Ads Alone Don’t Push Poll Numbers
In the press release accompanying the newly released Public Policy Institute of California poll, PPIC President Mark Baldassare attributes the drop in support for the Proposition 29 tobacco tax to “how a well-funded opposition is able to raise voters’ doubts and distrust in state government, even when a tax increase is viewed favorably.” No question […]
Prop. 29 Foes Won’t Say the Word “Tobacco”
It’s bad enough that political types think that voters are stupid. It’s worse that they depend upon it. Take that omnipresent TV spot opposing Prop. 29, which would add a buck to the cost of a pack of cigarettes and use the money for cancer research and stop-smoking programs. That’s the one where the guy […]
Berman vs. Sherman – Workhorse vs. Showhorse
The race for the newly drawn 30th Congressional District in California has drawn national attention. Two long-time Democratic incumbents–Howard Berman and Brad Sherman–are pitted against each other in what promises to be one of the mostly hotly contested and most expensive contests in the country. Why all the fuss? On the surface, it wouldn’t seem […]
Council Redefines ‘Responsible’
The Los Angeles City Council last week passed a “Responsible Banking” ordinance. Banks will now be required to disclose lending and foreclosure activity in the city if they want to get city business. But once, just once, I’d like to see the City Council pass a “Responsible City Council” ordinance. We have a City Council […]