CA-Sen: Fiorina’s Web of Failures
Carly Fiorina's campaign web operation is a series of absolute failures that turn into red meat for internet mockery. Fred Davis, former adman for John McCain's presidential campaign, produces the Fiorina campaign's advertisements, including the "demon sheep" video. Becki Donatelli, president of Campaign Solutions, is the campaign lead on the campaign's web presence.
Apparently they are bad at what they do.
It started with the roll out of her Senate exploratory committee website. Visitors were greeted with an unusual flash animation that culminated in the introduction of the term "Carlyfornia." The roll out was a disaster with many observers calling it "the worst political website ever." (Leading the DSCC to mock her with a fantastic microsite.)
Fiorina's web operation reached epic levels of ridicule both in the press and online courtesy of Fred Davis' web video that took on a life of it's own. Literally. It quickly became known as the "demon sheep" video and sparked yet another Twitter hashtag of the same name that reached coveted "trending" status.
Her campaign released, under the direction of Donatelli, "deceptive" web ads that used -- without permission -- the image of, and gave the impression of support from, the Senate's newest Republican member, Scott Brown. He doesn't. (See them here.)
Fiorina's team rolled out their latest web hit -- presumably a Donatelli product -- this week. It looks like a Geocities website from the late 1990s. The sign up doesn't even collect zip code data -- an error that couldn't even be described as a "rookie mistake." Just plain awful and one of many signs that some people don't know what they are doing.
The biggest irony, of course, is that Fiorina once led HP, and drove it into the ground before her firing with a $21.4 million golden parachute. An independent attack site, which uses Fiorina's name as the domain address, questions Fiorina and her team's understanding of technology and the web, in general.
Does Carly "Get" Technology? [...]
Note: we registered the domain name carly-fiorina.com two days after she announced her run for the US Senate; the domain had not been acquired by her campaign team!
It seems as though failure is contagious.
Updated A source with the Campbell campaign noted a tweet from Fiorina's campaign and submitted it as her latest web failure.
A few problems with that: 1. The diarist at RedState is not a front-page editor, but an irregular poster with only two posts to his name. The post she's referring to hasn't been recommended even once.
2. However, his one other diary did get a few recommendations. In that post back in November, he attacks the "McCain wing" of the party, specifically saying that they should "push out Carly Fiorina in California for Chuck DeVore." He said RINOs "infecting" the Senate "need to die."
3. Both of his posts so far have called McCain, who's backing Fiorina, a RINO.
CA-Sen: DeVore No Shows on Maldonado Vote
Chuck DeVore was the lone Republican that did not show up for the confirmation vote of Abel Maldonado for lieutenant governor. Maldonado was rejected by the State Assembly yesterday. John Wildermuth at Fox and Hounds:
GOP Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, the man who would be senator, didn’t cover himself in glory either. He was the lone Republican to take a walk on the Maldonado vote.
For DeVore, the decision also was a political one. The blueprint for his longshot effort to win the GOP U.S. Senate primary is to become the poster boy for California conservatives and snag their votes in June. Right-leaning organizations like the California Republican Assembly and various anti-tax groups, whose support DeVore desperately needs, have been howling for Maldonado’s scalp for supporting the tax hikes in last year’s budget.
On the other hand, it wouldn’t do DeVore’s street cred with the rest of the party any good to be on record as the one Republican to join Assembly Democrats in cutting Maldonado off at the knees. So rather vote his conscience, the party line or a coin flip, DeVore decided not to vote at all.
Apparently leadership is not showing up to vote for your principles out of political expediency.
Remainders
San Jose Mercury News trashed the infamous "demon sheep" web video produced by Carly Fiorina's campaign.
Hounded by rumors of coordination, Tom Campbell denied any deals were made between himself and Meg Whitman.
Carly Fiorina suggested bankruptcy be on the table to deal with the state's financial mess. In reality, however, states cannot seek bankruptcy protection.
Right-wing publication, The American Spectator, attacked Campbell and his "anti-Israel" voting record.
It appears Carly Fiorina believes we are living in 1994 because she offered a series of "reforms" that were implemented fifteen years ago.
California Accountability Project, a product of the Democratic Governors Association, launched. Other groups formed separate committees to boost Jerry Brown and other candidates in the state.
Huffington Post and New West writer William Bradley examined the "machinations of Meg Whitman" on her campaign's efforts at intimidation of other candidates and bogus claims on how long she's lived in California.
Jeff Denham leads Richard Pombo, according to the former's internal polls, by a margin of 28-12, and 38-12 when voters are informed that outgoing Congressman George Radanovich endorsed Denham. A pollster for Denham says their data shows Pombo is bad for the party.
The looming battle over AB 32 makes the state a prime target for the next climate fight. Read more on AB 32 from the state's former controller, Steve Westly.
CA-Gov: Whitman Paying Blogger?
The gubernatorial campaign of Meg Whitman paid $20,000 for advertising on the conservative blog, Red County, that another advertiser only paid $300 for the same ad space. NBC Bay Area writer Jackson West:
Twenty thousand dollars will buy you a lot of advertising online. A lot. Especially on a site with a limited readership -- like Chip Hanlon's right-wing blog Red County.
But that's how much the former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's gubernatorial campaign paid to Green Faucet, the investment firm owned by blogger Hanlon and parent company of Red County.
Hanlon told Calbuzz that the money was for advertising, however other advertisers seem to be much better at negotiating than Whitman's campaign -- another advertiser is only paying $300 a month.
Chip Hanlon, the blog's proprietor, recently fired a blogger from his site that was found to receive payments from Whitman's campaign rival, Steve Poizner. Jackson West wondered if this means Hanlon will fire himself?
If the Republican primary for governor has shown anything it is that either of these candidates will do anything -- pay others under the table, spend mountains of their own cash, bribe others to get out of the race -- to win.