links for 2010-02-03

Tom Campbell's team is sending a fundraising email, trying to capitalize on Carly Fiorina's viral "FNICO" ad.

While POLITICO magazine is reporting that "Tom Campbell could make 2010 Sen. Barbara Boxer's toughest campaign in years," the Carly Fiorina campaign is attacking Tom with an outrageous new ad political analysts and the media are calling "weird," "bizarre" and "inept."

With America's deficit hitting $1.3 trillion this year, Tom's looking forward to a mature and substantive debate on serious issues, not silly antics.

Carly's ad likens fiscal conservatives to sheep, and Tom to a demon sheep, without mentioning a single federal issue or proposing a single solution to America's economic woes. Seriously.

When you view the "weirdest campaign attack ad ever," you'll know why it's being called "clumsy," "over-the-top," "monstrous," "painful" and "a source of ridicule for bloggers."

Honestly, despite what everyone's saying, I didn't have a beef with the ad.
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Ugh

Also, Olbermann's showboat is sinking. Listing in you-know-which direction.

It's as if he thinks talking LOUDER will keep his low cell battery from dying.

Worst, Olbermann's network president, Phil Griffin, is publicly praising him, always an ominous sign in television. While referring to his host almost in the past tense. "Keith has been our tentpole," Griffin says, adding later, "I'm pleased with where we are."

Where they are, as Jeff Bercovici points out over at Daily Finance, is way behind the big boys over at Fox News, Bill O'Reilly and gang. In fact, Keith is so far behind Bill, he can't even make out the state of the license plate, let alone the numbers. Bercovici thinks Americans may be outgrowing Olbermann's schtick.

In the most desirable TV demographic of 25-54, which Keith will soon outgrow himself, "Countdown" lost 44% of its audience from the beginning of President Obama's term until this year. It could have been worse — say, 45%.
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Tired is correct and no Bush

California's Democratic Party just debuted Carlyfailorina.com, a website devoted to ripping US Senate candidate Carly Fiorina as the "19th Worst CEO of All-Time."

Not to get all nit-picky, Dems, but Ms. uh, Failorina, as you refer to her, is running for SENATE. Not "governor," as you state on the site.

We've got 12 percent unemployment in the state. Give us a call. We know a lot of laid-off copy editors who would love the work.

Could it be that the Dems may be a little TOO pre-occupied with the Republican billionaire and (near-billionaire)running against their candidate….uh…uh…oh, yeah, they don't have a declared one yet.
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Well, make up your mind….

President Obama is catching heat from Nevada lawmakers and business leaders regarding his comments Tuesday criticizing trips to Las Vegas.

During the president's town hall meeting in Nashua, New Hampshire, he discussed the need to curb spending during tough economic times. "When times are tough, you tighten your belts," the president said. "You don't go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college."

The president's comments come nearly a year after he criticized companies that received federal money for taking corporate junkets to Las Vegas. "You can't go take that trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on taxpayers' dime," he said at the time. Local business leaders say Nevada tourism suffered last year in part because companies canceled trips to Las Vegas in the wake of the president's comments.
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Not helping Harry Reid so much with these comments, is he?

If you are a voter who has declined to state an affiliation with a political party, you may be able to vote for a candidate of a specific party in the upcoming June 8, 2010, Statewide Direct Primary. You may request, from your county elections official or at your polling place, the ballot of a political party if authorized by the party's rules and duly noticed by the Secretary of State. You may not request more than one party's ballot. To obtain information on how to request the ballot of a participating political party, contact your county elections office.
The following qualified political parties have notified the Secretary of State that they adopted a party rule permitting decline-to-state (or unaffiliated) voters to request their party ballot in the June 8, 2010, Statewide Direct Primary Election to participate in the primary election for partisan offices (except for county central committee candidates):

* Democratic Party
* Republican Party
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Not a Closed Primary