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Laird picks up six newspaper endorsements

June 16, 2010

As the clock ticks down towards next Tuesday’s special election for Abel Maldonado’s former state Senate seat, the battle of the newspaper endorsements is heating up.

Last week, Republican Sam Blakeslee received the endorsement of The Tribune.

In a press release issued Wednesday morning, the campaign of Democrat John Laird fired back with six different newspaper endorsements, all from the northern end of the district where Laird, the former mayor of Santa Cruz, is better known.

Newspapers endorsing Laird for Tuesday’s election include: San Jose Mercury News, Monterey County Herald, Salinas Californian, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Santa Cruz Weekly, and Bay Area Reporter.

The Mercury News, which like the Tribune, is owned by McClatchy Newspapers, argued:  “John Laird is not just the best candidate, he is also a truly excellent candidate. Voters in District 15, which runs from Santa Barbara County up the coast to Santa Cruz and into Santa Clara County, will do the whole state a huge favor by returning Laird to Sacramento.

“Laird is a rare politician. In two terms in the Assembly, he stood out for his intelligence, creativity and ability to work across the aisle — which may be why he was scored as the most effective legislator from this region in a 2007 Mercury News analysis.”


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My mailbox is being filled with over-sized political ‘post-card’ ads against Mr. Laird that resemble, almost exactly, the earlier Pro PGE Prop 16 cards.


Coincidentally, there are ‘glossy’ anti-Laird TV commercials appearing on KSBY at what seems to be the same time slots as were the Pro Prop 16 commercials.


This might lead one to believe that this polished right-wing garbage is generated from the same source.


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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if ALL politicians (City,County,State,Local &Federal) all started by giving THEMSELVES PAYCUTS & seriously cut back many of their PERKS? I think THAT would be a step in the right direction in solving some of the budget issues. Public sector jobs have become ridiculously over paid with far too many benefits that the average private sector worker doesn’t have. For example, just look at the fiasco taking place in SLO County Gov. Not only are MANY of them overpaid, but they (many of them) are total incompetants that NEVER should have been hired in the first place!!!


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SLO LOCAL: Project much? While I’m sure that you assume that all of the newspapers that endorsed John Laird are bastions of the so-called liberal media, that is not the truth. The Salinas Californian, for example, is a fairly conservative newspaper given the audience that they serve, not that that matters to someone who will respond with such a dogmatic response (” … government has lots of money and should give me more, even though I am legal”). Nice dog whistle language there; to me this race isn’t about who is the least distasteful, it is about who will do the best job for our area and for the state as a whole. Delaying the vote on the state budget, bending over for big business with no regard as to how that effects the least among us, and continuing to cut education funding is not the best approach for solving our problems here in California, IMO, so John Laird will be getting my vote.


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First, a truly conservative news paper would never endorse Laird.


Second, I did not make any references towards these news papers, just this site which obviously is in interested in seeing one of their sponsors succeed.


Third, the “dog whistling language” was intentional to depict how ignorant liberal democrats like you must think and speak. Government money is my money and yours, not some endless magic money chest.


I still have not heard anything from any of you regarding how Laird proposes to address the economic short fall WITH OUT raising our taxes and fees. PLEASE let me know if he has such a plan…


Higher taxes and increased fees only makes our business climate more difficult, California ranks 49th behind New York in regard to a business friendly state. This kills jobs. Jobs are what California needs right now. I do not want to let go of any more employees due to the ever rising taxes and fees. We need to create an environment to create jobs, not kill them.


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OK. Aside from just cutting taxes what is your magic bullet to get jobs?

If we cut taxes where will the money come from to conduct our public business?

Putting aside all our political issues I think we all want the same thing, prosperity. But since the housing market has crashed it seems to have taken everything else with it, there is just no money so people aren’t buying, so others can’t sell. Vicious cycle.


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Well, their is no magic bullet but the answer is that we all will, and need to be experience pain to grow. The housing market is still WAY over inflated in most of California. I believe the time we are in where everybody expects 2 cars and a good sized stucco house will be gone. We need to learn to expect less government support than we do now. We need to support ourselves.


Very simply there are to ways to improve a balance sheet, raise income or reduce spending. To no avail we have continued to raise taxes and fees to cover expenses of the state’s irresponsible spending habits. This has resulted in an enormous number of companies packing up and leaving California with the jobs they provided. This puts more people on the government dole. Increasing It has not worked.


