Poizner's Sleazy Tactics (and why "York" no longer writes for Red County)
ShareThis
Someone should tell Steve Poizner that Red County would have covered his Gubernatorial campaign for free.
You see, I’ve recently learned something which, in retrospect, might not come as a complete shock to all our readers given the nature of his content: I have it in writing that the Poizner camp has been secretly paying one of our writers, “Sgt. York,” for favorable coverage all year long.
Now, to be fair, the Poizner camp wasn’t paying him directly. Instead, they were paying a “consultant,” and that person was paying our now-former writer. But it is a fact that the person was paying York explicitly for pro-Poizner, anti-Whitman commentaries, articles specifically to be written on RedCounty.com.
I disclose this publicly here to preserve the credibility of this site and its other hard working writers, and because this is a direct violation of our internal policies; any contributor writing on behalf of a paying client must simply disclose that relationship—not too difficult.
Upon my reminding York of this rule, however, he begged that we not make it known, saying he would lose the Poizner payments if this pay-for-content scheme were disclosed.
That was a request by which I simply could not abide.
This scheme upsets me for a number of reasons:
- Foolishness: on the most basic level, this scam strikes me as the most absurd of strategies. Red County’s contributors and its readership would naturally lean more toward Poizner than either of his competitors, something I assume will now be effectively squandered.
- Credibility: Red County’s credibility was at stake, and could have been severely damaged if this relationship were discovered/made known by someone else. It’s odd; Republican politicians like a site like ours to exist when it suits their needs and they can make use of access to its audience, but I guess they will gamble with its credibility when they deem it to be in their interests.
- Access: put simply, we couldn’t get any. We’ve begged Poizner’s staff for months now to communicate with us. While other elected officials in offices big and small across the country routinely take us up on this offer by bombarding us with information and story ideas, we literally could not even get the Poizner campaign’s communications staff to add us to its email distribution list!
And now I feel like I know why; they were already getting precisely the coverage they wanted at Red County from York.
Now, I’ve purposely not disclosed the name of the middle-man Poizner has been paying. If the Poizner camp is going to claim that these payments were taking place without their knowledge, they’ll have to hang him out to dry—not me. And in the process, at least maybe we’ll learn a little more about who Steve Poizner is: will he plead ignorance and throw this yet-unnamed third party to the wolves, or will the campaign own up to this ill-advised strategy?
Despite all of this, I will not prevent other writers here from covering the Poizner campaign at Red County. However, aside from potentially following up on how this particular story develops, I’m now personally through paying any attention to Steve Poizner and his run for Governor of California.
Judging by recent polls and news stories, I’m certainly not the only one.
Good riddance, I say.
Author's Latest Posts
Comments
How is this a main topic i
How is this a main topic in News? Give me a break.
Only a Poizner supporter
Only a Poizner supporter could ask such a thing. I suspect other outlets will see it as news. Let's watch and see.
Traitor!!
Traitor!!
Yorkie yips no more!!! That
Yorkie yips no more!!! That coulda been the headline! Ur right. No one will be surprised. The guy was a total flack for them.
Thanks
My thanks to you and Red County for putting this out and maintaining your credibility. In a time when so few folks appear to understand that trust is a precious thing, I am glad to see that is not the case here. Kudos to you.
There are only two words to
There are only two words to describe what was done here from the Poizner crowd.
Dick. Move.
Good Move Chip
Chip,
Good move. I respect what you have done to maintian the integrity of your blog. I know The Lib OC would never fess up to something like this and make it right. Cheers.
Really?
How do you KNOW that? Do you also have it in writing?
As a matter of fact, I DO.
As a matter of fact, I DO.
no you dont
you are a nobody. And everybody is laughing at how you tried to draw attention to your site, and now are getting pwned for being a liar and a fraud.
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA.
Is Meg paying you for your wittle post today Chip?
Yes, I do. Draw attention to
Yes, I do. Draw attention to my site? We have more traffic than any GOP blog in this state. Keep an eye out for my interview with Michele Bachmann tomorrow, who reached out directly to me to do a podcast this afternoon. Oh, and if you think the Poizner camp had a bad day today, trust me: you ain't seen nothing yet. I've seen their responses today... keep an eye on this site tomorrow for the real fraud.
