Daily Archives: January 4, 2007

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Party Favors

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x-posted on Ruck Pad

Following up on my post from last night… What a shocker.  They passed out tickets to the special interest dinner based on the donation amount.  Those companies who donated the most, get to bring more lobbyists to have some private time with Arnold’s staff.

The governor’s accident may disappoint donors who hoped to see him today at an exclusive “sponsor’s reception.” Political aides had sent out invitations offering potential donors a certain number of tickets to the closed-door reception based on the amount they contributed to defray the cost of the inaugural festivities.

“Gold” sponsors, who kicked in at least $50,000 each, were offered 10 tickets. “Silver” sponsors who gave at least $15,000 were offered two tickets to the reception. Those who gave $50,000 include Chevron, the California Chamber of Commerce, and the California Real Estate Political Action Committee.

Oh Julie, do you actually believe your own spin?

The governor’s office said it shouldn’t bother donors that the headliner is bowing out.

“Those who contribute to the governor do so because they believe in his vision for the future of California,” said Julie Soderlund, Schwarzenegger’s spokeswoman.

“Whether he’s at a reception or not doesn’t change the fundamental fact that these individuals have contributed because they want to celebrate the governor’s second term,” Soderlund said.

These people wanted to celebrate the governor’s second term by cementing their influence with him.  They got one more chance to remind him that they have invested in him and that they expect something back.  They have another opportunity to get face time with the administration that millions of other Californians could never dream of getting.  There is no such thing as a free lunch and Californians will pay the price for Arnold’s need to party.

Uncategorized

CA-36: Harman hoping to leave Congress?

In the Washington Post, Lois Romano gossips her way through a piece on the rivalry between Jane Harman and Nancy Pelosi, and Harman’s residual anger over being passed over as chair of the House Intelligence Committee.  But there’s a little nugget in there:

She has lamented that Congress has lost its luster for her and that she is hoping for a job in a Democratic administration, according to a friend. “She’s obsessed,” the source said. “It’s been hard for her not to take it personally, but it’s over.”

I don’t know if this means that Harman won’t seek re-election: she likely wants to be in some official position of power.  But she’d leap at the chance to join a Democratic Administration and vacate her Congressional seat, setting up a special election.  Progressives obviously have a strong infrastructure in this district: Marcy Winograd received nearly 40% of the vote in a primary challenge.  Perhaps there won’t be a need for any more primary fights.

It also begs the question of whether Harman is really the best choice for what would almost certainly be an intelligence-related post under a Democratic President.

Uncategorized

“For all of America’s children, the House will be in order.”

Speaker Pelosi’s speech is great and I am truly enjoying watching C-SPAN. Today is a great day!

[Full advance text after the jump]

“Thank you, Leader Boehner.

“I accept this gavel in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship, and look forward to working with you on behalf of the American people.

“In this House, we may belong to different parties, but we serve one country. We stand united in our pride and prayers for our men and women in the armed forces. They are working together to protect America, and we, in this House, must also work together to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.

“In this hour, we pray for the character, courage, and civility of a former Member of this House – President Ford. He healed the country when it needed healing. This is another time, another war, and another trial of our American will, imagination, and spirit. Let us honor his memory, not just in eulogy, but in dialogue and trust across the aisle. Let us express our condolences and appreciation to Mrs. Ford and the entire Ford family for their decades of service to our country.

“With today’s convening of the 110th Congress, we begin anew. I congratulate all Members of Congress on their election, especially our new Members. The genius of our Founders is that every two years, new Members bring to this House their spirit of renewal and hope for the American people. This Congress is reinvigorated by your optimism, your idealism, and your commitment to our country. Let us acknowledge your families, whose support has made your leadership possible.

“Each of us brings to this new Congress our shared values, our commitment to the Constitution, and our personal experience.

“My path to the Speakership began in Baltimore where my father was Mayor. I was raised in a large family that was devoutly Catholic, deeply patriotic, proud of our Italian American heritage, and staunchly Democratic. My parents taught us that public service was a noble calling, and that we had a responsibility to help those in need. My parents worked on the side of the angels and now they are with them.

“I am so proud that my brother Tommy, also a Mayor of Baltimore, is here with my D’Alesandro family today.

