By my count, we had nine local and federal candidates or elected officials from California joining us in Austin for Netroots Nation. So much for the adage that us dirty hippie bloggers are to be avoided at all costs. These candidates and politicians represent the foundation of a progressive alliance that can transform the party and the state over the next decade. And they all received varying degrees of support at the convention. Here is a brief roundup in alphabetical order:
1) Secretary of State Debra Bowen – Debra apparently accepted the invitation to appear on a panel about election reform by replying on Facebook. She is one of our favorites because of her progressive credentials, her commitment to election reform, and her accessibility. Far from dropping in for the panel and dropping out, she took time to hang out with plenty of us Caliticians. In fact, during the netroots candidate event, she was simply watching the proceedings when Christine Pelosi called her to the stage – it was not her intention to come as a candidate, but to just attend the conference. That said, there was a lot of talk among the California delegation about Bowen’s plans for the future. At least four California convention-goers told me they would quit their jobs to work for Bowen if she sought higher office than the Secretary of State. She has a bright future and, judging from the reception she received, a national profile. She is one of our best hopes to get a real grassroots progressive into a legitimate position of power.
more on the flip…
2) Charlie Brown (CA-04) – Charlie has been to all three Netroots Nation events, including the first two when it was known as Yearly Kos. He is a hero among this community, and he has a lot of support here. In fact, he proved it with a very well-received appearance at the Lurker’s Caucus.
One of the people attending the caucus was Charlie Brown. He was there to do what a great many political candidates came to the convention to do — speak to people, press the flesh, make them aware of his campaign and expand awareness. I was taking a seemingly arbitrary route around the room in calling on people to talk about themselves, and Charlie was one of the first people I called on.
Obviously there was a great interest in him, and there was a lively give and take between the attendants and The Colonel for about 15 minutes. He cheerfully answered questions and gave us all a good measure of him.
Now, there are a couple of things here that make this moment extraordinary to me. First of all, the odds were very slight that there were any people in this caucus who were from his home district. And this was the Lurkers Caucus, a group whose only unifying distinction is that they don’t blog!! But here was Charlie, in a convention filled with bloggers, talking to the very people least likely to blog his appearance. (Yes, I’m blogging it now, but he didn’t know I was going to be there…)
Secondly, after he spoke, we still had about 50 minutes of the caucus and we had resumed moving around the room, giving people opportunities to express themselves. Now, I know that Charlie was not there to share his lurking experiences. He was there to campaign. I fully expected him, and would not have blamed him in the least, to quietly slip out of the room in search of more campaigning opportunities at the convention. In fact, that’s part of the reason I kind of steered the circuit of speakers to allow him to speak early. But Charlie stayed for the entire session, listening to people explain why they don’t blog!
It was indicative of the respect Brown has shown for this entire community, from top to bottom, and it’s what’s going to make him a great Congressman from the 4th District. This is one of the top races in the country from the perspective of the netroots.
3) Debbie Cook (CA-46) – I think Debbie Cook, Annette Taddeo and Alan Grayson were among the most well-received newcomers at the event. Cook’s passion for environmental and energy issues matched up perfectly with the overriding concerns of the entire conference, which helped a lot. At the Energy Panel she sat on, along with Alaska Senate candidate Mark Begich and Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley, people in the room told me she was the most impressive. And Talking Points Memo was similarly taken with Mayor Cook, as can be seen in this interview for the popular site.
Cook switched her flight so she could make the Netroots candidate event on Friday night. I think she served her candidacy a great deal through this appearance, and considering that in-district donations to her campaign passed 70% in Q2, she has a lot of potential to raise her national profile online.
4) Rocky Delgadillo, LA City Attorney – Delgadillo, who lost to Jerry Brown in a primary for the Attorney General in 2006, appeared on a health care panel that I thought was the most interesting of the entire conference. I’m going to do a larger story on it, but Delgadillo’s work in this area, rooting out corruption and illegal acitivity among health insurers, was justly recognized. I didn’t see him walking around the conference. Here’s a great diary from nyceve at Daily Kos about his efforts.
