Who is defining the issues?

VPO and I have been using different examples to make the same point. This is a difficult election and, in the words of George Lakoff, you have to be the one who frames the issues. At this, Pombo is clearly winning right now. Even this blog is not doing a very good job of framing the issues that differentiate Filson and McNerney other than the incessant back and forth bickering over grassroots vs. imposed by the DCCC.

When Pombo puts out a press release concerning supporting a Vetereans issue, he scores points. Someone needs to take those points off the board.

I am not sure why Filson, the self proclaimed veteran in this race, does not have letters to the editor in all of the newpapers in the area focusing on Pombo's failures to support disabled vetereans. It appears that this veteran has deserted his post. Maybe he should be pointing this out to every American Legion and Disbled American Vets chapter in the district. Take the battle to Pombo's territory.

When Pombo brings a congressional committee out to Stockton to talk about the status of the delta smelt, he shows interest in one of the most important local issues in California and, because there is an environmental concern, maybe blunts some of the anti-environmental arguemets. Someone needs to be telling the truth about Congressional Failures at finding a solution.

Pombo has an automatic advantage in that he can get in the press almost anytime that he wants to just by manipulating the timing of events. It takes work to overcome that. I come back to the question as to why it takes VPO and I to dig out these issues and to bring them to the attention of everyone. Both of us have other things to do with our lives and this is not full time.