Well, the main reason is probably that I was active in the Roth campaign and with Democrats of the Desert.  Only Roth for Congress campaign staff and a few volunteers knew I was our blogger.

But I ran to help bridge the gap between the netroots and the Party, and that’s what I told our tiny gathering above the Cashier’s Desk at the Fantasy Springs Casino.  40 ballots were cast, and I garnered 13, and so I’m in.  Yes, we need a lot more participation at the local level.  This is Riverside County, and Democrats are outnumbered, but not for long!

Kudos to Patricia Cooper of State Senator Denise Ducheny’s office for a nice smooth meeting.  A few candidates weren’t there for their statements, so a local councilman spoke on behalf of two of them.  One of the last to give his one minute speech began with, “Hey, can Greg speak for me, too?” 

While ballots were counted, Pat asked for announcements, so I announced the next Democrats of the Desert meeting (Jan. 20th at 10:30am at the Palm Desert Library), Arnie gave us the next Sun City Democrats’ meeting news (Jan 23rd, the speaker is Roger Tansey on Bush’s signing statements), and we heard of two pro-union / anti-Walmart events.  Pat noted the need for a club specifically for the East Coachella Valley, and all agreed it’s needed, and we the existing clubs should support it with seed money. 

The only negative element was the smoke from the casino.  Boy, do they need to ventilate that place.  I used to smoke two packs a day, and it even gave me a headache.  Kids, don’t smoke.  I ought to mention, though, that the Cabazon tribe donated the space for our delegate election, which was very kind.

All in all a good morning.  I hope to read of more netroots wins.

(No, thank you… – promoted by SFBrianCL)

Update:  28% of Riverside County votes weren’t counted yet.

The spring is slowly returning to my step, thanks to Webb and Tester.  But David Roth was not elected last Tuesday, and it hurt.

From David Roth
Thank you!

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Thank You. Thank you for the remarkable encouragement as we built the most impressive campaign in Riverside County History. Thank you for the unfailing support as we raised an unprecedented amount of money for a challenger in this District.  And thank you for your hard, hard work as we knocked on literally thousands of doors and made thousands of phone calls — and built a movement based on the need for change.

We made history on Tuesday with the most impressive performance of a challenger in memory in this district, and that is because of the movement we built together. We ran a campaign of integrity & honor — and we are all the better for this remarkable experience.

As I said on Tuesday night — change is hard. But we have started a ball rolling in the 45th Congressional District that cannot be stopped, and will only pick up momentum as the days and months pass.

Our communities will never be the same as a result of this campaign, and you each have been such a big part of that transformation.

Although we took home the silver medal on Tuesday, Anita and I feel only pride in what we accomplished and are so grateful for all your phone calls, e-mails and messages over the past 24 hours.

We still have much work to do together to make sure all the people of this District are well-represented, and rest assured that I will be a part of that work each and every day. As we wrote on the home page of our website after the election, “Our nation needs intelligent leaders. Our nation needs heroes. I hope my campaign has inspired people to raise their expectations of those who have the tremendous honor and awesome responsibility of representing us in Washington. Mary Bono has two more years to rise to the task. We’ll be watching.”

All my best to each of you, and all my greatest thanks for a job well done. Now let us go revel in the fact that the Congress is finally Blue, and that we have ensured that the place we call home is now finally a place where Democrats’ voices can be heard loud and clear.

David

Everything David said is true.  We all knew this was one of the reddest districts, with an entrenched widow of a wildly popular figure.  But with the passion David brought to every town hall and house party, we really believed we could do it.    Roth deserved to win, and we deserved his service.    

We’ll get ’em next time. (**Update, as above:  28% of the votes are uncounted http://www.desertdem…]  Meanwhile, the Democrats of the Desert, the Democratic Women of the Desert, the Stonewall Democrats, the Sun City Democrats, and David and Anita Roth will be right here, working for a better America 24/7.  

From the left:  Arnie, Tim, Sandra, Caitlin, Joe, David, Alivia, Anita, Zach, Amalia, Juan Carlos, Ben, Maggie (yes, Stuart pasted her in), Nikki, (sorry my friend, the name escapes me), and Stuart.  

Which one am I?  None of the above, I had third graders to schlepp to the McCallum for their artistic edification on the morning this was taken.  Besides, I’m anonymous, silly.

A glorious day for David Roth (CA-45th) and our happy throng of Americans to march in the Desert Pride Parade in Palm Springs.  Look who the gay community in Palm Springs is for:

GOTV precinct captains have our orders, the final call lists are getting together, and David, as usual, was talking with the voters all day.  The local paper, The Desert Sun, recapped the candidates in today’s edition.  My home delivered print edition showed both candidates on the front page, with equal space devoted to their respective articles.  Look how the web version formats it.  The panic among the shills and GOP machine is palpable.  GO ROTH!