5) Mike Lumpkin (CA-52) – Calitics actually held an extended breakfast conversation with Lumpkin, running in the open seat created by Duncan Hunter’s retirement. Here’s a pic:
That’s me, my subpar breakfast, Brian, Mike Lumpkin, and Lucas. Photo by Matt Lockshin.
I thought Lumpkin was pretty good. He’s a former Navy SEAL with 20 years of experience in counterinsurgency and command techniques, serving in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Notably, his plan for Iraq includes a total withdrawal of all forces, leaving no residual troops. He tends to frame most of the issues in terms of national security, which I guess is to be expected, and he talked about securing the border as well as energy security as two of his major issues on the campaign trail. Duncan Hunter’s son, also named Duncan Hunter, is his opponent, and in the primary polls revealed that a substantial portion of voters thought they were casting a ballot for the incumbent, so this is not really an open seat in the traditional sense. Still, this is a race to watch, and I appreciated Lumpkin taking the time to talk with us.
6) Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Mayor – Mayor Newsom walked around the hall on Saturday, showed up at our Calitics/Alternet Books party, and introduced Van Jones on Sunday morning. Joe Garifoli has a little interview on why he attended:
Newsom is no stranger to online communication. He’s been regularly courting Bay Area bloggers for stories that the uh, ahem, other news poohbahs in town aren’t into. Just this week, he chatted up the city’s wind power project with a handful of local and statewide bloggers. He’s a Daily Kos and Huffington Post regular reader and occasional poster, and he copped to following threads around Facebook. “I really don’t have time to be on there,” he said of the social networking time suck.
“I’m not a convert, I’m one who recognizes the power and extraordinary influence the netroots have. Not just with politics, but it’s about a different interactions with people.” He went to Austin because “I wanted to understand more fully the intensity behind those names. We actually met ‘Bill in Portland Maine.'”
Clearly Newsom was there to build a profile for a statewide run for governor, and I thought that was generally successful. There seemed to be a buzz around his visit as he walked the halls, and the crowd was receptive to his Sunday morning message, which focused on the environment. Some were skeptical of the message, and I hope he clarifies his position, but when I spoke with him, I found him very willing to engage on the issues. I asked about prison policy, one of my hobby horses, and while he wasn’t fully informed on the topic, he expressed a need to drill down and asked me personally to provide him with whatever information I could muster. You bet I’ll do so, and I respect anyone in politics willing to have a two-way conversation.
7) Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House – You may recall she had a little discussion with some dude on Saturday morning. That’s been well-covered elsewhere. Speaking to Pelosi’s staffers, I can tell you that she enjoyed the back and forth and expected MORE of a grilling, which may have been a fault of the organization or the perhaps too-respectful commenters themselves.
8) Russ Warner (CA-26) – This was Russ’ second Netroots Nation, and he did his best to focus on meeting as many people as possible. I did tend to see him and his campaign staff just about everywhere. He delivered his passionate message about his son, who was in attendance, at the Netroots candidate event as well.
9) Steve Young (CA-48) – Steve is running for Congress but he’s also a member of the community, and during the California caucus he was as active as anyone in participating in the discussion. The numbers he’s been showing around on his race suggest there is a real chance here, and I hope he got a lot out of the event.
The bulk of the Calitics crew has found its way to Austin now (just waiting on Robert still), and California is out in full force throughout the convention. Aside from the editors, Dante Atkins and Todd Beeton are running around as well as frequent guest of the front page Paul Hogarth. Just returned from Howard Dean’s launch of the national Register For Change bus tour geared towards registering new voters. Californians were all over the place there.
Charlie Brown was specifically mentioned a few times in Gov. Dean’s speech. Debbie Cook was in attendance. California blogosphere alums like Matt Lockshin and Matt Ortega were moving through the crowd. Big name Californians who sometimes forget about us like Markos, George Lakoff, and Gina Cooper were working around the edges. Earlier today I ran into Steve Young in the hall, hung out with orangeclouds115 last night, and sat next to kid oakland (and Matt Lockshin) on the flight to Austin yesterday. Most of the Courage Campaign folks are here (myself, Juls and Eden), Bob Brigham is on his way. I’ve met Calitics lurkers and occasional commenters like tilthouse and reconnected with cmanaster. There’s more to come with (for example) Mike Lumpkin due to stop in for the California caucus this afternoon (among others) and hosting a breakfast tomorrow morning.
