Showdown in Searchlight
You may’ve read that this past Saturday a bunch of folks showed up in Searchlight, NV. Some news sources (CNN, for example) reported that hundreds came out while others (LA Times, Fox News and so forth) reported closer to ten thousand turned out for the event. My daughters and I didn't do a head count but the line of cars extended for miles on both sides of the Highway 93 heading into Searchlight.
There were signs aplenty, mostly hand made, being carried into the event by the long lines of people, some who hiked many miles, to attend the rally. We arrived at about 12:30, just in time to hear Gov. Palin’s speech. The place was crowded with a jovial air in the crowd. Since the event was being held in a large open lot riding my electric scooter was a bit of a challenge but there were plenty of gentlemen who stopped to help me each time my scooter got stuck in the dirt.
I spoke to people who came from around the local area, and many from California, including a gentleman from San Francisco also Palin’s supporters from Alaska. And though the Tea Party movement has been characterized as “malcontents”, “astroturfers”, “uniformed”; just pick the pejorative word of your choice, I found most to be good, honest, civic-minded folk out to participate in a little old fashion peaceful demonstration. This was my first Tea Party event and you could’ve easily confused it for a large 4th of July party instead of a political rally – everyone was just having fun out in the beautiful desert with the wind blowing the numerous flags.
There are those who seem to fear the Tea Party movement or have attempted to marginalize those who participate in Tea Party events. The sociologist in me says that the more people marginalize the Tea Partiers the stronger the likelihood that that strategy will “bite” those marginalizing the movement in the proverbial derrière. As I pursued various comments made about the recent Searchlight Rally many commenter’s seemed to take issue that there were not the usually quota of identifiable groups, comments such as nothing but a bunch of angry white people was a common thread throughout. I think this is what mystifies those who oppose the Tea Party movement the most, namely that no one seems to go out of their way to ensure that there are quota of people to represent interest groups. All who wish to participate in a peaceful manner and believe in limited (smaller) government are welcomed; there are also those who wish to show their displeasure with the Obama administration -- the broken promises, the lack of transparency and of course the coup de grace which was the health care bill being pushed down our throats using misinformation and the apparent quid pro quo that it took to get enough votes to pass it.
I was with ACT-UP at its nascent beginnings in Los Angeles and I see many parallels between these two movements. The first is that they both have a very real grassroots and organic feel to them, and second like ACT-UP the Tea Party movement needs to evolve from its loosely knit organization to one that has a better defined “command” structure. To make this transition doesn’t mean that the Tea Party movement must lose its identity, but it can only have “fly by its seat of the pants” leadership for so long before the group will begin to disintegrate. Showdown at Searchlight was one such event that though marked by an air of peaceful enjoyment there was also a undercurrent of disorganization that if not addressed can lead to bitterness and frustration – this needs to be avoided. Examples of this are 38 “Andy Gumps” for an estimated crowd of thousands, and though many who attended came in campers folks who came in their cars had to in some cases walk 2 or more miles to find the nearest restroom. The Searchlight merchants handled this with great aplomb, but after awhile everyone gets a bit annoyed when creature comfort is lacking. And finally, how they handled the press. The press doesn’t need to have the red carpet treatment, but members of the press generally have an expectation that they can easily identify and find the event press contact – before, during and after the event. Tea Party movement organizers should keep this in mind.
What seems to frustrate many of those who have chosen to ignore, marginalize, deny, etc., the Tea Party is that they can’t seem to understand what draws people to the movement. After all so much of their media lap dogs have been good at demonizing the movement, and yet still people seem to flock to the events. The mainstream media has done its best to fail to exercise journalist integrity and fairness by purposefully underreporting the numbers of people that have turned out at some of these events. Imagine my surprise when I learned that CNN had used the phrase hundreds turn out at Searchlight, hundreds? The aerial photographs as well as eyes on the ground know full well and good that if there were well more than hundreds. I think the movement is growing in part as push back to the elitist attitude of politicians who want to “pooh-pooh” the movement (remember Pelosi’s astroturf comment) and the mainstream media rabid attempts to paint the Tea Party as some come of aberrant, un-American activity only seems to ignite even more passion for the Tea Party movement.
