• Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina,  House Banking Scandal

    CA-Sen: Barbara Boxer – THE BOUNCER


    Remember the House Banking Scandal in 1992?

    In 1992, angry about stalemated government, soaring deficits, and economic recession, the public focused its attention on check bouncing in the House of Representatives bank as a symbol of government perks, or special privileges. For 150 years the House sergeant at arms had operated a bank in the Capitol, where members could write checks based on their deposited salaries. A General Accounting Office (GAO) investigation revealed that many representatives had written checks with insufficient funds in their accounts to cover those checks, but the bank had taken no action to suspend or penalize those who bounced checks. Extensive media coverage caused the House to abolish the bank and reveal the names of more than 300 members who had bounced checks. An unusually large number of representatives chose not to run for reelection, and several other check bouncers were defeated. The bank scandal spurred the House to establish the position of director of nonlegislative services, who would serve as a general manager of financial and other administrative activities.

    Well, shocker, Senator Barbara Boxer when she was in the House of Representatives was the 24th most egregious of the miscreants.

    The PBS onlineNewshour summarizes the House Banking Scandal, also known as Rubbergate: “In 1992, many House members were suspected of bouncing checks from accounts they held at the so-called “House Bank” — a loose operation that allowed member of Congress to cash their checks but kept shoddy records and often were quite delayed in recording deposits or withdrawals. Although the lawmakers had broken no laws and many did not even know they were bouncing checks, several took advantage of the bank system and many voters viewed the scandal as a blatant abuse of power. Of the 296 sitting representatives and 59 former members who had overdrafted their personal accounts in the preceding 39 months, the House Ethics Committee released a list of the 24 worst abusers.”

    Boxer was among the top 24 involved in the House bank scandal. On March 1, 1992 the Sacramento Bee quoted Boxer as admitting she didn’t pay enough attention to her House bank account. More specifically, that meant 143 bad checks totaling $41,417 over a three-year period that she had written on the House bank.

    So, why would something dated back to the 1990’s be so important?

    All of this occurred as she was preparing her first campaign for Senate; she decided to attempt to defuse the matter with humor, joking that if she did not win her party’s Senate nomination, she would form a new self-help group: ‘Born Again Bookkeepers.’

    Yuk, yuk, yuk.

    Clearly, she never became a born-again bookkeeper; when Barbara Boxer entered the U.S. Senate, the national debt was a little over $4 trillion. Today, it is $13.4 trillion.

    Why bring up these old matters? To ensure Californians know what they may return to Washington for another six years. In her long political career, we’ve seen Boxer appear to buy endorsements, jet-set around the world to exotic resorts for “official business,” bounce checks, and there will be two more examples of embarrassing behavior to come later this week. She has yet to suffer a serious consequence for any of this.

    What is different this election is the internet, the availability of communicating these abuses and a worthwhile opponent in Carly Fiorina. There will be consequences when California voters wise up and kick Senator Barbara, “The Bouncer” Boxer out of office.

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen Poll Watch: Barbara Boxer 47% Vs. Carly Fiorina 43%

    Pollster Interactive poll average chart: Boxer 47.4% Vs. Fiorina 45.3%


    In the second California U.S. Senate poll released today, this race continues to be within the margin of error and is essentially a dead heat.

    47% Boxer (D)
    43% Fiorina (R)

    Favorable / Unfavorable

    Barbara Boxer: 48 / 49
    Carly Fiorina: 47 / 44

    9/20/10; 750 likely voters, 4% margin of error
    Mode: Automated phone

    Again, since Barbara Boxer has had a television media blitz the past week or so, one would expect some movement for her. But, there has been little, if any, especially if you consider the Fox News poll released this morning.

    Carly Fiorina will begin her paid television campaign soon.

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen Poll Watch: Barbara Boxer 47% Vs. Carly Fiorina 46%

    Republican Nominee Carly Fiorina and California Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer

    The race is essentially a dead heat in this latest Fox News poll. The margin of error is 3 points.

    But Whitman’s fellow former tech CEO and Republican, Carly Fiorina, seems unaffected. She and incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer remain essentially tied. Fiorina gained 2 points to finish at 46 percent. Boxer bubbled up one point to finish at 47 percent.