I was glad to see that Diana Marrero wrote the Mary Bono section, as she is, I believe, based in Washington, and covered Bono without spin in the past.  In fact, The Desert Sun buried one of her articles on Mary Bono.  Roth’s campaign found it on Lexis/Nexis, the print readership got some whitewash hackery for Bono instead:

October 3, 2006 Tuesday
 SECTION: Pg. ARC
 LENGTH: 331 words
 HEADLINE: Foley close to Bonos
 BYLINE: DIANA MARRERO
 DATELINE: WASHINGTON

BODY:
Rep. Mary Bono and her late husband, Sonny, had ties to former lawmaker Mark Foley, who recently resigned from Congress amid scandal.
An avid rock fan, Foley became friends with Sonny Bono after the two joined the ranks of House Republicans in 1994.

But Bono, R-Palm Springs, denied having any personal ties to Foley on Monday, adding that she was shocked to learn the Florida Republican had reportedly sent explicit Internet messages to teenage boys.
Her spokesman, Jason Vasquez, said Bono did not know whether her late husband and Foley had been close.

“The inappropriate conduct by former Rep. Mark Foley is unacceptable and abhorrent,” Bono said in a statement. “Mr. Foley’s actions go against the values and responsibilities upheld by Congress. If he has violated the law, he should be prosecuted.”

In an interview with the Palm Beach Post in 2003, Foley said he had been friends with the couple. He loved the entertainment scene so much that Mary and Sonny Bono began calling him “Hollywood,” he told the Post.
Sonny Bono and Foley formed a Republican Entertainment Industry Task Force to boost ties between Republicans and entertainment industry executives.
When Sonny Bono died eight years ago, Foley was among a group of lawmakers who flew to California for the funeral. Later, Mary Bono sold Foley her late husband’s 1994 Jeep Wrangler.

Before Sonny Bono died, the former singer helped raise campaign cash for Foley. In 1998, the Florida lawmaker gave Mary Bono a $1,000 contribution, for her campaign to succeed her late husband in Congress.

Mary Bono now co-chairs the Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus, of which Foley was a member. Mary Bono has also worked with Foley on legislation, signing on as a co-sponsor earlier this year on a bill Foley introduced to strengthen Congress’ scrutiny over the sales of ports and other properties to foreign buyers.
—-
Contact reporter Diana Marrero at [email protected].

The Desert Sun blacks out coverage negative to Bono or positive for Roth, doesn’t do much to mask the fact, either.  That sense of Republican entitlement dies hard.  But die it must.

To the polls!  GOTV!

I’m pulling together MapQuest prints of the polling areas, caller lists and schedules, thinking I’d better clean this house if people are actually coming in to drop off data, when what to my bloodshot eyes should appear but some helpful pressure from Josh Marshall:

(November 05, 2006 — 11:51 PM EDT // link)

More and more reports coming in of irate voters calling various House Democratic campaigns complaining about the repeat-call-back robocalls.

In other words, these are the harassing calls paid for by the NRCC made to appear that they’re from the Democratic campaign. And a lot of angry voters are getting fooled by the scam, it seems.

Take this and the tightening polls together and you get one net result: this election is going to be decided on the ground. It’s in the hands of the folks running the get-out-the-vote operations, manning the phone banks, helping people get to the polls. The Republicans are going to do their best to scam their way through this one. So it’s up to the people on the ground to make sure they don’t get away with it. If you’re in the GOTV operation, it’s all up to you.

— Josh Marshall

Put me in, coach.  

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

From John Chapman’s diary on Daily Kos:

Another Macaca Moment-– Help me publicise this!
by John Chapman
Sat Nov 04, 2006 at 09:14:10 AM PST

A Spanish language newspaper received an email from an employee at KNWZ 1140 AM which shows that Congresswoman Mary Bono approves of the term “Third World Toilet” when describing the city of Coachella.

He has a link to a scanned page from the local weekly, El Informador del Valle Indio

If that email really belongs to Rep. Bono, then she belongs far from public office, just as George “Macaca” Allen does.  What a disgraceful crew.  I posted it on dKos, too.

I had a date with my husband to see Jackson Browne open for Tom Petty last night.  I stood him up for Senator Barbara Boxer, Rep. George Miller and David Roth at the Smoketree Room in the Palm Springs Convention Center.  Photo by Omar Ornelas, The Desert Sun.

They were electrifying.  All Democrats should be as clear and strong as Miller and Boxer are, and thankfully, Roth is one of them.  

(I heard the concert was amazing, too.)  Boxer lives here and votes here now, another boost for Democrats in the 45th.  Senator Boxer was thrilling, a woman of valor, as always.  Rep. Miller had us clapping and stomping, but he’s wary of the evil eye, as we all should be.  David was ebullient (the room was packed), but still dead serious.  We have to outwork them, they all said, because we need David in Washington.  It just feels so good to be a Democrat this week, I believe we will.   Everybody get on the Roth-mobile, we’re about to stun a Republican enclave.  Get David Roth there with your cash here

Crossposted from Daily Kos

Last week, David Roth appeared at Blue America on Firedoglake*, campaigned furiously, and spoke about Iraq and Social Security. “Habeas Shmabeas” McCain came to town for a canned appearance with Bono.  Roth and Bono gave (semi-documented) editorial interviews with The Desert Sun.

