Where is he now? Ex-congressman John Doolittle in new lobbying role
Former U.S. Rep. John Doolittle has returned to Washington, D.C.'s Beltway - this time as a lobbyist.
But his heart's still in Placer County and - with homes in both Roseville and Virginia - he anticipates spending more time here than there.
Doolittle's move back into the world of politics was signaled locally earlier this month when the city of Colfax signed on for up to $30,000 a year as a client with need for help on wastewater issues.
Gentle Readers, volunteers, and fans of one of the most beautiful districts in the nation, CA- 04, this one's for you. You walked, you talked, you called, you organized, you typed, you wrote, you attended, you spoke, you applauded, you got up in the morning and you did it all again. And again.
You saw what was wrong, you wanted to make it right, and that meant you had to pick it up. You couldn't let the the Charlie Brown down. And that meant volunteering. It makes a difference. (more over the fold)
Greetings, Fans of one of the most beautiful Congressional Districts in the country, still accursed by one of the most scandal- encrusted Congressman, who is trying to retire out before he gets indicted. Local Democratic candidate Charlie Brown is running for this seat against imported Southern Californian carpetbagger and Republican "I Con" (icon™, yes, that is what the Republicans call him) Tom McClintock.
This is just a quick reminder that we here in CA- 04 are having a debate tomorrow night Thursday, Oct 2 between Charlie Brown and Tom McClintock in Oroville. It's a candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Butte County. It is at the Southside Community Center at 2959 Lower Wyandotte Rd, Oroville, 95966, at 8 pm. IMPORTANT TIME EDIT UPDATE: This forum begins at 7pm. Come early. Local candidates speak first, then Brown and McClintock start at 8 pm. Questions are submitted beforehand, seating may be first come/first serve, REPEAT, FORUM BEGINS AT 7 PM
If you're local, you can alway Tivo the other event and come see real live democracy in action.
On Tues, Sept 16, the Tom McClintock (R) carpetbagging campaign for CA- 04 up here in Northern California, running against Democrat Charlie Brown, sank to a new depth akin to the stock market crash of 2008.
Sacramento News Channel 10, ( ABC ) ran a story about a swiftboat ad release by the McClintock campaign, and did not tell who the people were in the video nor who was involved in the making of it. (edit: added link http://www.news10.net/news/sto... ) They did not note that the "uniform" was just a jacket over a tee shirt and jeans. They edited video in such a way as to disguise an incident of potential assault by a McClintock campaign advisor. They did not say that the event was written up as a press conference by other sources, to imply open access, when the McClintock campaign decided to call security to prevent access by observers, and was not letting them see the event. I witnessed the event (or rather, the closed doors, mostly except when they opened ) from the hallway but was prevented from recording it and was threatened with removal from the building by someone who would not identify themselves or their job title.
Regarding the video on the News 10 site, now that I have seen it:
The dark haired man in the suit facing the camera is John Ruiz, a "campaign consultant" or "advisor" for the McClintock campaign, previously associated with John Doolittle and Richard Pombo, who also is financially involved with Southern California Casinos being financed by the Malik family of Detroit. http://www.theverifiabletruth.... This Malik family has given thousands of dollars to campaigns of Tom McClintock. He (Ruiz) had just previously committed what is known legally as "assault" upon another person in the photo, which has been edited out of the News 10 video, by grabbing the person's arm and threatening them under his breath. He then made another comment out loud trying to provoke a fight. Only the person's reaction, saying "do not touch me again," is shown in the video.
The person in the print shirt with his back to the camera is a real veteran and did not assault anybody. The person standing behind Ruiz is a real veteran and did not assault anybody.
No Show Tom, Fake Schedule, Swiftboating, & the Keystone Kops
Or how Termed- Out State Senator Tom McClintock (R, Anywhere for a per Diem), who is running against Charlie Brown (D, Roseville ) posts a fake schedule on his official campaign website while his campaign workers set up an assault on Brown's field director and the "press" acts like the White House press corps.
• Arnold opens up to Der Spiegel. The interview ranges the gamut from his level of contact with the Republican party (little) to the appearance of the GOP VP nominee ("good looking woman") to the fact that he'd dig being in the next administration after he finishes out his term.
• I missed this from a few days ago, but in CA-42, Gary Miller is in trouble. Ed Chau has an internal poll showing some pretty good numbers.
• Oh, this is just rich. Apparently Dean Andal, the Republican nominee in CA-11, thinks his campaign is going along swimmingly. Yes, because fundraising numbers that barely register and corruption allegations are all a good sign.
That's a motley crew now isn't it? It's the same crew that we've seen on that list for quite a few years. And, after Doolittle is replaced (hopefully by the always friendly Charlie Brown), we'll see one of the most corrupt, Doolittle, drop off the list. It's probably for the best, as he's getting a little too close to the indictments for comfort.
