(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

Meet David Roth with Alivia and Anita.  Mary Bono is terrified of this big, mean Democrat (pictured with his liberal family) and his mean, mean questions about Iraq, political corruption, and her votes attacking seniors, children, and disabled veterans.  She won’t debate, won’t even address a public forum without assurances that Roth won’t be scheduled the same day, as is the case with the Palm Springs Green Expo this weekend.  She’s petrified.  Now we have Mark Foley epitomizing the rot of Republican rule.  Let’s count the ways Mary Bono’s story “adjusts” to unfolding news reports, shall we?  

Crossposted at Daily Kos

First, Mary Bono said she had “no personal ties” to Foley on Monday, October 2nd.  Trouble is, the reports of her nickname for Foley (“Hollywood” – hey, I thought she hated Hollywood) were already printed on September 30th in the Herald Tribune, and on Oct. 2nd in USA Today

This report, by The Desert Sun‘s DC reporter was filed on October 3rd, but our GOP mouthpiece of a local paper didn’t run it as Diane Marrero wrote it (this version lives only on Lexis/Nexis, as far as I know):

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].

What did The Desert Sun go with?  This article, on October 4th, by local guy Keith Matheny instead:

Bono on Monday said she had no personal ties to Foley. Bono’s spokesman, Jason Vasquez, said Bono did not know whether Foley and her late husband, Sonny Bono, were friends, though they did co-found Republican Entertainment Industry Task Force to boost ties between Republicans and entertainment industry executives.

Mary Bono called for a “comprehensive investigation” of Foley’s activities.

“Mr. Foley’s actions go against the values and responsibilities upheld by Congress,” Bono said. “Should it be determined that he has engaged in acts which have harmed children or put them in jeopardy, he like any other person must be held accountable. If he has violated the law, he should be prosecuted.”

 David Roth was more direct:

La Quinta Democrat David Roth, running for the 45th Congressional District seat currently held by Bono in the Nov. 7 general election, accused Hastert of covering up Foley’s actions and called on him to resign.

“It’s one more thing that disgusts people about their government,” Roth said. “I will never turn a blind eye to corruption, cover-up and inappropriate behavior.”

As Mary Bono’s initial denials are clearly not operative, she gives us this on October 5th:

Rep. Mary Bono knew her former congressional colleague Mark Foley was gay, wasn’t publicly admitting it, and that it “haunted him for some reason.”

“I would tell him, ‘It’s fine you’re gay; just be open and honest about it,'” Bono said after an event at Palm Springs airport Wednesday morning.

Wait a minute!  Isn’t that a personal remark to make to someone with whom you have “no personal ties?”  -Come on out of the closet, stranger, hey, nothing personal-  Please.

Does Mary Bono call for Denny Hastert to resign?  Heavens, no.  But she would support a special prosecutor, she claims in her latest canned appearance in front of a safely GOP crowd.  

This concerned parent of “What do you tell your children” fame, had no idea that her friend Mark – strike that – colleague Mark was ever inappropriate with Congressional pages.  No idea at all.  I don’t buy it, even given the empty headed things Mary has said in the past:

May 5, 2006

Bono Sings the Blues, Paying for College on $165,000 a Year

The rising cost of a college education is one of the key higher-education issues in Congress, and one member this week helped explain why, in a very personal way. According to an article (subscriber only) in Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Congress, Rep. Mary Bono, a California Republican, said on Wednesday that her government salary of $165,200 a year was not enough to send her son Chesare to college this fall.

Speaking at a hearing on consumer issues, she said that were it not for the music royalties of her late husband, Sonny Bono, “I could not afford college for my son.” Among her many expenses, she said, were new cars for herself and for Chesare, Roll Call reported. Both vehicles came equipped with a satellite radio and a Bluetooth wireless connection to the Internet.