What’s really striking about all this is to note how many strong voices, incredible minds and game-changing candidates we have in California. Last year at the California Caucus we discussed the role of California as a national leader and incubator for positive change. Looking around Netroots Nation already I’m reminded of just how true that is and how potent California’s brain trust is. For those who are here and for those who are reading I’ll ask- how do we do a better job of fostering and harnessing all this?
UPDATE: We’re going to be caucusing from 3-4:15 in room 18B. It’ll be free-form, so bring your own topics and get ready to connect! From the budget to CDP reform to our chances for a 2/3 majority in the legislature and pickups in the House, there’s a lot to discuss. We’re also in the Netroots Nation agenda now. Please come by.
[UPDATE by Lucas] – We’ve got a number of special guests lined up now, but if you’re reading this (even though it’s NN), it might be too late to do anything about it.
[UPDATE: by Dave] – Mad props to Tracy Russo, online diva, who has helped confirm us in this spot. So tomorrow at 3, be there for the California caucus. Place to be determined, but check the online agenda, as it will shortly register up there.
For all of you who will be in Austin tomorrow for Netroots Nation, we’re going to attempt to pull together a California caucus for Thursday afternoon, probably in the 3-4:15pm slot. I’ll be posting info on “The Wall” outside 17A&B first thing Thursday morning (which means 9am), so be sure to check in for the finalized details (3pm slot is not set in stone and we need to find a room). Also, there’s a whole mess of Californians who aren’t likely to be checking in on this post (especially this late), so spread the word as you filter in to Austin and help pull together a great turnout.
Last year’s California caucus was a great opportunity to hear from Congressional candidates (We have Mike Lumpkin, Debbie Cook, Charlie Brown, Russ Warner, and Steve Young attending NN at various points this year [I might be forgetting some]) discuss California’s role as an incubator of national ideas (marriage equality is a great example this year), and discuss ways to better tie state and local politics to national activism.
This one is coming together last minute, so spreading the word will really drive how effective this can be. Hope to see everyone there!
UPDATE: Just to remind everyone, on Saturday night Calitics is one of the many hosts of the Alternet Book Party. I’ve confirmed today that Mayor Gavin Newsom will be joining us at the event to hang out, so it should be fun. Visit this link for more information.
In the last couple days, there have been several posts across the blogosphere citing what various candidates running for Congress have said on FISA and retroactive immunity for the telecoms. But so far, it’s been all over the map. I’ve tried to corral all their statements into my diary on Daily Kos, so you can see who the “good guys” are.
First, let’s start off with the current House and Senate members who voted against this bill. They do deserve credit, as it’s their jobs on the line.
Below the fold, I’ve modified the original diary to list just the California Democratic challengers running who are standing up for the Constitution, and are against this FISA bill and retroactive immunity.
Update: Found a relevant passage from Bill Hedrick’s website.
Now, not all of these statements were made this past week. Some came from 2007, and others came around February when this issue was last up in the air. But hey, they’re on record. So here goes, alphabetically by district. If you know of a candidate who HAS spoken out against retroactive immunity and the FISA bill, please let me know in the comments, and please include the link where we can read their statement, and I’ll update the diary accordingly.
House candidates
CA-04: Charlie Brown (seriously, read his entire diary, it’s excellent)
I flew missions that monitored electronic communications around the world-often with Soviet MIGs flying off my wing and hoping I’d make a wrong turn. Our standing order was “if you even suspect you are collecting data on an American citizen, you are to cease immediately, flag the tape, and bring it to a supervisor.” We knew failure to comply would yield serious consequences-the kind that can end your career, or worse, land you in jail.
In short, professional, accurate intelligence collection guidelines were used to protect America “from all enemies, foreign and domestic,” without also undermining the very freedoms we were protecting.
