Tag Archives: Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton and California Exceptionalism

PhotobucketBill Clinton made his campaign stops for Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom, and the news was overwhelmingly positive.  Good press followed wherever he went, and people even waited in the rain to hear him stump for Mike Thompson in Napa:

Hundreds of hopeful fans waited for hours in the rain for the chance to hear Clinton speak at the historic Uptown Theater. Just minutes after its doors opened, the venue was packed with 850 people.

“It may be raining outside, but the sun’s shining in here,” Clinton said as the crowd cheered.

Clinton’s campaign stop in Napa was his 83rd this season, he said, in an election where anger against incumbents is motivating Republicans and tea party supporters.

Like a pastor before a devoted congregation, Clinton captivated the crowd inside the theater for nearly an hour, and challenged the idea that there was an “enthusiasm gap” between energized Republicans and apathetic Democrats.(Santa Rosa P-D)

California has always been something of an outlier. And who knows how Democrats may fare across the nation, but in California, things are looking fairly good. Brown and Boxer’s numbers are strong as their opponents have been unmasked as far too conservative for the state. As voters tune in, Carly and Meg lose them.

That is not to say that there isn’t a lot of work left.  We need to work every day until 8pm on November 2 to make sure that every possible vote makes it through the door.  This is the word of Bill Clinton as he traveled the state. And I think that is the right message for California right now. We just cannot afford Whitman or Fiorina in office.

Bill Clinton’s Swing Through California

President Clinton is going to be making a swing through California to do some fundraisers and a pair of rallies for Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown.  The CDP has the deets on the two rallies, and you can sign up at:

www.cadem.org/ClintonVote2010Rallies

Let’s get together to make some noise and spread the word about how important it is that every Democrat vote. Whether you vote by mail this month or if you come out to the polls on November 2 – we need your vote.

LOS ANGELES

Friday, October 15 – Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

UCLA – Dickson Court (outdoor location), Charles E. Young Drive and Dickson Court, Los Angeles, 90084

SAN JOSE

Sunday, October 17 – Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

San Jose State University – Event Center (indoor arena), 290 South 7th Street, San José, 95192

The Big Dog always makes for an entertaining evening, so be sure to sign up ASAP! Bonus good seats if you make some phone calls beforehand.

CA-10: President Clinton Tells Bay Area Crowd: “Send Garamendi to Congress”

Last Tuesday, I had one of those days we treasure for life. I had the honor of receiving a public endorsement from President Bill Clinton at a rally with hundreds of enthusiastic Bay Area supporters at the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco.

The crowd was enthusiastic attentive, and the issues discussed far ranging – from solving the healthcare crisis to stabilizing our economy to slowing the ravages of climate change to creating high quality, middle-class jobs.

It’s impossible to upstage the former President, and I won’t try. Below are excerpts of his wonderful speech. CBS 5 has partial video.  

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON:

“I was thinking today as I was driving down here of so many things of the extent to which my life has been intertwined for the last 18 years with the Garamendi family.

“You heard John say that he and Patti served with great distinction. He was the Deputy Secretary of the Interior where he worked on everything from climate change to resolving water disputes in California, and he did a superb job of everything. And Patti at the Peace Corps, where we began what has now been an unbroken strain of bringing back the Peace Corps. Bringing more people back into it, going into more countries. …

“This world has been pretty good to us. But on the other hand, California has the 4th highest unemployment rate in the country; Compton was ground zero of the earthquake of home mortgage foreclosures even before the failure of Lehman Brothers and the financial collapse. On September 15th, 2008, the day that Lehman Brothers collapsed, before that happened, already two-thirds of the American people were actually worse off than the day I left office. Little known fact. The median income after inflation was $2000 lower on September 15, 2008, than the day I left the presidency. And health costs after inflation had doubled. College costs after inflation have gone up 75 percent. … We can’t go on for eight more years where nobody gets a raise.” …

More over the flip…

“I’m here because I love John …  I’m here for him because I think he’s good on the issues that will determine the future of California and the future of America. …

“If I didn’t know John Garamendi, but I know what I knew about America. And I was living up here thinking about how to bring Northern California back, and bring the state back, and bring the country back, and what we’re supposed to do for our world, I’d be at this rally to support him. And I’m glad you’re here, and you need to talk about it. …

“We’re not coming back until we make up our mind that we’re going to stop spotting our competitors. John alluded to this. You go look at the numbers. If we’re right now at about 17 percent of gross domestic product on health care, and ranked 36th in health outcomes – Columbia is 22nd. They spend five percent of their income on health care. So we’re spending 17 percent on health care, give or take. No one is else is more than 11.5 percent … Every other wealthy country. …