Unfortunately, a California Democrat joins the list, which I'm pretty sure is a first. (UPDATE: Apparently Maxine Waters has been on the list in the past) Rep. Laura Richardson has joined the list as a "dishonorable mention." CREW points to Ms. Richardson's very bizarre, and embarassing, real estate transactions:
Because it is unusual for someone with such a deplorable credit history to be repeatedly approved for mortgages, the House ethics committee should investigate whether: (1) Rep. Richardson received a preferential loan in violation of House rules; (2) whether she had received other favorable treatment from lenders in the past; and (3) what, if any, official actions she may have traded to acquire these preferential terms. The House ethics committee should also consider whether Rep. Richardson’s failure to include her mortgages on her financial disclosure forms violates House rules.
In addition, the committee should examine the timing of Rep. Richardson’s most recent default and the $77,500 she loaned her congressional campaign committee. By funneling money that should have gone to pay her mortgage and property taxes to her congressional campaign, Rep. Richardson engaged in conduct that does not reflect creditably on the House.
Well, here's hoping that this can be resolved in a way that lifts the cloud over the California Democratic delegation.
• Arnold seriously hates Republicans. Seriously. Except that he is so totally down with their policies. You know, just the ones that make rich people richer and the poor poorer, not the really crazy ones. Or something like that.
• Dan Walters ponders whether Democrats are losing their will. And if they do, will Arnold stand up against a borrowing budget?
• Of interest to me as a Berkeley Alum, the tree sitters will be removed from the grove by the stadium shortly. The University has pretty much won at every court, and they will begin to build the controversial athletic training facility where the grove of oak and redwoods once stood.
• Another one: There's going to be another bus headed from Orange County into Nevada to campaign for Barack Obama. Here's the information... Dave here: actually, there are several buses to Nevada this weekend from California. This is one of the targeted weekends. At MyBO you can enter in your zip code and find the trip in your area, if you're so inclined.
Gentle Readers and Fans of Northern CA: Today, Monday, September 8, 2008, 2 things happened in CA- 04. Charlie Brown, the Democrat running to replace Republican John Doolittle, the Abramoff- scandal encrusted retiring incumbent, released recent polling data that showed he has a lead over the SoCal Republican imported to the district to replace him. This is great news. http://www.charliebrownforcong...
And a former staffer of John Doolittle, as you may have heard by now, was arrested at his home and indicted, and pled not guilty to many different aspects of bribing and corrupting Congressional Representative Number 5.
This is just really interesting, so we'll do a little background refresher.
August 4, 2006. Doolittle exits Coco's Restaurant after an Auburn Dam Council meeting, to find a sea of protestors and media questioning him about the Abramoff scandal. photo by author
Even though John Doolittle is not on the ballot this year, his presence in a district that he dominated for years is still important for Republican branding. Much like in Ohio, where the Tom Noe Coingate scandal spelled doom for all Republican statewide officers in 2006, the stench of scandal around Doolittle has the potential to severely tarnish the Republican brand in CA-04. And if yesterday's indictment of former Doolittle aide Kevin Ring is as advertised, which it appears to be, the brand isn't just tarnished, it's out in the dumpster:
The indictment adds additional information to Doolittle's already thick record with Abramoff. According to the indictment, Ring expensed at least one suite for a sports event, eight concert tickets (including tickets for Dixie Chicks and Faith Hill), and five meals totaling more than $2000 for Doolittle. For Doolittle's staff and his legislative director in particular, Ring bought 29 sports tickets, four concert tickets, nine meals, and one gift from Macy's.
But Ring and Abramoff were well accommodated in return. As the indictment describes, Doolittle proved himself "a good soldier" by chairing a hearing on the Puerto Rico statehood issue for an Abramoff client and held up his opposition to an anti-gambling bill among other favors.
And Doolittle's staff was just as helpful. Doolittle's communications director helped Ring out with tax legislation to "earn [his] Sigs Sushi ;)," and his legislative director was so "tenacious on the appropriations front" that he earned an esteemed compliment from Ring in an email: "You the man."
Doolittle is referred to (as "Representative 5") in the indictment over 100 times. If he's actually indicted before the election, that will be a boost for Charlie Brown, as the culture of corruption which helped him to a near-upset in 2006 would come back into play. And with carpetbagger Tom McClintock trying to lie his way to victory (subs. req.), his claim to the ethical high road isn't all that firm, either.
In a previous diary about our local Republican candidate's "energy policy," called "Shale," I pointed out that Tom McClintock was wrong about how much the cheapest electricity costs per kilowatt hour, saying it was 6 times cheaper than it actually is. Crazy Tom ignores the facts of energy production cost and finance. Crazy Tom has had plenty of time to correct this, but, being a NeoCon Republican, he won't, and he keeps on repeating this. He changed the original version on his official website to an "error, not found" page, but he keeps on repeating the ridiculous stuff in public speeches. Recently, Crazy Tom put the text of a speech he did last weekend August 23 in Grass Valley up on his website. There he goes again, as Reagan would say.
Now let's look at another part of it, his vision for the American River Canyon up in Auburn. Plug 'n Flood it.
Confluence of the American River Canyon near Auburn. This would go underwater if the Dam was built downstream. photo by diary author
0451_2 S.A. closeup
Why is this man standing in front of the Placer County Republican (and McClintock's Campaign HQ) office building in Roseville last Saturday morning?
