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CA-26: Democrats Continue to Pound Linda Parks
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Mailer
The Democrats (Democratic Congressional Campaign Commitee) are sliming Ventura County Supervisor and NPP (No Party Preference) Linda Parks again.
Timm Herdt over at the Ventura County Star has the ridiculousness of the mailers.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has flooded the mailboxes of Ventura County Democratic voters with another cartoonish mailer that seeks to portray independent congressional candidate Linda Parks as a tea party-style Republican extremist.
The first showed Parks’ face on campaign buttons paired with George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin. The cover of this one shows an open closet with GOP paraphernalia, including a cardboard cutout of Palin and a Bush-Cheney placard, spilling out. The implication is that Parks has been trying to keep her true political leanings in the closet. The headline says, “Republican Linda Parks has a secret…”
On the flip side it says that “Washington Republicans and Linda Parks would end Medicare as we know it” and that “a vote for Parks and the national Republicans is a vote for the Tea Pary.”
Truthful?
Not really. Linda Parks is NO conservative and is a RINO at best.
But, the Democrats are desperate and will pound Parks, trying to drive up her negatives, so that their annointed Democratic candidate, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley can win second place against favorite, Republican Tony Strickland.
I received a call from a political fact check organization the other day while I was traveling, inquiring about the first mail piece with Sarah Palin. This ad, like that one, is blatantly false and misleading – so place it in the pile with the other one and ones to come from the DCCC.
Doesn’t the DCCC remember that all of those negative mailers from Tony Strickland’s wife, Audra, backfired and made Linda Parks a sympathetic figure?
I don’t think this appraach will curry favor with Ventura County Democrats for Brownley – but then again, maybe their polling already shows this.
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CA-26: Linda Parks Again Refuses to Say With Which Party She Will Caucus If Elected to Congress
Screenshot from Linda Park’s latest television ad
In a puff piece interview Timm Herdt tries to discover with whom Linda Park’s will align in the Congress – either Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi or Republican Speaker John Boehner. Parks previously refused to say with whom she would caucus and elect as Speaker.
In her campaign thus far, Parks has sought to straddle questions about her partisan leanings. Originally a Democrat, she changed her registration to Republican in 1996, then switched again to “no party preference” just before entering the race for Congress.
She has declined to say which party she would caucus with if elected, who would get her vote for speaker, and even which presidential candidate she will support in the fall.
“I might caucus with Republicans. I might caucus with Democrats. I might caucus with both. I might caucus with neither,” she said in her remarks at University Village. “I will have the ability to choose, based on the issue. What we have right now isn’t working.”
In other words, I don’t know, and won’t tell you until I am elected and then I will decide.
This will not play well with Ventura County voters.
Congress is a partisan place and Congressional voters base their vote on issues and ideology – not the political whims of a Democrat turned Republican turned No Party Preference POL.
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CA-26: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Hits Linda Parks in Republican Framing Mailer
The DCCC has released its first attack mailer and it is not against the Republican, Tony Strickland, but against NPP (No Party Prefeerence) Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks. Timm Herdt over at the Ventura County Star has more of the story.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee yesterday posted on its website this attack mailer against independent candidate Linda Parks in the 26th Congressional District.
As you can see, it’s a fairly heavy-handed piece that seeks to link Parks with “Washington Republicans” and urges Democrats to “stop the Tea Party. Vote No on Linda Parks and the Republicans.” It features campaign buttons that show her paired with George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin.
A spokeswoman for the DCCC said Tuesday that the piece is in the mail, but I have received no reports as yet from anyone in the district who has received it.
A very interesting framing of Linda Parks as a Republican.
She is anything but a partisan GOP’er and would be considered a RINO at best. Many in GOP circles actually like Democratic Assemblywoman Julia Brownley better – as Brownley would be vulnerable in future elections due to the swing demographics of this Congressional District.
I, especially, like this part of the mailer with photos of campaign buttons of Linda Parks and Sarah Palin.
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CA-26: Linda Parks and Her Cable Television ONLY Campaign Strategy
Screenshot from Linda Park’s latest television ad
Timm Herdt over at the Ventura County Star interviews Linda Park’s strategist George Gorton regarding her campaign media strategy.Political strategists have historically just about all come to the same conclusion about how to campaign in Ventura County: mail, mail and more mail. So it is intriguing to see the approach that Supervisor Linda Parks of Thousand Oaks is taking in running as an independent in the 26th Congressional District. She and her consultant, George Gorton, have decided to put nearly all their resources into cable TV.
