So we raised nearly $3,000 in about two days, and combined with our $2,500 in matching funds we contributed around $5,500 to five great candidates: Charlie Brown (CA-04), Debbie Cook (CA-46), Hannah-Beth Jackson (SD-19), Alyson Huber (AD-10), and Manuel Perez (AD-80).
Great work, everyone. Thanks so much for participating. You rock.
OK, we're over $2,600, but we still need to get $500 per candidate to reach our matching goal. Thanks so much, everyone. If you want great Democrats like Hilda Solis in Washington and in Sacramento, please do what you can to help us out.
While the traditional media is focusing on the spat between the House Republicans and Nancy Pelosi, credit also goes to progressive Democrats who refused to go along with a huge giveaway to Wall Street that lacked accountability and repayment guarantees. Some of them have given statements explaining their votes.
Today, I voted against H.R. 3997, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA), compromise legislation to bailout financial institutions saddled with large debts. I am very concerned about the credit crisis created by the housing market meltdown and while I appreciate efforts of the Democratic leadership to work in a bipartisan fashion to improve the Bush Administration's proposal, this legislation lacks needed taxpayer protections and assistance for Main Street families like those in the Congressional District I represent.
"I cannot in good conscience, vote for legislation that gives $700 billion to the same firms that helped cause the current financial crisis through irresponsible lending without providing meaningful help for homeowners who are in danger of foreclosure. In the 32nd Congressional District, housing foreclosures have nearly tripled in the past few months, with over 2,300 homeowners currently going through the foreclosure process. The impact of such widespread foreclosures on our local economy and community is devastating.
"Unfortunately, this legislation will not help the families who are stretching paychecks and trying to hold onto jobs without additional steps to stabilize our housing market. It lacks needed reform of bankruptcy laws to allow consumers to renegotiate the terms of their mortgage in bankruptcy courts to help keep their homes. Homeowners on Main Streets should have the same rights to renegotiate their loans, especially those for their primary residence, as Wall Street.
Pete Stark:
President Bush tells us that we face unparalleled financial doom if this $700 billion bailout is not approved today. He and his Treasury Secretary - a former Wall Street fat cat - tell us that we have reached the point of "crisis." That is a familiar line from this President. It sounds like the disastrous rush to war in Iraq and the subsequent stampede to enact the Patriot Act. As I opposed the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, I stand in opposition to his latest rush to judgment.
"We are not in a sudden crisis. It has been building over the past 8 years of the Bush Administration. Lax oversight of the financial industry ballooned into a house of cards....
"The bill before us today is basically the same three-page Wall Street give away first put forth by President Bush. The fig leaf adjustments are not enough to outweigh the fact that no one knows if this bill is what's needed. I'm not willing to make a $700 billion gamble that President Bush is right after 8 years of seeing all that he's done wrong.
A 0.25% tax on all stock trades and "exotic transactions" such as derivatives trading as a kind of "progressive PAYGO" to ensure that the taxpayers won't be paying the costs of the bailout.
Equity shares in any companies that benefit from the bailout
"Major bankruptcy reform" including homeowner renegotiation of mortgages. Obama undercut progressives on this when he said bankruptcy reform didn't need to be part of the package, perhaps a telltale sign of how unprogressive an Obama administration might be. But it's still a necessary part of any financial solution.
A detailed list of new regulations to protect consumers and provide more stable, responsible regulation of the financial industry to prevent a recurrence of this crisis.
If we want to ensure that we have more and better Democrats to push progressive economic policy in the Congress next year, we need to help them win this November. Join our Calitics Match and help send Charlie Brown and Debbie Cook to Congress, and Hannah Beth Jackson, Manuel Perez and Alyson Huber to Sacramento.
UPDATE by Dave: On the flip, a list of the ayes and nays among out Congressional delegation.
To give to Debbie's campaign, donate at the calitics ActBlue page and your donation will be matched (up to $500.)
Truth to Power is something many of us have been attempting to speak out about and those Democrats who are running this year are leading this charge. My favorite Democratic Candidate for Congress is Debbie Cook, the recipient of the "Truth To Power" award and well deserving of such an honor.
The most remarkable quote of the week came from a backbencher Yacht Party Republican named Mark Wyland, commenting on the historically late state budget. If the California Democratic Party had a locker room, this would be serious bulletin-board material:
Voters are unlikely to punish lawmakers for the budget delay in any substantive way on Nov. 4 unless it's to pass a ballot measure that would change how political districts are drawn, said state Sen. Mark Wyland (R-Carlsbad).
