"‘Left coast’ conservative turns Senate battle into a dead heat" by Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff | September 21, 2010
GLENDALE, Calif. — The toughest reelection fight yet for US Senator Barbara Boxer.
Related(?): US Senator Barbara Boxer: Wellstone assassination was "a warning"
She knows about 9/11, huh?
The race is being scrutinized as a bellwether for Republican chances to capture control of the Senate. If a staunch conservative like Republican US Senate candidate Carly Fiorina can win on the “left coast,’’ then Republicans might ride a wave that delivers the 10 seats they need to take the majority, specialists said.
Related: Obama Ignores Warning
“If this is where the desperate fight is for the Democratic Party, then this will be Custer’s last stand,’’ said Bruce Cain, a political scientist at the University of California-Berkeley.
Polls show Boxer and Fiorina running neck-and-neck.
“This is a tough race because these are tough times,’’ said Boxer in an interview. “The people want to know whose side you’re on.’’
Easy answer: Israel
Over her three terms in the Senate, Boxer, 69, has been blessed with good timing, avoiding strong Republican election cycles and strong opponents, say political strategists in California.
But this year the climate could work against her. California’s jobless rate is 12.4 percent, well above the national average of 9.6. The state has historic budget problems. Voters are dispirited. Half the electorate holds an unfavorable opinion of Boxer, according to a Sept. 6 Rasmussen Reports poll of likely voters.
Ooooh. That spells LOSS!
Enter Fiorina, a wealthy, self-made businesswoman from the highest ranks of corporate America who easily won the GOP primary and has impressed most observers with a polished speaking style and wide command of the issues....
Related: Ladies Night in California
Boxer’s strategy has been to cast Fiorina as an out-of-touch fat cat.
You all are, Barbara.
She has criticized Fiorina for shipping “30,000 American jobs’’ overseas while at Hewlett-Packard and for accepting a $21 million severance package when she was fired as CEO in 2005....
That is legitimate criticism.
Both candidates should be well-financed for the stretch run. Boxer had $11 million on hand as of June 30, according to campaign finance documents. Fiorina had just under $1 million, after spending more than $9 million in the primary. She loaned her campaign $5.5 million from her personal fortune and has been steadily raising funds.
The numbers are mind-numbing when you consider the suffering of the American people. All wasted loot (unless you are a TV station).
The economy has been the principal battleground, but social issues play an important role in California elections, and Boxer said she plans to highlight differences.
This election is about the ECONOMY and the LYING GOVERNMENT!
Fiorina opposes abortion rights, while 70 percent of Californians support them, according to recent Field Poll figures.
How come women in AmeriKa are defined by their position on that issue by my divisive corporate media?
Fiorina supports offshore drilling, alarming the state’s environmentalists and beach tourism industry. Fiorina opposes gay marriage, though with Californians split on the issue, neither candidate has made much of it.
Because THOSE ISSUES are PERIPHERAL!
“This is about as conservative a Republican candidate as we have had in a long time,’’ said Cain, from Berkeley. “In theory, you shouldn’t be able to win in California with that profile.’’
You have never seen a political season like this.
Candidates who survive primaries often tack toward the political center, to appeal to a wider audience. Fiorina has not, said Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, a think tank at Stanford University. “She’s betting on the prevailing winds to carry her.’’
They don't have to blow for much longer.
Statewide, Democrats hold a 45 percent-to-31 percent voter registration advantage over Republicans, but the fear among Democrats is that deflated liberals won’t bother voting, denying Boxer the opportunity to run up the score in liberal strongholds in Los Angeles and San Francisco. That seems to be the trend these days.
And why wouldn't they be after all the betrayals?
“If Boxer is able to get the vote out in the Bay area and LA, and do reasonably well in the other coastal counties, that’s usually her formula for victory,’’ said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. “But there’s greater dissatisfaction with Boxer this year.’’
I see lots of scratches before this is decided.
Also see: Bidding For California Governor
