Sinners Repent

Speaking of religion and politics: Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to "offset" the pollution he creates with carbon credits is sort of like the "Catholic Church practice of selling indulgences to sinners — an activity that prompted Martin Luther's rebellion and the start of the Protestant Reformation. Doling out these offsets like medieval friars is at least one for-profit company and several non-profit organizations."

Both Schwarzenegger, who appears on the April cover of Outside magazine, and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein have been criticized for their frequent use of private jets. They both have offered to purchase carbon offsets to make up for their pollution-spewing lifestyles. But this may do little more than assuage guilt, according to some experts. O'Donnell cites a report from The Netherlands-based Carbon Trade Watch (PDF):

"From flights, to four-wheel drives, to (gasoline), carbon offsets provide a false legitimacy to some of the most inherently unsustainable products and services on the market. What’s more, the costs of this purchasable legitimacy are often largely shunted onto the consumer, who effectively ends up paying for the greenwash. These companies also benefit because offset schemes place more of the focus on the consumers' responsibility for climate change—at the expense of examining the larger, systemic changes that we need to bring about in our industries and economies."

For many, the answer instead is the aggressive conservation of energy - stop using private jets, stop driving SUVs, turn off the lights, take a walk. O'Donnell concludes by saying: "For Feinstein and Schwarzenegger, let's appreciate that they've shown some policy leadership, but also wish that they provided slightly better role models for the rest of us."

(Photo: Reed Saxon / AP)

'Well, It Has Certainly Changed YOU'

The Times' Peter Nicholas witnessed a funny exchange between Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday. Schwarzenegger was wrapping up a visit to Washington D.C. when Feinstein peppered the governor with questions in front of the media. He writes in his story here:

Feinstein was asked about the governor's "post-partisan politics," his phrase for how Republicans and Democrats in Sacramento are hatching ideas in concert, rather than working at cross purposes.

"Post-partum politics?" Feinstein said, perplexed.

The discussion turned to Schwarzenegger's plans to strip state lawmakers of the power to draw congressional and legislative voting districts. [Snip.] Feinstein didn't know those details and seemed skeptical about the project.

"Who would do it?" she asked.

"The people of California would draw the district lines," the governor said.

Feinstein: "The people would draw? How many people?"

Schwarzenegger: "So it's going to be fun."

Feinstein laughed. "Oh, yes. I think I ought to study it some more."

Nicholas e-mailed Political Muscle later with another exchange at the end of Feinstein's meeting with the governor. The senator and Schwarzenegger started talking about Susan Kennedy, a former Feinstein aide who now works as the governor's chief of staff.

Feinstein: "You've got a great chief of staff." Looking at Kennedy. "There she is."

Schwarzenegger: "I know. I believe you have to have Democrats and Republicans working together on your team. You get different positions; you get the best of the best.''

Feinstein: "Well, it has certainly changed YOU!''

Schwarzenegger: "I didn't change. ... I just needed to learn a little bit more.''

(Photo: Associated Press, from 2003.)

Feinstein-Schwarzenegger Smackdown

Is it hot in here, or just global warming? Or maybe it's the slapfight between U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over environmental protections, with Democrat Feinstein taking the corporate Republican role and Republican Schwarzenegger taking the tree-hugging Democratic role, unless Feinstein is actually playing the part of traditional Democrat who gets lots of campaign contributions from utility companies or perhaps she's a Federalist who wants to protect her turf. I'm so confused.

In any case, Feinstein wants to exempt power companies from California's - that right, her home state's - global-warming regulations and hand them over to the federal government, currently run by the Bush administration. But Schwarzenegger - whose chief of staff, Susan Kennedy, is a Feinstein trainee - went nuclear on the senior senator until she backed down. Or did she? From the Times: "In an interview Wednesday, however, Feinstein did not rule out adding it back at some point. 'I want to take another look.' "

Just to make it really nasty, Feinstein's seatmate, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, introduced her own global-warming legislation that environmentalists called the gold standard. Who's "landmark" now?

Pelosi, Democrats Flock to Chair Schwarzenegger Inaugural

After leading the Democratic takeover of Congress, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco has agreed to serve as co-chair of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's inaugural. The governor is making a strenuous effort, despite complaints from Republicans, to include Democrats throughout his new administration. Former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, another Dem, has been asked to emcee the ceremonies Jan. 5 in Sacramento.

