(You guys are awesome.  Thanks so much for getting us to our goal.  But there’s still more work to be done before midnight; we need to get $500 raised for each candidate.  Right now 4 of our 5 candidates need a little more.  Visit our ActBlue page and donate!)

Calitics Match candidate Charlie Brown is facing California’s Alan Keyes, perennial candidate Tom McClintock, in the most hotly contested Congressional race in the state.  And I think the pressure is getting to McClintock.

He put together a website called “Vets for Tom” which has a page with a list of resources for veterans.  There is substantial evidence that McClintock’s team plagiarized the resource list from Charlie Brown’s website.

Campaign manager Todd Stenhouse said that not only did a list of resources on the site exactly match what was on Brown’s site, but one link that was broken on Brown’s site had the same problem on McClintock’s site.

When visitors clicked on the “AmVets” link on McClintock’s site, Stenhouse said, the broken address took visitor to a site with an address from Charlie Brown’s site, in what Stenhouse called “a smoking gun.”

“Everything he’s learned about veterans and the military, he’s apparently learned from Charlie Brown,” Stenhouse said, referring to Brown’s criticism of McClintock, a state senator, for voting against legislation related to veterans. McClintock established the veterans’ site late last week.

There’s really not much more to say on that.  Some people lead and others follow.

Meanwhile, Brown and McClintock are strating to meet in forums and debates.  Last week Brown called into a Sacramento radio show where McClintock was appearing, and last night they discussed the financial industry bailout.  As expected, McClintock favors the exact same failed solutions which brought us to this crisis in the first place, like suspending the capital gains tax.  Brown’s position is more nuanced, supporting enforceable standards on executive compensation and returning proceeds from selling assets to taxpayers, while concerned about the consequences of doing nothing (which is McClintock’s specialty).

The larger point is that McClintock is an enthusiastic supporter of the failed policies of the past, while Brown would reliably represent the future and lead on key issues.

((I’m told that Act Blue is back up and running, so you can donate now.  And we’re almost to our goal! $180 left! Who will put us over the top?) – promoted by Robert in Monterey)

Thanks to everyone who has supported our five candidates in the Calitics Match thus far.  We’re past halfway to our goal, and Debbie Cook has well surpassed our $500 match (way to go!).  

Today is crunch time.  It’s the final day before the end of the third quarter, which is the reporting deadline for federal candidates.  This is the best opportunity to make your donations the most meaningful; the quarterly fundraising announcements are key to gauge support, and money put into field and messaging now will pay bigger dividends in the future than a quick cash infusion at the last minute.  Please support these candidates and Calitics will match you dollar for dollar.

The Yacht Party Republicans still think you’re stupid.  They believe they can hide behind the gated communities they’ve created through gerrymandering, and that Sarah Palin’s presence at the top of the ticket will lift their hopes.  No, really:

A statewide poll this week underscored the effect Palin has had on the Republican base. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, GOP satisfaction with their presidential choice has doubled since Palin joined the ticket. Unfortunately for McCain, that has not translated into gains against Democrat Barack Obama in California, which has gone to the Democratic presidential candidate in the last four presidential elections.

Still, state Republicans were rejoicing at the possibilities. Thomas G. Del Beccaro, the state party vice chairman, said new volunteers were streaming in faster than at any time since the 2003 recall election. Republicans, he said, were hopeful that a resulting increase in voters would help the party in legislative and congressional races where they might not have been as competitive otherwise.

This is bravado.  The wingnut base wasn’t going to stay away from a Presidential election.  It’s the growing decline-to-state base, along with increased Democratic registration statewide, that has the potential to sink the Yacht Party just as Sarah Palin’s favorable ratings have sank as voters face the terrifying prospect of her in a position of power.  This is the real shift in the electorate:

Since the two parties largely settled on presidential nominees in April, voter rolls have increased by roughly 19,500 – or 2 percent – in Placer, El Dorado, Sacramento and Yolo counties, according to new figures from the California secretary of state’s office. Democrats accounted for 10,500 of those new voters. Just 2,400 were Republicans. Most of the others declined to state an allegiance.

