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Maldonado takes the lead in new poll

October 9, 2012

Abel Maldonado

Republican congressional candidate Abel Maldonado surged one point ahead of Democratic incumbent Lois Capps for the first time in the campaign in a poll released Monday.

The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, shows Maldonado leading Capps 45 to 44, although well within the margin of error of 4.9 percent. Public Opinion Strategies’ previous poll placed Capps in front of Maldonado by five percent — 49 to 44.

Maldonado, who has alienated many San Luis Obispo County Republicans by not showing up to debates and speaking engagements, likewise pulled ahead of Capps in the county by a 46 to 43 margin. The poll shows the race deadlocked in Santa Barbara County at 44 percent.

In recent weeks, Capps has attacked Maldonado repeatedly over his personal and family tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. But, the poll indicated that voters have begun to respond negatively to her focus on Maldonado’s taxes. Indicative of Capps’ dip in the polls, 27 percent of likely voters said candidate tax issues are important and 68 percent said they are unimportant.

Maldonado and Capps each maintained slightly favorable image ratings. Forty percent of those surveyed viewed Maldonado in a positive manner while 37 percent viewed him negatively. And, 44 percent held a positive image of Capps while 40 percent held a negative one.

While Maldonado took the overall lead, the 24th Congressional District, which now consists of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, as well as parts of northern Ventura County, leans slightly Democratic. Public Opinion Strategies asked some voters only whether they would vote for a Democrat or Republican. Forty-four percent said they would vote for the Democrat, and 42 percent said they would vote for the Republican.

The Public Opinion Strategies poll surveyed 400 likely voters on behalf of the Maldonado campaign from October 1-3. It included interviews in both English and Spanish.

Capps’ campaign has yet to publicly release polling data.


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Maldonado is garbage, switched parties, just wants some kind of goverment job, career loafer.


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Look Lois is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and she is not creative and doesnt do anything in DC. so how is she any different than anyother Pol. Maldonado on the other hand is a criminal. He is a tax cheat, an adulterer who fathered at least one child out of wedlock and has repeatedly hired undocumented workers to work at the family sweatshop. On top of that he is the intellectual equivalent of my houseplant. Not much to choose from but Capps tops the guy that ought to be in jail.


Lois needs to stop the ad attacks about the tax evasion……we get it already…..she should really get dirty and talk about her record……..and his adultery.


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Elections are a racket.


The Lesser of Two Evils

by Ellen Finnigan


http://lewrockwell.com/orig9/finnigan9.1.1.html


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Civilization is a con job. Regulations are just a scheme to restrict unfettered free- market economics. Owners, lords, and plutocrats are creators of wealth. Workers are parasites and scavengers…moochers and wastrels.


Yeah, yeah, yeah …we get your Bizarro construct.

Why don’t you follow your true path and inclinations;,and find a hermit cave where archaelogists of the future can find your mummified remains and postulate ?


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I think elections are a gimlet eye.


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One last post about the Diebold Accuvote OS systems and the continuing security breaches that occur even when Diebold–or wahtever the name-du-juor of the scandal-ridden voting system is now–is this.


The funding of the development of these consistently flawed, in one way or another, came largely from the Calfironia based Christian Reconstructionist, uber-dominionist , far right Ahmanson family.


(http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm)

“In the early 1980s, brothers Bob and Todd Urosevich founded ES&S’s originator, Data Mark. The brothers Urosevich obtained financing from the far-Right Ahmanson family in 1984, which purchased a 68% ownership stake, according to the Omaha World Herald. After brothers William and Robert Ahmanson infused Data Mark with new capital, the name was changed to American Information Systems (AIS). California newspapers have long documented the Ahmanson family’s ties to right-wing evangelical Christian and Republican circles.

“n 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported, “. . . primarily funded by evangelical Christians ” particularly the wealthy Ahmanson family of Irvine ” the [Discovery] institute”s $1-million annual program has produced 25 books, a stream of conferences and more than 100 fellowships for doctoral and postdoctoral research.’ The chief philanthropists of the Discovery Institute, that pushes creationist science and education in California, are Howard and Roberta Ahmanson.

“According to Group Watch, in the 1980s Howard F. Ahmanson, Jr. was a member of the highly secretive far-Right Council for National Policy, an organization that included Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, Major General John K. Singlaub and other Iran-Contra scandal notables, as well as former Klan members like Richard Shoff. Ahmanson, heir to a savings and loan fortune, is little reported on in the mainstream U.S. press. But, English papers like The Independent are a bit more forthcoming on Ahmanson’s politics.

