Smith, Trujillo blindsided by Obama ops email

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Onwards...

Cam Kerry, the former nominee's brother and an Obama supporter, sent the following direct email plea to John Kerry's 2004 California email list today:

Hello Joseph,

If the last two elections taught us anything, it taught us that you have to be ready to fight irregularities and confusion in our voting system. I’m writing to you and other attorneys because I saw first hand the important work lawyers did for my brother’s campaign on election day, and Barack Obama can use the same effort.

We’ve now had four contested contests for the nomination, and all of them had at least some reports of voter confusion or even irregularities in the voting process. The Obama campaign could use the professional help of capable attorneys to make sure our democratic process runs smoothly and accurately reflects the will of the people.

If you’re interested in helping out, please email Nancy McCullough at [edit] and let her know of your interest. They need plenty of help next Tuesday, February 5th, in California, so time is of the essence. And when you email Nancy, please let her know in what part of the state you are interested in helping.

Our voting system is losing the confidence of the American people. We need to do all we can to ensure a fair and clean election process, and, as attorneys, we have a special role we can play.

I hope you can help with this important effort.

Sincerely,

Cam Kerry

I don't know if you're impressed by that or not, but it does impress me in these ways:

• Allegations of voter "irregularities" is the nastiest ground of all. A very dirty week in California ahead.
• Perfect pitch, playing to California Democratic paranoia. Cam, not John, as the signator provides adequate cover.
• Obama campaign will be soon obliged to answer to charges of voting irregularities favoring Clinton, a subject they'll love to let the many Dem Senators the Clintons burned in the 1990's talk about. They wouldn't release this kind of an email if they weren't ready.
  
• Real message is to slime Clinton in eyes of State Dem stakeholders.

Is Clinton's California team ready to call it a desperate tactic?

Should Hillary Divorce Villaraigosa?

What exactly is a "national co-chair" of a presidential campaign? Is it like a dinette set or something?

Anyway, Hillary Clinton has apparently appointed, as "national co-chairs" of her campaign, the following people so far:

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez;
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa;
U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski;
Former Iowa Goveror Tom Vilsack;
Florida Contresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz;
Flordia Congressman Alcee Hastings;
Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs;
California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez; and
Former National Council of La Raza President Raul Yzaguirre.

Remember those "Members Only" jackets in the 1980's? Looks like being a "National Co-Chair" is equally exclusive, which is to say, "not very."

Anyhow, here's my question for you: Given that she has more co-chairs than your grandmother's table at Thanksgiving -- shades of Dan Rather, I know -- should she consider showing co-chair Villaraigosa the door? I mean, his current personal difficulties sort of bring up her past difficulties, which maybe detracts from whatever her platform is. Or is the title so meaningless as not to matter?