So in the meantime enjoy the photographs of Showdown in Searchlight.
I’ve had the chance to snap numerous photos, a few of which are attached to this post. I’ve also added several aerial shots (courtesy of Hack Wilson’s blog - http://hackwilson.blogspot.com/2010/03/pictures-from-showdown-in-searchlight.html).
“Qui vole un oeuf, vole un boeuf”
This is the season of endorsements, and I hear Assemblyman DeVore is expecting to receive the endorsement of the Tea Party Express when it holds it’s big rally in Searchlight, NV this weekend. This endorsement is said to be the first of its kind for the November 2010 elections season. I’m not a member of any Tea Party group, but as a former member of ACT-UP Los Angeles I applaud and commend their activism and willingness to stand up for their beliefs. That said, their endorsement of Assemblyman DeVore will not and does not convince me to give my money, support or vote for him. Why you may ask, simple I’m just sick and tired of politicians that run for a new political office simultaneously while still in their duly elected post. So why pick on DeVore, because he’s the last straw – especially when his purportedly running on a platform of being a conservative and of bring change to D.C.
A recent article in the Orange County Register (March 24th article Should legislative staffers be allowed to volunteer for their bosses’ political campaigns? ) highlights what appears to be an all too frequent practice of some of our elected officials’ staff in Sacramento of pulling double duty. That is “by day” they work in one of the elected officials’ offices and “by night” they work on said elected officials’ campaign. I can only describe this as an ethically challenged mindset that is apparently endemic in our state capitol. The article details several officials, including Assemblyman DeVore, use of office staff as campaign staff. Albeit they claim that they do so only under the strictest adherence to the law, but is California with an estimated 12% (some say 18%) unemployment rate that devoid of qualified help that our State Senators and Assemblymen/women must “double-dip” with their staff. Assemblyman DeVore is not alone in what many voters’ would describe as questionable behavior, however the following as reported in the OC Register is what should cast doubt in any voters’ mind about whether Assemblyman DeVore is any better than Senator Boxer (whom he and two other Republicans are competing against for the Republican nomination).
Trevino left DeVore’s Assembly office the next month, but returned in March 2009 as a “senior consultant” earning $5,000 a month on a 60 percent schedule. At the same time, Trevino wrote on his Facebook page that he joined the DeVore for Senate campaign in March 2009.
According to campaign finance records, Trevino, who also runs a firm called Trevino Strategies and Media, Inc., was paid $1,500 by DeVore’s Senate campaign in 2009.
In August, Trevino sent out an e-mail explaining his relationship with DeVore.
It has become clear to me that I need to be explicit about my involvement with the Chuck DeVore for U.S. Senate campaign out here in California. You’ve heard a lot about him from me, and you will probably continue to — at minimum through June 2010, and hopefully through January 2017. Don’t worry, the time will fly.
Here’s the deal:
1) Yep, I work for the campaign: as a volunteer. Everything campaign-related that I do is 100% unpaid.
2) HOWEVER, I also put in 20 hours a week at DeVore’s Sacramento office. A few points on that:
a) It’s the minimum allowed by CA Assembly Rules.
b) It’s so I can get face time with Chuck. (Of course, I also serve invaluable office- and Assembly-related functions….)
c) It doesn’t pay the bills. (You former staffers know what I’m talking about.)
d) No campaign work whatsoever goes on there. It’s illegal, and Chuck is scrupulously conscientious about it.
So:
— Is Chuck DeVore and/or his campaign a client of Trevino Strategies and Media, Inc.? No.
— Do I work for the Chuck DeVore for U.S. Senate campaign? Yes, as a volunteer.
— Do I work for the Office of Assemblyman Chuck DeVore? Yes.
Bottom line is that I’m not making meaningful money off DeVore — especially not compared to what I’d make with a similar commitment to a TSM client. I do what I do because I sincerely believe in him and his chances.
The Freudian slip that is 2b in Mr. Trevino’s email shows me that Mr. Trevino and Assemblyman DeVore themselves have blurred the proverbial “Chinese Wall”. Mr. Trevino states that he works 20 hours a week in the Assemblyman’s Sacramento office and that this is so he can get “face time with Chuck”, he then adds in parenthesis that “Off course, I also serve invaluable office-and Assembly-related functions…” I would argue that Trevino’s invaluable office and Assembly-related functions should provide him with ample face time and for him to separate the two would lead me to believe that some of that face time in the Sacramento office may indeed be related to campaign business otherwise there would be no reason to construct 2b the way he did.
