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Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

Loose Lips: Campaign is already interesting

It's gonna be a real contest.

Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, will be challenged in his 2010 bid for re-election, providing a year's worth of fodder for this column.

Just last week Lips heard people suggesting he may not even run. His press rep scotched that rumor and suggested we look beyond the beauty parlor for our tips.

Though that one proved false, the sentiment against Cardoza is galvanizing, if only into aluminum foil.

A couple of secret meetings to vent about him were held in Merced and Modesto in the past month or so.

Now there's a rather obscure Republican challenger preparing for next year's election. Mike Berryhill, a Turlock Irrigation District board member, announced his candidacy Monday. Just last year, Cardoza ran unopposed.

Does Berryhill stand a chance? Perhaps not. His endorsement page online is empty. Will he make Cardoza take the race seriously? Please make checks payable to "Friends of Cardoza."

We figure much depends on the country's sentiment next year. Will Merced recover? Will Dems still be in favor?

Earlier in the week, Cardoza was tromping around the district with Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, who also happens to be the most powerful person in the House after Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco.

Hoyer ran the show during an editorial board with the Sun-Star and The Modesto Bee. Cardoza, for the most part, stuck to his talking points, even pulling out his oft-used Katrina analogy to describe Merced's foreclosure woes.

Come next year, Berryhill will be the one hoping to kick Cardoza out of the House.

Ivory tower throw-down

It always seems like family spats boil to the surface when guests are around.

Last week, there was an argument over which school is better -- UC Merced or Merced College.

Juan Sepúlveda, director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, was explaining his program and identified Ben Duran as UC Merced's president.

Before he could start the next sentence, a man interrupted to say that Duran was president of Merced College.

Sepúlveda, embarrassed, apologized for the gaffe and praised community colleges. Just as the awkward moment was concluding, another man emphasized UC Merced's importance to the area and pointed out its chancellor, Steve Kang, who was at the meeting.

If the schools went head-to-head, we'd have to take the community college. Its student body is more than twice as large as the university and has a vast alumni network.

But like any parent with two kids, can't we just love them equally? And at least wait until the company leaves before we start arguing?

Loose Lips can be reached at editor@mercedsun-star.com.