  Oblivious remarks about living expenses aside (and boy, does that remark tell you all you need to know about Bono), all parents of teens have this particular radar, as Barbara Boxer pointed out.  I just don’t buy it.  And if Mary Bono truly found this whole disgusting affair to be a shock, then she’s too willfully blind to serve the nation.  But we all knew that already.

David Roth LIVE!  

The Roth campaign (CA-45) has new videos.   This latest, “Blow Over,” notes Mary Bono’s total obedience to the Bush/Cheney idiocy.   May 2004, Mary Bono said, “I think this Iraq thing will blow over …”  that was over 2000 dead Americans ago.

For the next, let us all halloo his name to the reverberate hills, and all hail the glorious Howie Klein of Blue America, who gave the Roth campaign (among many others) “Had Enough”

Here’s Roth on the campaign trail, it’s called “Change Washington”.  Regarding Mary Bono, she claims she had “no personal contact” with Foley, though Sonny and Mark were big buddies, Mary and Sonny nicknamed Foley “Hollywood,” and Mary sold Sonny’s Jeep to Foley after Sonny’s death.  “Foley, who?”  I don’t buy it, Mary.  Why no condemnation of Foley, back when it could have spared a few kids, as you condemned Clinton?  Any wonder why this Bushbot won’t debate David Roth?

Please help us kick her complicit butt out of Washington, and elect David Roth.  

Cross posted at Daily Kos

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

When Mary Bono first came to Washington, she made herself immediately useful to the House GOP leadership in its assault on Clinton.  Does anyone remember Susan Carpenter McMillan, pictured with Bono and Paula Jones?  {Shudder}  Mary Bono gave us “What do you tell your children?” back then, but we have yet to hear any similar parental concern over the House pages that her buddy Mark Foley covets.  Here’s Bono with Foley and Connie Mack as they yuk it up with Kelly Preston. What do you tell your children about Uncle Foley, Mary?  What’s that?  Still can’t hear you.  How about torture?  No?  Student aid?  Healthcare?  Why are you one of the worst for children and seniors?  Silence.  Still can’t find her, either.  Bono won’t debate, and David Roth told the 100+ supporters outside her office last Wednesday – don’t bother asking for debate, she’s clearly too frightened of a public airing of her record.  Just ask her to go home.  Had Enough?  H/t: Blue America and Howie Klein for these fabulous videos!

David Roth has a great new video from the campaign trail, as well.  And a stinging retort to the local GOP rag, The Desert Sun, who has a member of its editorial board on Bono’s finance committee, but somehow keeps forgetting to mention that in print. 
Here’s who David’s got:
And this beautiful family:

And the enthusiastic support of our local unions, Democratic clubs, teachers, mayors, 21st Century Democrats, Barbara Boxer’s PAC for a Change, and -hell, check the whole list.  David converts Republicans to his side on contact.  He’s that good.  Bono has incumbency, Abramoff $$$, and corporate fat cats on her side, but I believe that her constituent support is shallow.

I was filling up my scruffy Saturn in Palm Desert yesterday, and a cheerful blonde with a gleaming Escalade asked me about my Roth for Congress bumpersticker: “ROTH for Congress – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents United” it says.  “So what’s Roth?” she asked.  “Democrat,” I said, “he’s running against Mary Bono for Congress.”  “Oh, well, I’m a friend of Mary’s,” said she.  “I’ve heard she’s a lovely person,” I said, “I just believe her votes are all wrong, 90% in lockstep with a very bad leadership.”  So we chatted amiably, and found we agreed that Bono is bought and sold by big money, LOVES to be in Congress but isn’t entitled to that sweet job (it belongs to us), and that Roth’s positions are better for the country and the district.

