Daily Archives: October 2, 2008

Uncategorized

Campaign Update: CA-04, CA-11, CA-46, AD-26, AD-30

1 Comment

Here are some things happening around the state:

• CA-04: The most important debate evah is tonight!  No, not that Biden-Palin thing, it’s Calitics Match candidate Charlie Brown and Tom McClintock in Oroville.    Meanwhile, the air war has begun in earnest.  Brown is up with a 60-second ad featuring a local family as a third-party endorser, explaining their struggles to stay ahead in this economy and how Brown is the right choice.  I think it’ll play well (Brown has an American Jobs Plan which includes investments in infrastructure and green jobs, which is key to the needed reindustrialization of society).  On the other hand, Tom McClintock has decided to use Grandpa Fred.

“The financial crisis our nation faces is complicated, and I don’t think anybody’s got all the answers,” Thompson, a well-known actor and former U.S. senator from Tennessee, says in the commercial. “But I’ll tell you one thing. I’ll feel a lot more confident with Tom McClintock working on it, rather than some amateur.”

Shorter Grandpa Fred: “All this book-learnin’ and financializin’ is hard to figger.  Pick the guy who’s never voted Yes on a budget in his entire career.”

• CA-11: If you want to know why Dean Andal isn’t getting any traction in his race against Rep. Jerry McNerney, this quote says it all:

Elected in 2006, McNerney is in a better position for reelection than many expected. But he sits in a district that gave President Bush 54 percent of the vote in 2004, a sure sign that the freshman Democrat ought to be looking over his shoulder.

His Republican opponent, former state Assemblyman Dean Andal, may not be in a position to capitalize, though. The Lodi News-Sentinel reported that an Andal spokesman took the curious position that “it would be inappropriate of Andal to comment on the bailout bill, because he is not in office.”

Yes, it would be terrible to actually give your viewpoints on national issues during a political campaign.

• CA-46: You know that Calitics Match candidate Debbie Cook is gaining traction in her race against nutjob Dana Rohrabacher by this – Rohrabacher has gone negative.  He’s sent an attack mailer that takes a Cook comment about gas prices out of context and really goes to great lengths to greenwash himself.  He mentions his sponsorship of a bill to completely eliminate environmental review for solar projects, which is irresponsible but which he is trying to cynically use as proof of his green energy bona fides.  It also calls Cook an extremist liberal who opposes drilling.

What’s hysterical is that Rohrabacher sent the mailer to everyone in the district but Democrats, meaning that Greens got it.  And I’m told by the Cook campaign that they received numerous calls from Green Party members saying that they were voting for Debbie BECAUSE of the mailer!

In other news, Rohrabacher is certifiably crazy.

According to a September 25, 2008, Pasadena Weekly article by Carl Kozlowski, Rohrabacher believes that the Los Angeles Police Department has for 40 years hidden the fact that Sirhan Sirhan, the lone man convicted of shooting Kennedy, worked as part of a “real conspiracy” of Arabs […]

In early 2007–39 years after the killing and right around the time that he blamed global warming on dinosaur flatulence, Rohrabacher decided to solve his murder mystery for “the Kennedy family.”

Anyone familiar with Rohrabacher knows this story is now headed for unadulterated, wacky bliss.

At some point, Sirhan sent Summer Reese, one of his lawyers, a letter telling her that “a Diana was coming to see him.”

Reese told Kozlowski, “Sirhan didn’t know it was the congressman because his visitor was presented as a woman.”

Rohrabacher. Undercover. In drag. Using the name Diana?

Perhaps this sheds light on why ex-Congressman Bob Dornan (R-Garden Grove) liked to call Rohrabacher “a fruitcake.”

I actually know Carl, maybe I’ll track him down and interview him about this.

• AD-26: I’ve noticed a lot of Republicans afraid to debate this year.  Here’s another example.

Stretching from Turlock to Stocton, the 26th Assembly District is fairly even in voter registration and is a target on both party’s lists. So why would one candidate take a pass on a critical opportunity to face his opponent and make his case to voters? That is the question being asked by Democratic candidate John Eisenhut who was at a League of Women Voters debate in Modesto Friday night. His Republican opponent, Bill Berryhill, had a “scheduling conflict.”

In a conversation with Eisenhut the night after the debate he said that Berryhill didn’t want to debate him. This in spite of Berryhill being quoted by the Modesto Bee saying,

“People deserve some dialogue and to know where we both stand.”

• AD-30: Fran Florez runs against Sacramento  in this solid new ad.  Is she also running against her own son, State Sen. Dean Florez?

California

CA-04: Charlie Brown holds 3rd BBQ Town Hall (photoblog)

1 Comment

As the Charlie Brown for Congress campaign jumps into high-gear, the people of El Dorado County got an opportunity to hear from 4th Congressional District’s very own Charlie Brown at our 3rd BBQ Town Hall at Bijou Park in South Lake Tahoe. Approximately 100 voters were on hand to enjoy the beautiful facilities, some free food, and the opportunity to ask Charlie Brown the questions on their minds.