    While Boxer’s 41 percent approval rating may explain why she is having so much trouble getting elected to a fourth term, her performance may have something to do with slack support for Obama and his agenda.

    Obama’s California job approval rating slid 3 points to 45 percent. The percentage of voters who think Obama’s policies have hurt the state’s economy rose 2 points to 37 percent. Only 25 percent believe Obama’s policies have helped the state economically.

    Boxer has been “on air” for about a week and Fiorina has yet to launch any paid television ads. Again, I look for Fiorina to pull away once her media starts and linking Boxer to failed Obama policies may very well be one of the ads.

  • Barbara Boxer,  Dianne Feinstein

    CA-Sen: Why Don’t You Pay for Your Own Political Junkets Senator Boxer?

    I mean, after all, you are a RICH MILLIONAIRE and California’s other U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein pays her own way.

    Since 2000, Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, has taken 18 trips, sponsored by outside organizations, at a value of $97,975.

    Naturally, if you want to learn about the Islamic world, you go to… Paris, France. With your spouse. For a week. At a cost of $12,272, as Boxer did in 2008.

    If you want to become more familiar with the impact on U.S. policy on Latin America, clearly, you go to…. the Punta Mita beach resort in Mexico. With your spouse. Three times, in 2006, 2005 and 2002, at a cost of roughly $6,000 per trip.

    If you want to learn more about U.S.-Russia-European relations, you go to… Dublin, Ireland for five days, at a cost of more than $6,000, as she did in 2005. (I salute her taste.) Or perhaps you go to London, at a cost of $8,260, as she did in 2002.

    The Aspen Institute was most often underwriting the cost of Boxer’s trips; in addition to the destinations above, the group covered the costs of Boxer’s trips to the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, the outdoor sports resort town of Banff, Alberta, and Barcelona, Spain.

    I won’t begrudge a lawmaker for attending an AIPAC conference; but I’ll bet an initiation to one in Hawaii must be more tempting than the usual annual meeting in Washington. Boxer found the time for that one in 2000.

    And lest one think, ‘oh, every senator does this,’… some don’t. In 2005, the California press started to notice the wide disparity between the travel expenses of Boxer and the state’s other senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein: “Ms. Boxer’s 14 privately funded trips averaged out to nearly $5,300 apiece. In sharp contrast, Ms. Feinstein averaged about $292 per trip.”

    Feinstein’s spokesman, Howard Gantman, gently put it that his boss “does prefer to pay her own way.”

    Taking a vacation is OK, Senator. But, what kind of influence are you selling by taking these outside donations for obvious junkets.

    Geeeezzzzz

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen: QUACK QUACK Barbara Boxer is DUCKING Debates Against Carly Fiorina

    From Los Angeles CBS affiliate KCBS

    Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer ain’t going to debate Carly Fiorina. I mean she is either a little behind or a little ahead in the polls. Why take a risk, right?

    From the video above:

    KCAL/KCBS REPORTER: “Would it be fair for people to assume … that you really don’t want the people of California to see you debating the issues?”

    BOXER: “No.” (cue 3 second awkward pause) “Do you want me to explain?”

    KCAL/KCBS REPORTER: “Yes.”

    BOXER:
    “Ok. I’d like to debate many more times, maybe ten. And I intend to run a campaign based on what I need to do to let the people know I’m not that person that my opponent says I am. And I will be doing that and debating as many times as I possibly can.”

    Quack Quack Boxer is sitting on about $10 Million to pay for one sided television ads.

    Quack Quack – there will be no more Boxer-Fiorina debates after the next faux one.

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen Video: Barbara Boxer is a FAILURE

    Carly Fiorina’s latest video, a web ad for now but soon to be on television

    It did not take long for Carly Fiorina to respond to Barbara Boxer’s attack ad that was released yesterday afternoon. The ad is based on the failure of Senator Boxer’s career in the U.S. Senate.