“We are spotting every American competitor $900 billion a year. That is, we are spending $900 billion a year on health care we would not be spending if we had any other system. … We cannot afford to spot our competitors $900 billion a year, when we don’t even insure everybody. We can’t tell the people who do have insurance their situation is secure. And we’re not delivering better results. …

“It’s almost as if a lot of these people who went to the town hall meetings and berated our Congressmen are saying, “Here’s what we want you to do. We want you to impose on all of us a $900 billion tax. And then we would like you – when we pay – we want you to convert it all to cash, and wheelbarrow it out to the mall on Washington DC, and show it to all of us on national television, so we can see what $900 billion looks like. Then put kerosene on it and burn it, because we ain’t getting nothin’ for it.” …

“I don’t understand how people can say the worst thing we can do is something and the best thing we can do is nothing. This is killing our country, folks. I know something about economics. I hope I have a little bit of economic credibility with you. So never mind if your heart doesn’t ache for the people who don’t have insurance. Never mind if you’re not worried sick that your neighbor’s whole family could lose their insurance next week. Never mind all that. Just be cold blooded about it. This is the dumbest economic policy the United State could pursue, and if you want to change it, send John Garamendi to Congress,” President Bill Clinton said.

# # #

Once again, I would like to thank President Clinton for his heartfelt endorsement. I am proud to call the former President a friend and mentor. Thank you also to all the volunteers and staff who helped put on this amazing event. Our campaign will be successful because supporters like you took nothing for granted. Our field operation is in full swing, and with voters already receiving their vote-by-mail ballots, we are in a critical moment of our campaign. Thousands of your friends and neighbors will soon cast ballots – some already have. If you’d be interested in volunteering (remote phone banking is available), please visit our volunteer page for more information.

California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi has spent more than three decades of public service fighting for green jobs and affordable health care as a state legislator and State insurance Commissioner. Featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, and NPR, he has been a passionate advocate for the public option in federal health care reform. Vote by mail has already begun for our November 3rd election, and the stakes are high. Please visit http://www.garamendi.org for more information on Garamendi for Congress.

Bill Clinton’s California Swing with Newsom and Garamendi

Bill Clinton is making his California swing today and tomorrow. Today, he’s doing his events in support of Gavin Newsom’s camapaign for governor.  Although, article titles like “Clinton lends shine to lusterless Calif. campaign” aren’t what you generally like to see.

Anyway, his events for Newsom were this afternoon at LACC and at a private location for a fundraiser.  UPDATE: Here’s the video of the LACC event with Sen. Alex Padilla, the President, and Mayor Newsom.

The 42nd President will also appear with Lt. Governor John Garamendi in support of his CA-10 campaign. Unfortunately for Garamendi, the event is actually in Jackie Speier’s district. It seems that Clinton’s time in the Bay Area is short, so the event is being held near SFO.  

I actually just got a robocall from Garamendi touting this as a health-care rally, so expect that to be a focus.  Details over the flip.



PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR JOHN GARAMENDI HOST RALLY IN SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO TUESDAY

Who:   President Bill Clinton, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi

What:  President Bill Clinton and Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi will host a rally with hundreds of Bay Area residents.  Lt. Governor Garamendi, California’s first insurance commissioner, is the Democratic nominee for California’s 10th Congressional District.

When: Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 3:00 p.m.

Where: Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Avenue (near Magnolia Avenue), South San Francisco, CA 94080. Directions

CA-GOV: Newsom Gets Needed Boost From Bill Clinton

Gavin Newsom’s campaign hasn’t exactly been soaring lately.  His fundraising numbers are rather disappointing when compared with Jerry Brown’s robust numbers, he fired/lost his closest, and best, adviser, while keeping one who kind of despises the grassroots. Oh, and then there’s the SF Weekly article sort of ripping him to shreds.

But all is not lost for the dashingly slick mayor of the City of St. Francis. He’s getting some big time help. From a press release:

San Francisco, CA – Former President Bill Clinton and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will participate in two events together in Los

Angeles on October 5, the Newsom for California campaign announced today. One event will be a fundraiser to benefit the Mayor’s primary

campaign for governor.

“President Clinton’s record of achievement as president and as a senior statesman is inspiring to all Democrats,” said Newsom. “I am truly honored that he will join me in October.”

