I think Bustamante may be off to a bad start

saw coverage of a speech he made today on the local news, and I really think his message needs a major retooling.

First off, his campaign slogan: "Tough Love for California." This connotes sacrifice which, like it or not, turns most people off. They want sweet, little lies, or at least palatable spins on the truth. Also, it sounds pedantic and, dare I say it, distinctly un-Californian.

Secondly, the wording he used for his tax=breakdown argument: "The well-off must pay their fair share, the poor must pay SOMETHING, and the people in the middle can't be crushed by (I think his specific was car-registration fees)."

A fair enough sentiment, and playing to the middle class like that was probably generally wise (apparently, ther vast majority of people like to consider themselves middle-class, even if they're far from it on either side of the spectrum). However, the wording he used is probably going to get him creamed. The inflection he used for "something" made it sound very much like the poor will be expected to pay only some token amount, and not particularly based on their income. Wouldn't saying, "Everyone must pay their fair share" have sufficed, and not make it sound like he was drawing up plans for class warfare?

I duno, maybe he'll polish his presentation in the weeks to come, but what I saw and heard today made me nervous.