"My experience with voters is that they really don't care how long it takes to get a budget," Wyland said, following his participation in a panel discussion at an event on reforming state government.
According to Wyland, prolonged budget stalemates like this year's sometimes encourage voters to keep their incumbents. Because districts are usually heavily skewed in registration to one party or another, he said, sitting legislators are more likely to hear encouragement for their party's ideological position than disfavor.
And voting against the party - in Wyland's example, for tax raises or to reinstate the unpopular vehicle-license fee - is an invitation to face a primary challenge in the next election cycle, he said.
This is the calcified opinion from the Yacht Party, and why they'll never be moved from their ideological perches. They believe that they have more to fear from internal challenges on the grounds of insufficient fealty to failed conservative policies than from the consequences of those policies. And there's a lot of evidence on their side, although not as much as they think.
But the most glaring point made in this statement is one of contempt. It shows contempt for voters to act in the best interest of an ideology than in the best interest of the state. It shows contempt for voters to hold the budget hostage, causing extreme hardship in the lives of state employees, community health centers, policemen and firefighters, and public schools, and expect nobody to notice. It shows contempt for voters to use the tyranny of the minority to advance a cause completely at odds with the prevailing opinion of the state. Real people were affected and harmed by this budget, and all of us will be in the future as the bills of conservative borrow-and-spend economics and systematic destruction of government come due.
And the thing is, Wyland is relying on a failed model. Demographic shifts and a reckoning of the failure of conservatism has made no district safe. Indeed Californians can punish Yacht Party Republicans for their intransigence and obstructionism. There are a number of races at the federal and state level where Democrats have more than a chance to unseat Republicans and turn seats blue. In fact, with some luck and proper resources we can get very close to that 2/3 majority needed to pass budgets and fix the structural revenue deficit. That's where you come in.
The Calitics Editorial Board has identified five seats which strike a balance between winnable races and progressive leadership. We've decided to start a major fundraising push for these five candidates between now and the end of the quarterly reporting requirement on September 30. That gives us only a few days, but here's the kicker - Calitics will match every donation made to these candidates up to $500 each, for a grand total of a $2,500 candidate match.
Charlie Brown (CA-04): A recent Research 2000 poll showed Brown leading perennial candidate Tom McClintock 46-41 in this deep red district. Brown, a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel, nearly defeated indicted Congressman John Doolittle in 2006 and has shown tremendous leadership on veteran's issues and the FISA fight before even coming to Congress. He's a better Democrat we can all be proud of.
Debbie Cook (CA-46): Running in a tough district against certifiably crazy Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Debbie Cook is running with an unabashedly progressive message. The Mayor of Huntington Beach, Cook is an expert on peak oil and energy issues, and would instantly be one of the most knowledgeable voices in the Congress on how to move toward a post-carbon future. She also believes in ending the Iraq occupation responsibly and achieving the goal of quality and affordable health care for all.
Hannah-Beth Jackson (SD-19): A former Assemblywoman and creator of Speak Out California, a blog and resource for Golden State progressives, Hannah-Beth Jackson has proven her progressive bona fides time and again. Running in rapidly changing Ventura County against the former state director of the Club for Growth, Tony Strickland, Jackson can prove that even Tom McClintock's old seat is not safe from the progressive wave. She would lead in the State Senate on issues of economic justice and the environment.
Alyson Huber (AD-10): AD-10 is another district where the demographics are changing, and Alyson Huber is perfectly suited to take advantage of this and turn the seat blue. Huber, an attorney and working mother, is focused on increasing access to health care and education for all Californians. She would help tremendously in bringing us closer to that needed 2/3 majority.
Manuel Perez (AD-80): A transformative leader, Manuel Perez is ready to take that leadership to Sacramento. Part of a growing group of Hispanic-Americans in the Coachella Valley who are leading a major progressive challenge to the typical politics of the region, Manuel has created community health clinics, served on the Coachella School Board as a trustee, taught classes, and organized his community to fight for change. He is uniquely suited to take his varied experience and lead in the State Legislature.
The time is tight, but we need to make Mark Wyland and the Yacht Party Republicans he represents cry. Please contribute to our Calitics Match fundraising effort before Tuesday!
Democratic Nominee for Congress Debbie Cook (CA-46) was honored today with the Roscoe Bartlett "Speaking Truth To Power" Award at the ASPO-USA Conference in Sacramento.
