Steve Filson's Campaign Events
I check Steve Filson’s website periodically, perhaps three or four times a week. I know that a number of us have been critical at his complete absence of meaningful information about his campaign activities, and so I go back to make sure the criticisms are still fair. Well I’m happy to report that Steve Filson has finally put up an events listing on his website. Of course, there is no way to know the location of the event, how to RSVP, or anything of the sort. Perhaps we’ll see something in short order. At any rate, here is the entire content of his “calendar” page:
Since I check his site frequently, I can tell you that none of this info was up as of noon Friday. But at least we know that Filson had a house party in Stockton, even if it’s transparently on his website to demonstrate that (take heed VPO) Filson has been doing something (half of the equation) rather than providing an opportunity for people to attend his campaign activities (the other half of the equation). But at least he’s doing something and letting us know that he’s doing something. It might seem obvious, but it’s an improvement. Now all we need is a) a way for people who want to join his events to figure out how to do so, and b) after-action reports back from folks who’ve attended the Filson events. That would really be the bee’s knees.Candidates Forum--South County Democratic Club on January 21st 10-12
House party in Stockton at Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Cordova's home January 22 4-6pm
Blackhawk Luncheon hosted by Theresa Chung-Solo February 9th at 12 noon
Lamorinda Democratic Club candidates forum February 17th at 7:00pm
House party hosted by Kent Katigian February 24th location to be announced.
We are finalizing several host parties and a few large events with guest speakers. Please check the calendar frequently for their announcement.
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posted by Matt @ 4:15 PM
5 Comments:
Boy, you sure can cut the snark with a knife.
If this is the kind of incremental (to be nice) "improvement" we can expect from Filson going forward, he should have a substantive platform posted on his site just in time for the November elections.
In 2008.
Matt --- one angle you have not explored yet is where Filson's fundraising is actually being leveraged.
Because the $100K Filson raised in Q3 is clearly not being directed to his web site. Or to anyone with a clue about building grassroots support.
In fact, does Steve Filson actually even have a campaign manager?
If not, why not?
Anon: I actually wasn't trying to be snarky. I was trying to be nice and give him credit for doing something, even though it's still somewhat insufficient. So much for trying to be nice... :)
Fiat Lux: I imagine Filson is hording his money so that he can get around half a million and buy TV spots right before the primary. Or something like that. But you would think he'd throw a few shekels at his website. Maybe he's being penny wise, pound foolish?
Also, Filson does have a campaign manager. Her name is Lisa Tucker and she's Ellen Tauscher's campaign manager also. I've discussed her somewhat and you can see what I've said about her here. Even people who don't like Tauscher have had good things to say about Tucker, so I have no doubt she's capable.
Now there is some overlap between these two points. There is a connection between this and your comment about "leveraging" fundraising in that Lisa Tucker's services probably don't come cheap. And I'd imagine the same is true about the other consultants that Filson has (all of whom, to my knowledge, also work for Tauscher). I've checked out how much Tauscher spends on consultants, and it's not a tiny portion of her campaign budget. So Filson might be worried about his burn rate compared to his fundraising, which could put him in a position of limiting other capital outlays. I don't know. More will become clear when the FEC reports come out.
Interesting.
But is Tucker really the actual campaign manager? Or is she merely a placeholder given her ongoing responsibilities to Rep. Tauscher?
I could be wrong, but there's no public indication that she has taken on the role officially. At least not yet. And it's almost February.
?
A google search of "Lisa Tucker Filson campaign manager" yields multiple mentions of Tucker being a "consultant" to Filson but not the official campaign manager. The ONLY place I could find where she is mentioned as the campaign manager is...drum roll... Say No to Pombo.
Matt, is your info based on conversations with those in the know? Or deductive reasoning?
In any event, perhaps you're right about Filson's strategy. Tucker is probably expensive and Filson is waiting until the time is presumably right to add her full-time to the campaign.
Meanwhile, Filson's cobweb site is languishing and his engagement with non-funding CA-11 constituents is virtually nil (as his campaign events calendar underscores).
But hey, if Filson raised enough cash in Q4, he's probably got enough time to make up for it with 99% of the offline electorate. Hell, Filson could surprise everyone tomorrow by launching a brand new site with a blog, substantive platform, and a calendar full of grassroots events...
I'm not holding my breath.
To answer your question Fiat Lux, I did indeed ask "someone in the know" and was told that Lisa Tucker was his campaign manager. But the person I asked is a reporter who covers the CA-11 race, and now that I've checked, I see that the reporter has never referred to Tucker as Filson's campaign manager in print.
It might be that, as you suggest, that Tucker is not working full-time on this race. In any event, my understanding is that insofar as Filson does have a campaign manager, that role is being fulfilled by Tucker.
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