“Forty-three years ago, Paul Pelosi and I were married. We raised our five children in San Francisco, where Paul was born and raised. I want to thank Paul and our children Nancy Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, and Alexandra and our six magnificent grandchildren for giving me their love, support and the confidence to go from the kitchen to the Congress.

“And I thank my constituents in San Francisco for the privilege of representing them in Congress. Saint Francis of Assisi is our city’s patron saint, and his prayer is our city’s anthem: ‘Lord, make me a channel of thy peace; where there is darkness may we bring light, where there is hatred, may we bring love, and where there is despair, may we bring hope.’ It is in that spirit that I was sent to Congress.

“And today, I thank my colleagues. By electing me Speaker, you have brought us closer to the ideal of equality that is America’s heritage and hope.

“This is an historic moment – for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren’t just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling.

“The election of 2006 was a call to change – not merely to change the control of Congress, but for a new direction for our country. Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new direction than in Iraq.

“The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end. Shortly, President Bush will address the nation on the subject of Iraq. It is the responsibility of the President to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their own security, a plan that promotes stability in the region, and that allows us to responsibly redeploy American forces.

“Let us be the Congress that rebuilds our military to meet the national security challenges of the 21st century.

“Let us be the Congress that strongly honors our responsibility to protect our people from terrorism.

“Let us be the Congress that never forgets our commitment to our veterans and first responders, always honoring them as the heroes they are.

“The American people also spoke clearly for a new direction here at home – they desire a new vision, a new America, built on the values that made our country great.

“Our Founders envisioned a new America driven by optimism, opportunity, and courage. So confident were they in the new America they were advancing, they put on the great seal of the United States, ‘novus ordo seclorum’ – a new order for the ages. They envisioned America as a just and good place, as a fair and efficient society, as a source of hope and opportunity for all.

“This vision has sustained us for more than 200 years, and it accounts for what is best in our great nation: liberty, opportunity, and justice.

“Now it is our responsibility to carry forth that vision of a new America.

“A new America that seizes the future and forges 21st century solutions through discovery, creativity, and innovation, sustaining our economic leadership and ensuring our national security. “A new America with a vibrant and strengthened middle class for whom college is affordable, health care accessible, and retirement secure.

“A new America that declares our energy independence, promotes domestic sources of renewable energy, and combats climate change.

“A new America that is strong, secure, and a respected leader among the community of nations. “The American people told us in the election that they expect us to work together for fiscal responsibility, with the highest ethical standards and civility.

“After years of historic deficits, this new Congress will commit itself to a higher standard: pay as you go, no new deficit spending. Our new America will provide unlimited opportunity for future generations, not burden them with mountains of debt.

“In order to achieve a new America, we must return this House to the American people. So our first order of business is passing the toughest ethics reform in history. This new Congress doesn’t have two years or 100 days to renew itself.

“Let us join together in the first 100 hours to make this Congress the most honest and open in history. This openness requires respect for every voice in the Congress. As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.’ My colleagues elected me to be Speaker of the House – the entire House. Respectful of the vision of our Founders, the expectations of our people, and the great challenges we face, we have an obligation to reach beyond partisanship to serve all Americans.

“Let us all stand together to move our country forward, seeking common ground for the common good. “We have made history, now let us make progress for our new America.

“May God bless our work, and may God bless America.

“For all of America’s children, the House will be in order.”

California

Why I’m Running for CDP Delegate

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(I wanted to bump dday’s post on this back up. If you are running, put a comment in on the thread. In some of the big districts, there will be plenty of competition. In others, not so much. Also, if you are in one of those districts, go attend and support your fellow Calitics readers! – promoted by SFBrianCL)

I am running to be part of the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) in the 41st Assembly District of California.  The election’s in ten days, and yesterday I joined with 11 other Democrats to agree to run as a bloc called the Progressive Slate.  The goal is to make the California Democratic Party (CDP) more responsive to the grassroots and more effective in the state.  And the Progressive Caucus is at the center of efforts to reform the state party in California.

I want to explain the reasons why I’m running, and a little back of background about this race, and finally how you can help.