The regional numbers mirror a statewide trend. California’s Democratic voter rolls have increased by 181,118 since April while the number of Republicans grew by 6,823. Republicans saw a net loss of registered voters in 25 counties, including a loss of more than 15,000 in conservative Orange County. Similar trends are playing out nationally, in several battleground states.

You can see the data for yourself.  Particularly in this financial crisis, Californians are ready for a new direction away from failed conservative policies.

All that stands between our five candidates and victory in November is making sure they have the resources to compete.  We can help provide that today.  Please visit the Calitics Match Act Blue page and give what you can.  We’ll double your donation to make it that much more meaningful.

It seems like every day, there’s a list of new opponents to Prop. 8, which would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.  One day it’s Google.  The next day it’s Steven Spielberg.  Then Mary Cheney.  And The New York Times editorial board.  And Levi-Strauss.  And Brad Pitt.  And Republicans Against 8, who managed to come up with the most singularly odd revisionist ad announcing their opposition (“Democrats are the only hope for freedom!”).  And, appropriate to mention on Rosh Hashanah morning, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

The board – a collection of leaders from the Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements – this week declared its opposition to the measure, which would amend the California Constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. Leaders of the board said they wanted protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples.

“For many rabbis, it speaks on a personal level in terms of people they deal with whose lives have been impacted over the issue,” said Rabbi Stewart Vogel of Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills and the board’s president.

The board has more than 290 members. Roughly 120 took part in Wednesday’s vote, the largest number of rabbis to weigh in on such an issue in recent memory. Vogel said Friday that 93% of those who cast votes supported the resolution.

Good Yom Tov!

Calitics is a part of this coalition through our Counter-Fast For Equality.  We’re giving thousands of supporters the opportunity to sign on to stop the elimination of marriage equality, and donate through the Fast4Equality ActBlue page.  We also have a Twitter feed set up.  If you send a tweet with the #fast4equality hashtag, it’ll appear on our site.  So sign up today!

Last week I wrote about the religious right’s takeover of the Yes on 8 campaign, and their efforts to rile up their base to eliminate marriage for same-sex couples.  In particular, I highlighted this statement:

Hundreds of pastors have called on their congregations to fast and pray for passage of a ballot measure in November that would put an end to gay marriage in California.

The collective act of piety, starting Wednesday and culminating three days before the election in a revival for as many as 100,000 people at the San Diego Chargers’ stadium, comes as church leaders across California put people, money and powerful words behind Proposition 8 […]

the gathering, called the call, will conclude a 40-day fasting period for california that begins sept. 24. christians are being asked to fast in some way, either the entire 40 days or perhaps by using team relays to cover the entire 40 days.

This “fast relay” thing just sounded more like eliminating between-meal snacking.  And just the notion of fasting to pass a ballot initiative is kee-razy to the extreme.  Well, if they can do it, so can we.

Calitics has decided to set up a Counter-Fast For Equality.  Participants can fast for 1 minute, 10 minutes, half an hour, whatever you can spare.  At the Counter-Fast For Equality website, you can sign up for the amount of time you’ll be fasting (hey Jews, don’t pick Yom Kippur, you’re fasting anyway!).  And much like a charity race, you can get sponsored for your time and trouble for fasting at the rate of a dollar a minute.  At the Fast4Equality ActBlue page, you can donate as little as $1 (or one minute’s worth of fasting) to the No on 8 campaign.

Just to get you in the swing of things, we put together this video detailing the ins and outs of a short-term fast.  Actually, our volunteer faster had a little trouble with it:

So get to it, America!  Join us at The Counter-Fast For Equality and sign up today!

The latest from the campaigns:

• General: Democratic challengers ought to take a close look at two bills passed through the House this week that make conservative priorities pretty clear.  HR 6983, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity Act, finally limits the ability of insurance companies to prohibit treatment of mental health in their policies.  John Campbell, Darrell Issa, Ed Royce and Dana Rohrabacher were among the 47 Republicans to vote against it.  HR 5244, the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008, would severely limit predatory lending from an industry that is at least a partial cause of the current crisis in credit.  Brian Bilbray, David Dreier, Gary Miller, Jerry Lewis, Dan Lungren, Campbell, Issa, Royce and Rohrabacher were among the 111 Republicans who voted against that.  These ads write themselves.

