Hardball Beltway Consultants Could Radically Alter WGA Strike

After a lengthy dance by cell phone and e-mail, Fabiani ultimately declined to answer some straightforward questions: What do they see as the key issues? And, with all the Democratic presidential candidates honoring the strike — which has already caused the cancellation of the December 10 presidential debate in Los Angeles — why would two major Democratic consultants work for opponents of the union? And how seriously do they take the threat of Stern and other labor leaders to retaliate against them?

For their part, the writers have also brought in a pair of Democratic spin doctors — but their PR consultants boast a more extensive local background in California’s political wars. The writers’ spin doctors, Bill Carrick and Kam Kuwata, have guided the career of Senator Dianne Feinstein and have worked for a host of other leading Democrats and ballot measures in California and Los Angeles. They say they’ll help the Writers Guild for as long as it takes.

If the latest Gallup Poll for USA Today is any indication, Carrick and Kuwata have picked the easier job. Some 60 percent of Americans — at least those familiar with the strike — side with the writers over the studios. That’s a significant advantage, since the loser could easily be the side that is blamed — and pressured to back down — as popular shows go dark and the strike moves from the streets of Los Angeles to average Americans’ living rooms.