“On the right, figures such as Richard Mellon Scaife and Howard Ahmanson have given hundreds of millions of dollars over several decades to political projects both high (setting up the Heritage Foundation think-tank, the driving engine of the Reagan presidency) and low (bankrolling investigations into President Clinton’s sexual indiscretions and the suicide of the White House insider Vincent Foster),’ wrote The Independent last November.

“The Sunday Mail described an individual as, “. . . a fundamentalist Christian more in the mould of U.S. multi-millionaire Howard Ahmanson, Jr., who uses his fortune to promote so-called traditional family values . . . by waving fortunes under their noses, Ahmanson has the ability to cajole candidates into backing his right-wing Christian agenda.

“Ahmanson is also a chief contributor to the Chalcedon Institute that supports the Christian reconstruction movement. The movement’s philosophy advocates, among other things, “mandating the death penalty for homosexuals and drunkards.”


Christian Reconstructionists–since they advocate Mosaic Law as the Law of the Land for America–also support execution of a woman who marries without an intact hymen, anyone who eats shellfish, and rebellious teenage children.


Finally, here is a website with a series of webpages of my articles on Christian Reconstructionists and their impact on, specifically, California (where they have been quite successful, thanks to Daddy Warbucks in the Ahmanson family.


CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTIONISM: Christian Reconstructionist Sugar-Daddy, Howard Ahmanson, Jr., and National/ California Politics. (http://www.politicalamazon.com/cr-ahmanson.html)


I constructed this particular suite of articles (scroll down to the bottom of each page for links to other connected information) during a very active political season in California. John Stoos–a CR operative who has become more mainstream in GOP politics in California–was expanding his base very quickly, and there were (and still are) signs that the CR “stealth” type of indoctrination of people was challenging the sanctity of our American Democracy.


If you have time, be sure to read the linked Mother Jones article, “God’s Vice Regents.” It details the CR’s operations in California, and points out the states where similar operations are well on their way to becoming the controlling voting base for the states. Wisconsin was one of them, Texas another.


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Illuminati


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I have multiple issues with this…


1) Why then is California one of the most progressive states in the country?


2) How about the voter intimidation that was perpetrated by the Black Panthers? (citing video from November 4th, 2008 in Philadelphia )


3) This is a Christian fundamentalist group? Christians are not required to follow Mosaic Law- that is Old Testament, not New Testament (Jews, not Christians).


I am far more concerned about Sharia Law taking hold than Mosaic. Sharia law has already been implemented in many Middle Eastern countries. Israel doesn’t capitally punish women who marry when not virgins, nor do they kill people for eating shellfish, nor rebellious teenagers.


This article spends more time degrading Christians and Republicans than it does shedding light on voting fraud.


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A POS poll ( how appropriate ) commissioned by Moldy Nachos.


Liars will always support other liars !


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Who wants this guy? Doesn’t anyone pay attention to California politics? This loser’s political career needs to crash and burn. Don’t let this clown win. To many people are brain washed by the enormous amount of cash fueled tv ads. Isn’t there a proposition that limits political spending by special interests?


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In this case it’s the lesser of two evils. The option here is Lois Capps. Compared to her, Maldonado looks pretty darned good.


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I’ve never known Lois Capps to insult her voters by simply not bothering to turn up for an event.


Lois Capps opened her Santa Barbara home to local Democratic groups and committees for our fundraisers.


She is very good about returning calls when she says she will, and she always follows through in finding answers for questions that are to government-geek territory for me.


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She’s an empty suit. The “school nurse” turned politico when her husband died just before the election. She said she would serve one term if elected. How long has she hung on? What has she done other than returning phone calls?


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Lois Capps does superb constituent services for many people that need help and direction dealing with federal bureaucracy. She does this for people even outside of her district, providing service to people unfortunate enough to live in that DO-NOTHING Kevin McCarthy’s district.

Thankfully, many of those North County residents will soon be Representative Capp’s constituents. They will vote for her gladly over the political stooge Moldy-Nachos.


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Mary:


…Lois Capps opened her SB home to local dem groups …


Isn’t that where her tax trouble started? She opened her home to Dems, charged them for it, and failed to report the income. Not for one instance. For a years.


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Capps needs to go. Career curtain going down. Enough.


