Kisses of death -- Yusef Robb and the Daily News

Uh oh. I now know that Hillary Clinton is doomed; Yusef Robb is working for her presidential campaign. Robb sent out a press release about a TV spot featuring actor Jack Nicholson endorsing Clinton. It's a great score to have this legendary tough guy on her side. Too bad she's also got a local kiss of death working for her.

No offense to Robb, who is actually one of the nicest and most decent press people ever to work in Los Angeles City Hall. He was press deputy to James Hahn and then worked on his failed re-election campaign against Antonio Villaraigosa. Robb might be a good press deputy but he has the misfortune to have worked for several losing campaigns from Gore 2000 to his current gig.

He's helped the "Yes on 87" campaign (oil tax to fund clean energy in California) lose in 2006. He worked with Controller Steve Westly's during his failed gubernatorial primary run against Phil Angelides earlier that year, who lost to Arnold, which makes it sort of a double whammy. He was speechwriter for recalled Gov. Gray Davis. I think he was also he also was an assistant coach for the patriots in this year's super bowl (Hah-that was Chris' joke; he may have pneumonia, but he's still cracking the one-liners)

Here he is outlining the benefits of Prop. 87

Not that the Daily News can throw stones about dooming campaigns. This editorial page too taken the side of more than a few loser candidates and initiatives -- including Prop. 87 and Steve Westly's gubernatorial campaign. We also came out on the side of plenty of other losers, such as John Kerry for president and Bob Hertzberg for mayor in 2005. We pushed for Valley secession, which failed, and against Measure S (the 2008 phone tax), which won, and too many other campaigns to list here.

The editorial board knew it was taking the side of the underdog in many of these case, but endorsed anyhow because we vote our collective principles, not odds. So perhaps Robb too picks his jobs not on who seems the best shot at winning, and thus helping out his career, but on his principles. In that case, it makes his career choices kind of honorable.

But too bad for Hillary. I think she's going down.