A well-written and
A well-written and appropriate response Chip. And Paul, since you have memory problems about details, I know you've forgotten two different versions of stories you have told of your dealings on behalf of and against certain Republican candidates; the truth is much easier to remember. So please don't take it out on our blog for your failure to remember which version of your stories you told to whom.
wow
I'm not surprised to learn that he was being paid but I'm pleasantly surprised that you guys did something about it. Aside from his transparently clear racist remarks, he was the worst kind of political hack there is out there. This move is the best thing Red County has done since acquiring OC Blog.
Disheartening
This is why people have no faith in either party. As an unknown candidate myself leading a grassroots campaign for State Assembly, I definitely can learn a lot about what NOT to do from the bigger named, more established, more "experienced", and more funded candidates.
What now?
I'm curious to see how the Poizner campaign will react to this development.
Sgt York should have
Sgt York should have obviously disclosed this. While this is not helpful for Steve's campaign in the short run, hopefully they will have a good enough conservative message going forward that they will not need to pay people for good PR on the blogs.
I'm really not looking forward to this GOP gubernatorial campaign. All three candidates have major flaws. I guess for me, Poizner is the candidate with the least amount of ticks, but that's not saying much.
"I'm really not looking
"I'm really not looking forward to this GOP gubernatorial campaign." I'm with you, and sense a big lack of excitement amongst conservatives about our choices.
So who now?
I have been for Poizner since he threw his hat into the ring. Needless to say, this is disappointing. But, who else am I to choose? Meg Whitman who has absolutely ZERO govt experience..ala Arnold; who pals around with Arnold's wife...ala Arnold; who supports AB-32....ala Arnold (well maybe, kinda, $125k she does); who has only money to influence the election...ala Arnold; I certainly do not want another Arnold. This state cannot afford it. She has refused every opportunity to debate Poizner or Campbell. She has great sound bytes and a lot of loose change. Any gubernatorial candidate, worth their salt, would be wise to get behind, endorse, and promote the Citizen Power Campaign. Jerry Brown began the Union corruption and plundering of this state, and what better way to fight fire with fire. It's time for a candidate to take a political risk. He/She will see that he will have the support and vote of the people of CA that aren't on the government dole. There are a lot more of us then there are of them.
Re: Allan Bartlett
I'm with you on that Allan. It'll be interesting to see which way the so called conservatives go when they have no candidate to support. Anyone who tries to push Steve as a true conservative clearly doesn't understand the meaning of the word.
And anyone who truly believes that Steve is a conservative really needs to re-do their homework instead of listening to what others say. I'm not saying Meg or Campbell are conservatives by any means, but to call Steve one is a clear misunderstanding of what the conservative ideology stands for.
As a matter of fact, what would happen if Abel Maldonado announced for Governor and was, in fact, to the right of our other 3 candidates? (Abel would effectively be the only pro-life candidate on the ballot)
Think about that for a lil' while boys and girls...
Maldo for Gov
Not a bad idea, dAnconia... maybe if he's shot down by the Leg for Lt Gov he could make an indignant run for Gov.
Re: Anonymous
Right??
And the FUNNY aspect of that idea is that he would effectively (as far as FACTS are concerned) be the most conservative candidate in the primary ballot, to the right of Poizner, Whitman, and Campbell.
I could foresee a few heads exploding...
LOL
Re: Megan Barth
e.x.a.c.t.l.y
Unanswered Questions
Has someone called the Poizner campaign and asked them the obvious questions:
A) Were they aware of the consultant who was paying the blogger?
B) What else did this un-named consultant do for the campaign?
C) Will the consultant still be paid from the campaign?
D) If York knew he was working for the Poizner campaign - did he have any direct interaction with them (phone calls, emails, etc) and with whom?
E) Considering how little Poizner has moved in the polls over the past 6 months, will they be asking for their money back?
I'll play devil's advocate
I'll play devil's advocate here (full disclosure I'm actually a Campbell supporter), but was York actually paid as a scam or was this just an unfortunate incident? For example, if I wrote for RedCounty most of my articles would be very pro-Campbell, I wouldn't lie but I would probably defend him or advocate for him most of the time. If I was offered a job with his campaign (do they higher teachers? lol) and took it I would still like to continue, I'd probably disclose my job, but I would hope that no one would accuse me of a paid-to-write scam. Or was this specifically "you're a RedCounty author, you have no Gubernatorial preference, write good stories for us" situation?