In October, Pelosi showed up at the debate between Schwarzenegger and Democrat Phil Angelides and attempted to show the "close connection" between the governor to the unpopular GOP president. Now, "bipartisanship" is the buzzword. In fact, seemingly the entire California Democratic Party power structure is joining Schwarzenegger. The list of inaugural co-chairs is neatly divided between Republicans and Democrats. A (partial) list of the well-known figures:

• Barbara Boxer, U.S. Senator (Democrat)
• Gray Davis, 37th Governor of California (Democrat)
• George Deukmejian, 35th Governor of California
• Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator (Democrat)
• Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco (Democrat)
• Fabian Nuñez, Speaker of the California State Assembly (Democrat)
• Pelosi (Democrat)
• Don Perata, President pro tem of the California State Senate (Democrat)
• Nancy Reagan, former First Lady of the U.S. and California
• George Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State
• Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles (Democrat)
• Pete Wilson, 36th Governor of California

(Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh /  EPA)

CNN Projects Feinstein Winner

CNN, only one second after the polls closed, declared U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein the winner against Republican Dick Mountjoy. I think they are safe on this one. Polls showed her with a wide lead for months.

Schwarzenegger, Feinstein Spliced Together For Bond Ad

An independent-expenditure group calling itself Bipartisans to Rebuild California is unveiling a new TV ad campaign tomorrow in which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein are "appearing." That's technically true.

This does not mean, however, that the Republican governor and the Democratic senator shared the same studio or participated in producing the new ad, which promotes $37 billion worth of infrastructure bonds on Tuesday's ballot.

The newly formed committee took separate footage of both Schwarzenegger and Feinstein endorsing the bonds, and put it together into one big "bipartisan" ad for Propositions 1A to 1E. Under federal campaign finance rules, Feinstein cannot participate in an independent expenditure campaign if she also appears on the ballot, which she does. Schwarzenegger also did not participate in producing the ad.

So state Treasurer Phil Angelides, who has been endorsed by Feinstein, can sleep tonight without wondering why the popular senior senator from California is sidling up to Schwarzenegger on the tube.

Who is paying for these ads? Bipartisans to Rebuild California includes representatives from the construction industry, city governments and unions, who in turn have raised money from individuals to pay for the TV ad campaign.

(Photos: Steve Yeater / AP; Reed Saxon / AP)

Dick Mountjoy: Pray For Me

For Republican Dick Mountjoy, the new Field Poll showing him 22 points behind U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is the kind of sorry news he has faced since challenging her.

But Mountjoy has one final campaign ploy: God.

In a recent letter to the Church of Mountjoy, the Republican candidate likened his situation to David and Goliath and asked his followers "to do a couple of things for me." Mountjoy, shown at right in photo, wrote supporters:

"Please read the following letter from Dr. James Dobson and put me on your prayer list. Then send a copy of the Dr. Dobson letter, with this note and a note from yourself, to others. Don't limit this note to just California. Please send it to people you know, as a prayer support throughout the nation.

"This will be the most important thing anyone can do in this election."

That's right — the most important thing anyone can do this election. His campaign also attached an endorsement letter from Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family and one of the most influential conservative Christians in the nation. Dobson — who called his endorsement "private" rather than from his tax-exempt nonprofit organization — said Mountjoy "not only believes in the biblical and constitutional values that have sustained this nation for more than two centuries, but he puts those convictions into action."

Only God can save him now.

(Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / AP)

Feinstein Cruelly Begins Campaign

You might think Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of power. But students of that dark art could see, in fact, that Schwarzenegger constantly emotes weakness. He apologizes for his mistakes. He changes his mind. He bends to Democrats, giving them most everything they want. He runs a campaign for governor so obsessive about every detail that he seems worried about something.

For real power in California, see Dianne Feinstein. The U.S. senator is the Momma Bear of California politics. When Steve Westly ran TV ads during the Democratic primary linking Phil Angelides to sludge dumping at Lake Tahoe, Feinstein put her paw down and declared Westly "dastardly." The end soon came for the controller.

These days, the coverage of the U.S. Senate race has engendered nothing but pity for the unfortunately named Dick Mountjoy, her Republican opponent, whose campaign photos come with their own helpful captions. Tim Hodson, executive director of the Center for California Studies at Cal State Sacramento, told the S.F. Chronicle today: "Dianne Feinstein hasn't started running for reelection yet because she doesn't have to."

But in a gratuitous act of cruelty to Mountjoy, Feinstein has indeed started running TV ads promoting her reelection campaign. One features Feinstein standing joyfully with her granddaughter, and another shows her exercising dominion over planet Earth. Why do anything? "First and foremost, she's on the ballot. She's running," said Kam Kuwata, her campaign manager, breaking the news.

Here is another point about the Feinstein ads: They bring out Feinstein Voters. And that could help Angelides, whose campaign has been struggling. (Feinstein and her husband, Dick Blum, also have donated $200,000 to the state Democratic Party this election.) In addition, the Proposition 87 campaign has been running a barrage of TV ads featuring former President Bill Clinton, another popular Democrat. His vice president, Al Gore, appears today in Berkeley for the initiative campaign.

Feinstein already has given Angelides the best advice of the campaign: "Don't let yourself smirk in between thoughts." Feinstein, Clinton and Gore can't win the election for Angelides. But in two weeks, Angelides will see if their presence in the 2006 California election helps lift his leaky ship.

(Photo: Benjamin Sklar / AP)