Randy Udall, an ASPO-USA (Association for the Study of Peak Oil) board member, announced the award at the conference on Tuesday afternoon, citing Cook's willingness to talk frankly about energy issues.
"We honored her for her courage, for speaking honestly about energy realities and for promoting an energy program that makes sense," said Udall, who is the director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), a nonprofit organization in Colorado that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Cook, the mayor of Huntington Beach, is a nationally recognized leader on energy, and also a board member of ASPO-USA. She was instrumental in bringing the conference to California for the first time. The conference ends Tuesday evening.
The award was named in honor of Republican Representative Roscoe Bartlett (MD-6), who leads the effort in Congress for an energy policy based on the challenges of peak oil.
Democratic MEMBERS Meeting on Bailout Plan, TODAY, Room 2220, 2:30-3:30pm
From: The Honorable Brad Sherman
Date: 9/22/2008
Skeptical About the
Administration's $700 Billion Bailout Plan?
Democratic Members Meeting
Room 2220
2:30-3:30 P.M.
Dear Democratic Colleague:
Are you skeptical about the $700 billion bailout bill? Let's meet in Room 2220 on Monday, September 22, 2008 at 2:30 PM. Come to the first and perhaps only meeting of the Skeptics Caucus to discuss President Bush's $700 billion bailout bill. Democratic Members and Senior Staff only.
Bring specific legislative proposals. I will be bringing legislative proposals to carry out the principles set forth in the letter below. If you have questions about this meeting, please contact me or my Legislative Director and Counsel, Gary Goldberg, at xyz.
Sincerely,
Brad Sherman
Member of Congress
I would expect this out of a Barbara Lee or Maxine Waters, but coming from Sherman, this means that rank and file Democrats are very wary of getting steamrolled by the Bush Administration and let a major chunk of the Federal treasury flow out of their control. Sherman is pretty middle-of-the-road as Democrats go, squarely in the mainstream of the party if not to the right of the mainstream, not a guy who's out in front a lot and not (to my knowledge) a member of the Progressive Caucus. I've met him a couple times out here in California and he seemed OK, but not exactly the guy I'd expect to go to war with. If Sherman is marching (pardon the pun), there's a very large skeptic's caucus, I'd gather. And Sherman's prescriptions for a better bill (available at the link) are really good.
"We must take action to keep our whole economy from collapsing. But if the plan by the Treasury which has leaked out today is genuine, then it's unclear if the plan will work at all.
"Add in a massive transfer of authority to the executive branch, with no congressional oversight or judicial review, and this plan should be dead on arrival.
"Handing over taxpayer money to the government with no oversight is always a bad idea and it's especially rotten given the current administration's track record."
And Rep. Hilda Solis, traveling with netroots favorite Annette Taddeo in South Florida, released a great statement as well, connecting this fiscal crisis to the effort to privatize Social Security:
"Three years ago, President Bush and rubberstamps in Congress like Ileana Ros-Lehtinen fought hard to privatize Social Security. From the floor of Congress, Ros-Lehtinen said that she "applauded the President for his strong leadership and vision" and that she wanted to "reform Social Security to include private accounts. Had George W. Bush and rubberstamps in Congress had their way, today's financial crisis would be a full-blown emergency. Tens of millions of seniors around the country, including hundreds of thousands here in South Florida, would have lost their pensions overnight."
It's time for an "all-hands-on-deck" approach. Call your Representatives and tell them you don't want to give a blank check for $700 billion dollars to the guys who messed up Iraq and the response to Hurricane Katrina.
That one liner pretty much sums up the sentiment at the 2008 ASPO-USA Conference in Sacramento.
ASPO, for those who don't know, is the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas. Once on the fringes, Peak Oil has shed much of its tin-foil-hat reputation, as T. Boone Pickens and Shell Oil have jumped on the bandwagon, and as world events, rising oil prices and the panic at the pump have focused more attention on the world's growing energy crisis.
Peak Oil simply: there is a finite amount of oil in the ground and our capacity to produce it has peaked, leaving us with a declining supply of oil, while world demand becomes greater.
Still there are many who don't acknowledge the reality of Peak Oil and what it means for our society and the world. Politicians fear the discussion because it means being visionary and most of them cannot see beyond the next election. Neither Presidential candidates' energy plans address growing supply shortages.