I'm not York, Chip can tell from the IP address of this comment and some of my others.
Poizner is a total Jerk
Hey! Chip!! I've been saying for how long(?) that "Sally" and others, too long to list here, are paid by the Dems to neutralize the bad press by Republicans and Independents.
But, having said that, there is really NOTHING more despicable than PAYING A REPUBLICAN/INDEPENDENT to give you GOOD PRESS.
How low can Poizner go? Don't answer that! What's Poizner afraid of? I learned through other channels from several different people "in the know" that there's more to know about this Poizner character -- the public has to dig deeper. Obviously I can't say more here.
GREAT!
Now we can expect 100% pro-Meg Whitman coverage from redcounty. Oh wait, we already have that. Whatever Chippy boy, you and Matt Cunningham can keep on touting your objectiveness all you want.
oh, boy... OCPatriots again.
oh, boy... OCPatriots again. Why don't you consider writing for us? Then you could be sure to fill up our pages with views you enjoy. Seriously, feel free to send me writing samples and we'll consider you, regardless of who you support in this race. So much for my bias.
Exposure
OC Patriots can't write for Red County because then, they, he or she, would be exposed.
Did Red County even cover the
Did Red County even cover the Campbell-Poizner twitter debate at Brandman University in Irvine? Yeah, that's what we thought.
http://www.redcounty.com/loca
http://www.redcounty.com/local-university-moves-ahead-with-gop-gubernato....
http://www.redcounty.com/loca
http://www.redcounty.com/local-polisci-professor-using-twitter-organize-...
Orange Joke Threats
I am sure Matt Cunningham would have covered it if Art Pedroza's minions were not making threatening calls to him and his family.
Funny how Art screams bloody hell that job and family is off limits when it is him, but has no problem going after, directly or indirectly the families of those he does not like.
Setting high standards of journalism
Great work Chip. Red County is growing in respect and thereby influence. We must keep our standards high, unlike the Main Stream Media.
Good work, Chip
This kind of accountability and transparency is (unfortunately) becoming less and less prevalent in our society. It is refreshing to see you tackle it head on and disclose errors in judgment (or ethics) made by your staff. Most MSM editors choose to circle their wagons and defend the behavior of their writers, even as it becomes increasingly clear that ethical lapses occurred (think The New Republic, most recently with the whole Scott Thomas Beauchamp controversy... apparently, they couldn't learn the lesson from Stephen Glass). You made the right call.
--Bobby
Transparency is the issue: Nice work, Chip!
I think Chip did the right thing in removing Sgt. York, not because he was solely writing for one candidate or that he was paid, but because of what Chip stated: He should have disclosed that he was a paid writer for the candidate.
We criticize the MSM for being in the pockets of the current White House administration, and in helping the statewide Democrats bury a lot of news that voters need to know about. We want voters who read our postings to know about the source so they can weigh the facts of the postings given the source.
What Sgt. York (and Poizner) did was basically decide that Red County readers did not have to know that Sgt. York was being paid to be a non-objective writer.
In our demand for transparency from elected officials, we need to demand this from EVERY candidate & elected official; not just the liberal ones.
Thank you, Chip.
Thank you, Chip.
I Will Miss Aaron Park
Aaron and I met about 6 years ago when he was RosevilleConservative and have had occasional face-to-face meetings. I fully understand the decision to remove Aaron from Red County.
I expect that Aaron will show up someplace else in the blogosphere and we will continue our exchanges. But right now this is sad news for me...Lee Reed
How about...Tom McClintock?
