Repuglicanism Archives - Page 68 of 69 - Friends For Fullerton's Future

October 18, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

Martin Wisckol Caught Pimping for Linda Ackerman – Again.

Maybe the Register’s Martin Wisckol is worried about the impending collapse of his employer and is thinking about future work writing press releases for Dick and Linda Ackerman. Looks like he has already started.

Last Wednesday Wisckol tossed up this powder puff blog post addressing the issue of Linda Ackerman’s “experienced businesswoman” self-applied label. Exercising all the journalistic curiosity of a sea cucumber he coughed up this pearl:

I asked her last week what her business was. She responded that she was on the Board of Directors of the USCB collection management company, a director on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, was finance director of the Marian Bergeson Series, and was executive director of the state Capital of California Preservation Fund (I haven’t been able to find a Web site for that).

Good enough. Sounds like business stuff to me.

God, I can't believe he bought that. Dick we gotta put that nice boy on the payroll...

Sorry Martin, but it’s not “good enough” just because she said so. To pass along this tripe suggests that you are either stupid, lazy, or are shilling for Ackerman, Inc. Since we assume the Register doesn’t knowingly employ overtly stupid people, the options are narrowed.

We’ll help out by citing our post that pretty effectively dispatches the Ackerman “experienced businesswoman” fable.

Let’s recap. Linda’s on the board of a collection agency, USCB; a job she got by virtue of her husband’s influence and that meets three or four times a year? That may provide a little extra pocket money, but it hardly constitutes what a reasonable person would call business experience.

She’s on the executive committee of the Marian Bergeson blah blah blah. A training ground for female GOP politicians. Another part-time gig base on her political connections. In any case her self proclaimed responsibility (from her own website) is “finance development” not “finance director”, ya chowder head. Development means calling up lobbyists and asking them for money. You know, Martin. The same lobbyists who lobbied her husband.

Likewise she got an appointment to the Board of the MWD – a political, not a professional appointment, Marty. Do you really think she would have gotten that without her husband’s name. So she goes to a government agency meeting once a month to be told how to vote. No business experience there, either.

A committee to restore the historic working spaces of the Capitol. WTF? Are you kidding, Martin? That sounds like business to you? To us that sounds like the bored wife of a legislator or a socialite, or both. There’s probably a real good reason there’s no website.

Well, Martin, we have just covered the sum and substance of Linda Ackerman’s “business” experience over her 45 years of adulthood. And here it is, again:

No real experience in the private sector
Never owned or operated a business
Never employed anybody
Never signed the front of a paycheck.

In fact, Linda Ackerman’s only real experience is raising money from lobbyists, for this or that personal Ackerman benefit, mostly her husband’s campaigns. And for that she was amply recompensed for her part time work. Come to think of it, we’re now pretty sure the woman has never even held a real job of any kind.

So come on Martin, how about a little real work yourself. Quit passing along Ackerman campaign mush gussied up as the truth. Why not try to do something honorable before you get the axe?

October 16, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

The Repuglican Culture of Power & Profit

by The Fullerton Shadow5 Comments

Unenforceable laws were made to be broken — If it isn't illegal, it can't be wrong...Dick told me to say that.

Over at his Repuglican PR firm, er, Red County blog, our old playmate Matthew Cunningham has taken great offense at the good post “Rogue Elephant” wrote on the Orange Juice blog the other day, and that we generously shared with the Friends, here.

Why is he offended by Rogue Elephant’s post and our take on it? Because the post pointed out that former State Senator Jim Brulte gave Linda Ackerman $3900 out of his bogus BoE in 2014(!) campaign committee. We pointed out that her husband’s equally bogus BoE 2010 (created in 2006!) committee also gave her the same amount. We noted that these committees were basically money pots that politicians could use to finance their maintenance of power and influence. In other words a scam – create a committee for a fake political campaign and then use it as an influence buying cash cow.

Cunningham got his knickers in a real wad and noted that FFFF is a political committee, too, and that there is no difference between us and the donors to Ackerman. See, it’s all about free speech. Shame on us.

What a howler.

Just say something. Anything. And keep saying it.

It seems to have escaped Cunningham’s notice that we are not politicians; we don’t raise funds under the guise of a phony run for office. We aren’t pretending to run for anything as a way to hang on to money raised for other offices. We don’t redistribute money as a way to influence elections and buy friends. Our purpose is to to promote causes and candidates we feel are worthy, but we’re not in it to amass wealth, or to keep control of wealth courtesy of people who contributed for other purposes. Too bad none of that can be said about Brulte or Ackerman.