If there is one thing that the Big Dog can do, other than rescue reporters, it is raise money. The fundraiser and appearance will give Newsom a desperately needed boost at a time when Jerry Brown is running away with a race that he hasn’t actually entered yet.

It is going to take more than a couple of campaign stops for the Newsom campaign to really challenge the Jerry Brown Express, yet, if you had to pick a name that would help in a Democratic primary, Bill Clinton would be pretty high on that list.

UPDATE by Dave: ABC News has a report.  A (public?) event is reportedly scheduled to be held in October in East Los Angeles, a largely Latino area.  The real benefit of this endorsement will come if Newsom can tap in to the ground effort that Hillary Clinton used so well to defeat Barack Obama, particularly in the Latino and Asian communities.

CA-10: Polls Still Show us on Top, Public Option Remains a Top Agenda Item

Last night Survey USA and KPIX CBS 5 released a new poll showing that our campaign for Congress remains largely unchanged. With 25 percent of the vote, I still lead the pack, with Senator Mark DeSaulnier at 16 percent, Assemblymember Joan Buchanan at 12 percent, Anthony Woods at 9 percent, and undecided voters at 5 percent. This largely mirrors every publicly released poll since I entered the election.

Among Democrats, my lead is even starker: 37 percent favor me, 23 percent favor DeSaulnier, 18 percent favor Buchanan, 13 percent favor Woods, and only 2 percent are undecided. Most importantly, our great team of volunteers is effectively converting the support identified in the Survey USA and other polls into actual votes cast. Among those who have already voted, our considerable lead holds: 27 percent voted for me, 18 percent for DeSaulnier, 13 percent for Buchanan, and 10 percent for Woods.

Our lead holds among all demographic groups, including Obama voters, men, women, all age groups, all races, all levels of educational achievement, and all income levels. Our support is broad based and diverse. As the only candidate who has represented all corners of the 10th Congressional District, the voters know where I stand. As CBS 5 explained, “DeSaulnier and Buchanan have failed to make inroads since CBS 5’s last poll 16 days ago.”

Clearly, with Election Day fast approaching this Tuesday, we like where we stand.

The poll explains the what, but it fails to explain the why. I’m proud of the campaign we’ve run. We’re convinced the polls are a reflection of voter support for a positive issues-based campaign that has emphasized solid Democratic principles and experience that can deliver results.

Health care over the flip…

We’ve made it clear that the 10th Congressional District will be represented by a proven Democrat unafraid to stand up to the insurance companies, unwavering in the need for a public option in health care reform, and undeniably committed to advancing single-payer Medicare for All health care as the long term solution to our broken health care system. Today our campaign released a new podcast on health care policy, and I’d encourage you to take a listen. You can also visit our health care issue page for a more thorough rundown of where I stand on the key issues surrounding health care.

I have the endorsement of the California Nurses Association, and the largest progressive weekly in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, called me “California’s first and best insurance commissioner” for a reason. I took on the insurance companies and turned the agency into the best consumer protection agency in America. I was also a persistent advocate for universal health care and many of the principles I laid out in my first term in office became the health care blueprint Bill Clinton used in his 1992 presidential campaign. During the 1992 Democratic convention, I had the honor of being invited by President Clinton to be the primary speaker on health care policy, and in this campaign, I am proud to have received endorsements from President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and the region’s major newspapers.

On September 1st, voters in California’s 10th Congressional District will elect their new representative. For those whose passion is health care reform, it must be noted that my experience battling the insurance companies is not only unique among my competitors in this election, but it is unique among other members of Congress. We think the polls are a good reflection of where this election stands, and if so, our side in the health care fight will have a new effective advocate in Washington soon.

Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, a candidate for California’s 10th Congressional District, is the chair of the California Commission for Economic Development and a twice elected State Insurance Commissioner. He stands with Dr. Howard Dean in demanding a robust public option. For more information, please visit http://www.garamendi.org.

CA-10: We Can’t Let the Insurance Companies Win this Time

Thousands of people are lined up in front of a sports arena waiting to receive the health care they desperately need from a nonprofit that specializes in treating patients from the developing world. Some of their grateful patients stand outside hours past sunset waiting to be treated. Basic dental work for working mothers, glasses for young children, infections left to linger, procedures delayed because the cost of treatment is too great.  

No, I’m not recalling an incident from the years I volunteered for the Peace Corps in rural Ethiopia treating small pox. I’m talking about the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corp’s weeklong clinic in Inglewood, a community near Los Angeles. For the first time in their 25 year history, they are offering their worthy service in a major metropolitan U.S. city. Where did we go wrong?