Someone asked if not Poizner then who? How about Tom? He's got a safe base in Northern California's Congressional District Four. He's run several statewide campaigns - including for governor - in the past. And his conservative credentials are impeccable. But wait. There may be a problem. "Sergeant York" posted hundreds of pieces on Red County in support of Tom McClintock's CA-04 race from the moment McClintock announced his run following Doolittle's decision to bow out through his primary fight with Doug Ose to his clmactic battle with a Blue Dog Dem resulting in a razor-thin margin of victory in one of the most conservative districts in California. I wonder if York was paid by the McClintock Campaign (or by a consultant for the McClintock Campaign) in 2008? That wouldn't surprise me at all. If Red County is truly interested in transparent reporting then I recommend Chip contact John Feliz, McClintock's campaign manager, for an on-the-record statement about their relationship with Sergeant York during McClintock's 2008 race for Congress.
We need Tom in Congress!
Tom can't run for two offices at once, and we need him in the House!
Questions, questions???
I am happy to see that red county has integrity. I am just wondering why they didn't know about it before. York as all but said I'm making $xxxx a month. Whenever challanged about being paid he asks people to email him privately. He remarked about helping keene for free, and acknowleged being paid by McClintock. The guy has been for sale for years.
I am very happy to see him outed as nothing but a paid hack. While I often agree with him, this type of behavor by a campaign is below the belt.
I think the real question now is- are his posts his own? Could it be his posts nothing more than consultant spin? Are they his ideas or is he writing what he has been told to? Who did his research?
Questions, questions???
Thank you
Thanks for keeping communication above board here. It is easy enough to disclose paid connections, and folks respect that you have a job to do. Full disclosure: I am not paid by anyone for any reason to be here...(despite Matt's belief that I am on payroll at House O Mouse) Thank you Chip for keeping it clean.
Poizner camp responds
I wrote about this on Total Buzz and got reponse from Jarrod Agren with the Poizner campaign. He basically said Red County was a shill for Whitman. Chip Hanlon and Matt Cunningham respond to that in the item as well.
http://totalbuzz.freedomblogging.com/2009/12/09/blogger-axed-for-taking-...
But you never called me,
But you never called me, Martin.
And back to the news...
Chip,
I am very happy about this. His brand of politics were not warranted for this website. I have been a long standing critic of his posts.
His love or payment for Poizner was obvious and always speculated in posts and threads.
His resentment toward even his own kind -- Poizner supporters -- did him little service, nor lend to his credibility.
You have your reasons, I have mine...but so happy Aaron Park is gone!
Poizner camp responds
I wrote about this on Total Buzz and got reponse from Jarrod Agren with the Poizner campaign. He basically said Red County was a shill for Whitman. Chip Hanlon and Matt Cunningham respond to that in the item as well.
http://totalbuzz.freedomblogging.com/2009/12/09/blogger-axed-for-taking-...
Anonymous 06:38 PM:
It would also be worth asking Park whether he has been reimbursed for his innumerable diatribes on behalf of Rick Keene - they're easily as biased as anything he's written about any other candidate and generally include vast numbers of false allegations about his opponent.
I believe the answer is clear.
Shame on Park and, for that matter, some of his cohorts in the Placer CentCom/CRA for their recent questionable funding transactions.
Some moral high ground you guys have been throwing those stones from...
Article Conserning Poizner/Sgt. York
o he didn’t tell you he works for a consulting company that works with Steve Poizner, boohoo and BFD. To use that as an excuse to trash Steve Poizner shows desperation and jealousy. One can respect an opinion on issues or deep beliefs but this ridiculous. Grow up and go on with your life.
Imagine if Honda were
Imagine if Honda were secretly paying the automotive reporter at CNBC. And I bet there are a lot of political reporters at local papers up and down this state who might love the idea of taking a bunch of money on the side from campaigns for favorable coverage, but they pass. We should expect something different? Come on.
in response to val
Aaron F. Park (aka sgt. york) was paid to blog. He is no consultant or paid oprative. He has been paid to spred half truths and would not own up to it. The very fact that his being paid was on condidtion of his payment being concealed should be a red flag and makes it a story. We must all remember that his rant a year ago was against high paid consultants. Aren't the basis of his attacks against tim clark, wayne johnson and others simply that they are paid consulants. I belive one of his previous blogs was labed as "consultant free". He is a joke and the news let's us know that he was just a paid mouthpiece with no brain. Park billed himself as a volunteer and cra activist- now we know he is not. He is for sale.
Thank you for writing this
Thank you for writing this piece! Meg Whitman 2010!
Post new comment