Every week in one of the political science classes he teaches at the University of Southern California, my friend Dan Schnur throws a student Republican, a student Democrat, a Republican spokesman and a Democratic spokesman into a locked cage and throws away the key until the assembled class’s pizza runs out. Yesterday, the Republican spokesman was Jonathan Wilcox, a speechwriter for Pete Wilson when he was governor of California. For better or worse, the Democrats had me.

We weren’t there to advocate for specific candidates, although I couldn’t help agitating against Carly Failorina. The assigned topic was the U.S. Senate race in California, so it seemed like fair game: It’s a seat that Failorina — okay, “Fiorina” — is seeking. I find her candidacy especially galling, given her disastrous recent history: nearly destroying a storied American company (Hewlett Packard), and so poorly serving John McCain as a spokeswoman in 2008. I can’t imagine the basis for her campaign, unless we have a burning desire for more leaders drawn from the ranks of CEOs who jumped out with millions of dollars while their companies plummeted to the ground. (Although I was vastly entertained by her demon sheep campaign video. I hope she spent a lot of money — her own — on it.) Think I’m just a partisan standard bearer? Let’s hear from a Republican on the subject, one with the last name of Packard.

Wrote Arianna [Packard]: “I know a little bit about Carly Fiorina, having watched her almost destroy the company my grandfather founded. So, allow me to disillusion you of a few of your stated reasons for supporting her,” Arianna Packard wrote to Sens Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Tom Coburn, R-OK, and James Inhofe, R-OK.

“You write that she is a ‘proven business leader.’ This may be how she spins her career, but most business commentators consider Fiorina’s tenure at HP to be a disaster,” Packard writes.

That letter gladdens my heart. Although I did feel somewhat badly for the Republican student who took my bait after I linked “Fiorina” with “Failorina” — he then discoursed against the notion, repeating the word “failure” four times in four sentences with the name “Fiorina.” I pointed that out, and Dan pointed out that one of his upcoming classes teaches one to be careful about repeating the opponent’s talking points. That’s only a taste of what Barbara Boxer is going to do to La Failure should she get the nomination.

The Republican end of the table seemed to think that the Democrats in California are going to be in real trouble. Maybe. But it’s eight months until election day — an eternity in politics — and, as I said on the panel, you can’t beat somebody with nobody. Fiorina isn’t getting any traction in the Senate race. Re Meg Whitman, whom Jon compared to “Avatar” (as the biggest, best, and hardest to beat), well, I submit the video below. If you can’t work your own press event, how well are you going to do when Jerry Brown shows up and asks you real questions? That’s a debate I’m looking forward to watching.

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