Repuglicans have gotten into the nasty habit of using the “free speech” complaint as an argument to support any kind of deceit practiced in the pursuit of power. But at the core the issue isn’t about free speech – it’s about a fundamentally dishonest way of maintaining influence in Sacramento. Of course the crooks and their hangers-on can’t admit it. If it ain’t illegal it ain’t wrong. Plus the Democrats do it too!

What a culture.

October 14, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

Ed Royce Flashback! Standing Up For Fullerton!

by Jan Florys Dog5 Comments

October 14, 2009January 4, 201072nd Election

“Loophole” Linda Ackerman Dives Headfirst Into Political “Slush Funds”

by Grover Cleveland1 Comment

Yesterday Rogue Elephant posted this over at the Orange Juice blog. The gist of the post is that a loophole in state campaign finance laws permits politicos like Repuglicans Jim Brulte and Dick Ackerman to cook up “putative” campaign committees for future office in order to transfer existing campaign balances, raise tons of money from lobbyists for these supposed campaigns, and then distribute the proceeds to exert influence in other elections across the State.

Rogue Elephant notes that Loophole Linda’s 72nd Assembly power grab has received $3900 from Brulte’s 2014(!) Board of Equalization Committee. What he doesn’t mention is that she also received the same amount (the limit) from her husband Dick’s similar committee, also for the BoE. Ackerman set up his “2010” BoE committee in as far back as 2006 according an article in the Oakland Tribune that describes the practice.

Why the BoE? Because these useless barnacles have been scraped off the legislature – termed out, but haven’t finished working the system, not by a long shot. They need a plausible office to “run” for, even if they have no intention of actually running. In the meantime Brulte actually works as a lobbyist for an outfit called California Strategies – a collection of former electeds and appointeds working their contacts.So when he gives Mrs. Ackerman money, he can kill two birds with one stone!

Rogue Elephant sums up his take on this pungent mess:

While Linda Ackerman’s campaign funding smells of Sacramento’s bipartisan Culture of Corruption, it also reeks of a Culture of Creepiness. Voters and taxpayers should find it creepy to see former politicians and lobbyists using political slush funds to pull the strings of candidates like Linda Ackerman.

October 13, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

Ackerman Ventriloquism Animates Brain-dead Puppets in Brea

by Grover Cleveland13 Comments

There's a little stick that works the mouth...

Just as we reported earlier today about Orange, the Linda Ackerman campaign coughed up some more local endorsements, this time in Redevelopment-friendly Brea – where nobody’s property is safe from the City – if they want it.

KNUCKLEHEAD

Here are the two money “quotes”:

“For over 30 years, Linda has served the people of this community,” said Brea Mayor John Beauman. “I support Linda because she is for people, not politics.”

Ho, ho, ho! Mr. Beauman who is known as a bit of a dim bulb supports Linda because she is “for people.” Evidently he is unaware of her Pacific Policy Research Foundation vacation/lobbyist scam; or that she used her husband’s campaign fund as a family cash cow. But Linda is for people. Well, hell! Linda and Dick are “people,” right? So everything’s kosher.

Then there’s this sparkling little jewel:

“I know that Linda will bring a fair, business-minded approach to the state’s budget debacle. The taxpayers of Brea need her in Sacramento to fight for fiscal responsibility and limited government,” said former Mayor of Brea Bev Perry.

More hilarity! We’ve already discounted Ackerman’s so-called business experience so we can dismiss that; what other tools she has in her shed to tackle the state’s “budget debacle” goes unstated by Perry. We’re pretty sure by now that Ackerman will be fair – and give all those Sacramento lobbyists their day at the trough. As far as responsibility and limited government go, we can only say that putting those words in Bev Perry’s mouth attains a new level of political cynicism – even for the Ackermans. Bev Perry was part of the Brea Redevelopment eminent domain machine that ran roughshod all over property owners in what used to be their downtown. Who’s next Lynn “Bulldozer” Daucher?

What a team!

Puppets on a string

October 13, 2009January 4, 201072nd Election

Shame, Shame, Shame – in The City of Orange

by Grover Cleveland5 Comments

The Linda Ackerman campaign issued one of those out-of-a-can press releases the other day bragging about her endorsement by three City of Orange councilmembers – Cavecche, Murphy, and Dumitru.

