In 2005, Rep. Gary Miller was the only California Republican on the House panel that shaped the 2005 transportation bill. It would be expected, therefore, that Miller would do everything he could to maximize the amount of money the bill steered to California. But The Hill newspaper is reporting that several of the earmarks he attained benefitted not just his state, but were also quite a boon to his business partner and top campaign donor Lewis Operating Corp.
Join me over the flip for connections between Miller and Lewis Operating and how the company benefitted from the 2005 bill.
(Cross-posted at Trash Dirty Gary, Southern California's resource for revealing Gary Miller's true record of disservice to his constituents... AND a place for action in restoring honor and integrity to the 42nd Congressional District - promoted by atdleft)
I hope the Dems spend huge sums of money trying to defeat Congressman Miller.
Given the demographics of the district as well as Mr. Miller's ability to self fund any defensive campaign which might be required, I can't think of a better way for them to waste their resources.
So why the heck should you listen to me now? Well, I'd like to tell you why it's so important that we keep this experienced problem-solver in Congress. Would you like to hear more? Well, follow me after the flip for it...
Oh, my! I was quite surprised when I first saw Martin Wisckol's post at The OC Register's political blog, Total Buzz:
All these fundraisers coming to town, I would guess, are not for everyone. How about $20,000 to have lunch with Nancy Pelosi on April 29, to benefit the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee? However, if you really want to see the House speaker and can't spare three times the value of my 1997 Volvo wagon, you can catch her at a fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Orange County from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Club ... for a mere $1,000. Not much more than the cost of a typical repair on my car. Interested?
I'll probably still be at the Convention in San Diego then, so I may not be able to make this date. (Sorry, Speaker Pelosi.) However if you'd like to meet Nancy Pelosi in Orange County, and you have $1,000 (or $20,000!) to spare, you can call (310) 740-6866 to RSVP. I'm sure you'll have a lovely time at the oh so luxurious Balboa Bay Club as you meet our fabulous and fantastic Speaker of the House. ; )
Reps. John Doolittle, Jerry Lewis and Gary Miller, all are under some sort of federal investigation, yet the dirty three are still planning on running for re-election in '08 (as long as they don't get indicted by then). Each one has taken their turn under the corruption spotlight. Right now it is Miller time, as the investigation into his tax evasion heats up.
Roll Call, the insider rag in DC says today (sub req):
The drama surrounding corrupt Republican Gary Miller in CA-42 is growing and growing. On Friday Miller dismissed but did not deny that he was under FBI investigation for shielding the profits of several land deals by claiming they were sold under threat of eminent domain.
Miller said repeatedly that he has always followed legal and ethical guidelines in his real estate deals. He accused both a partisan media and local Democratic officials of impugning his character without regard to fact.
"My reputation is being destroyed," said Miller, 58. "If there is some benefit to me in being a congressman in any of these transactions, please show it to me."
OK, that would be the fact that you sold 165 acres of property in Monrovia and never paid taxes on it. And apparently, there's video of you asking the Monrovia City Council in 2000 to buy the land, when you claimed that the City Council forced you to sell it.
Here's why I'm determined to find a candidate to beat Ellen Tauscher (CA-10) in 2008's primary. His name is Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15). A man that spent his early years in an American Concentration camp, he steps up for Lt. Eheren Watada in a published OP-ED. No weasle words.
Lt. Watada has taken a solemn oath of allegiance as a military officer. With the order to deploy to Iraq, he found himself with a dilemma: Either follow this oath or risk the severe consequences of disobedience. In the spirit of Henry David Thoreau, this young man searched his soul and found himself unable to suppress his conscience and opposition to what he views as an immoral, illegal war.
If you thought it was hard for Jerry McNerney to unseat Pombo in 2006, just wait until 2008...
Or not, especially since the Republicans are already laying the groundwork to retake the 11th District.
While a Special Election in CA-41 would be defined by an open candidate field, the exact opposite would be true in California's Fourth Congressional District. Democrat Charlie Brown came within three percentage points of John Doolittle in 2006 would have the nomination locked up. On the Republican side, the one thing that is a certainty is that the nominee will have close ties to Doolittle, who ran local GOP politics with an iron fist.
In an anticipated Special Election, Brown would be the instant front-runner and his $68,510 in the bank would allow his campaign to run at full steam from day one. Despite little help from the DCCC, Brown was disciplined enough to raise $1.7 million the hard way and the number of donors he inspired would allow his campaign an instant fundraising catapult.
There's ample evidence from Doolittle's latest campaign finance filing to suggest he's engaged in an ongoing legal battle having to do with ethics matters. We aren't buying his spokesperson's claim that this legal defense activity is only about Doolittle's need to "clear his name." It points to the real possibility of an indictment in the future.
I think the key question at this point is who will get Doolittle first, the Justice Department or the Ethics Committee.
The DCCC apparenlty likes some numbers that it has seen on the CA-11 race. Hank Shaw of the Stockton Record is reporting that the DCCC will place a $100K bet on Jerry McNerney for this race:
National Democrats are finally recognizing that Pleasanton wind energy consultant Jerry McNerney's campaign against Tracy Rep. Ricard Pombo is for real: They are polling in the district right now, and this survey will determine whether they're in for a penny, or in for a pound.
They're reportedly in for at least $100,000, however, according to several sources both here and in Washington DC. Should the D-Trip's polling show something similar to McNerney's survey (41% Pombo, 40% McNerney) you can bet they'll start slinging the cash the way the National Republican Campaign Committee already has been doing since late August. (Stockton Record Blog 10/06/06)
Well, I say about damn time! All the internal and other Dem-leaning polling has shown Jerry with a small lead or within the margin of error. I don't know if the DCCC will release their new polling, but we'll probably get at least some antecdotal data based upon whether more than the original $100K is put into the district. I'm glad that at least Rahm can recognize his mistakes (i.e. getting involved in the primary without asking anybody in the district). Jerry will make a great Congressman.
The "Debate"
The Tracy Press Candidate forum went well, or so I am told. I of course couldn't muster the time to haul my butt to Tracy during Rush Hour. For that, I apologize. I would have really liked to get some video of the Forum up on the Internets. As of right now, I haven't been able to find any coverage on YouTube or anything. If you have any video, let me know! So there's a bunch of coverage. A quick roundup on the flip. Of course, if you have anything else, feel free to write your own diary or add a comment to this one.