Roth wrote an OpEd challenging the pro bono stenography of our local paper, which to its credit, it printed.  Roth’s “Blow Over” video passed 3,000 hits on YouTube.  Roth came close to winning the Blue America ad buy.  Finally, finally, the DCCC added Roth to the Emerging Races list.   Well, OK, then.

Now this: The Desert Sun fired its political reporter for the second time since this race began.  {UPDATE: Correction, its editorial editor this time, political reporter last time}  No proof that this reporter was also deemed insufficiently pro Bono.  But it sure looks that way.  GOP panic is in the desert air tonight.  Want more reasons why?

The candidate statements just came out on “Why The Desert Sun should endorse me.”  (Mary Bono’s is pablum, easily refuted in tomorrow’s diary.  David Roth’s is clear and direct.)  

Powerhouse Democrats are on the way:  Barbara Boxer and George Miller will be here Saturday.  Senator Boxer was one of the first to endorse David Roth, and he was an early pick of her PAC for a Change.  Thank you, ma’am.

Rep. Miller is my hero for his unwavering insistence on human rights in US territories, specifically his ten year battle with the GOP to end human trafficking, forced abortion, and slavery.  Tom Delay, (with whom Mary Bono voted 90% of the time), called the CNMI “the perfect petri dish of capitalism.”  

No amount of beaming California girl imagery can change our Rubberstamp Republican’s true story. Mary Bono votes at the behest of her GOP leadership against Americans.  David Roth lives to serve his country and his fellow citizens.  And everyone’s beginning to know it.  

*Heaps of blessings on Howie Klein’s head, and on Buffalo Girl, and SFBrian, and kid oakland, Jane Hamsher, Dan Walter, and all the good netroots people who followed this race.  

Also today in the Desert Sun:  a front page feature on the YouTube videos for this race.  “Had Enough” lyrics are quoted!  That made my day.  I am so proud of and grateful to the netroots.

Contribute to Democrat David Roth for Congress here.

P.S.  There’s even a blog devoted to plaguing Mary Bono now, though it’s not associated with the campaign.  (I write independently, too, but I’m also a volunteer with the campaign, so I keep it clean.  This blogger clearly feels no similar constraint.  {Update:  Link removed due to recent content.}

Crossposted from Daily Kos

David Roth and Mary Bono sat in the same room today for an editorial interview with The Desert Sun.  Not a debate, she can’t handle that, but actual proximity, which is a stretch for our shrinking violet of a Rubberstamper.  Roth spoke for the citizens of the district, while Bono spoke on behalf of herself.  Cause, you know, she really loves this job, and she thinks she’s doing great.   Roth decimated her with some of those mean, liberal facts you’ve heard about.

So shallow, so oblivious, so pathetic next to David Roth who believes that politics is a noble calling – you really have to join me on the flip to know how stark the differences are in this CA-45th race.

Just in from the Roth campaign – Some highlights that you won’t necessarily see on the selected video excerpts available at The Desert Sun’s page.  :

1. She gets advice on earthquake preparedness from hurricane experts in Florida, yet represents a landlocked district prone to earthquakes
2. She receives her ethical advice from Dennis Hastert, leader of the Republican culture of corruption.
3. When asked, Mary Bono said her biggest regret was getting stuck in traffic on the way to a football game- even though thousands of American troops have lost their lives because of the Bush war in Iraq.

Yes, that was her actual response.  Asked what regrets she had over the course of her public service, Mary said she regretted only that she got stuck in traffic once on the way to a football game.  Nothing about the consequences of her votes.  No thought for the scores of tortured corpses that show up daily due to “the Iraq thing” that she thought would blow over soon.  Guess they slipped her mind.  Or the kids whose college aid she cut.  Or her votes to mine in National Monuments.  Or the seniors without prescriptions thanks to the doughnut hole.  From where Mary Bono sits, things are just peachy here in America.  She’s having a great time playing Congresswoman.  What’s our problem?

4. She has no plan for ending the war in Iraq.
5. Riverside County receives the second least amount of funding of all the counties in California and she doesn’t “consider it a congressional thing.”
6. Even though she counseled Mark Foley on his sexuality she still can’t decide if they had a personal relationship.
7. She is proud of voting for legislation that left millions of seniors and people with disabilities without any prescription drug coverage.

Here’s the “live blog” from reporters in the same conference room.  Their stenographic skills are spotty at best.  Presume a GOP slant when reading the notes, this paper’s editorial board and Bono’s campaign finance committe shared a member (until Roth pointed that out in public), and boy does it show in the daily coverage.  For a real live blog with Roth, here’s yesterday’s Blue America on Firedoglake.  Thank you, Howie Klein, Christy Hardin Smith and Jane Hamsher!

Apparently Mary Bono is not a bright nor an honorable person.  The Rubberstamp record tells us that, however it becomes most obvious when she speaks.  But David Roth is the antidote.  Upon arrival in Washington, he wants to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations, undo the damage from No Child Left Behind, and fund Pell Grants to the level we need.  What will Bono do after Congress?  Horseback riding and hiking, she said.  (She works on that earthy image, much as Bush does.)  Good thinking, Mary.  Take a hike.

Crossposted from Daily Kos