Public documents from Time Warner show that Gorton’s partner Garrett Biggs on April 5 signed a $202,200 contract to air Parks ads on Ventura County cable systems through Election Day. The current schedule shows spots slated to run nearly every day through May 13, presumably with more to be scheduled later. They are placed on a wide range of cable channels, including ESPN, the Food Network, Fox Sports, MSNBC, HGTV, the Discovery Channel and the History Network.
“It’s a pretty significant buy,” Gorton told me yesterday.
I know George Gorton from his days with Pete Wilson and his successful campaigns for U.S. Senate and California Governor. All of Gorton’s Wilson campaigns were very successful and almost all of the media was on television, broadcast and cable. So, a television only strategy is not unusual for Gorton.
And, certainly this strategy is not unusual for Linda Parks who will be campaign cash challenged as compared to Republican California State Senator Tony Strickland and Democrat California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley. A direct mail campaign to all of Ventura County potential voters would be cost prohibitive for Parks – especially since she is a NPP (No Party Preference) and cannot mail to only Republican or Democratic households with the same message.
Here is Park’s latest ad, embedded below and it features many of her supporters from City Council and Supervisor campaigns (very low production costs and value):
What is surprising to me, is not the Park’s strategy. This is the same media campaign that her mentor and my former neighbor successful Thousand Oaks City Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski used to beat an incumbent Thousand Oaks Mayor Robert Lewis over twenty years ago. What is surprising is that neither Strickland nor Brownley have responded with ANY cable television ads of their own.
Parks has been on for over two weeks and nobody has gone “on air.”
As far as internet ads are concerned, I have seen little activity thus far for Parks. She will likely do some and I will let you know when I see them appear.
And, I bet when Brownley’s and Strickland’s consultants get around to reading Herdt’s and my pieces, they may actually produce some responding or even negative television ads. At least they should, especially Brownley, if she doesn’t want to finish third to Parks or Strickland in June.
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CA-26 Video: David Cruz Thayne Releases First Online Ad
Daivd Cruz Thayne is up with his first online web ad.I have embedded the video below:
It is pretty much a biography and tells of his early years as a South American immigrant to the United States.
Thayne is one of four Democrats running for two spots against Republican State Senator Tony Strickland and NPP (No Party Preference) Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks.
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CA-26: Linda Parks Fights Back Against Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Remember on Friday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee dropped an 80 page opposition research bombshell on the Ventura County Supervisor running for Congress.
The report is here.Well, Supervisor Parks is not taking it without a response and a website has emerged. It is here.
This is an example of what a modern campaign MUST do – rapid response to address opponents and surrogates – this time it is the Democratic Party.
So far, Park’s campaign has been up to the test.
But, how this will play out when the direct mailers start to hit Congressional District households remains to be seen.
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CA-26: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Drops OPPO Bomb on Linda Parks
Thanks to my fellow reporter, Timm Herdt with the Ventura County Star for the heads up.If there was any question which candidate is of most immediate concern to Democrats in the 26th Congressional District, it has been answered on the website of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
In the section highlighting key races in California, it cites the 26th and promises that a research book on Republican Tony Strickland will be posted in May. With independent Linda Parks, however, the Democrats are in a bigger hurry to go on the attack.
But, what a bomb – like a 80 page bomb. You can download it here – it is in a .docx Microsoft Word format and takes a while to load.
Just an example:
Moved Supervisor office to more expensive Downtown storefront location after City of Thousand Oaks decided not to renew her city hall Office lease (2007)
In 2007, Parks moved her Board of Supervisor office to a more expensive Downtown storefront location in Thousand Oaks, after the City of Thousand Oaks had decided not to renew her city hall office lease. At the time, the city was paying $3,915 for the 1,700-square-foot storefront location, with a 3% annual increase built in the lease. In comparison, the county was paying $2,784 a month for the City Hall office, with no built-in increase. As of 2007, the county reportedly paid at least $34,000 to upgrade the storefront location to equip the office with a kitchen, bathroom and interior walls. The Ventura County Star reported at the time, the initial cost to renovate Parks’ new office was expected to increase. The payment was coming out of Parks’ $711,000 office budget, which also covered staff salaries. (Ventura County Star, “Supervisor Parks liking new digs,” October 30, 2007)
You get the idea, especially if you have ever read an OPPO or Opposition Research Report before. It is a treasure trove of information that can be washed, rewashed and spun anyway an opposing POL can manage.