….
But this debate isn’t just about security; it’s about accountability. As an officer who was both involved in these programs and held personally accountable for my actions in the name of defending America, I have a problem with giving a few well-connected, well-healed companies who knowingly usurp the law a free pass.
….
And when I see companies acting “in the interest of national security” held to a lower standard of accountability than the dedicated professionals charged with our nation’s defense, silence is not an option.
And to those few companies seeking immunity for breaking the law despite the best of intentions—might I offer a few comforting words on behalf of all who serve, and all who have borne the responsibilities of safeguarding our great nation…freedom isn’t free.
Members of Congress take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. So do members of the Executive and Judiciary Branches. Unlike the Bush Administration, however, I will do all in my power to uphold and defend the Constitution, particularly regarding the protections and inalienable rights of all humanity it guarantees to the American people.
We live in an unsafe world. We need to ensure we take all necessary and legal steps to safeguard our country and its citizens. Our Constitution provides for checks and balances against government intrusiveness infringing upon fundamental rights of speech, religion, privacy, unlawful search and seizure, etc. It is ironic that the most efficient way to ensure perfect safety is by discarding these fundamental rights. In fact, some of the most repressive governments today (North Korea, anyone?) rule over some of the safest countries – at least when it comes to walking the streets at night.
Unfortunately, the Bush administration has ignored the Constitutions checks and balances. Instead it has created its own Rule of Law. The Bush Administration has suspended habeas corpus, sanctioned torture and illegal spying on Americans and created an extralegal detention center in Guantanamo. This arrogance continues even though the American people and many of our leading jurists and representatives have stated they want our Constitution followed in the manner envisioned by our Founding Fathers and confirmed by all subsequent administrations except the current one.
In the past the United States has ensured that those persons on its soil or under its jurisdiction or power are treated with the same dignity and respect as American citizens. This is based on that marvelous statement in the Declaration of Independence, [w]e hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights. These inalienable rights are not limited to one gender, one party or one nationality. While we cannot always influence other governments to respect these rights we can guarantee them whenever they involve those on our soil or under our jurisdiction or power.
Therefore, it is ironic that the Bush Administration, which denounces the human rights record of the Cuban government, echoes that record by claiming the Guantanamo detainees are not subject to American due process in legal proceedings precisely because they are housed in Cuba even though they are under American jurisdiction and power. How long will it be before the current infringement of inalienable rights on our own soil, which now consists of illegal spying on Americans, escalates to suspension of Habeas Corpus or even torture against Americans?
No one not the President, not the Vice President, not members of the Cabinet is above the law, nor should any governmental branch be allowed to discard Constitutional guarantees. When I become your congressional representative I will do more than merely recite my constitutional oath of office as a rite of passage. I will act upon that oath and support and defend the Constitution. I will act to restore the constitutional balance between inalienable rights and safety. As Americans we will be free . . . we will be safe . . . and we will not participate in violations of those inalienable rights guaranteed to all by our Constitution.
Our nation was founded on a system of checks and balances. Unfortunately, the checks and balances in the Constitution and the freedoms Americans hold dear have been slowly eroding. Finally, last week the Supreme Court drew a line in the sand and restored habeas corpus, one of the Constitution’s most basic and essential protections against government abuse.
Some in Congress wish to eliminate another essential freedom by allowing the government to spy on its citizens without a warrant and giving lawbreakers who do so immunity from prosecution. Our founding fathers would be outraged at the bargaining away of the Bill of Rights.
You don’t fight terrorism abroad by taking away at our freedoms at home.
We now know George Bush’s wiretapping program is not a narrow examination of calls made to and from suspected terrorist suspects — unless you believe that you and I are terrorists. I am worried and angry that the National Security Agency (NSA) has secretly purchased from the three largest telecommunications companies in the country, telephone records on tens of millions of Americans. On December 17, 2005, President Bush said he authorized the program, “to intercept the international communication of people with known links to Al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. Then on January 23, 2006, after concerns were expressed that the NSA tapped into telecommunications arteries, Gen. Michael Hayden, then NSA chief, now CIA nominee, asserted his organization engages in surveillance if there is a “reasonable” basis for eavesdropping.
