Taking into account some suggestions and comments, I made some changes to my previous attempt at redistricting California. I conceded an additional 2 seats to the GOP, which concomitantly makes a number of other seats more strongly Democratic. The additional 2 safe GOP seats are CA-4 and CA-48. Here's what version 2 looks like, overall:
I decided to try my hand at redistricting California's Congressional districts for 2010-2012, using Dave's Redistricting App. After playing around with it a bit, here's what the map I came up with looks like overall:
Here's the 2008 Obama/McCain vote in California, on the precinct level:
Kos has an important post on 2010 marking a pivot for the grassroots and netroots from trying to take back the federal government from Republicans to reforming our Party and holding Democrats accountable.
If your local congresscritter is one of the bad apples, start organizing locally. Plug into existing networks or start your own. Begin looking for primary challengers. Do the groundwork. Don't expect help from the local party establishment, they'll close ranks. So tap into alternate infrastructures. Find allies in the progressive movement. If your local shitty Democrat is anti-union, approach the unions. They'd love to send this kind of message. If the Democrat is anti-choice, work with the women's groups. If the Democrat is anti-environment ... you get the idea. If you have access to professional networks and money, start organizing those.
Of course, this takes more than just bitching about your frustrations on a blog, damning a whole party for the actions of a minority more scared of Mr. 28% than of protecting the Constitution they swore to protect. This takes hard work. But now is the time to start.
Indeed. The activists that meet campaigning this fall will form the core of next cycle's primary efforts. Kos suggests looking at The Capitulation Caucus with emphasis on those who are also Blue Dogs. In California, that means:
Joe Baca, Dennis Cardoza, Jim Costa, Jane Harman, and Adam Schiff
Kos also praises Loretta Sanchez as one of only four Blue Dogs who didn't cave on defending the Constitution from retroactive immunity. And remember, Ellen Tauscher was a member of the Blue Dogs until she saw the successful primarying of Joe Lieberman and occupies a district designed for a challenge from the left (and west).
This was and probably could/should have stayed a quick hit, but I'm in a mood.
Rep. Mary Bono Mack and her husband Rep. Connie Mack are joining forces to form the new America Supports You Caucus. Reps. Adam Schiff and Allen Boyd join them as co-chairs. The group will, at least in part, serve to highlight the Pentagon service that provides veterans with links to support services (instead of providing those services?).
I'm all for connecting veterans with support services and all, but at some point you can't wave that miniature American flag hard enough to hide that you aren't actually serving members of the military as well as you should. How fast before this becomes a de facto test of support-the-troops devotion?
Open Thread yourselves as well. Fun with Metronomy's Radio Ladio on the flip.
Woohoo! Jerry did it! Jerry McNerney has managed to become the most un-progressive Democrat of the entire California congressional delegation. For those keeping score at home, Jerry's 82.45 was about a half point lower than the next CA Dem, Jim Costa, that progressive stalwart, at 82.97. And for all the talk of Harman changing her ways, she's still worse than even Joe Baca, almost 7 points worse from a very safe Dem seat.
For all of you CA-45 fans, "moderate" Mary Bono came in with a stellar 4.42 Chips are Down score. So, for all the bluster of the SCHIP vote, she's still dancing the same jig as the rest of her party.
On thing must be said, the Speaker has done an excellent job at preserving unity amongst the caucus. Whether that means she's being too incremental and/or ineffective, or just laying down the law is the big question. The reason her approval rating, and the Congress in general, is down has a whole lot to do with the fact that little has changed on the Iraq front. So, would it be better to have a speaker who is more willing to take risks? Perhaps, but the impediment of the president always lingers over her head, veto pen in hand. So, whether the unity is really there, is an open question. Full data over the flip.
(I was working on a similar post, but I'll still post my own, with all CA data and some other miscellany. - promoted by Brian Leubitz)
The problem with most scorecards is that they are written by lobbyists concerned with always getting the votes of potential supporters. Thus, there is an equal weighting while in the real world not all votes are equal. In fact, regardless of everything else, some votes are dealbreakers and when they show up on scorecards as one of 12 votes or something, it looks silly. However, Progressive Punch has a new "when the chips are down" scorecard. After the flip is the ratings of CA's congressional delegation, in descending order.
I'm guessing that at tonight's Calitics' Actblue Celebrations there will be a lot of discussion about the votes to condemn MoveOn. The CA delegation split 50-50 in the senate and 16 yea and 17 nay in the house -- wedged successfully by the GOP in half. After the flip is the scorecard.
Leading up to the election last November, Chris Bowers initiated the Use It or Lose It project, urging unopposed members of Congress to contribute their money to the DCCC in support of other competitive races. In addition, I found 64 more districts with token opposition (Republican had raised less than $10,000 total). California's districts, safely drawn as many of them are, were well represented on these two lists, and while many of California's Democrats were very supportive, not all of them were. Our representatives have a responsibility to support the party as a whole whenever possible, and sitting on piles of cash is both a waste and a betrayal of good faith. Here's a look at how the delegation performed so that we can start applying pressure where necessary.
This is video from yesterday, the first of a three-day "occupation" project at Rep. Adam Schiff's Pasadena office. Rep. Schiff's office greeted the protesters with cookies and a signed letter:
"I will work with Representative Murtha, the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to ensure that our troops have everything they need, to hasten their redeployment from Iraq, and to begin bringing our combat forces home ... Our work (against Bush's escalation) will not stop here. The next step will be to use the power of the purse to change direction."
As diaried here today, Congresswomen Woolsey and Waters and Lee have H.R. 508, a comprehensive plan to bring the troops home and support efforts in the region to reach a reconciliation. She is working on her colleagues from inside the tent; we must do the same from outside. Call your Representatives. Participate in local action. Do what needs to be done to get us out of this war. The video is below.
I don't think we talk enough at Calitics about Iraq. It's true that there is not a lot that can be done at the state level to effect the debate, although Carole Migden is offering legislation opposing the war. But the California Congressional delegation will have a lot to say about the future of Iraq and America's involvement in it. I've already expressed my disappointment with Henry Waxman's reticence to challenge the Administration on funding and bringing the troops home. He is but one of several Southern California Democrats who have consistently voted to continue our involvement and enable this Administration's crucially poor judgment in perpetuating this foreign policy disaster. Now the activist community is striking back and putting more pressure on local legislators to act.
Next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, from 11 AM - 6 PM, I will join other anti-war activists, some of them leaders of local LA Democratic Clubs, to conduct non-violent civil disobedience. As part of a nationwide Occupation Project, we will occupy Congressman Adam Schiff's office at 87 North Raymond in Old Town, Pasadena (Los Angeles area).
The demand? Schiff, who voted for the war again and again, must stop funding the US occupation of Iraq.
Risking arrest, we will sit-in, block the entrance, leaflet cars, and demonstrate outside Schiff's office, just as Voices for Creative Non-Violence and Code Pink occupied the offices of Senators McCain and Clinton recently.