Photobucket

Introducing Charlie was El Dorado County Supervisor Norma Santiago. Norma has been fighting tirelessly on the county board of supervisors over the last 3 years on the important issues facing the district and El Dorado County: water, economic development, conservancy and energy.

Photobucket

After the kind words from Norma, Charlie gave his narrative to the audience. Over the last 3 decades, Charlie Brown was serving his country-first as an air force intelligence officer, then as a teacher, and finally by serving on the Roseville Police Department. Charlie’s is a lifetime spent serving the country and the district, and to tell his story is to tell the story of the 4th District.

Photobucket

The first question came from Supervisor Santiago, who asked what Charlie’s priorities would be in Congress. His answer was simple: he wants to work towards solutions by reaching across party lines on our crumbling economic situation. With our economy in such dire straits, Charlie knows that fiscal sanity is only achievable by getting all sides to work together.

Photobucket

Another question came from a Korean War vet, who wanted know what Charlie thought about taxes and living on a fixed income-a problem many are facing as the country faces economic woes. Charlie is a retiree himself, living on a fixed income. He understands, first hand, how families are affected by rising gas, grocery, healthcare and other costs. Charlie explained his desire to see marriage penalty relief, an extension of the child tax credit, estate tax relief, and elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax.

Photobucket

As the crowd continued with their questions, more passersby came to listen to Charlie and contribute to the dialogue.

Photobucket

Afterwards, Charlie was swarmed by the crowd with dozens more questions regarding veterans’ benefits, tribal lands, alternative energies, water issues and more. All in all, Charlie Brown won over new supporters and energized dozens of new volunteers. They know full-well that a vote for Charlie is a vote for responsible growth, clean alternative energies, middle-class tax relief, and a vote to put patriotism before partisanship.

Photobucket

This upcoming weekend, voters here in placer County will be able to participate in Charlie’s 4th Town Hall BBQ at Johnson-Springview Park in Rocklin. More details can be found on our website.

PS: You can also get outside media coverage of Charlie’s visit by visiting the Tahoe Daily Tribune’s most recent article: http://www.tahoedailytribune.c…

PPS: Tonight is also the first debate between Charlie and Tom McClintock. You can catch a livestream on the Chico Enterprise-Record website.

Uncategorized

CA-04: We’ve Got a Debate Thursday: Brown vs McClintock

2 Comments

Greetings, Fans of one of the most beautiful Congressional Districts in the country, still accursed by one of the most scandal- encrusted Congressman, who is trying to retire out before he gets indicted. Local  Democratic candidate Charlie Brown is running for this seat against imported Southern Californian carpetbagger and Republican “I Con”   (icon™, yes, that is what the Republicans call him)  Tom McClintock.

This is just a quick reminder that we here in CA- 04 are having a debate tomorrow night Thursday, Oct 2 between Charlie Brown and Tom McClintock in Oroville.   It’s a candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Butte County.  It is at the Southside Community Center at 2959 Lower Wyandotte Rd, Oroville, 95966, at 8 pm. IMPORTANT TIME EDIT UPDATE: This forum begins at 7pm. Come early. Local candidates speak first, then Brown and McClintock start at 8 pm.  Questions are submitted beforehand, seating may be first come/first serve, REPEAT, FORUM BEGINS AT 7 PM

If you’re local, you can alway Tivo the other event and come see real live democracy in action.  

Democrat: Charlie Brown of Roseville is running for Congress to represent the district.  I do not know if everyone in the district has met Charlie Brown yet, but it won’t be for lack of trying on his part.

3 years ago Charlie Brown decided to run against John Doolittle, (R, “Chevron” not quite indicted) and nearly beat him in a shockingly close race in a district with a Republican registration advantage.  Charlie Brown took this on because he didn’t like seeing what was happening to the government as it treated the people of the district.

Ladies and gentlemen, children and pets, I am here tonight to tell you that PLACER COUNTY, THE MOST POPULOUS COUNTY IN DISTRICT, NO LONGER HAS REPUBLICAN MAJORITY REGISTRATION.  

They’re down to 49 percent and change.  Did you feel the earth move when I said that ? Probably not, but the Republicans sure did !  The reaction was hilarious.  It was “this doesn’t signify a trend.”   Yeah, sure.  And snow doesn’t fall on Mars !

From the Sunday Sacramento Bee, on 9/28/08

New Voter Registrations in Sacramento Region Tilt Towards Democrats, by Phillip Reese

http://www.sacbee.com/capoliti…


And no longer are most Placer County voters registered Republicans.

The party’s share dropped from 52.2 percent before the 2004 election to 49.7 percent today.

During the past four years, the Placer County Democratic Party has grown by roughly three registered voters for every two who have joined county Republicans, state figures show.