But she’s going to Mary Bono’s upcoming fundraisers, I imagine she always has.  Bono’s supporters have little idea what she’s really up to in Washington, like most Americans, they don’t think about it much.  This one bristled a bit when I noted that Roth is an education expert, and would bring a stronger take on public schools and higher ed than Bono has.  (Bono cast the deciding vote to cut $14 billion from federal student aid, while whining that her $165K salary isn’t much when faced with USC tuition.  Bono’s wealth is maintained by Sonny Bono’s royalties added to her $165,000 Congressional salary.  This evidence that Bono Just Doesn’t Get It gets right through to parents I talked to today while walking the precincts in Indio.  But I digress.)

Mary’s friend shared Bono’s total lack of interest in public schools, “My kids are in private schools, and I’ve had it with public schools, they’re so bad, I don’t want to pay for any of it.”  Wow.  Rather than assail her selfishness and anti-American disregard for the public good, I assumed a spoiled Republican POV and asked her a question she would consider seriously:  I know what you’re saying, but what about when these kids leave public schools?  These will be our neighbors, our community.  What kind of neighbors will these kids be?” 

“Well, she’s a woman, and that’s great, you know.”  “Well, yes,” I said, “that is great, but just ask the other women we’ve got, ask Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Lynn Woolsey and Loretta Sanchez, they’re all for Roth!”

She laughed, our cars were gassed up, and we smiled and went our separate ways.  If this is a typical Bono supporter, then Bono’s support is simply a matter of default, and a broad misapprehension of Bono’s legislative priorities.  She’s a Bushbot and obedient tool of the House leadership.  Bono is a follower, and this week her leadership is in meltdown.  Will she show her face in public around here?  Probably not, unless you pay big.  But we will get a real public servant to represent us Congress when David Roth wins.  Help kick Mary Bono’s complicit butt with your contribution here.

Crossposted at Daily Kos

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

Too few of our Democrats are truly music to the ears.  Barney Frank is one of that eloquent, ballsy few.  Smart, funny, and particularly compelling when he’s stumping for my Democratic challenger, David Roth.  

Yes, I MET him in a Roth supporter’s Palm Springs full-to-the-brim house last Saturday (forgive the delay in posting, the kids shorted out my keyboard that same morning).   A lovely man.  He told us not to whine about how corrupt and unfair the rightwing is – they’re not going to stop.  Democrats have to beat them in GOTV, we have to walk our precincts, and we have to give David money.
Mary Bono called Barney Frank to prevent this appearance.  Let’s discuss that on the flip:

 We have a great candidate, (and here Rep. Frank digressed a bit to assure us that despite the game face they put on it, campaigning is hellish and exhausting.)  Barney Frank told us that we are the lucky ones, with a race that can actually flip a district, and a candidate ready to win it.  This CA-45th district that has been smugly Republican forever, until now.

Frank and his partner used to have dinner with Sonny and Mary, they go back twenty years.  About Bono, Barney Frank said, Mary Bono is a very nice person.  But unfortunately (paraphrased as best I can),  Mary Bono’s completely in line with the right wing GOP faction in charge, has been since playing her role precisely as cast on the  Senate Judiciary Committe during the Clinton impeachment.  She had some good votes, but only when they made no difference to the GOP bosses.  “She’ll bring you ice in winter.”  

This is a crucial political decision being made in November.  Barney Frank, kind as he is, had to tell Mary Bono he was coming to Palm Springs to speak on behalf of David Roth.

Congressman Frank reminded those in attendance how lucky they are to be involved in one of the very few competitive Congressional races in the nation. The Congressman also remarked that if Democrats didn’t win back a majority of Congress, “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” referring to what the Republicans will do if they retain control.

A rare public appearance:  Our local medical marijuana advocates interviewed Bono on tape .  Watch it.  Just as Barney Frank said, she seems nice enough, but well-rehearsed to defend an absurd policy.  Not about to deviate from the party line.  If you like what the Republicans serve up, keep her.  

David Roth is running because he can’t stand still, he likes to joke.  But he gets serious when he talks about Iraq, America’s leadership, our healthcare, our kids.  And as he said last Saturday, Mary Bono is out of touch, out of sight, and come November – out of office.

Democrat – David Roth.