Bloomfield's Big Mistake

I had confronted the Bloomfield campaign's political director about one key issue, and his response did not provide the greatest calm.

Bloomfield was a registered Republican for years. In March 2011, he switched his party affiliation to "Decline to State". But he kept giving campaign donations to Republican candidates, even during the 2012 Presidential Primaries. Granted, he supported Romney during the early months of the GOP primary, then he switched to Huntsman toward the end of the GOP bashing as Romney drifted to the right -- at least according to the press -- but still, Bloomfield was putting money into a party whose views on taxes and social issues did not match with the Manhattan Beach native.

Like Romney's "47%" comment, Bloomfield's record of Republican donations dogged him throughout the remainder of his campaign.

When I shared my growing concerns about this issue, the campaign director told me that they had been thinking about this issue since the June Primary, that they knew that Henry Waxman would attack this issue, along with going after His wealth.

This was not the best answer I could have hoped for. Bloomfield and his consultants needed to think about this issue the moment that Bloomfield launched his campaign. He needed to stop the donations as soon as he even considered running for Congress or any other office against a Democrat.

The last thing that voters want is a mixed message, and Condoleeza Rice just imparted her opinion that the GOP gave a mixed message to the voters. They wanted to instill economic recovery, but the bankruptcy issues in the auto industry, the staggering losses which families are going through in this country, they want to hear a message which does not marginalize or diminish the voters.

Bloomfield did not conduct an unkind campaign. Despite his well-placed criticisms about Waxman's neglect of our veterans, or the special interest money that he received from Big Pharma, Bloomfield focused on hyperpartisanship and solving this nation's problems.

Still, the Independent himself admitted following the November 6th election that he should have divested himself completely from the Republican Party.

The voters in this district, in this country, do not want a mixed message. Some party leaders are all talk when it comes to cutting the spending, but they want to do it in way which does not provide a way our for people who are down and out, who still have issues that need to be addressed.

Bloomfield's Big Mistake: He did not leave the GOP permanently.