Extra Fizz: Cola Founder, OMG!Sandeep Writer, Co-Launches Consulting Firm

Wow! That is quite a team!

Wow! That is quite a team!

Kelly Evans is awesome!

Kelly Evans is overrated.

Kelly Evans is overrated.

I like their website: http://www.soundviewstrategies.biz

I like their website: http://www.soundviewstrategies.biz

@ 3 – I would say Sandeep and Tracy are overrated and lucky to have hitched their wagons to Kelly. Esp. Tracy who did a super job pissing off Dow contributers.

@ 3 – I would say Sandeep and Tracy are overrated and lucky to have hitched their wagons to Kelly. Esp. Tracy who did a super job pissing off Dow contributers.

Kelly Evans is in a league with Cindi Laws. Hacks through and through. She’s entirely focused on making a dollar and not doing good work. Let’s not forget RTID. She was splitting time between Simple Majority and RTID to the detriment of both campaigns. The problem was so acute that a condition was placed on her role in the Gov.’s reelection campaign that she not take on other work. She is probably the biggest hack in the Northwest.

Dan is talented as hell and produces the best TV in this neck of the woods. He’s a real talent. Was there a falling out with Ele’s brother or something? Seems strange that he would leave his existing firm.

Sandeep is vapid and overrated. He’s made his nut on ez campaigns and is well-regarded only because he’s managed to cozy up to Democratic political money. He’s also a hack, imo, much more interested in pulling down cash than winning.

I don’t know Tracy that well but can confirm she did alienate Constantine contributors, me being one of them.

It’s a real shame that Dan is throwing his lot in with this group. He has the only national level talent amongst the group and I would be concerned that saddling himself with hacks like Kelly Evans will hold him back.

Josh, question for you:

Will this company be up for state contracts? It would seem to me they would be at an unfair advantage given their close ties with the Governor. I mean REALLY close ties with the Governor. Aren’t Kelly Evans and Tracy Newman on the 2012 Gregoire Campaign payroll?

And #5, how did Tracy Newman piss of Dow donors?

Kelly Evans is in a league with Cindi Laws. Hacks through and through. She’s entirely focused on making a dollar and not doing good work. Let’s not forget RTID. She was splitting time between Simple Majority and RTID to the detriment of both campaigns. The problem was so acute that a condition was placed on her role in the Gov.’s reelection campaign that she not take on other work. She is probably the biggest hack in the Northwest.

Dan is talented as hell and produces the best TV in this neck of the woods. He’s a real talent. Was there a falling out with Ele’s brother or something? Seems strange that he would leave his existing firm.

Sandeep is vapid and overrated. He’s made his nut on ez campaigns and is well-regarded only because he’s managed to cozy up to Democratic political money. He’s also a hack, imo, much more interested in pulling down cash than winning.

I don’t know Tracy that well but can confirm she did alienate Constantine contributors, me being one of them.

It’s a real shame that Dan is throwing his lot in with this group. He has the only national level talent amongst the group and I would be concerned that saddling himself with hacks like Kelly Evans will hold him back.

Josh, question for you:

Will this company be up for state contracts? It would seem to me they would be at an unfair advantage given their close ties with the Governor. I mean REALLY close ties with the Governor. Aren’t Kelly Evans and Tracy Newman on the 2012 Gregoire Campaign payroll?

And #5, how did Tracy Newman piss of Dow donors?

@7 Mais bien sur. And county contracts aussi.

@7 Mais bien sur. And county contracts aussi.

@6 – That is silly. Political consultants take on more than one campaign at a time all the time! Wyble ran Ross Hunter, David Bloom etc. Sinderman ran Dow, Bagshaw, etc. etc. They do it all the time. Often it has to do with how much they are being contracted to do. Clearly the Gov wanted ALL of Kelly’stime and paid for it. Lucky for the Governor that paid off.

@6 – That is silly. Political consultants take on more than one campaign at a time all the time! Wyble ran Ross Hunter, David Bloom etc. Sinderman ran Dow, Bagshaw, etc. etc. They do it all the time. Often it has to do with how much they are being contracted to do. Clearly the Gov wanted ALL of Kelly’stime and paid for it. Lucky for the Governor that paid off.

