(Our Very Own Iraq War Vet… – promoted by SFBrianCL)

No, not that Charlie Brown, but Iraq war vet and Democratic hopeful Lt. Col. Charles Brown. Sacramento for Democracy has the scoop:

Come on down and support Charlie Brown as he officially announces he is running for Congress in CA’s 4th District against John Doolittle!!

Come to Roseville this Saturday, October 15 at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 110 Park Dr. in Roseville. Map is here.

Lt. Colonel Charles Brown Will Officially Announce He’s Running for
Congress in CA’s 4th District

You are invited to attend the official candidate announcement and press
conference of Lt. Colonel Charlie Brown. Is this the beginning of the
end for Boss Doolittle? Will you be able to say that you were there
when it began?

more after the fold

Charlie Brown will take on Republican John Doolittle in one of the most
conservative districts in Northern California. Lt. Colonel Brown is
the Paul Hacket of California — both are veterans who are against the
war in Iraq. Paul nearly knocked out a Republican challenger in one of
the most Republican districts in Ohio. The 4th district of California
does not have as much Republican registration as does Hacket’s
district, but it does have 48.14% Republicans as of February 2005 and a
large number of Decline to State, independent voters.

It seems that there may be a perfect storm in the works for Boss
Doolittle who is number 6 in charge of the Republican House of
Representatives. Boss Doolittle is a big contributor and Supporter of
Tom Delay who has been twice indicted. Doolittle was one of Newt
Gingrich’s gang of six neocon extremist congressmen who hatched the
contract with America. They have turned out to be among the most
corrupt and Doolittle has broken that contract by not accepting term
limits, voting for massive deficits and accepting banned political
favors.

As anecdotal evidence that the tide is changing in the 4th
District, witness an event that happened at Sierra Foothills Democratic
Club meeting in western El Dorado County on Monday October 10. The
club members were sitting down in public at 3 Brother’s Restaurant
about to begin a meeting when a CHP officer came up to them and said
that he was tired of being a Republican. He had had it with the
Governor and under staffing in the county. He wanted to register as a
Democrat. He was quickly provided with a registration card. That’s
48.12% and shrinking.

The time is ripe for change and support is building for
Lt. Colonel Brown, a long term Sierra Club and ACLU member. Grassroots
volunteers from red and blue counties are making this change. If we
can elect Brown, the people can certainly take back their House of
Representatives and the rest of our government. Many of you may have
heard of Charlie Brown during our exploratory phase. We have met the
goals that we needed to reach during that phase and we are now set to
launch our campaign in which we hope to bring together Democrats,
Greens, Libertarians, independents voters, and those Republicans who
still support the notion of democracy.

If you can make it to Roseville this Saturday, please come and hold a
sign. Invite a friend or neighbor to come along as well. Pass this
message along. Show your support for Charlie this Saturday October 15
at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 110 Park Dr. in Roseville.
Don’t miss this historic event.

For more information call Don Nicodemus at (530) 677-7230.

Time: Saturday, October 15, 2005 – 10:00am PST
Length: 1:00

Location:
Veterans Memorial Hall
110 Park Dr.
Roseville, CA

This is exactly the sort of race that we need to start showing up in if we are able to build and take advantage of an anti-incumbant groundswell in the 2006 midterms. Now all we need is a challenger for Lundgren in the third CD. Any takers?

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

It’s not getting the same kind of press as the special election, but the San Diego mayoral race is an interesting contest as well.  From Hotline at nationaljournal.com:

Racked by scandal, San Diego is choosing a new slate of leaders. “Polls suggest that former Police Chief Jerry Sanders has a comfortable lead over Councilwoman Donna Frye. He’s a Republican, former Red Cross and United Way official and born-again tax-fighter. She’s a Democrat and surf-shop owner who has dared suggest the city may need a half-cent boost in sales tax to dig its way out of the worst fiscal mess in its history. Even in a mini-era in which everything else at City Hall is topsy-turvy, mayoral politics seem to be following the pattern seen repeatedly in the last three-plus decades. A moderate beats a liberal. A Republican beats a Democrat unless the Republican is tarred as a lackey of land developers. The candidate who pledges fealty to the local anti-tax orthodoxy has an advantage over one who does not. Frye has a smattering of Democrats, women’s groups and private-sector labor unions. Public-employee unions, criticized by both candidates for the city’s $2-billion pension deficit, are staying neutral. A poll by DataMar Inc., a local polling firm unaligned with either candidate, showed Sanders leading Frye 47% to 40%, with 12% undecided. He led among Republicans 80% to 11%. She led among Democrats but by a smaller margin, 65% to 27%.” (Perry, Los Angeles Times, 10/9)

We all know that Donna Frye won the original election over Murphy.  The fact that some people didn’t bubble in “write-in” cost the city millions of dollars and one corrupt mayor.  Sanders, while not as dirty as Murphy, is not what San Diego needs right now.  Frye will clean out that city, balance their books, and repair the city’s image.