Daily Archives: June 13, 2006

California

Support Robert Rodriguez in CA-25

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(A real contest? Perhaps, but he is an intriguing candidate at least. – promoted by SFBrianCL)

I would like to bring everyone’s attention to a particular congressional race in California.  I want calitics to encourage and support Robert Rodriguez for Congress.

Robert Rodriguez has made many sacrifices in order to take on Howard “Buck” McKeon, a lobbyist-loving, hard-core Bush Republican with a horrible record.  In fact, McKeon is more of a DeLay Republican than anything and that should make him vulnerable if Robert can gain enough support.

More on Robert Rodriguez after the fold.

His drive to get involved with politics stemmed from his sister’s battle with kidney failure and lupus as she dealt with the hardships of living on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Her struggle to overcome the obstacles within our healthcare system continue to inspire him today.

I would like to contrast this man’s personal drive to make a difference with the fact that McKeon has taken over $23,000 from drug companies in his career.  

Robert is cut from the same cloth that most of us are made from and his style and game plan could have been pulled directly from the book, Crashing the Gate.  

I remember the exact moment I made the decision to run for congress. On the night of June 23, 2003 the Republicans called a vote on H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act. The bill was an abomination. It drove up the deficit while failing to provide seniors with the drugs they need. But it was the way the Republicans abused their power to pass the bill that pushed me to action. They opened the vote at 3 am and held it open for three hours, the longest vote in the history of the U.S. Congress. I was in the House gallery watching as “Buck” was laughing and joking, as he and his cronies extorted their congressional colleagues.

Robert Rodriguez has spent time in Washington and seen the corruption first hand.  From his blue collar background, he knows the plight of working people in California and across the country and is ready to take the fight to Washington.

Taking on seven term incumbent “Buck” McKeon has been both more exciting and more challenging than I expected. Leaving the DC bubble and starting my campaign has shown me how far the divide is between the on the ground reality and the games people play in the capital.

Robert is running the campaign we are hoping for and wants to be a 21st century model for Democrats, proving that we can win by doing the following:

Throwing out the standard talking points, speaking in terms real people understand, using local talent to make persuasive and cost-effective campaign ads, and putting the grassroots and netroots before big-dollar contributors. Hopefully when we win, future candidates can look back at the chronicles for inspiration.

In the current political environment, this is a winnable this district. However, I can’t do it without the help of the grassroots and netroots community. Together, let’s take the campaign to the next level!

Check out his website and his blog and send him some encouragement anyway you can.  

Budget

Will the Budget be turned in on time?

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The budget is moving along.  The Dems, who of course constitute a majority, are all on board with the current proposal.  But, the Reps are using the supermajority rules to block the will of the people.

Democratic lawmakers say they intend to meet the constitutional deadline for passing a budget for the first time in two decades by voting on the $131 billion spending plan Thursday.

But Republican lawmakers aren’t happy with Democrats’ plans to put $1 billion into a reserve fund instead of using it to pay down debt as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed. … “For the current version of the budget there are no Republican votes,” Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman said Monday. “If the Democrats maintain their current position and say it’s going to be this way or no way, then it’s going to be no way.”
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Because the budget must be approved by a two-thirds majority, some Republicans must vote for a spending plan for it to pass.

Sen. Wes Chesbro, D-Arcata, who chaired the budget conference committee, said he thought the Democrats’ spending plan was “honest and responsible.” He expressed optimism that the deal could be finished by the deadline. (Scripps-Howard 6/12/06)

So who really wants this deal done?  Schwarzenegger, who wants to show voters that he can get things done in Sacramento.  Or at least five the illusion.  Not that his gubetorial has been all about smoke and mirrors.  I mean, c’mon there was that time when he attacked the state’s teachers and nurses.  But, Dan Walters points out that the timeliness really doesn’t matter that much:

Politicians, the media and perhaps the general public make a big deal each year about whether the state budget is completed on time, as defined either by the constitutional deadline of June 15 or the onset of a new fiscal year on July 1, but it’s really quite meaningless. Nothing really bad happens if the budget misses either deadline. It’s much, much more important to write a budget that’s rational than one that’s on time, as illustrated by the timely but disastrous 2000-01 budget that squandered a one-time revenue windfall and set the stage for chronic deficits ever since.(SacBee 6/13/06)