No Reason to Contribute to Hutchens: Personality and Policy
By Adam D. Probolsky | 05/04/09 | 01:46 PM EDT | 8 Comments
A lot of political giving is based on the personality behind the ask. For Appointed Sheriff Hutchens this is a big problem. She lacks the ability to make a lasting impression with people, she is not terribly interesting or unique. She has all the bad attributes of a longtime law enforcement officer/bureaucrat like an overdose of skepticism and a certain coldness and none of the good attributes like curiosity about people she doesn't know. These shortcomings coupled with her very LA-centric values means that she cannot connect well with new people she meets--hurting her chances of raising political dollars.
Hutchens supporters will counter with, "Well do we want a charmer after the Carona debacle?" or something to that effect. Their position suggests that voters would prefer a functionary over a dynamic leader. They may be right. But in order to effectivly communicate with the voters, a candidate needs to make connections with donors who will give to support the voter contact.
Being boring or even confrontational still doesn't mean fund raising is impossible. Some donors are motivated by the policy positions of elected officials much more than their personality. Hutchens lags here too. The pro-gun groups in Orange County want nothing to do with Hutchens. She is hostile to them. Again, Hutchens backers will claim that the CCW issue will actually cut her way with voters. I disagree but it doesn't matter. No one is going to be doing direct mail to the broad voting population come election time on the issue of guns. There are too few voters who care one way or the other about the issue. But it is a huge driving force for political donors who oppose the Appointed Sheriff.
It is important to keep things in perspective, we are more than a year away from the voter contact part of the campaign for Sheriff. So fund raising is the campaign and donors are much different than voters.
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8 Comments | Related Topics »Orange County (CA)
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Doesn't she spell her name Hutchens, not Hutchins?
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|What kind of fluff piece article is this? This is the problem with the shallowness in California and how "dumbed down" its become living here. We need some candidates with an IQ, if we had that, we wouldn't be talking about this superfluous nonsense. Who cares about the "personality behind the ask?" Frankly, I'm not interested in a "lasting impression" or a "charmer." Been there, done that. We had a charmer president, Clinton, look where that got us. We've also had smooth talking CA legislators, what good did they do us?! You know the type, the ones who won't speak up on the Floor but they'll contact someone like you to stir it up on the "outside" to give them an excuse to speak up or comment without looking like the aggressor. Chickens. The Carona debacle occurred because of an apathetic public and superb networking with other officials to lay off him and his Dept. It also occurred because those who KNEW turned a blind eye, lest the spotlight next be turned on them. If citizens would make consistent demands under the Brown Act and keep on these officials, Carona might have had a harder time pulling off what he did. And Probolsky's comment that "there are too few voters who care one way or the other about the issue" of guns, is way off target as well. The disconnect between the Legislator, and/or the Sheriff, is growing wider and the people who suffer are the citizens who think they have representation. Enough of this kissing babies stuff. People want RESULTS--not schmoozing. We're sick of schmoozers. We just want someone to DO something instead of just talking. We want accountability. I'm no fan of this Sheriff at all. Can't stand her. Won't vote for her. Incredibly, you state that "A lot of political giving is based on the personality behind the ask." When in actuality, the majority of political giving is based on what the giver GETS from the politician they give to. Surprise! It's called "special interests." But the person that "lags here" is you, Probolsky, with all those high profile friends and clients perpetuating the "games" that are played...give me a break.
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|This Sheriff is as corrupt as Carona ever was and the public is starting to see that. Just because she does not give out badges (as far as you know) to contributors she has brought the corrupt LA-centric political machine to OC and that is just not acceptable. Take her Office of "Independent" Review run by a "crony" from LA. Come on folks wake up!!! How independent can that really be? This is on top of her spying on the BOS, taking away legally issued CCW permits for no reason and hiding evidence (the 18 seconds of tape that the dept "accidently" did not provide until called out. Her campaign doners are the same people drinking the Liberal Obama Cool-Aid.
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|The appointed-Sheriff has said time and time again that she is not a politician. Well, that's obvious. She never ran for the office of Sheriff and she certainly wasn't elected for this office by the people. Her actions in office have obviously proven that she is incapable of being a politician, even when it could mean that she will never be elected to this political office. She should just give up now. She doesn't have the personality, qualifications, or right political mindset for Orange County.
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|I know I'll be looking for a Sheriff's candidate come the next election who has a better understanding of Orange County and what sets it apart from our disfunctional neighbors to the north.
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|Hutchens is a horrible sheriff. In less than a year she's racked up more corruptions and more scandals than Carona ever did. She is an embarrassment to OC and needs to go.
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|not a lot of facts.
Tell us more about the gun issue, corruption, machine politics. Or direct me to some articles in the Register. This is news to me.
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|Adam writes: "She lacks the ability to make a lasting impression with people, she is not terribly interesting or unique."
Thank God for that. I don't WANT another interesting and unique County Sheriff. Mike Carona and his deputy Jaramillo were plenty interesting and unique and look where that got them and us both. Please can we get a boring, non-exciting, dull, non-hero Sheriff to just enforce the laws we've got, assisted by boring, dull, dime-a-dozen career law enforcement officers?
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