That's part of the reason why Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook is one of the best candidates Democrats have for Congress anywhere. She is willing to say what many won't and she's willing to lead where others fear to tread. Cook, the Democratic nominee for Congress(CA-46) is playing a leading role at the ASPO-USA conference, which began yesterday in Sacramento.
Cook, a member of the ASPO board of directors, was instrumental in bringing the annual conference to California for the first time, which brings together scientists, educators, and policy makers from around the world to plan for future energy constraints.
"Energy affects every aspect of our lives: food production, transportation, land use patterns, and our economy. Governments at all levels haven't done enough to plan for an energy constrained world," said Cook. "This conference is a chance to hear current energy data and trends from experts in government, industry, and research."
• CA-04: I love this video from the Charlie Brown campaign. They traveled 412 miles down to Thousand Oaks to talk to constituents of California's Alan Keyes, State Senator and professional office-chaser Tom McClintock. It's really funny and drives the point home that McClintock is a do-nothing at best and a dangerous radical at worst:
And get this, McClintock is now running on the state budget, the Republican version of which has a 19% approval rating. That's like putting Nixon, Bush and Cheney in your campaign ad.
• CA-26, CA-45: Not one but two! Both Russ Warner AND Julie Bornstein have been added to the DCCC "Races To Watch" list. This is a prelude to being listed as Red To Blue candidates. If the D-Trip comes through with some money, maybe threatened incumbents like Dreier will have to stop mouthing off about other GOP races and start paying attention to their own. UPDATE: Mike Lumpkin (CA-52) is on that list now too, which is a pleasant surprise.
• CA-46: When John Fund tries to target a Dem challenger, you know something's going wrong. Fund is sounding the alarm on Debbie Cook, as Dana Rohrabacher tries to greenwash himself with a scheme to build solar-power plants on federal land without environmental impact studies. Fund says that Cook called this "an extreme position," but he chopped the quote:
Democratic challenger and Mayor of Huntington Beach Debbie Cook agrees that the process of approving solar power plants is sluggish and needs to be sped up, but not at the expense of the environment.
"This is just another extreme position by Dana Rohrabacher. What we need to do is come up with a balanced approach that streamlines these projects, because they're critically important to our energy future, but at the same time recognizes the impacts to the environment," Cook said.
Rohrabacher's doing the equivalent of saying he'll grow jobs by hiring 10,000 federally funded serial killers, and then wondering why everyone's worried about the mass death ("You wanted jobs, didn't you?"). There's a sensible way to free up the bottlenecks and a rash one. Rohrabacher chose door #2.
• CA-42: The internal poll results released by Ed Chau are intriguing (showing him up 44-38 after a mix of positive and negative information released on the candidates), but I don't think candidates who have minimal bank accounts should do polls stating the numbers after a mix of information if they don't have the money to get that information out. But if Gary Miller truly has a 28% re-elect number as the poll states, he could be in trouble.
I simply have not had the time to do a full update of all the Congressional and legislative campaigns. And sadly, it doesn't look like that time will be forthcoming soon. So I think I'll do mini-updates where possible.
• CA-46: Debbie Cook has been endorsed by DFA (Democracy for America). Jim Dean, the Chair of DFA, said in a statement, "Debbie Cook has been a grassroots champion for over 20 years and has a proven record of success in the private sector and as a public servant ... Debbie Cook is running because she's a committed advocate and activist who fights for her constituents and delivers results."
In the past, DFA has been able to move some resources into districts, so we'll see if they're going that route in this race. DFA has also recently endorsed Bill Hedrick (CA-44).
• CA-26: Russ Warner's campaign is announcing via email that the DCCC named his race as "one to watch." That doesn't mean they'll get any money, but it puts them in the queue if the race tightens. Unfortunately, the DCCC has kind of a deliberate style, where they hoard their money for the races they know are toss-ups, and then wait until the very last minute for these emerging races, sometimes beyond the point at which that money can be effective. I understand the strategy but it wouldn't be smart from Warner's perspective to bank on any help from Washington in his race against David Dreier. He needs his own resources as well as money from California lawmaker's PACs.
Which reminds me, California Democrats, it's time to use it or lose it. We have a number of races where the challenger can win if they have enough resources, and in the seats where an incumbent has token or no opposition and a huge war chest, that money should not be sitting in an account somewhere. Help our own candidates! Expect more pressure on this very soon.
• CA-03: It's kind of fun watching Dan Lungren try to humina-humina his way out of supporting Prop. 8. He really has no idea what he's talking about. It would be bad enough if a citizen of the state had this atrocious an understanding of basic civics, but this guy is not only a US Representative but a former state Attorney General!
