection of this list includes
California Chamber of Commerce PAC
Sempra Energy
Young's Market Company
Anthem Blue Cross
Jobs PAC (An Independent Expenditure Committee of the California Chamber of Commerce)
California Real Estate Political Action Committee
Health Net
Phillip Morris USA
Apparently, conservatives have taken to trying to help elect moderate, business-interest friendly Democrats to prevent progressives from being elected to power in democratic districts.
So if Rod Wright is elected by the voters, I shall take comfort knowing that the business interests of this select group which usually oppose my interests will likely find a beholden friend in NRA-awarded Rod Wright.
Of course, Dymally has been no clear cut progressive himself. Over the last several years he has taken plenty of big bucks from pharmaceutical companies and their ilk and has been on the wrong side of very progressive statewide ballot measures.
Full Disclosure, I am not paid nor do I endorse either candidate in this race and I am therefore glad term limits still exist so that I am only stuck with these two for eight years. I've survived President Bush, I am sure I can survive having either of these men as my State Senate representative, unless the Chamber of Commerce pulls Wright's card.
A frustrated voter.