New Blog Takes Aim At Tom Harman

A new blog has been launched called Harman Watch. As readers might imagine, it's "dedicated to tracking the actions of Senator Tom Harman," in the words of blog founder Josh Barnett:

My premise is simple: Harman has been acting awfully strange lately, and I don't believe for a second that it's because of a genuine change of heart or coming around to new points of view. Rather, it's much more cynical - he's trying to stave off a potential Primary election challenger, so that he can spend his final 4 years in office going back to being his old (liberal) self.

Barnett starts with the OCYR's holding off on endorsing the currently unopposed Harman for re-election, slams the Senator in a Huntington Beach Independent op-ed on the issue of prison over-crowding, and delves into his campaign finances.

Successful blogging requires persistence and frequency. We'll keep on eye on Harman Watch to see if it keeps at it.

Comments

[OCGOP]

This is just sour grapes by Barnett. He worked for Mike McGill and blames Harman's wife for Mike's loss. He should blame the OC GOP machinery which backed Silva instead of the more conservative McGill.

[The Guru]

Barnett doesn't even live in Orange County. Why is a guy from Whitter concerned with OC politics. Josh needs to worry about getting Republicans elected in LA County. Orange County is doing just fine without him.

Who cares about Barnett, he is not at issue here, I'm more interested in the difference in the stories about Harman here.

Over at the Buzz in the OC Register, Coronado Communications' spokeshole says they hired Diane Harman to attend parties for over $10,000 while the same spokeshole told the L.A. Times reporter that Diane worked on campaigns. Which reporter did the spokeshole lie to? And why? That's the issue.

[NeoCon]

I just read both posts and it doesn't say anything about atteding parties. What are you talking in about?

From the O.C. Register's BUZZ:

"Jacobs said Coronado hired Dianne for the last six months of 2006 to monitor Orange County’s political scene — go to parties and listen, that sort of thing. Her salary was reported as more than $10,000 on the senator’s financial disclosure form."

From the L.A. Times in August:

“…Dianne Harman's work for the firm was for other political candidates, not her husband.”

Which was it?

It's always the coverup, not the crime.

[One Who Knows]

Hey 8:48-

I understand that $10,000 over a six-month period sounds like a lot of money to a young, anonymous blogger still wearing his Spiderman pajamas while banging out blogging posts, but please...spare us the faux outrage.

There is nothing inconsistent with the two articles you cite. The first one, BTW, is NOT a direct quote but is simply the reporter's interpretation of what Jacobs was saying. I doubt that the second article was a direct quote either. Once again it probably was just the reporter's interpretation of what was said.

Nevertheless, the two positions are NOT inconsistent. According to the two articles, Mrs. Harman was paid the handsome sum of $10,000 over a six-month period to represent Coronado Communications in Orange County regarding races other than her husband's.

So what.

After having lived through months, and months of Diane Harkey bashing, are we now about to be subjected to the same crazy trash talk regarding Senator Harman and his wife?

I hope not.

[Fred B.]

One who knows, I think 8:48 has a valid point, even if they are still wearing Spiderman pj's. I had to fill out a Form 700 once. If you look at a Form 700 Statement of Economic Interests, you will see that Schedule C, Income, Loans and Business Positions, has a box for income from "$10,001 to $100,000". This is the box Harman checked for his wife's income from his campaign consultant. Up to $100,000 is a lot of dough. Now, the campaign consultant said they only paid Harman's wife a little over $10,000, but until they release wage and earnings statements like a W-2 or a 1099, we do not really know what she was paid, do we? That leaves open the question of how much she was paid and for doing what? It is not like Harman's wife is known as a campaign expert.