The SacBee has pie chart graphics under the story. Since they are a registration site, I’ll give you the percentages here.  Placer, 49.7% Republican.  El Dorado, 45.6% Republican,  Sacramento (a small part of CA- 04 includes Sacramento County ) only 32.7 %.    While Democrats are still smaller in number than Republicans, the INDEPENDENT, or decline to states, are growing.   A lot of those Independents used to be Republicans but don’t feel comfortable enough to go all the way and switch parties, but are very open to voting for Democrats if they like what the candidate offers.  Some of the Indies are more Libertarian trending, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing because the Libertarians don’t care for George Bush’s pro war foreign policy.  But this is a huge sea change for the area. For years the Placer County Republicans have insisted the county is overwhelmingly Republican. No more.

Republican: Tom McClintock of (mailing address is Thousand Oaks, actual domicile is in yet another district), a lifelong career politician in the CA state legislature,   is running to keep fattening his wallet.  Oh, and those SoCal lobbyists for the Casino industry and the Real Estate speculators who buy “distressed” and foreclosed properties, and the various Big Oil and Big Pharmaceutical/Health Insurance donors,  have been giving him money via his state accounts all these years.  Tom McClintock can’t get out of the district fast enough, because he’s left the state budget in such a mess.  Tom McClintock is slightly more idealogically to the right of Attila the Hun.  As in invade, attack, destroy, savor the spoils, return the victor and leave the peasants in ruins.  We don’t need more of this in Congress.

Please, keep us in mind tomorrow night, and if you can’t come, wish us luck and watch for updates. Thanks!

_________

crossposted at dailykos and progressive blue

edited with time start 7pm update, see above

Budget

CA Challengers All Over The Map On The Bailout

3 Comments

The Senate passed the bailout bill, with 2/5 of the DeFazio plan embedded – the raising of FDIC insurance limits, which was long overdue, and the ability for the SEC to suspend mark-to-market accounting, which is some kind of fairy tale.  It also includes all kinds of other legislation, like a tax package which is mainly focused on renewable energy tax credits, the only – I repeat, only – provision through all of this which could grow the manufacturing sector and reindustrialize the country (which is, you know, the key to America’s economic survival).  It actually RAISES taxes for oil companies as well.  I don’t think “Exempt from excise tax certain wooden arrow shafts for use by children” needed to be in there, but hey, it’s Congress!

The Senate jammed the House pretty good on this one, and I think they’ll eventually comply.

My Senators, Boxer and Feinstein, both voted for it, which shows that this cuts across ideological lines.  And yet I can’t argue with a word Russ Feingold says here:

“I will oppose the Wall Street bailout plan because though well intentioned, and certainly much improved over the administration’s original proposal, it remains deeply flawed.  It fails to offset the cost of the plan, leaving taxpayers to bear the burden of serious lapses of judgment by private financial institutions, their regulators, and the enablers in Washington who paved the way for this catastrophe by removing the safeguards that had protected consumers and the economy since the great depression.  The bailout legislation also fails to reform the flawed regulatory structure that permitted this crisis to arise in the first place.  And it doesn’t do enough to address the root cause of the credit market collapse, namely the housing crisis.  Taxpayers deserve a plan that puts their concerns ahead of those who got us into this mess.”

This is all true, and this was ultimately a bad plan, but I respect the opinion of hold your nose caucus as well.  I would have preferred a short-term fix with a vote giving a popular mandate to the solution.

Because right now the public opinion situation is very muddled.  People absolutely believe this is a crisis and they might not want to bail out Wall Street but they are adamant that something be done.  This is acute in California.  The state, with its emphasis on selling bonds and borrowing, is currently unable to pay its bills.  Bonds for highway construction, schools, housing and water projects cannot be sold.  The credit crunch has real-world effects.  This is why the Governor wrote the Congressional delegation and urged passage.  This is also why you don’t run a government based on borrowing, but there you go.

And so you have the fascinating and strange situation where Democratic challengers in Congressional races are hammering their incumbent opponents for voting yes AND voting no on the House plan.  On the side of “how could you vote for this” are Bill Durston (who rushed out an ad hitting Dan Lungren for voting yes) and Ed Chau (who slammed Gary Miller in a press release).  On the side of “I can’t believe you didn’t vote for this” are Nick Leibham, who couldn’t have been more exercised about Brian Bilbray’s no vote (calling it “totally irresponsible”) and Charlie Brown, who defended the need to do something against nutjob free market fundamentalist Tom McClintock.

And then you have Russ Warner, who cited David Dreier’s hypocrisy while saying he would have voted for the bill as well:

Warner’s campaign pointed to a conflicting statement on Dreier’s website, where the 13-term incumbent writes, “I believe we need to empower families to make sound economic choices and avoid taxpayer funded bailouts.”

While Warner says he would have voted for the bailout bill as well, his campaign attacked Dreier for changing his position.

The point is that no politician has any idea what the people want, and the decision-making process is exceedingly complex.  Those who are taking principled stands are likely to be rewarded and those taking political ones punished, but even that is unclear.  I would steer clear of making definitive statements about the public mood; chances are they don’t even know what they think.