This is Sacramento and Congress’ dirty little secret and when we as endorsers and voters give a candidate a pass on this then we can expect to continue seeing business as usual in both our State house and in the halls of Congress.
If Assemblyman DeVore was truly the Conservative he portrays himself to be then, one he shouldn’t be seeking another elective office while holding a current elective office, especially in light of the fact there are at least two other people (Carly Fiorina and Tom Campbell) who have thrown their hat into the ring, and two he would quickly end the practice of office/campaign staff. I thought the Tea Party movement was all about bringing change to Congress and various State houses, but Assemblyman DeVore is no different than so many of those the electorate is disillusioned in and disappointed with these days.
The saying goes, be the change you want to see. Assemblyman DeVore, in this voter’s opinion, has fallen far short of this goal; and if “We the People” are ever going to get these career politicians to change we need to hold their feet to the fire on these key issues. For it’s these are core ethical principals that separate the career politician from the citizen legislators that our Country was founded upon. The French have a saying that describes such ethical lapses “qui vole un oeuf, vole un boeuf” which translates, “if one can steal an egg, one can steal a cow” I know is sounds better in French. People, politicians included, are far from perfect but there should be some things that are non-negotiable, one of them should be that no current office holder (expect perhaps in the case where no one steps up to volunteer) should leapfrog from elected office to elected office during their term, and if the candidate claims that they are there to bring change then they shouldn’t be engaged in the very behavior or activity that they are promising to change.
Now is the time to choose a candidate that can go to Washington and really be a change agent bringing back the business acumen and someone who actually can make a difference. You may have surmised that I’m not a DeVore supporter, you’d be correct. I’m a Carly Fiorina supporter and I make no bones about it.
But in the end -- Actions speak louder than words!
What happens when the candidate is married to a practicing Democrat … you get a “Poizenegger”.
I took a little trip down to Buena Park this weekend to attend the California Republican Assembly (CRA), the reason for my trip was to listen to the Gubernatorial and Senatorial candidates speak and present their reasons for seeking these elective offices. The candidates and their teams were out in force canvassing the conference on a mission to seek endorsements, sign-up supporters, and when possible recruit converts to their campaign and cause.
Granted, the CRA is known for being more conservative, and candidates had come seeking the endorsement of this politically powerful group; but their endorsement is no guarantee that California Republicans will fall in lock step behind a CRA endorsed candidate. I had the opportunity to catch Whitman’s speech at noon, and found that she didn’t stray far from the candidate she has presented herself as at prior events and speaking engagements. Whereas Poizner seemed to have move even further right, which I think is an attempt to garner support from the more conservative arm of the party. I can understand a candidate wanting to craft their message to “suit” their audience, as a lecturer I’ve done this frequently; however there’s is crafting your message and there’s turning in a whole new message – which it what Poizner appears to have done just that to curry favor with the CRA delegates.
So desperate to curry favor that he ratchet up his negative campaign against his opponent, Whitman, to an almost frenetic level reminiscent of the now infamous Howard Dean yell. The attacks against Whitman began with Michael Shroeder’s introduction of Poizner and Poizner continued those attacks with repeated charges that Whitman had good things to say about Van Jones, accusations of Whitman giving donations to Democratic candidates and so forth – charges that have already been answered by Whitman. Yet Poizner meet the criticism of the disclosure that he had also donated personal monies to at least one Democratic candidate with “my wife the Democrat did that.” Poizner’s marionette-like performance at the CRA left me with little doubt that he would receive the CRA’s endorsement. While the CRA endorsement may be significant to some Republican voters, but for a voter such as myself an endorsement from a group such as Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC holds much more significance.
I recall reading, probably from one of the many Poizner for Governor propaganda pieces that continually fill my email inbox, that the CRA did not endorse Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor and how that turned out; I’d counter with that’s what you get for electing a Governor whose wife’s a practicing Democrat!