The problem is the lack of politicians wiling to step up and identify what the non-essential expense items are. It has to be done. I love the outdoors, open space and all that. But, we can not afford to spend millions of $’s now to buy land to save a red legged frog. To me, feeding my family and my employees families and keeping a roof over their heads is a higher priority.


Bottom line is we have an enormous spending problem, not an income problem. IMHO.


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Well, there is no magic bullet but the answer is that we all will, and need to be experience pain to grow. The housing market is still WAY over inflated in most of California. I believe the time we are in where everybody expects 2 cars and a good sized stucco house will be gone. We need to learn to expect less government support than we do now. We need to support ourselves.


Very simply there are to ways to improve a balance sheet, raise income or reduce spending. To no avail we have continued to raise taxes and fees to cover expenses of the state’s irresponsible spending habits. This has resulted in an enormous number of companies packing up and leaving California with the jobs they provided. This puts more people on the government dole. Increasing It has not worked.


The problem is the lack of politicians wiling to step up and identify what the non-essential expense items are. It has to be done. I love the outdoors, open space and all that. But, we can not afford to spend millions of $’s now to buy land to save a red legged frog. To me, feeding my family and my employees families and keeping a roof over their heads is a higher priority.


Bottom line is we have an enormous spending problem, not an income problem. IMHO.


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“Note: Help maintain a healthy, respectful discussion by focusing comments on the

issues, topics, and facts at hand—not at other members of the site.”

ignorant liberal democrats like you ugly crap like this is not welcome here.


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I was wondering who would start the irrational rant of the neo cons. You broke the ice. And I suppose you meant, in your ignorance, ‘illegal’. But then, whether you can’t think, write or spell-we all know where your vote will be going-off with all the other low class thugs who cannot receive and resolve data without having a fit.


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California tax payers pay millions of dollars to illegal aliens for food, health care, education and imprisonment. I can spell and write, apparently you have a tough time picking up on subtle innuendo. i’ll splain it to you oh ignorant one… See I make a funny by stating that I am legal because so much money goes to the illegals. Don’t throw rocks from a glass house.


Your so above all this, can you mention anything negative about Laird? Or are you a cool aid dinker as well


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Cool aid? ELECTRIC cool aid? I’ve actually had my share, many years ago, so I can comment on it from a position of knowledge. Like so many things, if done with caution and good senseit can give a great experience. Maybe CCN will do an article on old drug addled radicals and their limited comprehension of modern life.

But about John, i guess if he had more hair that would be alright. Like most of us I don’t know enough about John or Sam to make detailed comments. Though I prefer John I think Sam has certainly been better than a number of fruitcakes we have in Sacto.

Today on the radio Sam proudly claimed the Cal Chamber of Commerce as a sponsor. That’s too bad, if they endorsed me for anything I would hide it. That group is a miserable bunch of greedy business freaks-WHO BACKED THE HATED PROP 16 (which, fortunately, lost). Sam has the full backing of big oil and big pharma. Not good, way not good. Sam has a miserable environmental voting record, and despite the comments to the contrary his constituent services have not been good.

Look at the money, John is getting support from workers and those who unselfishly defend the voiceless (environment, animals, open spaces, quality of air and water etc). Following the money makes is very simple who is who. If you work for a living, want to stay healthy and believe in sustainable systems the choice is simple, John. Oh, you want no taxes and a free reign to do whatever you want (of course everything will fall to hell in short order)? The choice is simple here too, go for Sam.


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less CAPS more vowels :-P


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Sam Blakeslee signed the tax pledge, has voted to cut funding for schools, and of course did vote to expand offshore oil drilling off our coast.  I urge everyone to vote for John Laird–a proven supporter of education, health care for families and sane government.


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i am not fond of sam or his mother, especially his mother….i suspect some Bates motel runs in the family…but weedgirl you need to get your facts straight. Sam did not vote for offshore drilling. He voted against it in both 2005 and 2008. I like his record on spending and i believe him to be a social liberal and a fiscal conservative which is what the state needs. We dont need anymore citizens on welfare (meaning employed by the state)


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Now I know why newspapers are sinking like lead ships,you print what YOU want people to believe and you promote YOUR candidate and print negative articles on those you want to lose.


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