• CA-03: Bill Durston is up with two ads, as mentioned by akogun.  It’s unclear how big the buy is.  One is a bio spot, and the other hits Dan Lungren for his, er, unique travel plans.

• CA-04: A lot to report here.  While Tom McClintock is off putting together propaganda blogs attacking Charlie Brown, and of all things, this website, he ought to be paying attention to his campaign manager problem.

The camp of Democratic candidate Charlie Brown claims evidence shows state Sen. McClintock, a Republican, effectively is a substitute Doolittle, and in particular asserts that McClintock campaign manager John Feliz’s connections to Doolittle are significant.

“John Feliz is the architect of Doolittle’s first known political-practices transgression,” said Todd Stenhouse, Brown spokesman. “The bottom line is McClintock claims not to be John Doolittle, yet he’s using his former campaign manager, and he has the same treasurer (David Bauer).”

McClintock campaign spokesman Bill George said, “John Feliz hasn’t worked for Doolittle in 18 to 20 years.”

Note that he doesn’t respond to Bauer, who is still the treasurer for an active Doolittle campaign committee.

Meanwhile, Charlie Brown has endorsed the Pickens Pledge.  I am in complete agreement that the Pickens Plan for energy independence is just a scheme for a rich guy to get richer, but the pledge merely calls for an energy plan to be enacted in the first 100 days of the next Administration.  There is a difference.

• CA-50: Al Gore was in the district to raise money for Nick Leibham.  The Leibham campaign hopes this will kick-start their efforts, but the Cook Political Report recently downgraded the race to “Solid Republican.”  Their belief is that these Republican districts have been injected with momentum with Sarah Palin energizing conservatives to vote.  We’ll see.

• CA-46: One thing is clear: Dana Rohrabacher may allow insurance companies deny treatment to the mentally ill, and he may let the credit card companies fleece his constituents, but he draws the line at the Wall Street bailout.  That’s nothing new – lots of lawmakers are opposed to the bailout – but of course, the fact that Debbie Cook was first out of the gate with her opposition forced his hand, to be sure.  Meanwhile, Cook was feted with a “Truth To Power” at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil conference this week.  On Sunday, there’s a small dollar fundraiser for Cook in Palos Verdes.  Details and tickets at the ActBlue page here.  I will be in attendance Sunday, so please come out if you’re in the area.

• CA-42: Ed Chau has put together a video about polar bears, which obviously is the most important issue affecting constituents in Mission Viejo at risk of losing their homes.  Or the ethical issues of his opponent Gary Miller, one of the most corrupt lawmakers in Congress.

• SD-19: Hannah-Beth Jackson has a new ad out with some personal testimonials about her leadership on a chemical spill in her district when she was in the Assembly, and I have to say I like it.

• LA Board of Supes: Bernard Parks is using his office to try to evict supporters of Mark Ridley-Thomas.  Mayor Villaraigosa has stepped in on the side of the tenants.

On Tuesday, Villaraigosa was forced into the fray – reluctantly, his aides said – after Parks had the city send a 60-day eviction notice to Strategic Concepts of Organizing and Policy Education, a nonprofit focused on community organizing and job training.

Parks said SCOPE was using the old fire station at 1715 Florence Ave. in South Los Angeles to help the Ridley-Thomas campaign, which the group denies.

It’s hard to get a handle on the efforts of the Yes on 8 people because they’re so haphazard.  They vow to produce a million yard signs but then get delayed because the signs are “in route” from China.  They try to make their campaign seem to be about ordinary couples who want their traditional aw-shucks marriage, and then the virulence of their intolerance is revealed, over…

I am a Mormon High Priest.  My bishop is a long-time family friend, and he has come to see me a couple of times recently, but each time he has come by assignment of his church supervisor.  On the first visit, my bishop offered me a chance to resign my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  When I declined, he told me a church disciplinary council would be held.  On the second visit, just a couple of days ago, he brought me a letter informing me that I am charged with conduct unbecoming a member of the Mormon Church, and being “in apostasy.”