Capps, Feinstein, and Boxer are all the same woman sporting different hairdos.


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Sounds like a comment from a woman with a different brain.


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Admittedly, my brain is different than yours and I find no shame in this fact.


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You get trite and I will get serious on your unashamed carcass.


PITIFUL !


So illustrative that conservatives are prideful in their ignorance.


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Don’t forget about Nancy Pelosi too…


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1. Did you know that SLO County uses the Diebold voting system and machines?


2. The following is the EXACT quote from Joseph Stalin about voting, complete with its source.


“You know, comrades,” says Stalin, “that I think in regard to this: I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this — who will count the votes, and how.”

–Joseph Stalin


REFERENCE:

Memoirs of Stalin’s Former Secretary

(www.panrus.com/books/details.php?langID=1&bookID=5905)

Author: Boris Bazhanov.

Published: 1992, in Russian

Quote is toward the end of Chapter 5. (http://lib.ru/MEMUARY/BAZHANOW/stalin.txt)


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Why no, Mary, I did not know that San Luis County uses Diebold voting systems and machines. Are you suggesting that Julie Rodewald and her crew are allowing our votes here in San Luis County to be compromised somehow? Every time I have voted in San Luis Obispo for the past 39 years, I have, to the best of my recollection, either used the manual “punch card” type machine or the “fill in bubble with a pencil” type ballot. Both of those ballots have to be tabulated and it is my understanding that our tabulation system is not a “networked” system, but is a “closed” system that has to be operated at the county offices only, by authorized personal, and Ms. Rodewald is an official that I for one have complete trust in her and her crew’s ability to do the job right, efficiently and following the letter of the law.

Are you suggesting otherwise?


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Next time, do your own documentation.


As of the 6/5/2012 presidential primary, , SLO County used a Premier AccuVote-OS.

(http://www.sos.ca.gov/voting-systems/oversight/county-vsys/vot-sys-by-counties-2012-6-5.pdf)


The state of California ordered that 15,000 of its Diebold voting machines not be used in the 2004 elections due to flaws that the company failed to disclose.


The PR information for this Diebold voting system fails to mention a few important things. There is a paper ballot (touch-screen for disabled folks). After the voter votes by shading in their guy/gal’s buble, the voter then shoves it into the OptiScan–the part of the Diebold system that has frequently been the source of results for precinct results being scrambled, altered and transmitted inaccurately–where the ballot is scanned and the data stored right there at the precinct.


The FIRST important part they fail to emphasize is this: “When the polls close, the AccuVote-OS then transmits the voting data from the polling place to the central host computer by way of a modem.”


PARDON, but this part of the OS voting process–the modeming the results to the central vote tallying center–has consistently been one of the problems with inaccurate votes being submitted for counting at the main voting center. It was one of the dirty-tricksters maneuvers that lost Ohio for Kerry in the 2004 election.


Then SECOND important thing they fail to emphasize is that the system used by California in the 2012 GOP election primary is the same basic Diebold machine, but it’s scandalshave just been “laundered” through a series of changes of ownership of Diebold techonoly. It is the same old POS, just with a shiny new image that apparently tricks quite a few people.


The state of California ordered that 15,000 of its Diebold voting machines not be used in the 2004 elections due to flaws that the company failed to disclose.


In September 2005, the Government Accountability Office released a report noting electronic voting systems hold promise for improving the election process while citing concerns about security and reliability raised by numerous groups, and detailing specific problems that have occurred. (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05956.pdf)


So what do the security analysts of the different electronic systems have to say about the latest resurrection of the old Diebold machines into the Premier Election Solutions AccuVote OS Optical Paper Ballot Scanner system?


Here’s the report by Verified Voting Foundation.org (http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6652)


“Diebold/ES&S/Detailed Voting Process: The AccuVote-OS functions much like a traditional paper ballot system. Upon entering the voting precinct, the voter will receive a paper ballot; the voter shades in the paper ballot with any standard pen or pencil and inserts the ballot into the AccuVote-OS, where they are given a chance to review their votes. As votes are entered, the AccuVote-OS stores the vote tallies on its internal memory card. When the polls close, the AccuVote-OS then transmits the voting data from the polling place to the central host computer by way of a modem.