@6 I’m pretty sure Sandeep has not made his money soley on easy campaigns. He worked for Nickels. The standard wisdom may have been that Nickels was a lock but inside the Nickels circle they knew he was in trouble. He worked with Darcy Burner (way over her head). It’s always good to base an opinion on information.

@6 I’m pretty sure Sandeep has not made his money soley on easy campaigns. He worked for Nickels. The standard wisdom may have been that Nickels was a lock but inside the Nickels circle they knew he was in trouble. He worked with Darcy Burner (way over her head). It’s always good to base an opinion on information.

@ 6 WTF are you talking about?

Kelly Evans is smart, sassy and connected. She is the reason we don’t have a Gov. Rossi. She’s got real cred with women’s groups and beat back I-933 for the enviros a few years back. If you knew anything about running campaigns, you’d know that running the most high profile governor’s race in the country takes working 20 hours a day — you don’t have time to take on multiple clients.

Sandeep is smart, equally as sassy and fun to drink with, so p*ss off. Simpletons can call a well run campaign “easy” after it is won. No one knew Dow was going to blow the field away in the primary and crush the Hutch. Dow made it look easy because he had a good campaign with stellar staff.

Dan and Tracy are awesome too.

Good luck with the new firm, all. I wish you continued success kicking a**.

@ 6 WTF are you talking about?

Kelly Evans is smart, sassy and connected. She is the reason we don’t have a Gov. Rossi. She’s got real cred with women’s groups and beat back I-933 for the enviros a few years back. If you knew anything about running campaigns, you’d know that running the most high profile governor’s race in the country takes working 20 hours a day — you don’t have time to take on multiple clients.

Sandeep is smart, equally as sassy and fun to drink with, so p*ss off. Simpletons can call a well run campaign “easy” after it is won. No one knew Dow was going to blow the field away in the primary and crush the Hutch. Dow made it look easy because he had a good campaign with stellar staff.

Dan and Tracy are awesome too.

Good luck with the new firm, all. I wish you continued success kicking a**.

Congratulations on your new venture. Change is good.

Congratulations on your new venture. Change is good.

@9 If you were an insider you would know that Kelly has a reputation for taking on too much work and campaigns suffer. I will agree that the Gov paid for her time. A $90k win bonus for her and $50k bonuses for deputies on that campaign is the reason I won’t give to any campaigns she works on again.

@10 Everyone knows that Sandeep’s electoral record is poor at best. I think it’s unfair to say Darcy was over her head and shift the blame from Sandeep and others who provided the technical expertise. She was hard-working and folks at the DNC know that with better counsel she would have beaten a weak R like Reichert.

@11 Kelly? I’ll grant you that she is connected. To say that we would have Gov. Rossi without her involvement is pure hyperbole and takes away from the exceptional amount of work that PCO’s union member and advocates did on the ground.

I would say that Kelly’s involvement hurt the campaign more than it helped. She only runs westside campaigns, even in statewide races. There were a lot a questions about her decision to put a skeleton crew east of the Cascades. It certainly left votes in the field and alienated many party activists.

If by “sassy” you mean rude and detached then I’ll agree with you. She has a long history of leaving campaign staffers bitter at her absenteeism and outright rudeness. Kelly also carries some well-known grudges that don’t bear mentioning here.

Being fun to drink with doesn’t make Sandeep any better. It is part of his marketable mythos and I laugh every time I see it referenced. I’m not saying Sandeep isn’t engaging and fun; he is. We’re not talking about that. Dow was the safest race to work on last cycle, period. Anyone who claims that Susan had a chance is not very savvy politically.

@9 If you were an insider you would know that Kelly has a reputation for taking on too much work and campaigns suffer. I will agree that the Gov paid for her time. A $90k win bonus for her and $50k bonuses for deputies on that campaign is the reason I won’t give to any campaigns she works on again.