It's time to take a closer look at our Republican candidate running against Democrat Charlie Brown.
LameDuck State Senator Tom McClintock (R, Thousand Mailing Addresses, currently using one in SoCal ) the Republican candidate for CA- 04, a district in the North, went to the Rocklin Unified School District Board on Wed, July 16, and did a little 3 minute speech in favor of Rocklin Academy's company being able to establish a charter high school for grades 7 to 12, which would be called Western Sierra Collegiate Academy, aka "WSCA." http://www.wscacademy.org/ 0438
Southern CA State Senator Tom McClintock at the Rocklin School Board meeting July 16, 2008
I don't know if people still have some notion that Tom McClintock is a good general election candidate, having never won a contested general election race, but this John Doolittle affair should completely put an end to that.
The story goes that on June 16, McClintock appeared to signal that he would be meeting with the disgraced Congressman to talk about campaigning in tandem during the fall election.
"We're talking about doing a couple of events and we're putting them together," said Doolittle spokesman Dan Blankeburg....Stan Devereux, a spokesman for McClintock, confirmed that the campaign had set up a meeting to discuss Doolittle's support for McClintock."
The very next day, June 17, a McClintock spokesman denied any desire for an endorsement or joint campaign event.
"If you're running as an outsider why would you want anyone's endorsement?" asked John Feliz, a McClintock consultant, when asked if the campaign would be receiving Doolittle's stamp of approval." June 17, 2008, PolitickerCA.
Then on June 18, McClintock's spokesman contradicted his consultant:
McClintock spokesman Stan Devereux told Election Central that the ongoing investigations against Doolittle would not render him a political liability: "Doolittle is still the congressman for the area, has served the district well."
"I don't have any plans to meet with Doolittle next week and I don't have any plans to campaign with Doolittle," McClintock said by phone from Sacramento."
Two days later, on June 22, there was news in the El Dorado Mt. Democrat of an imminent meeting:
Fourth Congressional District Republican nominee Tom McClintock will meet with Rep. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin, next week to discuss his campaign, a Doolittle spokesman said Wednesday...he (McClintock) said, ...'I certainly do welcome the intimate knowledge Doolittle has with the district...' ...The meeting is planned for June 27."
And yesterday, June 25, McClintock told Roll Call that he killed the meeting.
State Sen. Tom McClintock (R), running for the 4th district seat being vacated by Rep. John Doolittle (R), said Tuesday that he personally killed a meeting between him and the Congressman.
This is the work of a schizophrenic, not a disciplined campaigner. Truthfully, the McClintock team probably wants Doolittle's help but doesn't want anyone to know about it, but there are ways to go about that which look less... pathetic than this. Word is that McClintock has already pissed off local reporters with this behavior of saying different things at different times.
Charlie Brown is going to have a field day with this guy.
John Doolittle, the retiring congressman who is under investigation for his ties to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, appears likely to campaign for state Sen. Tom McClintock, the Republican nominee for Doolittle's Roseville-area seat.
"We're talking about doing a couple of events and we're putting them together," said Doolittle spokesman Dan Blankeburg. Blankeburg declined to provide any further details, adding that the two sides had only talked in what he called "conceptual terms." [...]
Stan Devereux, a spokesman for McClintock, confirmed that the campaign had set up a meeting to discuss Doolittle's support for McClintock.
Doolittle was running 20 points behind Charlie Brown in the polls before dropping out of the race. Southern Californian McClintock may not know the rules up in the Sierras, but political common sense dictates that this is a guy you run screaming from in the other direction, not WITH.
Looks to me like McClintock hasn't locked down the "gimme gimme" base of Doolittle's support, those who received political favors and giveaways from him. Brown was undoubtedly going to tie the two together based on their shared radical ideology - apparently McClintock wants to make that easier by sharing the penchant for using government as a profit-taking machine. Maybe Doolittle can introduce ol' Tom to Jack Abramoff.
(Help Charlie meet his goal of $100 for every mile carpetbagger McClintock traveled to the district. - promoted by Julia Rosen)
Charlie Brown, running for Congress in California's 4th District, needs our help! I just received this email in my inbox, as I'm sure hundreds of you also have. Let's send Charlie into battle well-armed and prepared for these foreign invaders (quite literally foreign-- none of the Republicans running in this race even come from the 4th District) by sending in a donation to the Brown campaign!
In an email to supporters this week, Pete McCloskey tried to close the book on the Revolt of the Elders.
Now Hastert is leaving, DeLay has left, Ney is in jail, Pombo has been dethroned by Jerry McNerney, and now Doolittle is leaving. The lesson (to be pondered by the new Democrat majority): "Power indeed corrupts."
I just received an email from Charlie Brown that I've been asked to reprint here. I've put it underneath the fold.
The California Congressional races are really heating up, and Charlie Brown remains the best chance for us to get not just a new Democrat, but new leadership in Congress, even without John Doolittle sitting there as a stooge. I think the letter below explains why.
UPDATE: The permutations on the Republican side considered here.