Here are a few more links you might find interesting.


http://w2.eff.org/Activism/E-voting/infosheets2006/AccuVoteOS.pdf


http://www.blackboxvoting.org/BBVreport.pdf


http://www.sos.ca.gov/voting-systems/oversight/county-vsys/vote-sys-appr-in-ca-08-10-14.pdf


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“1. A San Luis Obispo County, California, vote database popped up on the Diebold Web site during the March 2002 primary, tallied hours before the polls closed. Election officials can’t explain how it got there.”


From:

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-13.pdf page 166


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“SLO County Mystery Tally

A vote tabulation saved at 3:31 p.m., five hours before poll clos- ing for the March 5, 2002, San Luis Obispo County primary (“SLO County” to the locals) was found on the Diebold FTP site. SLO County Clerk-Recorder Julie Rodewald says that she doesn’t know who put that file on the FTP site, and only two people have access to the GEMS computer — the Deputy Registrar of Voters and Rodewald herself.


The SLO file contains votes from a real election. It also contains a problem for Diebold, because in California it is illegal to tabulate votes before the polls close. According to California law, counties are allowed to begin counting mail-in and absentee ballots prior to election day, but results may not be posted before the polls close at 8 p.m.


“We don’t release those results. In fact, we don’t even print results. We don’t know what the results are until 8 p.m.,” Rodewald said.


This file contains an audit log which documents GEMS activities step by step for months leading up to the election, stopping precisely at 3:31 p.m. on March 5, 2002.

The votes in the file correspond with the final vote tally, which

can be found on the San Luis Obispo County Web site for that election — but only about 40 percent of the votes had come in by 3:31 p.m. Computer programmer Jim March discovered that this file contained real votes.”


http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-13.pdf


Many more instances of Diebold security breaches have been documented by Bev Harris in California (and elsewhere in America). This is just one small example.


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Yer blowin’ smoke, Mary, if you are suggesting that Judy Rodewald would allow any questionable voting system; we don’t use the touch screens that the Republicans use to steal elections, our county uses paper ballots that can be verified at any time. I was concerned about the system a few elections ago and called Ms. Rodewald at her office and she was very professional, polite, respectful, and very patiently and clearly answered my questions. She is a gem and i wish every county in the country had someone like her. As it is, i just don’t trust our nation wide voting systems any more. Sad. Scary.


“When Fascism comes to this country it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”


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You are uninformed.


When the big scandal hit California about the huge opportunity for corruption and manipulating of votes cast by the Diebold AccuVote OS systems, such that 15,000 of the Diebold voting machines could not be used, the story broke in the LATimes on either a Friday or Saturday morning.


Concerned that, once again, an election would again be stolen because of these machines that should have been shoved up the kiesters of the government officials authorizing their purchase were, instead, continuing to corrupt vote results, I went online to see what information had been posted about this nightmare of a situation.


There was nothing. Zip. Nada. Neither Saturday or Sunday.


I called Judie on Monday, and she seemed absolutely cool with the lack of accountability of the Diebold systems, and said that, honestly, she hadn’t even thought it was necessary to release a press release over the huge breaking Diebold story.


So THAT’s how concerned your “Judie” is about the accuracy of the election process in our county, and how important she thinks it is that the voters be informed of threats to having an accurate vote-tallying outcome of an election.


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So it looks to me like Abel’s deceptive political ads are starting to pay off; Abel rails against the bank bailout without so much as any sort of acknowledgement that it was a Republican President, George W. Bush that signed that bill into law. Are we really supposed to believe that if Abel had been our representative in Congress that he would have voted against it?

We can fault both parties for voting for bad ideas on occasion, but one really needs to understand the background during the time that a particular bill is passed. Most every Democrat voted to give the authorization to President Bush to “do what he had to” with regards to invading Iraq, but only later do we find out that the intelligence was “fixed” to fit the agenda of the Bush/Cheney Administration, which, if the information had been available, the vote would most likely have been much different.

Same thing for the bank bailout; we were told that our entire economic structure would have collapsed if Congress did not take dramatic action, right now. Was the bill flawed to the point that certain individuals made out like bandits? Oh yeah, on that note, Abel is absolutely correct; I still have to wonder though if he would have really “stuck to his guns” and voted against the bill.

Speaking of “sticking to your guns”; has Abel signed the Grover Norquist “No New Taxes” pledge? I mean, he violated that pledge once while in the California Assembly; would he “stick to his guns” and vote for any potential tax increase if elected?


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Abel signed the “No Taxes” pledge alright. That’s why the IRS is after him & AGRO-JAL


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