We thought we would have some fun with this, reciting the baloney that was assigned to a couple of these worthies, meant to appear as genuine quotations.

“Linda Ackerman has always done what is right for the sake of the community, not political gain,” said Mayor Carolyn Cavecche. “She is a proven leader who will help solve California’s budget crisis and bring Orange County values to the State Assembly.”

Well that’s a tissue of lies. C’mon Carolyn, haven’t you heard about the Pacific Policy Research Foundation? And Carolyn, didn’t you know Linda was paid $76,000 by her husband’s own political campaign – as a “consultant”? How selfless!

So Linda’s a “proven leader?” Leading what, pray tell? The Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League? And she’s going to bring Orange County values to Sacramento? Like skirting the intent of the State Constitution? Like milking lobbyists? Like supporting the pervo Mike Duvall? Weak. Really weak.

Well Cavecche, at least, has proven herself a leader – a leader in Orange pension spiking right out of the OC GOP RINO playbook. Here’s her colleague Murphy:

Citing Ackerman’s fiscal conservative credentials as a businesswoman who has spent years balancing budgets, Councilmember Mark A. Murphy said: “Linda is a fiscal watchdog who will help solve the budget debacle.”

More prime grade bullshit. We’ve already documented that Mrs. Ackerman appears to have no business experience at all. Years “balancing budgets”?!! What budgets would those be, Murph? Her own? Her only “experience” appears to be that she’s a board member for a debt collector. Ya know, Mark, those warm people who take away your house because you can’t pay for your cancer treatment anymore. She’s a fiscal watchdog? How would we ever know? She has no record of watching anything – except maybe the Maui sunsets and the lobbyists across the table at Spataro. Murphy – another zero.

At least the bozo Jon Dumitru was lucky enough to avoid having the Ackerman campaign stuff lies into his mouth – although he probably would have enjoyed it. Another public employee union member on a City Council. Another cypher.

“I am honored to receive the support of so many members of my community,” said Ackerman. “I believe this home-grown support will be instrumental in waging a successful campaign in the weeks ahead.”

We include this wrap up by Loophole Linda so that our readers can relish the irony of Linda bragging about her “home-grown support” in an Assembly district in which she doesn’t even live. Her “community”? That’s priceless. Her community is Irvine!

October 12, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

Apparently Linda Ackerman Never Took Carpetbagging 101

by The Fullerton Harpoon2 Comments

If there were such a course for ambitious district hopping politicians, one of the basic lessons taught would surely be to learn the boundaries of your would-be district. It’s only polite, after all.

Okay. Linda Ackerman is a political socialite carpetbagger from Irvine, and can’t be expected to know the exact boundaries of the 72nd State Assembly District – the one she doesn’t live in. But, still, this has got to take the cake:

Ackerman Screw Up

An Ackerman sign in Santa Ana’s City Place? News flash, Linda – Santa Ana is not in the 72nd District! Next time you run for office in a district in which you do not live, at least take the time to learn the cities in the district.

And thanks to Art Pedroza over at the Orange Juice blog who posted on this and helpfully provided the image.

October 12, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

“Loophole Linda” Ackerman Knows How to Game the System

by Grover Cleveland2 Comments

Rules are made to bent. As far as possible. Unenforceable laws aren't really laws at all. — Rules are made to bend. As far as possible. Unenforceable laws aren't really laws at all.

We’ll say one thing for Mrs. Ackerman. In her years as her husband’s Sacramento helpmeet, Linda has learned well how to game the system to make money by skirting the intent of campaign financing laws.

We have already recounted the Pacific Policy Research Foundation scam – a phony non-profit whose only purpose to to get legislators to Hawaii – and into the clutches of waiting lobbyists posing as “expert” seminar speakers. Because the fraud is made to look like an educational endeavor, the politicians get to use their excess campaign funds to make trip – funds that would be otherwise off limits for personal use. Sweet.

stackocash

Now, according to a Chris Norby mailer, it emerges that Mrs. Ackerman was on her own husband’s campaign payroll as a “consultant,” and raked in $76,000 for her efforts – whatever they were. Another brazen evasion of laws that are meant to keep politicians from pocketing campaign funds. It seems rules are simply there to be evaded. Art Pedroza at the Orange Juice blog has a post on the mailer here. Mrs. Ackerman is dubbed, appropriately enough, “Loophole Linda.”