More over the flip…

17 years ago, Bill Clinton ran for president on a pledge to fix our broken health care system. The model he proposed – including universal access, an end to denial of treatment for pre-existing conditions, cost controls for prescription drugs, reductions in administrative overhead, and assistance for small businesses – was largely based on principles I drafted as California’s first elected State Insurance Commissioner. President Clinton and Congressional Democrats worked hard to pass health care reform, but we all know how it ultimately turned out. The insurance companies and their well-financed lobbyists scared the public and threw millions of dollars into the coffers of elected officials and organizations willing to spread lies about the important health care improvements proposed. Under President Barack Obama, with Democrats in charge of both houses of Congress, we can’t let the insurance companies win again.

I support universal single-payer health care, but I also recognize that is a long term fight. This year, we must stand for a robust public option. The insurance companies are up to their old tricks again, spreading lies and distortions. I know how the insurance industry operates. I regulated them for eight years, creating the most powerful consumer protection agency in the country. Congress needs a leader who understands the complexities of insurance policy, someone ready and able to fight back against the lies.

It’s time we stopped incentivizing denial of treatment and started incentivizing quality of treatment. Working families should not have to rely on remote clinics designed for the developing world. I’ve been involved in this fight for decades. I know the insurance industry, and believe me, they know me. In the debates over health care, my voice will be heard. Together, we can make the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corp’s U.S. presence a remote memory.

John Garamendi is California’s Lieutenant Governor and a Democratic candidate for California’s 10th Congressional District. He was a twice elected State Insurance Commissioner and served as President Bill Clinton’s Deputy Interior Secretary. For more information, please visit http://wwww.garamendi.org

Weekend Open Thread

What’s going on this Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend?

• Leon Panetta was easily confirmed as CIA Director.

• A cool Jewish Community Federation event if you are in SF on the morning of Feb. 24: Shai Aggasi, CEO of Better Place will be giving the keynote to the group’s Business Leadership Council breakfast.  Better Place is a very interesting company that is trying to build infrastructure for an electric car network.  They have actually already begun work on networks in Israel and Denmark, and have come to some agreements with some California mayors (including SF’s Gavin Newsom and SJ’s Chuck Reed).  From what I hear, he’s also a very good speaker.

• The Chief of Cal Fire, Ruben D. Grijalva, plans on retiring after about three years in the gig. Arnold has appointed Del Walters to replace him.

Bill Clinton will not be canceling his speech at the Manchester Hyatt. A coalition of groups made a big public push against the speech because the owner of the hotel, Doug Manchester, was an early and key donor to the Yes on Prop 8 campaign.  He will be violating a labor sanctioned boycott, and will have to cross a picket line, to grab a pile of bucks.  Stay classy, Mr. President.

• This is a good recap of a conference call with Assemblyman John Perez on marriage equality issues.

• It’ll probably never happen, but former GOP Assemblyman Bill Maze wants to split California into two states.  Unlike most of these proposals, he wants to split the coastal areas from the inland areas, creating one rural state of 45 counties and, basically, Chile, with 13 counties but including LA, San Francisco and San Jose, and therefore most of the people.

The SJ Merc takes a look at the stimulus and specifically what’s in it for Silicon Valley firms.  If you are reading this from the Valley, well, there are a lot of reasons to be glad the package will become law.  

• As we await the outcome of Measure B, the solar energy proposal on the March ballot in Los Angeles, a major deal was struck in Oakland to provide solar for 845,000 homes, creating 1,300 megawatts of energy in a massive solar-thermal power deal.  This is worth keeping an eye on.

• Well, here’s one way to get a job: standing out on the corner at a busy intersection.  Our intersections will get mighty busy if everyone does that, though…

Courage Campaign and Cleve Jones Urge Bill Clinton To Honor Manchester Boycott

I work for the Courage Campaign

As Brian explained yesterday the movement to convince Bill Clinton to honor the Manchester Hyatt boycott this Sunday is growing rapidly. Today the Courage Campaign joined with Cleve Jones, who knows a thing or two about the relationship of boycotts to labor organizing and LGBT rights, to ask our hundreds of thousands of members to call upon Clinton to cancel his talk.

Bill Clinton has stated his intentions to give the talk in spite of the growing backlash. As Cleve Jones explained:

Cleve Jones, a longtime gay-rights activist who founded the NAMES Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt, said Clinton should have known he’d create controversy.