…and over again…

Turns out the aptly-named “Church of the Divide” in faraway Placerville had sent a group of hate-mongering protesters to the church where (Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson) and his family worships, complete with signs blaring “SODOMY” (and worse), to protest Kevin’s decision to oppose Prop 8. They also flew in Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson from Los Angeles as their Rent-A-Hack.

What has become cleear is this: the Yes on 8 movement is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the fundamentalist right, an alliance of various religious sects who are coming together to try and impose their will on the people of California.  They’ve certainly been successful financially, outraising the no side to this point.  To be sure, there are liberal religious leaders coming out against this measure, like the California Faith for Equality coalition.  But the level of participation by many groups, particularly the Church of Latter-Day Saints, is profoundly unsettling:

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have contributed more than a third of the approximately $15.4 million raised since June 1 to support Proposition 8. The ballot initiative, if passed, would reverse the current right of same-sex couples to marry […]

The top leadership of the Mormon Church, known as the First Presidency, issued a letter in June calling on Mormons to “do all you can” to support Proposition 8.

Mormon donors said they weren’t coerced. “Nobody twisted my arm,” said Richard Piquet, a Southern California accountant who gave $25,000 in support of Proposition 8. He said Mormon Church leaders called donating “a matter of personal conscience.” Some Mormons who declined to donate said their local church leaders had made highly charged appeals, such as saying that their souls would be in jeopardy if they didn’t give. Church spokesmen said any such incident wouldn’t reflect Mormon Church policy […]

The prominence of Mormon donors in the Proposition 8 fight has also led to alliances with evangelical Protestant groups and other Christian religions, some of which have deep theological differences with Mormons.

Jim Garlow, pastor of the evangelical Protestant Skyline Church near San Diego and a leading supporter of Proposition 8, said, “I would not, in all candor, have been meeting them or talking with them had it not been for” the marriage campaign. Rev. Garlow said he had developed a “friendship” with the Mormons he met, although he feels the theological differences remain “unbridgeable.”

Certainly there is a broader movement among the religious spectrum beyond just the Mormons; the Family Research Council is heavily invested in the measure, and is spreading lies about the consequences of same-sex marriage to their members (Christians will be jailed!!!).  But what is going to be the focus of their efforts to get out the vote and pass the proposition?  Apparently, fasting and praying (I don’t buy the 100,000 figure below, by the way, it sounds like more bluster):

Hundreds of pastors have called on their congregations to fast and pray for passage of a ballot measure in November that would put an end to gay marriage in California.

The collective act of piety, starting Wednesday and culminating three days before the election in a revival for as many as 100,000 people at the San Diego Chargers’ stadium, comes as church leaders across California put people, money and powerful words behind Proposition 8.

Some pastors around the state and nation are encouraging their flocks to forgo solid food for up to 40 days in the biblical tradition.

Well, not quite.  In a remarkable catch by skippy, this 40-day fasting period, scheduled to begin today, would be somewhat unusual.

the gathering, called the call, will conclude a 40-day fasting period for california that begins sept. 24. christians are being asked to fast in some way, either the entire 40 days or perhaps by using team relays to cover the entire 40 days. running parallel to the 40-day fast is a 100-day prayer effort, which was scheduled to start july 28.

Um… team relays?

Let me get this straight.  If I last from lunch to dinner without a morsel, then tag off to my partner in prayer, I can go ahead and eat dinner then?  Is that really a fast, or is it, I don’t know… just not snacking?

Well, the religious right can’t be the only ones to get in on this fun.  That’s why, starting today, I am calling on every liberal and progressive to take part in a counter-fast for equality.  The goal is to get enough people involved that we only have to chip in about 15 minutes or so of fasting apiece.  I’m blocking out September 29, 4:30-4:45.  I’m not eating a thing.  We’re talking commitment!!!

More on this tomorrow. For now, sign up in the comments with your fasting interval.  Together, we can show these guys what a fasting relay team is all about!