George Bush asks us to believe the NSA is not listening to phone conversations. Does that comfort you? Anyone with experience in data management knows the government now has the information necessary to cross-reference phone numbers, with available databases that link names and numbers to compile a substantial dossier on every American. Evidently, Bush now sees the enemy, and it is us.
I will insist on national security — we all must — but we must also insist that America is a land of laws. No one is above the law. If the law is a circumstantial inconvenience for President Bush, the law will soon be irrelevant to the ordinary American. Bush repeatedly asserts that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — which established a special court to confidentially review and authorize sensitive surveillance requests — does not apply to his surveillance program, so George Bush bypasses the court.
When you elect me to Congress, I will sponsor and pass legislation to remove any doubt that warrantless spying on ordinary Americans is illegal. We must do what is right, let the consequences follow.
What’s much MUCH more disconcerting to me is the entire FISA bill…As somebody who has been a prosecutor and dealt with the 4th Amendment, I can tell you that this happened to have been the one amendment in the Bill of Rights that all the Founding Fathers could agree upon; that in order for the government intrusion there had to be probable cause signed off on by an independent magistrate that says you may have committed a crime. I find the entire FISA process to be constitutionally dubious. That doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be made constitutionally valid but I think that anytime you have wiretaps involved…that deals with an American citizen, you’ve gotta have a court sign off on it. The only question in my mind is whether or not that has to be done prior to there warrant being executed or whether or not there is some grace period. There is no doubt in my mind that the executive branch itself cannot act as both overseer and executioner (of warrants or wiretaps). That, I think, is constitutionally impermissible; I think it’s a violation of the judiciary’s proper role of interpreting laws.
As a former prosecutor [and] law clerk in the US Attorney’s office in the Major Frauds and Economic Crimes section…I’ve never heard of anybody being given immunity when you don’t know what they’ve done. It’s not how the immunity process works. You don’t say to somebody ‘Whatever you’ve done, don’t worry about it.’…It’s unthinkable to me as a lawyer and as somebody who will have…sworn to uphold the Constitution that I could ever support that.
FISA should never have been expanded. The government’s ability to spy was extensive enough already. The government is failing us in so many ways right now, this can just be added to the list. I want a safe, secure country. I have lived my life trying to secure exactly that. Frankly, the reason I joined the service was to defend my country’s beautiful liberties and secure them for future generations of Americans. Some attribute the following quote to Benjamin Franklin “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” No one can express the ideology of our democracy better than one of the founders.
As far as telecommunications immunity, my understanding is that legal culpability is determined in context. It is quite a thing to have the power of the executive branch of the government pointed in your direction making demands. Lack of courage to say “no” under such circumstances is no surprise. I think courts are well equipped to unravel this type of legal factual minutia and get to a just result. Immunity from the law is something to be dolled out sparingly.
Then there’s those whose names have been bandied about the blogosphere that we’d like to think they’d be opposed to Bush taking away the Fourth Amendment, but where I cannot find a single statement from them about this specific issue. Much help would be appreciated in figuring out exactly where they stand on FISA.
I really wish this had been my idea because it’s brilliant and it’s the right thing to do. I received an email from the Democratic Congressional Candidate that I support in my district. His name is Steve Young. I will share what he wrote to me.
My answer to “Segregated Sundays.” The part of Barak Obama’s speech this week on race that struck me was his observation that America is most segregated on Sunday when we go to church. I plan on changing that in my life. Tomorrow, I am going to attend the African Methodist Episcopal church in my area. Anyone wishing to join me, the service starts at 7:45 a.m., at Christ our Redeemer AME at 46 Maxwell Street in Irvine. (There is another service at 10:30 am if you want to join in this outreach but find 7:45 is too early for your blood) I told a friend of mine what I was doing, and he said he would go with me to my “white” church this week to integrate it. Imagine how we could change the dialogue in America if we started to visit each other’s churches — Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc.