    From the Fiorina campaign press release:

    “For the last 28 years, Barbara Boxer has done nothing but foster a hostile work environment for our nation’s job creators and help destroy jobs across California. While the Golden State struggles under the weight of an unemployment rate that has soared to 12.3 percent and with more than 2 million Californians out of work, Barbara Boxer is living off the spoils of elected office, having watched her salary more than double, become a millionaire and paid her family members hundreds of thousands of dollars out of her special-interest-funded political committees,” said Carly for California Press Secretary Andrea Saul. “Her record of failure includes voting for more than $1 trillion in higher taxes and trillions more in wasteful spending. It’s clear that Barbara Boxer has completely failed to deliver results for the people of California, and that’s why voters will fire her come November 2.”

    Let’s see:  Senator Barbara Boxer has fiddled while the California economy has burned.

    Former California Democrat Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown once called Boxer one of the luckiest, if not the luckiest POL he has seen.

    I think this election cycle her luck has run out.

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen: Barbara Boxer Goes on The Attack Against Carly Fiorina

    California U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s latest television ad: Outsourcing

    Well, we all knew that it was just a matter of time that Babs Ma’am Boxer was going to attack Carly Fiorina on California television. This is pretty standard for a long time POL who is pretty much tied or behind in the polls with the newcomer Carly Fiorina.

    I mean, after all, President Obama has been out to California a few times to pump up the over $11 million campaign war chest of Boxer. Guess somebody is worried that Boxer is going down so spend the money, Ma’am. I mean Senator.

    But, really, criticizing Fiorina on buying airplanes and a $ million boat (I think she has two actually) with money she earned. Kind of stupid, if you ask me but people do get envious, I suppose. Boxer doesn’t mention all of the money – hundreds of thousands of bucks her own family made on her campaigns for public office. Or the fact that Boxer is a filthy rich millionaire in her own right.

    Oh well.

    With regards to outsourcing of jobs and Hewlett-Packard during Carly’s term, this has been debated for years in business circles. Fiorina even wrote about it in her autobiography, Tough Choices. If anyone is interested in the facts about Hewlett-Packard, Fiorina has put up a new website that pretty much debunks the criticism. 

    I like this graphic which pretty much sums up the success at Hewlett-Packard.

    I am positive that the Fiorina campaign will be responding soon to Barbara Boxer’s attacks. My guess is that they will attack her abysmal record as a Senator while California’s economy has collapsed.

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen Poll Watch: Barbara Boxer 46% Vs. Carly Fiorina 44% – 3% Margin of Error

    Embedded ever changing poll Boxer 46.9% Vs Fiorina 45.5% on average

    The latest Fox News Poll has this California U.S. Senate race as a virtual dead heat and within the margin of error.

    The Fox News release is here and the poll crosstabs are located here. Both pdf files.

    Yet, Pollster has a more interesting chart:

    California Job approval: Senator Barbara Boxer – Approve 41.8% Vs. Disapprove 46.3

    Senator Boxer went on television yesterday and it will be interesting if she obtains any movement in the polls. My bet is that she will until Carly Fiorina starts running television ads reminding California voters how bad the California economy really is.

    Remember my prediction: Carly Fiorina by 3 points and she will pull away a week before the election.

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen Video: Barbara Boxer’s First Television Ad Misleads

    Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer’s television ad: Made in America

    So what else is new about Barbara Boxer. I mean she has done nothing for the California economy and now she is lying about her record.

    From the Carly Fiorina campaign:

    After nearly three decades in Washington, it is clear that Barbara Boxer believes she is unconstrained by the facts which show that she’s supported more than $1 trillion in higher taxes, enthusiastically backed job killing legislation, voted to bring our nation’s debt to record levels and voted against body armor for our troops in a time of war. The truth is that there is only one job Barbara Boxer is interested in saving and that’s her own. Voters will see right through this multimillion dollar special interest funded effort to distort what is really a 28-year long record of total failure to support California’s veterans, children, small business owners and entrepreneurs.” – Julie Soderlund, Deputy Campaign Manager for Communications.

