‘Tis the Season for Political Mailers, Again

Every day since June 8 – the date of the California primary – I have been disappointed.

Not for the obvious reasons, such as the fact that Recovery Summer failed to produce a recovery and/or a summer in San Diego, but because of something trivial that someone who is not a political junkie would not understand.

I stopped receiving those glossy two-sided pieces of entertainment known as campaign mailers.

As some Rostrafarians may recall, my mailbox was literally overflowing with these things just a few months ago. By the end of the primary season, I had received over 70 items of mail – with the largest percentage coming from the Lorie Zapf campaign and the Lincoln Club (Zapf supporters).

Well, 41 days out from the general election, my luck changed and the mail carrier delivered not one but two mailers.

The first one is an oversized mailer from the CA Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Action Committee PAC. They are advocating No on Proposition 25 and Yes on Proposition 26.

Prop 25, “Means higher taxes, more deficits, no accountability for politicians and more wasteful spending,” and Prop 26, “stops the politicians from raising hidden taxes,” they state. As far as Prop mailers are concerned, I would say that it is a pretty standard piece with lots of text and quotes. One item of note was a pre-paid postcard that was included for voters to return to Stop Hidden Taxes.

The second piece is far more interesting, and in my opinion, the official start of a mail campaign that is without a doubt going to get nasty.

It is an attack piece on Lorie Zapf and focuses solely on an email exchange she had in 2006 with James Hartline. They placed three quotes from this exchange in what I would describe as alto-cumulus clouds and positioned them around a picture of her below the headline: If you don’t like where Lorie Zapf stands, just wait a few minutes….

On the reverse side, there is a picture of her and Councilman Carl DeMaio placed next to a header that reads, “Lorie Zapf: Another Politician as Changeable as the Weather.”

Then there are three paragraphs that describe her as a “hypocritical politician.” They proclaim that she, “told anti-gay crusader James Hartline she didn’t believe homosexuals should hold public office. She even went so far as to tell Hartline she “liked” that he was trying to keep homosexuals and homosexual activities out of public office…” The piece then brings in Councilman DeMaio and notes that he is gay and that Zapf apologized for her statements only to receive his endorsement. The piece comes full circle with a reference to the weather and describes her as going from cloudy to sunny. The end tagline is, “DON’T GET ZAPF’D. THE LAST THING WE NEED IS ANOTHER HYPOCRITICAL POLITICIAN.”

It was paid for by San Diego Works! (exclamation point is part of their name, not added for emphasis), a political action committee sponsored by the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

To be honest, my jaw dropped slightly when I read the piece. I expected something like this to come my way but the fact that this was the first candidate centered piece I received is worrisome.

At least in my neighborhood, the the labor union was first to draw blood. Whether or not this issue will resonate with voters is to be determined. However, the piece will certainly make a first impression with your standard voter, and as we all know, first impressions are often lasting.