Could you imagine if we took this on and went to other Churches and made it know that we will not stand for integrated Sundays anymore! Does that mean you have to change Churches? No, but I know it would be wonderful to visit new Churches and share our personal spiritual journey with a group of people in my community that I’m usual not connected to.
The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.
…
But I have asserted a firm conviction – a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people – that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.
…
In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.
Please support Steve Young and give to his campaign to let him know that you support his values. These are the values that we should all support as progressives and Democrats. And lets show Obama that we heard him and we understood that his honesty and his candor was a gift and it was politically courageous as well. In fact, it transcended politics, most importantly, “politics as usual”.
Find a Church in your area that you want to visit and integrate Sundays…
Please forgive me if I left something out, I know I did, but I did my best 🙂 And even if you consider yourself to be atheist or agnostic, take the leap and just learn. I included more secular denominations.
Intimidated? Get a friend to go with you. Do you want to learn more before you go? BeliefNet.com is an amazing resource, please go explore and learn more even if you don’t intend to go to any Church tomorrow.
By the way, I use Sunday loosely, there are other days of worship but I want to include more than the Christian faith in this attempt to integrate Churches.
(I wish we’d hear from all of our challenger candidates more regularly. – promoted by David Dayen)
I am Steve Young, the Democrat challenging John Campbell [R, CA-48] the sixth richest member of congress. My challenge is truly a David vs. Goliath battle — and we know how that one turned out.
I am writing to ask for your help. Two reasons make the House race in California’s 48th district important:
We need a representative with the spine to vote his heart; and
As we have learned from sad experience, we don’t have the votes in Washington to pass necessary legislation.
We need a voice – reflective of our values – in the U.S. House in Washington.
I am Steve Young. I am not a career politician. I have never been on the public payroll. I do not answer to special interests, or PACS. I am definitely different from the traditional member of the House of Representatives who has “moved up” to avoid unemployment under term limits. I have run my own business, and have had to do without to make payroll. I understand the struggles Americans face today.
I will bring a different perspective to the U.S. House. To do that I need your help.
Your help is absolutely critical. I plan to launch ads in the media in February after super Tuesday. That is slightly over a month away. I can purchase 1 ad slot in my district for $25.
I have made advertisements to remind my district of the many examples of John Campbell’s hypocrisy including:
His attack on SCHIP “because it is a publicly funded health care system,” while he took publicly funded health care as a Congressman.
His justification for voting to cut veterans’ benefits because, “Veterans commit fraud.”
His support of waterboarding because it is, “a psychological interrogation technique that does not inflict physical pain or permanent damage.”
His vote to sustain Bush’s veto of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 belying his many media pronouncements concerning his "dedication to the environment."
If he is reelected to the House, John Campbell will continue under the banner of “unburdening business” to rail against laws that give us clean drinking water, safe work places, and a retirement safety net.
Help me stop him by helping me get my message out next month.
John Campbell is the sixth richest member of Congress. He made millions as a car dealer. I will need to match him and the corporate interests that raised almost $2 million for his election. And that’s why I need your help.
The money battle will be like David and Goliath. We know who won that one.
Earlier I told you there were two reasons I needed to win this race. One was so that Californians will have an unfettered representative.
But the other reason is as important.
You see, House Democrats are struggling to pass necessary legislation. We need additional House votes to make a difference in Washington.
Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the following information for each individual whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle.
Contributions to Steve Young for Congress are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. The maximum allowable contribution is $2,300 per person to each of the primary and general elections. Couples may give up to $9,200 from common funds for the primary and general elections, but both names must be on the account. Contributions from corporations, foreign nationals, labor unions and federal government contractors are prohibited.
John Campbell [R, CA-48] thinks his public attacks on earmarks, including broadsides against Andre Agasi’s highly touted charter school in Las Vegas, a Sherwin-Williams research project, John Murtha, and Charles Rangel’s education center, mark him as a fiscal conservative for his base. But Campbell’s votes in 2006 during the Republican control of the house mark him as a fiscal hypocrite.
