Molly Munger “truth slings” Jerry Brown

Oct. 11, 2012

By John Seiler

When good-government types decried “mudslinging” in political campaigns, the late journalist Mike Royko instead cheered what he called “truth slinging.”

That’s why I’m loving the “truth slinging” onslaught by lawyer Molly Brown against Gov. Jerry Brown and his Proposition 30 tax increase. She’s ticked off at him because he dissed her, and her Proposition 38 tax increase. Especially when he connived with the Legislature to put Prop. 30 on the top of the ballot, where voters are more likely to choose “Yea,” while plunking Prop. 38 down near the bottom, where voters are more likely to choose “Nea.”

There’s an old saying that applies to Brown this time out, and to much of his political career: “So smart, so smart — so dumb.” Meaning: you can outsmart yourself. Due to his long experience in California government, going back to when he was a child and his father was getting involved in politics 70 years ago, Brown knows the ins and outs of state government like nobody before or since.

But he’s not too keen on human nature, as in: Don’t tick people off too much. In his classic, “On War,” Sun Tzu even advised, “Don’t cut of your enemy’s path of retreat.” The aim of war, including political war, is victory, not humiliation and annihilation.

Her video follows. Given that I oppose all taxes, I’m happy to see her ad attacking Prop. 30. As the late Jackie Gleason liked to say, “How sweet it is!”