@10 Everyone knows that Sandeep’s electoral record is poor at best. I think it’s unfair to say Darcy was over her head and shift the blame from Sandeep and others who provided the technical expertise. She was hard-working and folks at the DNC know that with better counsel she would have beaten a weak R like Reichert.

@11 Kelly? I’ll grant you that she is connected. To say that we would have Gov. Rossi without her involvement is pure hyperbole and takes away from the exceptional amount of work that PCO’s union member and advocates did on the ground.

I would say that Kelly’s involvement hurt the campaign more than it helped. She only runs westside campaigns, even in statewide races. There were a lot a questions about her decision to put a skeleton crew east of the Cascades. It certainly left votes in the field and alienated many party activists.

If by “sassy” you mean rude and detached then I’ll agree with you. She has a long history of leaving campaign staffers bitter at her absenteeism and outright rudeness. Kelly also carries some well-known grudges that don’t bear mentioning here.

Being fun to drink with doesn’t make Sandeep any better. It is part of his marketable mythos and I laugh every time I see it referenced. I’m not saying Sandeep isn’t engaging and fun; he is. We’re not talking about that. Dow was the safest race to work on last cycle, period. Anyone who claims that Susan had a chance is not very savvy politically.

With democrats firmly in control in Washington State and Darth Nickels on his way out whose ass is the new firm going to kick ? Maybe the next batch of clients is local carbon producing businesses trying to figure out how to operate under new E.P.A standards. Should also be alot of work in helping organizations like W.E.A compete for more and more of a smaller piece of pie.

With democrats firmly in control in Washington State and Darth Nickels on his way out whose ass is the new firm going to kick ? Maybe the next batch of clients is local carbon producing businesses trying to figure out how to operate under new E.P.A standards. Should also be alot of work in helping organizations like W.E.A compete for more and more of a smaller piece of pie.

Whoa. She seriously got a $90K bonus? That’s … disgusting.

Whoa. She seriously got a $90K bonus? That’s … disgusting.

ANOTHER campaign consulting firm? Just what we need. (I can’t even keep track of who’s who among the current firms…)

ANOTHER campaign consulting firm? Just what we need. (I can’t even keep track of who’s who among the current firms…)

@ 11:

No one knew Dow was going to blow the field away in the primary and crush the Hutch. Dow made it look easy because he had a good campaign with stellar staff.

Those of us on the ground knew. Dow won like he did because he ran a grass-roots campaign staffed mostly by volunteers who knew him, and who put the boots on the ground all over the county.

Paid staff was just fine, but was not close to being the primary factor. You could have plugged any paid staff in, and the result would have been the same.

The Constantine campaign was one of the best bottom-up campaigns I have seen around here in a long time. McGinn’s field operation was pretty good, but Dow’s dwarfed it in magnitude and effectiveness.

@ 11:

No one knew Dow was going to blow the field away in the primary and crush the Hutch. Dow made it look easy because he had a good campaign with stellar staff.

Those of us on the ground knew. Dow won like he did because he ran a grass-roots campaign staffed mostly by volunteers who knew him, and who put the boots on the ground all over the county.

Paid staff was just fine, but was not close to being the primary factor. You could have plugged any paid staff in, and the result would have been the same.

The Constantine campaign was one of the best bottom-up campaigns I have seen around here in a long time. McGinn’s field operation was pretty good, but Dow’s dwarfed it in magnitude and effectiveness.

@13 It’s ridiculous to call Darcy Burner a strong candidate. She had no track record (community association president?) and lacked the common sense not to embellish an education that already included a degree from Harvard. Her opponent has a two year degree. Sandeep didn’t do that. Your assertion that Reichert is a weak candiate is balderdash. You may think he isn’t all that sharp but voters trust and like him and that’s a perfect recipe for getting elected.

@13 It’s ridiculous to call Darcy Burner a strong candidate. She had no track record (community association president?) and lacked the common sense not to embellish an education that already included a degree from Harvard. Her opponent has a two year degree. Sandeep didn’t do that. Your assertion that Reichert is a weak candiate is balderdash. You may think he isn’t all that sharp but voters trust and like him and that’s a perfect recipe for getting elected.

