This post appeared in its original form back in the weeks leading up to the 2018 Congressional Primary in California's 49th District. Though we know the outcome of this race, it's of some public interest to see through time's window and revisit the methods used to elect Mike Levin back then, because even if the Congressman cruises through to re-election until a better opportunity beckons, it does matter how people are elected and the ethical compromises some elected officials make. Only a few changes from the original have been made, in order to address now dead links, formatting, and similar light maintenance chores. Enjoy.
I am looking forward to this being the last time I'll ever write about Michael Ted Levin. Though easily dismissed by his trolls and enablers as blind support for an opponent, my issue with Mendacious Mike is the moral hazard his campaign represents. The fact that people I care for are members of the "Levin Eleven," delegates is only part of the story. I have objected to the way he played the game since I first brought it up when he spoke at my local Democratic Club in early 2017.
My defense of his opponents has been driven by the fact that each has been the subject of a vile whisper campaign that is beneath unethical. Levin's campaign plateaued after he tried to throw out eleven progressive delegates in San Diego County. It's no accident that currently the two Democratic campaigns who have not gone negative are polling one and two. Ethics and concepts of decency matter little to his corporate Democratic supporters, as support of Michael Ted Levin requires the suspension of these values.
There are things that matter more than robotic loyalty to a candidate. I actually dealt with a Carlsbad school board member yesterday who supported letting Levin's bratty supporter's muscle 15-year-olds. That bullying should cause us to question his fitness for office, but in addition, her tolerance of bullying should cause questions about the board member's fitness too. In a campaign defined by appeals to strategic voting and who can raise the most cash, the "Levinites" never address the core issue. His campaign has made our collective skin crawl. Each day in our mailboxes we have Levin's swill, much of it from strange-sounding groups like "Californians for Personal Hygiene and Cute Pets. "
This mailer came from "Neighbors for a Better Congress".
Its website is http://www.neighborsbettercongress.com.
The website trumpets the discredited push poll funded by the "Fight Back California PAC", funded by major Mike Levin donor Ellen Tauscher (D-Bank of America). That's the poll that Mr. Levin trumpets as showing he was running second to Rocky Chavez, after defamatory candidate descriptions of his opponents. Here are the real numbers.
Looking at the donor and expenditures filings list we see the key to understanding the anatomy of "Neighbors for a Better Congress". It's inextricably linked to Mike Levin's campaign.
Another of the featured donors is the Oceanside Firefighters Association. One must ask how the firefighters like their dues money going to fund hit pieces on behalf of a trailing candidate? Another name on this list is Glen Dake who is a prolific donor to several Democrats including Michael Ted Levin. His FEC report is linked here. His company is GDML Holdings, a landscape architectural firm. The website is http://dakeluna.com/DakeLuna/home.html. One question to ask is if a firm that works with a union like the Carpenters Union could be doing some trade for reporting purposes with a firm of this nature, as a search of the firm's profile shows estimated annual receipts of $200,000.
A final donor is Real Estate Developer Michael Ray of Laguna Beach, whose musings are linked here. The article linked here speaks of the history of Sanderson Ray, which is the holding company for Michael and his brother Walker Ray. One interesting passage from this hagiography to "Walkie Ray" follows.: "Their company, Sanderson J. Ray Development, owns and manages more than 2 million square feet of commercial space, mostly in Orange County. “We’ve kind of lived off the droppings of the Irvine Co.,” Walkie Ray said."
Another beneficiary of the "droppings of the Irvine Company" is Michael Ted's wife, Christine Parker Levin, who was employed by the Irvine Company as a Director of Revenue Management and Property Manager until mid-2016.
MORE DROPPINGS
Another interesting exercise is to compare the stylistic similarities, right down to the font and Pantone color selection of the "Neighbors for a Better Congress" piece on Sara Jacobs above, and the Levin campaign's pieces on Doug Applegate. As noted we have already established the existence of this PAC as an advocate for Michael Ted Levin.
The most recent attack piece from the Levin Campaign again utilizes the unique graphic signature of "Levinism."
FINAL THOUGHTS
Every day we travel to our mailboxes and retrieve junk mail. Nothing seems new here at first glance, but it's the blatant nature of the poison that offends. Sara Jacobs is a good and decent woman, who is not telling people she is an "Environmental Attorney" while working for a company tied to Exxon. Sara Jacobs has been in the arena, spreading a message of engagement and empowerment for her generation of young women.
I remember the old story I heard about when JFK ran at age 29. Some old "crusty" worker yelled out to him, "I heard you never worked a day in your life." He paused and said, "You haven't missed a god damned thing." The Kennedy family also used to say to their kids, "To whom much is given, much is expected." Sara gets that concept and is embarking upon a career in public service as a response. Mike Levin is not in her league.
What Mike Levin has done to Doug Applegate is nothing short of trying to destroy a man and his children, because he feels entitled to a House seat. Doug Applegate served this country in a war zone when he could have avoided Iraq altogether. The only reason the seat interested Mike Levin to begin with is that Colonel Applegate almost knocked off the richest guy in Congress when nobody else ever came close. Colonel Applegate's ex-wife has stated repeatedly that it would be absurd to use his old divorce filings against him, and that she supports his campaign.
What we have seen in Mike Levin's campaign is an attempt to destroy this man as a human being, and to scar his children for life. And the last time anybody has checked, neither Doug Applegate nor Sara Jacobs has said a single petty, cruel, or vicious thing about anybody in this campaign. That alone better qualifies them both for Congress, and the right to associate with decent human beings. All you need to do is check your mailbox, to agree.
Mike Levin in contrast, is a figure with such ambitious amorality, that he is why Plato said that those who want power too badly should never be let near the corridors. And as far as that disclaimer, that this work product was "not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee, just check the FEC filing above. Mike Levin is a moral hazard, and most assuredly is responsible.
MANY BLESSINGS
NOEL
POSTSCRIPT
A few days after this piece appeared, I had the chance to appear on Lauren Steiner's "The Robust Opposition" webcast to discuss much of what we are discussing here. Here's the link to the show if you would like to learn more about the darkest local campaign of 2018.
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