    But, wait, let’s fact check the ad:

    FUNDING FOR TROOPS & VETERANS

    No surprise, Ma’am, I mean Senator Barbara Boxer opposed funding for American troops in time of war:

    In 2007, Boxer Was One Of Only 14 Senators To Vote Against Supplemental Funding For The War In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Boxer Voted Nay and Feinstein Voted Yea)

    NOTE: The Iraq Emergency Spending Bill That Boxer Voted Against Provided:

        * $1.6 Billion For Body Armor
        * $2.4 Billion To Help Combat IEDs
        * $3 Billion For Mine Resistant Vehicles
        * $3 Billion For Defense Health Programs, Including Funding For The Treatment Of Soldiers Suffering From Post Traumatic Stress Disorder And Brain Trauma Injury

    (House And Senate Committees On Appropriations, “Summary Of The Fiscal 2007 Supplemental Funding Legislation,” Press Release, 5/24/07)

    In 2003, Boxer Was One Of Just 12 Senators To Oppose The $87 Billion Supplemental Appropriation For The Reconstruction Of Iraq And Afghanistan; The Bill Included Funding For Body Armor And Communications Equipment For The Troops. (S. 1689, CQ Vote #400: Passed 87-12: R 50-0; D 37-11; I 0-1, 10/17/03, Boxer Voted Nay and Feinstein Voted Yea; “Highlights Of Iraq, Afghanistan Measures,” The Associated Press, 10/17/03)

        * The Bill Included Funds For The Maintenance And Operation Of Equipment, Defense Health Programs, And Increased Imminent Danger Pay. (“Highlights Of Iraq, Afghanistan Measures,” The Associated Press, 10/17/03; Senate Republican Policy Committee, “Funding For Our Men And Women In The Armed Forces,” S. 1689, 2/04)

    NOTE: The Reconstruction Package Also Included Funds To Help Military Families:

        * An Increase In The Family Separation Allowance
        * Funds For The Travel And Transportation Of Family Members Of The Armed Forces Who Are Ill Or Injured As A Result Of Service On Active Duty In Iraq And Afghanistan
        * Access To The Benefits Of The Family Medical Leave Act For A Spouse, Son, Daughter, Or Parent Of An Employee Who Is A Member Of The Armed Forces.

    (Senate Republican Policy Committee, “Funding For Our Men And Women In The Armed Forces,” S. 1689, 2/04)


    JOB CREATION RECORD

    The California economy is hemorrhaging jobs. Since the Obama/Democratic Party Economic Stimulus passed last year California has lost hundreds of thousand of jobs.

    Since February 2009, California Has Lost 472,177 Jobs. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 8/25/10)

    Today, California’s Unemployment Rate Stands At 12.3 Percent, A Dramatic Increase From The 10.2 Percent Rate When The Stimulus Passed. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 8/25/10)

    More Than 2.2 Million Californians Are Currently Unemployed. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 8/25/10)

    FLASHBACK: Boxer Claimed The “Stimulus” Legislation Offered “Help And Hope.” “Senator Boxer said, ‘In the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the Congress has acted today to save or create jobs in California and across the nation. With so many Californians anxious about the economy, this legislation offers help and hope. This bill will put Californians to work now building the highways, bridges, transit and rail systems, and renewable energy sources of the 21st century.'” (Senator Barbara Boxer, “Boxer Praises Passage Of Economic Recovery Legislation,” Press Release, 2/13/09)

    Boxer’s Cap-And-Trade Plan Will Impose Additional Costs On American Families And Companies And Will “Destroy Jobs And Erode Income” In California:

    Boxer’s Proposal Will Result In $9.9 Trillion In GDP Loss, Annual Job Losses In Excess Of 2.5 Million, And Increased Costs In Energy, Goods, And Services For Families In Excess Of $3,000. “Should S. 1733 become law, Americans can expect the following to occur between enactment and the year 2035 (all figures are adjusted for inflation): Inflation-adjusted losses to gross domestic product (GDP) of $9.9 trillion; More than $4.6 trillion in higher energy taxes; Job losses exceeding 2.5 million for some years; Annual family-of-four energy costs rising by $1,000, including a gasoline price increase of more than $1.20 per gallon; Annual family-of-four energy costs plus increased cost of goods and services totaling more than $3,000&” (“What Boxer-Kerry Will Cost The Economy,” The Heritage Foundation, 1/26/10)