I’ve lived in California for the last eight years.  I’m a fairly active and engaged citizen, one who has attended plenty of Democratic Club meetings, who has lived in the most heavily Democratic areas of the state in both the North and South, who has volunteered and aided the CDP and Democratic candidates from California during election time, who (you would think) would be the most likely candidate for outreach from that party to help them in their efforts to build a lasting majority.  But in actuality, the California Democratic Party means absolutely nothing to me.  Neither do its endorsements.  The amount of people who aren’t online and aren’t in grassroots meetings everyday who share this feeling, I’d peg at about 95% of the electorate. 

I mean, I’m a part of both those worlds, and I have no connection to the state party.  I should be someone that the CDP is reaching out to get involved.  They don’t.  The only time I ever know that the CDP exists is three weeks before the election when they pay for a bunch of ads.  The other 23 months of the year they are a nonentity to the vast majority of the populace.

And this has a tremendous impact.  The state of California is hardly deep blue.  It’s had Republican governors for 80 out of the past 100 years.  The last time the Democratic Party meant anything to California’s citizens was in the time of Alan Cranston and Pat Brown in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Democratic Club movement began, and when the state party was most involved with the grassroots.  At the time, the party was committed to progressive values and offered a real politics of contrast to move the Democratic brand in the state forward.  This has receded in the past 30 years.

This is the only reason that I’m running as a delegate; because I want the CDP to be something more than an occasional admaker.  I want to have a state party that is not as in thrall to big money.  I want a state party that isn’t involved in laundering $4 million dollars in corporate money from AT&T to the speaker of the State Assembly as payback for getting a cable and video deregulation bill passed.  I want a state party that actually gets behind Clean Money instead of officially remaining neutral on the legislation because they don’t want to upset their big-money donors.  I want a state party that spends more money on voter outreach and contacts than on a couple ads.  I want a state party that contests everywhere rather than trying to get out the vote in their traditional enclaves.  I want a state party chairman that actually fulfills this agenda instead of paying lip service to it.  I want the CDP to send me an email once in a while, and act like an entity that can make a difference in people’s lives, instead of an umbrella organization for incumbency protection.

The problem is that this is going to be an uphill battle.  The way the CDP works is that its delegates come from three separate sources.  There are the Assembly District caucuses, where 12 Democrats (6 men, 6 women) are chosen to serve as delegates.  That accounts for about one-third of the total delegates.  Another third comes from the County Committees, which is weighted by population for each county.  The final third comes from elected officials in California and nominees for state offices, as well as their appointees.

Obviously, a lot of these are insider positions.  And the only process for adding delegates that’s open to the public, the AD caucuses, is a deliberately closed process.  In fact, the rules have changed.  In 2005, progressives were very successful in gaining seats through the caucuses and becoming delegates.  In response, the CDP completely changed the process.  In 2005, any registered Democrat who showed up at the caucus could stand as a candidate.  Now, you must apply in writing beforehand.  In 2005, the caucus was open to the public.  Now, there’s a $5 POLL TAX to “defray costs of the caucus.”  In 2005, voters heard all the speeches from the various candidates before voting.  Now, they can come to the polling place, vote and leave.  Never mind that practically nobody knows about these elections unless they seek out the information.  That wasn’t good enough.  The new rules set up barriers to entry and make it easier for machine-type political forces to shuttle their voters in for five minutes and ensure their victory.  This is why we are running as a progressive slate; to multiply our power by 12, by ensuring that the people we get out to vote cast their ballot for the entire slate instead of individual candidates.

Only two Democrats in the entire state of California were able to defeat incumbents last November: Debra Bowen and Jerry McNerney.  Both of them harnessed the power of the grassroots and used it to carry them to victory.  They also stuck to their principles and created a real contrast with their opponents on core issues.  The only way that the California Democratic Party can retain some relevance in the state, and not remain a secretive, cloistered money factory that enriches its elected officials with lobbyist money and does nothing to build the Democratic brand, is by building from the bottom up and not the top down.  By becoming more responsive to the grassroots and more effective in its strategy, we can ensure that California stays blue, which is not a given.  This is a long-term process that is in its third year, and will not happen overnight.  But it’s crucial that we continue and keep the pressure on.