Go ahead and check it out.
I am sure you will see many of the points in the coming weeks, especially in your mailbox.
The fact that the Democrats have so extensively prepared their OPPO research sort of lays waste to the claim that while Parks is much more moderate than Tony Strickland, the Party views her as a suitable alternative in a top two election environment.
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CA-26: Fundraising Totals Show Republican Tony Strickland Far in the Lead
California State Senator Tony Strickland at January’s Congressional announcement
Fundraising totals are now available for all of the candidates in CA-26 and Tony Strickland is the big winner.Tony Strickland: The Republican state senator from California raised a huge $781,000 in the first quarter for his run at a competitive open House seat in the 26th district, besting both Democratic state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley and independent Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks by half a million dollars. If the GOP can snatch this seat, it would go a long way toward stopping some of the bleeding after a tough redistricting draw.
In CD26, Julia Brownley picks up $256k and has $254k on hand, Tony Strickland raised $782k with $732k on hand, and David Cruz Thayne collected $39k and has $62k on hand.
A clickable link for Linda Park’s fundraising totals is here.There is little doubt that Strickland is up and the Democrat Brownley is surprisingly down.
But, Linda Parks is up first with cable television ads and undoubtedly some campaign cash will be raised and spent by Strickland and Brownley.
First round of the fundraising wars goes to Tony Strickland tough.
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CA-26: Democrats MOCK Linda Parks “Rocky Road” Television Ad
Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks and No Party Preference (NPP) candidate for Congress
I love it when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee does the mocking work for me.
Congressional candidate Linda Parks (CA-26), who has switched her voter registration from Democrat to Republican to Independent, has refused to commit to clear positions on the majority of issues, including the House Republican budget that ends Medicare. Instead, Parks dodges questions with lofty rhetoric about her “independence.” But in her new television ad, Parks gives her most straightforward answer yet — her favorite ice cream flavor is Rocky Road. While Californians finally have an answer to the pressing ice cream issue, they are still left wondering which Linda Parks is running for Congress.
“The only question Linda Parks hasn’t dodged is her favorite ice cream flavor, but Congress is not a Baskin Robbins. It’s time for Parks to come clean and be honest with California voters about where she stands on the issues that affect them,” said Amber Moon of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Linda Parks may stand with Rocky Road now, but judging by her record she’ll switch camps when Baskin Robbins comes out with its newest flavor, Political Opportunist Sundae.”
Linda Parks still has not said how she would vote on the policies of House Republicans that harm the middle class and seniors, including the controversial Ryan budget that ends Medicare, extending the Bush tax cuts for millionaires, private accounts for Social Security, and their assault on reproductive rights for California women. Parks has also declined to say which candidate she will support for president.
You see the Democrats are more worried about Linda Parks and having their anointed party candidate, California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, lose in the June “Top Two” primary election than the Republican California State Senator Tony Strickland.
And, they should be worried.
With four Democrat candidates on the ballot, and the fact that Brownley lived outside the Congressional District until a couple of months ago, Brownley may struggle to come in second to the likely top vote getter Strickland.
I wonder when Brownley will hit the cable television air?
She raised a few hundred thousand and she better start spending it.
Here is Park’s television ad again:
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CA-26 Video: Linda Parks Up First With Television Ads
The production value is not very polished, but Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks is first out with television ads – albeit the local cable television channels.
The end of the ad is a little strange when the Supervisor says she paid for the ad and then declares that her favorite ice cream is rocky road.
I suppose she is referring metaphorically speaking to this race for Congress because Democrat Assemblywoman Julia Brownley and Republican State Senator Tony Strickland just announced massive fundraising totals that dwarf Park’s for the first quarter of the year.
I wonder when the first mail will hit? I mean the mail besides the “free” taxpayer paid mailers that all of these POLS will be sending out to their constituent/voters.
Remember the election is less than 60 days away….
