“The scandals in the city of Bell are spreading into the governor’s race: As attorney general, Brown is investigating and Whitman is sniping at him. How does this play out?”

The more Brown investigates and calls attention to the salary and pensions of public employees, the more he brings the backlash to his own door. 

“Yet another budget deadlock. How does this play into the race for governor? Which candidate is helped – or hurt – by the failures in the Capitol?”

Jerry Brown is the insider. He needs to own Sacramento if Whitman is to have a chance.

Nobody runs against the Establishment better than Jerry Brown. Mega Millions

“Whitman and Brown are reaching out to Latinos, who traditionally do not vote in high proportions. Is this the year that Latinos flock to the polls and decide the election? Or does California continue its trajectory of aging and white voters?”

No, Latino voters won’t flock to the polls, but they will constitute between 14-18

“Does Gov. Schwarzenegger have a role to play in this
year’s race for governor? Does he endorse a candidate and
go on the campaign trail? Or, given his approval rating,
does he stay out entirely?”

“Meg Whitman vs. the nurses: Who wins here? Does she successfully drive a wedge between the nurses and their leadership, or does spanking nurses backfire with voters?”

Ask the governor.

As John Burton once said, everybody likes nurses. This is going to backfire. Whitman’s wounds will need to be bandaged, and the nurses won’t be

“The latest Field Poll shows Brown and Whitman in a dead heat. An early survey, but there are danger signals for Brown — eroding Latino support, soft rank-and-file union support. Your thoughts?”

He’s toast. Drive to Reno today and take the spread on Meg Witless.

Let’s see now, we’re still in early July………let’s wait until

“Meg Whitman’s new strategy is to go after Jerry Brown’s core union support, and try to drive a wedge between the rank-and-file and the leaders. Will this work?”

No way.  These efforts just provide more evidence that Meg Whitman has money to burn and, fortunately, that will play right into the messaging needed to beat her:  That she is a billionaire who  is completely out of touch with everyday working people.  

No, it won’t work.

Only a freezing July day in Sacramento.

I heard that she was going to put every

“The governor plans a trade mission to China and, possibly, to Russia, too. Valuable trips for California or lame-duck junkets?”

It’s hard to picture a smart foreign businessperson thinking, “Gee, a former movie star turned lame-duck governor briefly visited our country, so that’s why we should make a high-stakes decision to do business in California.”

“A Chinese company is bankrolling the governor’s “trade mission” to Asia. He says its better to do it this way than use taxpayers’ money. What do you think?”

He will get criticized either way.  If he uses taxpayer money, it’s a boondoggle.  If he allows someone to “bankroll” it, it’s undue influence.  If he can

“On to November: Brown vs. Whitman, Fiorina vs. Boxer. Who wins what – and why?”

Whitman and Fiorina because it’s the year of the woman – and voters are ready for a change.

Brown and Boxer – call them the B Team – win. Mainly because Republicans just always seem to think they’re talking