Well, Mrs. Ackerman has pretty obviously gotten used to finding the angles and exploiting them for her and hubby Dick’s personal gain. That’s the way things are done in Sacramento; and that, Friends, is really her true experience – gaming government. The rest is just smoke and mirrors – like her phony residency and her fake “self-applied “businesswoman” label.

October 11, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

Is Linda Ackerman Hiring Precinct Walkers?

by Grover Cleveland6 Comments

My paid volunteers fanned out across Fullerton!

Yesterday over at the Orange Juice blog on our post about Linda Ackerman’s phony “businesswoman” label, a commenter named “baxter” related how somebody from the Ackerman for Assembly came a knockin’ on his door.

baxter says:

October 10, 2009 at 5:58 pm

An woman canvassing for Ackerman came to our door this morning. I asked a few questions and she was pro. Knew what she was doing, quick with answers and not shy about slamming Norby. She implied that Norby might have psychological problems Since I’m voting for a Democrat it was all wasted on me.

Hmm. Doesn’t sound like your typical volunteer precinct walker, now does it? Did Mrs. Ackerman hire people to do her walking? That would square with what seems to have been a scripted character assassination of Norby, which is perfectly congruent with the Ackerman campaign strategy.

It could be that baxter just happened to get an experienced volunteer who was really on the ball. But somehow we have trouble believing that. Linda Ackerman has zero “grassroots” support in the 72nd, where she does not live, and except for a few die-hard Republican Women Federated types and a few of Dick’s old Rotarian buddies, she would have trouble scrounging up volunteers to hit the streets.

Why this operative wasted time going to the door of an evident Democrat is a bit puzzling, but maybe they figure they need every voter that they can bamboozle.

October 10, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

“Experienced Businesswoman”: More Unadulterated Bull Shit from Linda Ackerman

by Grover Cleveland9 Comments

If by business you mean monkey business, thaen yes, I am a business woman. — If by business you mean monkey business, then yes, I am a business woman.

In the world of politics it is believed that if you just keep saying the same thing over and over again, eventually people will believe it.

Let’s consider Linda Ackerman’s repeated assertion (and the claim in many of her endorser’s statements that were obviously written for them) that she is an “experienced businesswoman.” Well, we would like to know just what that experience entails. Let’s let Linda’s campaign website help us out with a description of her vast business experience:

An experienced businesswoman, Linda serves as the Vice President of Financial Development for the Marian Bergeson Excellence in Public Service Series and a corporate board member of USCB, Inc., a California receivable and management company.

That’s it. No history, no resume. You’d think if there were any real accomplishments she’d be only too happy to share it with her would-be constituents. Hmm.

The Marian Bergeson blah-blah-blah isn’t a business. It’s a training program to promote female Republican politicians by having them learn the ins and outs of Repuglicanism. According to the Bergeson website, Ackerman is a member of an executive committee (it says nothing about her being a “Vice President” of anything). And in any case, “Development” is a polite way of saying “fundraising from corporate donors.” No prizes offered for guessing who the targets of any fundraising are: corporate lobbyists!

USCB is a sort of glorified “Check into Cash” for corporations who have extended credit to people like Ackerman’s would-be constituents. It’s a real business, all right, but being on its board hardly qualifies her as a businesswoman. And of course she got that part-time gig based entirely on who her husband was. The links on the USCB site take you to major health care trade associations, etc. Hmm. More lobbyists.

Of course we have already shared another of Mrs. Ackerman’s board positions, on The Pacific Policy Research Foundation, a completely bogus 501(c)(3), whose sole reason for existing is to get state legislators and lobbyists holed up together in a five- star Maui hotel for a week. Funny, the Pacific Policy Research Foundation fails to appear in her biography. Come on, Linda, are you suddenly ashamed of the noble goals of the “public purpose” Foundation you created? What’s that? You’re afraid the public might not understand? Bet you’re right!

What is it about Linda Ackerman and lobbyists?

Finally, we have to ask:

Mrs. Ackerman do you have any real business experience at all? Have you ever run your own business? Have you ever signed the front of a paycheck? Have you ever paid business taxes or fees, or worker’s comp?

Or could it be your claim to be a “businesswoman” is as hollow as your empty claim to live in the 72nd? Is this claim just more campaign pabulum meant to be sucked up by a careless electorate?