Over the past week, satire character Queen Meg and ex-Goldman Sachs director Meg Whitman have barnstormed up and down the state of California.
The Queen has been one step behind--or ahead of--Whitman the whole time, talking to the media about her real character, lampooning the idea of an ex-Goldman Sachs billionaire winning office, and pushing their semi-incompetent campaign.
Our conclusion: all the money in the world can't buy you a good message. We'll talk about that more below (and at www.QueenMeg2010.com).
But first, please check out this picture of Queen Meg dancing with the lead singer at yesterday's Whitman camapign hoedown in Sacramento. The Queen and her escort of 25 nurses were soon thrown out--but not before having some fun with the campaign.
- Meg Whitman has a major problem with Latino voters and the Latino media.
The voters: Whitman went to the dark, and drafted Pete Wilson to endorse her and her immigrations policy. Wilson is probably the most despised man among California Latinos, for his long history of racism, and the Latino media was shocked that he reappeared.
Here Queen Meg is standing on Wilson's front lawn announcing to the media that the California Nurses Association will run an already-infamous anti-immigrant radio ad...on Spanish language radio, "so you can hear what Whitman and Wilson are saying behind your back."
The Whitman campaign stupidly compounded their program by routinely inviting "Anglo" media to events...but "forgetting" to invite the Spanish media. Perhaps because she travelled with Wilson?
This goes a long way to make Whitman unelectable. She needs 35 to 40% of the Latino vote to win, and she ain't getting it.
- Meg Whitman has a major message problem...she sat on the Goldman Sachs board...promises to fire nurses...and promises to cut $7 billion from the education budget, but is still shameless enough to hold campaign events at public schools that will be cut by her.
Here's one of the nurses she's going to fire...one of the schools she's going to cut...and her buddies from Goldman Sachs. Is that what voters want??
(major props to the activist educators from Cal. School Employees and United Teachers of LA who joined that protest)
- Her campaign might be rich--but it is not smart. Her consultants have pulled out the stalest of chestnuts in recent days "nurses are a special interest." Mike Murphy failed with that message when he ran Arnold's campaign, and now is being paid $90 a month to recycle attack lines? Moreover, her campaign is a study in how Republicans don't do field. Anyone who signs up to volunteer is given the celfone of the state field director. How many people are calling him? And the only events they can pull off are George Bush-style forums before hand-picked audiences, which news media are often declining to turn out and cover.
The Queen just visited her statewide headquarters and found a total of 6 people phonebanking. They locked the door before the Queen...but is that the sign of a grassroots-led energetic campaign?