Good point @ #7. Can they legally bid for state contracts and take a paycheck from Governor at the same time?

And yikes, there’s that bonus for 2008. I’m showing $62k, but I think that’s after taxes. Good to know donations were spent well.

Good point @ #7. Can they legally bid for state contracts and take a paycheck from Governor at the same time?

And yikes, there’s that bonus for 2008. I’m showing $62k, but I think that’s after taxes. Good to know donations were spent well.

How many campaigns has Kelly Evans won when Barack Obama wasn’t been running for President?

How many campaigns has Kelly Evans won when Barack Obama wasn’t been running for President?

@18 If you read carefully you’ll see I described Burner as “hard-working”. That’s the basic component of a successful candidate. It is up to the “experts”, like Sandeep, to craft a winning campaign. The issue you raise of Darcy embellishing her education bona fides actually makes my point. A good consultant is a student of history and works to ensure the candidate doesn’t make basic mistakes. Many other candidates have been dragged through the mud for the crime of over-inflated education credentials. It was his job to ask the hard questions and be absolutely sure that all public information is accurate. It’s a rookie mistake by a non-rookie.

@2o The million dollar question.

@18 If you read carefully you’ll see I described Burner as “hard-working”. That’s the basic component of a successful candidate. It is up to the “experts”, like Sandeep, to craft a winning campaign. The issue you raise of Darcy embellishing her education bona fides actually makes my point. A good consultant is a student of history and works to ensure the candidate doesn’t make basic mistakes. Many other candidates have been dragged through the mud for the crime of over-inflated education credentials. It was his job to ask the hard questions and be absolutely sure that all public information is accurate. It’s a rookie mistake by a non-rookie.

@2o The million dollar question.

@ 6 + 18. Looks like Cathy Allen is trying to occupy her free time. Must be pretty quiet in the office…don’t worry, there will be plenty of Republicans who don’t know any better next year.

@ 6 + 18. Looks like Cathy Allen is trying to occupy her free time. Must be pretty quiet in the office…don’t worry, there will be plenty of Republicans who don’t know any better next year.

@21 Your point was that Sandeep “made his nut” on easy campaigns. My point: that is not true. He knew going in Nickels and Burner were long shots. They were not “easy” camopaigns nor do they make your point. You cannot control what a candidate says off the cuff (“I give the city a ‘B’”).

As for “hardworking” being a basic component of a successful candidate. That’s true but it’s hardly a sufficient component. It was remarkable that she got as close as she did. When you examined her closely all you saw was good intentions. Nothing else.

@21 Your point was that Sandeep “made his nut” on easy campaigns. My point: that is not true. He knew going in Nickels and Burner were long shots. They were not “easy” camopaigns nor do they make your point. You cannot control what a candidate says off the cuff (“I give the city a ‘B’”).

As for “hardworking” being a basic component of a successful candidate. That’s true but it’s hardly a sufficient component. It was remarkable that she got as close as she did. When you examined her closely all you saw was good intentions. Nothing else.

@22 I’m not Cathy Allen.

@23 Try reading comments before responding. Normally I have patience for amateurs who want to talk politics but you are embarrassingly overconfident in your perspective so I’m just going to ignore you. Try lurking more often then posting.

@22 I’m not Cathy Allen.

@23 Try reading comments before responding. Normally I have patience for amateurs who want to talk politics but you are embarrassingly overconfident in your perspective so I’m just going to ignore you. Try lurking more often then posting.

McGinn won by turning out his anti-tunnel base for early vote and then turning around and supporting the tunnel once they couldn’t vote against him anymore to get the difference.

That’s straight from the McGinn staff.

McGinn won by turning out his anti-tunnel base for early vote and then turning around and supporting the tunnel once they couldn’t vote against him anymore to get the difference.

That’s straight from the McGinn staff.

@24 That’s not a response. That’s an ad hominem attack. Get over it. You don’t know me and you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.

@24 That’s not a response. That’s an ad hominem attack. Get over it. You don’t know me and you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.

Consultants are the ticks on our body politic.

Consultants are the ticks on our body politic.

Kelly Evans is awesome!