Jerry Brown, former mayor of Oakland and Governor of California, is now slowly but surely climbing back up the ladder of California politics, and is currently running for Attorney General. Despite some recent negative coverage by the LA Times on his record, I think Brown has to be heavily favored over State Senator Chuck Poochigian.
First, Brown wins hands down when it comes to statewide experience. C’mon–the guy was our governor. In addition, what people may NOT remember is that Jerry has already served once as our state’s attorney general–under Governor Earl Warren. Second, Jerry Brown’s website is much, much cooler than Poochigian’s site (Pooch4AG..something tells me he shouldn’t have chose this as his site name, but who knows?)
For one, Brown’s campaign site has a CV–that’s right, a curriculum vitae! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one on a modern campaign website, and I think it’s a great idea. There really is no comparison between Jerry Brown and Mr. Pooch, honestly. Check out some of the highlights from Brown’s online CV:
“Brown forges close relationships with Israel and establishes California-Israel solar exchange. Previously, in 1973, Brown had a private audience with David Ben-Gurion in Israel. “
“Brown beats Clinton in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Brown runs on campaign reform, attacking the corrupting influence of money. Even though he accepted contributions of no more than $100, he raised over $10 million.”
What’s also impressive is that Brown did a lot to bring private business back to Oakland (sorry Art Shell–those Oakland Auto commercials are admirable, but if you keep losing like that, you won’t hold a candle to Jerry’s accomplishments in this regard):
“Due to Mayor Brown’s 10K initiative, there has been more residential construction in downtown Oakland in the past 7 years than at any time in the modern history of the city.”
“The 21 story office building - 555 City Center - was completed in 2002. Not in decades had private investors shown such confidence in Oakland’s economy. The building is now fully occupied. Ground was just broken on another private high-rise office building, testifying to the new vibrancy of downtown Oakland.”
And sorry Mr. Pooch, Brown has made an impact on reducing crime:
“When Brown took office in 1998, he pledged a 20 percent reduction in crime. Oakland has exceeded that ambitious goal, with decreases of over 30% in serious crimes (Part I crimes as defined by FBI).”
And Pooch’s record on crime isn’t that great, according to the LA Times article:
But can Jerry, even with all his name recognition in a majority Democratic state, just assume he’s a shoo-in?
Probably. He’s got some ammunition of his own. Let’s remember that Chuck once opposed a ban on .50-caliber sniper rifles.
(Amazingly, Pooch links to this article on his own website!)
As the article also points out, Brown is running ads highlighting Pooch’s record as a strong opponent of abortion rights and a strong opponent of stem-cell research. Here’s the ad if you’re interested:
And here’s another ad touting Brown’s record of experience:
Perhaps the most important aspect of Brown’s candidacy may be his appeal as an “anti-Arnold” ™ check on the Governor:
Can you imagine the fun we’d be in for with him and Gov. Schwarzenegger trading blows in Sacramento, one in a Hummer and the other in a used hybrid?
With Schwarzenegger carrying water for California’s corporate captains, and Brown gunning for them like Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer has in New York, we’d have a collision of two of the most entertaining political personalities in state history.
And given that Arnold is still leading in the polls, California desperately needs someone like Brown back in Sacramento.
The bottom line here is that the LA Times and the SF Chronicle have endorsed Brown’s candidacy, and he’s going to win–you can bet on it.
Brown’s 1992 presidential campaign was nothing short of ground-breaking–he raised $10 million on $100 contributions, and did this well before the Dean revolution in internet campaign fundraising. Who knows–in 2010, Brown may be running for Governor again, only this time he’ll probably have to tussle with rising stars Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa. But that’s a whole other article…
