Meg’s Money
By tossing in another $15-million to her gubernatorial campaign, Meg Whitman made headlines all over the country spending the most money by an individual candidate on one election. She topped New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg by $10-million and counting. Whitman is up to $119-million; Bloomberg spent nearly $109-million in his 2009 re-election race.
Jerry Brown’s campaign, not to mention the media, continue to make an issue of Whitman’s money. There is no question these are eye-popping amounts.
The hard dollar total is a record of one kind, but with political math there is always more than one way to count a dollar. Whitman spent more than Michael Bloomberg in total dollars, that’s a fact. But, she’s got a ways to go to cover what Bloomberg spent per registered voter. There are about 4 million registered voters in New York City. Bloomberg spent over $27.00 per voter when he laid out his $109 million. With Whitman’s $119 million she has spent about $8.50 per voter give or take, only a third of what Bloomberg spent per voter.
The Next Big Talking Point: The GOP Praising Cuba
Steel yourselves: you’re about to hear a lot of Republican praise for, of all things, the Cuban government.
Yes, it’s the next insane and deceptive talking point on the horizon, in California and around the country.
In case you missed it, the Cuban government has decided to downsize, in what is being portrayed as the beginning of a move to a more market-oriented economy. Since an estimated 85 percent of Cuba’s 5.5 million workers are employed by the state, this would seem to be a good idea. The island’s official labor issue even issued a statement saying that "our state can’t keep maintaining…bloated payrolls."
The Proposition Song – November 2010
Oh we’re having an election,
November two’s the day
There are nine state propositions
Come vote and have your say.
Prop. 19’s the first measure, it asks voters if we oughta
Regulate, tax and legalize marijuana
Each ten years congressional district lines get redrawn
Prop 20 says that job should go to a citizen commission.
Help Approve U.S. – Korea Free Trade Agreement
Ambassador
Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative, was in Los Angeles last week to
discuss the status and importance of the U.S. – Republic of Korea Trade
Promotion Agreement. Ambassador Kirk stressed the importance of this
Free Trade Agreement to achieving President Barack Obama’s goal of
doubling U.S. exports in five years.
President Obama has directed Ambassador Kirk and his negotiating team
to engage with South Korea to resolve outstanding issues by the next
G-20 meeting in November in Korea. Two of the key industry sectors
still being discussed are autos and beef.
Ambassador Kirk stressed that 95 percent of the customers for American
products and services live outside the United States. and that the
capacity for these customers to purchase U.S. products and services is
growing faster than consumer demand in the United States.