“The boycott has been in effect and very well-publicized since July,” said Jones, who also signed the letter. “He’s had ample foreknowledge of the situation.”

Supporters of the boycott plan to gather outside the hotel at 11 a.m. Sunday and remain throughout Clinton’s scheduled 12:30 p.m. speech.

The Courage Campaign has also joined with other key leaders such as Jess Durfee, chair of the San Diego County Democrats, Brigette Browning of UNITE HERE Local 30, and SD councilman Todd Gloria in signing the moveclintonspeech.info letter.

Clinton’s advisers argue that his opposition to Prop 8 last fall demonstrates his commitment to the marriage equality movement. But as we in California know, that movement has only grown since November 4, and we need our friends and allies to stand alongside us now more than ever.

Over the flip is the letter we and Cleve Jones sent to our members:

Dear Robert,

President Bill Clinton will be making a big mistake on Sunday. Unless we act now to stop him. Let me tell you why.

If you’ve seen the film “MILK”, you may know that I worked with Harvey Milk in the 1970s, including on a campaign to boycott Coors Beer for the company’s anti-gay hiring policies and belligerent stance in contract negotiations towards their workers.

The Coors Beer Boycott taught me an unforgettable lesson about the power of coalitions in the struggle for equality. That lesson is being replicated today in the successful Manchester Hyatt Boycott in San Diego.

To the the surprise of many, President Clinton is scheduled to give a paid speech this Sunday at the Manchester Hyatt to the annual convention of the International Franchise Association. To give this speech, President Clinton will have to violate a union boycott and labor dispute — the workers at the hotel lack job security and the housekeepers face onerous workloads.

But that’s not all. President Clinton will also be offending supporters of marriage equality, including myself. Doug Manchester, the owner of the hotel, contributed $125,000 in early seed money to the Proposition 8 campaign.

We can’t let this happen. President Clinton has the power to move his speech away from the Manchester Hyatt. And you have the power to convince him to do the right thing. Please sign the Courage Campaign’s petition to President Clinton immediately and we will do everything in our power to get your signatures to him ASAP:

http://www.couragecampaign.org…

It is ironic that, by showing up at the Manchester Hyatt on Sunday, President Clinton will provide comfort to Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund, who are now trying to defend the constitutionality of Prop 8 before the state Supreme Court. Doug Manchester’s significant $125,000 contribution to the “Yes on 8” campaign helped pass Prop 8 — money that made Starr’s case possible.

I think President Clinton should move his speech to another hotel in the area that treats its workers — and the LGBT community — with respect. If he doesn’t, he will see me, and likely many others, this Sunday on the sidewalk in front of the Manchester Hyatt.

That is exactly where Harvey Milk would want me — and you — to be. While you may not be able join us there, I hope you’ll add your signature right now and ask President Clinton to do the right thing before Sunday:

http://www.couragecampaign.org…

Thank you for helping the Courage Campaign and UNITE HERE build a broad-based coalition for equal rights and economic justice in California and across the country.

Cleve Jones

UNITE HERE

Will Bill Clinton Bust the Manchester Hyatt Prop 8 Boycott?

PhotobucketBill Clinton must make a choice.  He must decide whether a speech for big bucks is more important than honoring a labor and activist boycott. On Feb. 15, the former President is scheduled to make a speech at the Manchester Hyatt.  

As a refresher, Mr. Manchester gave some of the initial seed money to get Proposition 8 on the ballot, $125,000 to be exact.  Since then, a coalition of labor, LGBT, and grassroots organizations has promoted a boycott against the hotel.  And it has been quite successful, with groups such as the American Assoc. of Law Schools moving their events.

But our former Democratic president still seems intent on breaking the boycott. That’s why a diverse coalition of leaders has taken an ad out in the New York Daily News to ask him not to break the boycott.  You can check the ad to the right, and in context at the Daily News politics blog. Also, read the full letter at their site, moveclintonspeech.info. It’s signed by leaders like San Diego city councilman Todd Gloria, Unite-HERE Local 30 president Brigette Browning, San Diego Dem. County Chair  and DNC member Jess Durfee, and the Courage Campaign’s Rick Jacobs.

Rest assured that if Clinton plans on busting the boycott, he’ll have to pretend he doesn’t notice the rally outside.  Activists from around the region are planning on protesting the speech.  Clinton should move the speech or just not give it.  Together, we will bend the arc of history for justice.  But we must be united.