[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Who's behind the disgusting independent expenditure campaign designed to aid Mayor Heather Fargo in her race against challenger Kevin Johnson in the Sacramento's Mayor's Race? From the near-exact similarities of the server addresses, it looks like it's the same right-wing operative who's launched racist anti-immigration media campaigns, flopped in an attempt to hand over California's electoral votes to Republicans by splitting them, and hyped the "Rescue California" campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis.

Gillard Blanning has a long history of sleaze campaigns against Democrats. But this appears to be the first time that Gillard has thrown in with a Democrat to try to knock off another Democrat.

The anti-Johnson campaign features grainy photographs of Johnson, an urban/graffiti-filled wall, and a faked telephone conversation. It's probably one of the most vile character attacks I've seen in ages -- and I've seen a lot in my years.

Last night, in the "debate" hosted by the Sacramento Bee and News10, Mayor Heather Fargo said with a straight face that she hadn't seen the website or mailpiece by Gillard. Which made her either a rival for Pinocchio in the truth-telling department or someone who has no clue about the campaign she's in. You be the judge.

In any case, she failed to repudiate the mailer when she had the opportunity. And that's troubling even her supporters.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

"Obamacans," Republican supporters of Barack Obama, are actively campaigning for theSenator's presidential bid in surprising numbers, says the LA Times."Republicans made up 6% of voters in Missouri's Democratic primary, 7%in Virginia's and 9% in Wisconsin's."

California Republicans are confident that McCain can winCalifornia. If they're right, it would mark the first time a Republicanwon California in two decades. “We can and will carry California,” saidMcCain's California campaign manager, John Peschong. Don't count yourchickens before they're hatched.

An opinion in the Ventura County Star urges superdelegates to respect the will of voters at the convention.

There's more...

Image courtesy of LATimes.com

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Score a big behind the scenes victory for Obama’s California campaign
today.  Word is leaking out that CTA’s membership staged an outright
mutiny at Los Angeles’ Bonaventure Hotel and bucked its own Board’s
attempt to railroad through an early endorsement for Hillary. 
CTA’s elites apparently got a big wake up call when their effort to
crown Hillary as the official choice of California’s teachers was
upended by overwhelming resistance from rank and file Obama supporters.  The vaunted pre Feb 5th CTA endorsement – which was widely expected to go Clinton’s way – appears to now be postponed to April (when we will all be on the edge of our seats, I am sure).

The Hillary repudiation at CTA is more than just inside baseball. 
This could portend an erosion of support among powerful constituencies that are supposed to be the bedrock of Clinton’s California operation.  Add this development with Obama’s superior California ground game, and a big bounce coming out of South Carolina, and he may have enough steam to pull off a victory in the Golden state.    

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Wilshire and Washington has a report on a California fundraiser put on by the Barack Obama camp. Let's just say they ain't kidding around:

"Obama's new California Campaign director Mitchell Schwartz perhaps offered a preview of harsh rhetoric to come when he "took the gloves off" and focused on Clinton's experience. He cited her stint in the late 1980s on the Wal Mart board of directors, "While they perfected the art of denying health care and retirement benefits for their workers."

read more »

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

With voting for the February California about five months away, the heavily-funded presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama still hasn't hired any California staff while rival Sen. Hillary Clinton's operation has been going full steam for months. Over at Calitics, the progressive Democratic website, the frustraiton with the Obama campaign is starting to boil over. Calitics regular Juls Rosen posted this "Where's Obama's Campaign in California on Tuesday," and the comments are still rolling in.
 
Here are a few of the comments: