OK, so I should mention the results of our Courage Campaign protest yesterday at the ABC/Disney headquarters.  It went really well.  Consider that I had this idea sitting on my couch at 12:00pm Thursday, and by 4:00pm Friday we had 60 or 70 people out there in Burbank.  Considering that in the current age there’s almost an allergy to protest, that’s not bad (especially in gridlocked L.A.), and we were able to get the word out without making one phone call.

I’ll give you the AP’s impression (over):

UPDATE: Here’s coverage from KTLA News:

About 50 people rallied at Disney Studios Friday to protest the questions that ABC News journalists asked the Democratic presidential candidates during a debate earlier this week.

Protestors waved signs that read “Restore the Fourth Estate” and “ABC is TMZ,” referring to the online celebrity site.

Organizer Rick Jacobs criticized ABC for focusing on the past gaffes of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, instead of issues like the war in Iraq and the American economy.

Jacobs said he was offended that Obama was asked why he hasn’t worn an American flag pin on his lapel.

“Patriotism isn’t defined by a flag pin made in China,” he said.

They didn’t note the most important part of the protest: our distribution of flag pins to employees as they left the ABC gates.  Letting them know that they were getting “free patriotism on a stick” and telling them that “Charlie Gibson won’t approve of you unless you wear one,” we handed out about 300 pins.  Most took them graciously and approvingly.

I’ll direct you to where there are a bunch of pictures and then highlight a few.

That’s me.

My personal favorite sign.

There goes a flag pin.

Breaking news.

Panama Jack Rick Jacobs.

Yes, the pins were made in China.

Also, we shot our own video, but I won’t have that available until Sunday.

Thanks to everyone who came out…  

My friend and young woman I’ve been mentoring, Rebecca Barrett is running for Democratic County Central Committee in Contra Costa. I first met Rebecca when she was in high school and volunteered for me at the Contra Costa United Democratic Campaign in 2006. She impressed me immediately with her dedication for Democratic Party values and her tremendous work ethic. Her high school friends even named a Facebook group after her entitled ,“Everything I know about Politics I learned from Rebecca”.

After the campaign was over, we remained friends and at my new job for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, I helped her get an internship with the congresswoman in the district office where I work. While she was interning in my office we started talking about the DCCC. Since I had worked in Contra Costa and had a good handle on the politics in that county I knew Rebecca would be a tremendous asset to the Party. I advised her to run for Central Committee and she accepted the challenge! So it’s my proud pleasure to introduce her to the Calitics community and ask that everyone reading this votes for this amazing Young Democrat and please tell all your 4th District Contra Costa friends to vote for her too. Take a look at her first speech and you’ll agree with me that it’s the right thing to do. I know that we’ll be seeing more of Rebecca Barrett in the bright future that is ahead of her.

I’m sure that’s what many think of when reading about politics in Orange County but it seems that Republicans in the State of California have not given in to the idea that the State is “Hopelessly Blue”. I hate to inform them, but I think they are in for a rude awakening.

Hoping to find a successor to popular Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and end the decadelong shellacking that most other Republicans have suffered when running for statewide office, a group of GOP leaders and well-heeled donors Wednesday announced plans to stock a “farm team” of candidates they hope will put their party back in power.

The organization includes former Gov. Pete Wilson and a crew of moderate Republican donors from Orange County.

Although they insist that potential candidates will be judged by their quality and electability — not their ideology — some conservatives are already critcizing the move as an attempt to undermine their leadership in the party.

….

“We are seeking winners, and winners come in different shapes. There is not a total template that they have to fit,” Wilson said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

“As governor I supported candidates, whether they were pro-choice or pro-life, if they were strong Republicans and strong candidates. You want people who are attractive [candidates], you want people of principle.”

LA Times

Now granted, this new group is hoping to edge the current crop of Republicans away from the social issues that have supposedly hobbled them in Statewide races (probably why the Governor is turning away from the gay marriage ban amendment) but as we know in Orange County, the State may seem hopelessly blue but it feels hopelessly red closest to home. And many Republicans who are from our neck of the woods are sticking to the party line with no new taxes, get rid of the damn illegals and make sure to put “In God we Trust” in all our City Council Chambers. It’s worked before and it looks as if Republicans are betting it will work again, but will it?

Hudson noted that a number of the Republican group’s board members also belong to the New Majority, which was founded primarily by Orange County executives who for years have tried to nudge the party away from social conservatives and their emphasis on issues such as abortion and gun rights. Also, many members of the new group have close ties to Schwarzenegger, who has complained that the state Republican party is “dying at the box office” because it remains too ideologically conservative on issues including healthcare and global warming.

But do they seem blind to one of the real issues here? The current State budget crisis has much to do with the fiscally conservative policies of our Governor and the small minority of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (Our dog is the only Howard Jarvis member in our household, she pays ZERO taxes) Republicans that hold the rest of the State legislature hostage. I understand that in rough times that budget cuts are important but at what cost? Where do you stop and what do you call expendable? Our public school system, which is depended upon by not just Democratic parents has to be the fire line for me. There is a reason why we have Prop 98, the schools were promised that they would never receive LESS money than the prior fiscal year.

California Proposition 98 requires a minimum percentage of the state budget to be spent on K-14 education. Prop 98 guarantees an annual increase in education in the California budget.[1] Prop 98, also called the “Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act,” amended the California Constitution to mandate a minimum level of education spending based on three tests. Test one, used only for 1988 to 1989, requires spending on education to make up 39% of the state budget. Test 2, used in years of strong economic growth, requires spending on education to equal the previous years spending plus per capita growth and student enrollment adjustment. Test 3, used in years of weak economic growth guarantees prior years spending plus adjustment for enrollment growth, increases for any changes in per capital general fund revenues, and an increase by 0.5 percent in state general funds.

Wiki

There is a reason why this was passed 20 years ago, education should never be touched no matter how hard the economic times may be. It’s at this time that education must be kept at it’s strongest. Education is what will allow people during these tough times to still send their children to school, doesn’t that make sense? Isn’t this the most important thing that we can fund as a society? There should be no reason to cut the schools budgets to the point of harming public education when it is needed the most.

Republicans are sure that their “fiscal” conservative stances can weather such times but not at the cost of education. They need to realize that not just Democrats send their kids to public schools and this could be the very reason why Orange County may not be “hopelessly red”.  

Bob put this as an update to the post below, but I think this protest deserves its own thread.  I too just talked to Dave who said there is about 70 people there already and growing by the minute.  They are handing out a ton of pins and it sounds like everyone is having a good time and no issues that the personal officer needs to deal with.

(Bob) I just got off the phone with David Dayen for the report from the ground. It was kinda tough to hear because all of the horns honking in the background. He said there was a great crowd, KTLA is interviewing a number of them, and they are having a lot of fun passing out the lapel pins. Also, he loved the fact that a Burbank Police Officer came by and told them he was their officer for the night and if they had any problems (with ABC or Disney) to give him a call. I wish I was there, if you can make it they’ll be out there until 7PM.

[UPDATE 6:09]  Just got off the phone with Dave and Rick.  Things are going really really well.  Lots of people, one radio station, an AP reporter and a photographer were there as well as KTLA.  

ABC/Disney actually rerouted traffic away from the gate where the protesters were and so a few people move over to the other gate, so they couldn’t be avoided.