        * Boxer’s Proposal Would Increase Gasoline Prices By 45 Percent And Residential Electricity Prices By 72 Percent. “If the CO2 caps proposed in S. 1733 are enacted, Americans can expect to see the following impacts relative to the baseline case (all dollar values are adjusted for inflation to the 2009 price level): GDP will drop by an aggregate $9.9 trillion between 2012 and 2035. & On a family-of-four basis, the cumulative loss in net worth will exceed $40,000 by 2030. Gasoline prices will rise by 45 percent. Residential electricity prices will rise by 72 percent.” (“What Boxer-Kerry Will Cost The Economy,” The Heritage Foundation, 1/26/10)

    According To A Beacon Hill Institute Analysis Cap-And-Trade Legislation Will “Destroy Jobs And Erode Income” In California And Around The Nation. “Specific proposals that several Western states, including California, would implement to comply with a proposed cap-and-trade carbon emissions control pact would destroy jobs and erode income, according to a report co-released by an economics institute.” (The Beacon Hill Institute, “Cap-And-Trade Scheme Will Cost California Jobs,” Press Release, 3/23/09)

    And, then, what about the claim of Made in America.

    A little late wouldn’t you say, Senator? Like a few decades.  Remember when automobiles used to be manufactured in California. No longer.

    And what about all of those campaign contributions from companies that have sent their jobs out of America?

    In The 2010 Election Cycle, Barbara Boxer Has Received $3,100 From Bank Of America. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 9/2/10)

        * Since November 2008, Bank Of America Has Announced 35,000 Layoffs. (Sarah Anderson, Chuck Collins, Sam Pizzigati, and Kevin Shih, “CEO Pay And The Great Recession,” Institute For Policy Studies, 9/1/10)
        * CNN Has Identified Bank Of America As A Company That Either Has Outsourced American Jobs Or Employed Overseas Labor. (CNN Website, www.cnn.com, Accessed 8/9/10)

    In The 2010 Election Cycle, Barbara Boxer Has Received $3,500 From Pfizer. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 9/2/10)

        * Since November 2008, Pfizer Has Announced 19,872 Layoffs. (Sarah Anderson, Chuck Collins, Sam Pizzigati, and Kevin Shih, “CEO Pay And The Great Recession,” Institute For Policy Studies, 9/1/10)
        * CNN Has Identified Pfizer As A Company That Either Has Outsourced American Jobs Or Employed Overseas Labor. (CNN Website, www.cnn.com, Accessed 8/9/10)

    Senator, you will take the money but what have you done for Californians that have lost their jobs? Cap and trade? Green jobs. like where? And, in what quantity?

    Barbara Boxer needs to be retired from office and replaced by someone who understands the importance of business, jobs and the economy – Carly Fiorina

  • Barbara Boxer,  Carly Fiorina

    CA-Sen: Second Boxer Vs. Fiorina Debate Scheduled for September 29

    Republican Nominee Carly Fiorina and California Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer

    From the Press Release:

    U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina today announced that she will participate in a second debate with incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer on September 29. The debate will be hosted by KPCC Public Radio and La Opinión and is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Pacific Time.

    “KPCC and La Opinión have my thanks and appreciation for their efforts in coordinating this important opportunity for the people of California to hear firsthand from both Senator Boxer and me. I look forward to having a substantive conversation with her about our very different approaches to taxation, job creation and the role of government in our lives, among many other important issues at stake in this election,” said Fiorina. “I believe it’s critically important that voters have as many opportunities as possible to hear Senator Boxer and me discuss these issues, and I hope she will move quickly to accept many more debates between today and November 2.”

    Boxer and Fiorina debated for the first time on September 1 at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga; that debate was hosted by KTVU, the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED. To date, Fiorina has accepted more than a dozen debate invitations; the KPCC/La Opinión radio debate is the second debate scheduled between the candidates for U.S. Senate.

    The debate will take place at KPCC’s studio at 474 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena. The debate will also be live-streamed on KPCC’s Web site at www.scpr.org. For more information about covering the debate in studio, please contact Patt Morrison Show Producer Jonathan Serviss at jserviss@kpcc.org.

    Well, not exactly prime time,it will be taped and shown later – probably on a Sunday when everyone is either gone visiting friends or the stores, at church or watching football.

    A safe choice for both candidates which means it will mean NOTHING, like the first debate.