Let’s be honest about John Campbell [R, Ca-48]. He is not a deficit fighter, but a political hack. He now plays the curmudgeon on earmarks, but his 2006 voting record under the Republican majority in Congress is a different story. For example, Campbell voted, without a hint of objection to ridiculous earmarks like: $1 million for Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Department; $250,000 for the Montana World Trade Center; $300,000 for the Bronx Council for Marketing of Local Business Art Initiatives; $250,000 for the Bronx On-Water Learning Program; $3 million for the OPERATIONS OF THE OFFICE ON RIGHT-SIZING THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT’S OVERSEAS PRESENCE.
John Campbell’s claims fiscal superiority, but his votes in 2006 belie a different motive. duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) said, “Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.” Campbell is the classic proof of the statement.
It had to happen. The Reps have opened an internet fund-raising site. The scary part is that Keith A. Davis of Huckaby Davis Lisker (who previously worked for Bush-Cheney ’04) is the Treasurer. I am cross posting from my DailyKos diary.
In 2006, 22 federal races were won or lost by less than 2 percent. In 2002 and 2004, just seven races total were won or lost by less than 2 percent. We’re no longer winning and losing races with wide margins. One reason Democrats won the House and Senate majorities is because sites like ACTBLUE allowed Democrats to raise funds across the country and raise resources get our message out.
The Republicans are now entering the field with Slatecard.com PAC that operates SlateCard.com,
acting as a “conduit” for Republican contributors to federal races.
Acknowledging that Democrats are far ahead of Republicans in converting their online presence to off-line support, SlateCard.com states,
It is our hope that Slatecard will level the playing field for Republican candidates and causes by providing an innovative platform for use by the Right kind of activists.
SlateCard uses several innovations that ActBlue should implement.
First is the innovation of “issue badges.” Currently, on any candidate’s website or on a site like ActBlue, once a user inputs their credit card information and clicks submit the process is over.
Not so on Slatecard. On Slatecard, when a contribution has successfully processed the user is then taken to an issue badges page where the user can choose one of 26 issues that they believe the candidate represents well. For example, a few popular issue badges are “Faith & Values,” “2nd Amendment Rights,” Secure Our Borders,” and “Stop Hillary.” Once we’ve amassed enough data, we’re going to give activists the ability to search for candidates they might support based on the issues. But we’re not letting candidates choose the issues, instead the issues are selected by the community that supports that candidate. In other words, we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to make a qualified-Wiki of candidates where issue-based voters can support candidates regardless of geography.
The second innovation is to provide a “Connect” section on every candidates profile where the candidate can add links to social networking sites like facebook, myspace, youtube, flickr, linkedin and other outlets.
The third innovation is what the page calls “Snacktivism.” The Reps track every action on the site (Who knew the Reps would do such a thing) by registering the site The Ticker. It is in effect a score card of visits to pages and shows interest beyond just donations.
There is also a blog page and other features that ActBlue could effectively implement.
“Veterans commit fraud.” (John Campbell’s [R, Ca-48]) Listen to the story, told by the veterans to whom he made the statement.
John Campbell [R Ca-48] says “Veterans Commit Fraud.”
Steve Young stands behind our veterans.
I want to reach every veteran in the country to let them know how Campbell feels about veterans. Three veterans heard Campbell’s macaca statement. I made a commercial to tell the truth, and to demand that Campbell apologize to veterans.
$25 pays for one airing of this commercial in my District. How many times would you like to see this commercial play?
Go to Actblue: https://secure.actbl… (and contribute) to tell George Bush and John Campbell, “Stop posing in front of soldiers, and start standing behind our veterans.”
Look at my website at www.SteveYoungforCongress.com.
Do you want to know why I am so committed to the veterans and their benefits? I took the time to put it on tape so you can hear it from the horse’s mouth:
If I am the kind of man you want in Washington, then I need help: 1. Please contribute to my campaign at ActBlue: https://secure.actbl… 2. Hit the “recommend” button to keep this message visible. 3. Send a link to this post to everyone you know who cares about veterans and their issues, no matter where they live.
Thank you,
Steve