• AD-80: The GOP tried to get Manuel Perez' occupational status as an "educator" thrown off the ballot, but they failed. Now he has received the endorsement of the highest-ranking law enforcement official in Imperial County, D.A. Gilbert Otero. Considering that his opponent, Gary Jeandron, is the former police chief of Palm Springs, I'd consider this endorsement to be significant... UPDATE re: CMR, seems that Gary Jeandron supports "traditional marriage." In Palm Springs. Now, so did Bonnie Garcia, but she was able to win enough in Imperial County to offset it. Jeandron needs the Palm Springs vote to be huge to win.
Today about 20 volunteers congregated at the White Point Nature Preserve in San Pedro to give back to the community as part of Democrats Work and their national day of service. I know community organizing and community service is teh suck, but that didn't stop us, for some reason. Democrats Work is a really great organization that brands service and volunteerism as a Democratic value, part of protecting the commons and creating a more livable world.
We arrived around 9am and immediately set to work clearing tumbleweed from a large area of the preserve, which formerly housed a naval missile silo. For 2 1/2 hours we picked, pulled and chopped away at the weeds. And joining us was Congressional candidate in CA-46 Debbie Cook (San Pedro is in her district). Now, most candidates would spend about 10 minutes there, get their photo-op, shake a few hands and go home. Cook drove up in her car and spent the entire volunteer session with us. Pretty interesting.
I talked to Cook a bit about her race against Crazy Dana Rohrabacher. Obviously, the big hurdle right now is financial. While Cook has outraised Dana Rohrabacher since she entered the race, she still is at a disadvantage of 3:1 in cash on hand, and until she shows more fundraising strength, outside groups like the DCCC won't jump in. It's kind of a vicious cycle - you can't get money until you raise money. Cook has released a TV ad that's running in the district on local cable, and she has an ActBlue site up for supporters to adopt an ad. She also raised close to $10,000 in Blue America's recent contest, and while she didn't win to receive the extra $10,000, it was still a success. Cook has challenged Rohrabacher to debates but he's been cool to the idea. Local PBS station KOCE has committed to running the debate with or without Crazy Dana, so she may be debating an empty chair. Cook discussed her plan for Iraq (if the oil companies require security to do their business in the country, they can pay for the private security contractors like Blackwater and let us leave), her energy ideas (the drillusion is backwards thinking that will never move us forward), and Sarah Palin (as the mayor of Huntington Beach, she said that she never received such federal largesse from earmarks that Palin did as mayor of Wasilla, despite having 20 times as many constituents), among other things, while helping clear the tumbleweed. Cook is an impressive and dedicated citizen legislator who would truly be a breath of fresh air in Washington.
You'd think this would be bigger news on the last night of the Republican Convention, that the guy that used to be their go-to lobbyist got sentenced today.
Disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose corruption scandal shook up Washington's power elite and contributed to the Republican loss of control in Congress, was sentenced on Thursday to four years in federal prison.
Abramoff is already serving a nearly six-year term on unrelated charges and the new sentence will be served at the same time, meaning he will not spend any extra time behind bars once his original sentence ends in 2012.
Judge Ellen Huvelle issued the sentence after federal prosecutors recommended leniency due to Abramoff's cooperation in pursuing corruption cases against lawmakers and former administration officials. He faced a maximum of 11 years under a plea deal reached in 2006.
Abramoff has major ties to John Doolittle, Ken Calvert and several other California Republicans, but the Debbie Cook campaign has been pressing the connections between this twice-convicted felon and Dana Rohrabacher. To wit:
Abramoff Funded Trips
Rohrabacher's ties to Jack Abramoff date from the 1980s. In 1999, Rohrabacher went on an Abramoff-funded trip to the Marshall Islands with John Doolittle (R-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA) and eight staffers. (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/RMItravel.html)
Rohrabacher Used As Reference By Abramoff
In 2000, Abramoff listed Rohrabacher as a reference on a loan application for the purchase of SunCruz Casinos. "I don't remember it, but I would have certainly have been happy to give him a good recommendation,' Rohrabacher said. "He's a very honest man." (LINK)
Another Overseas Trip Paid For By Abramoff
In 2002, Rohrabacher and his wife and campaign manager Rhonda, took a trip to Malaysia, accompanied by two Abramoff partners at the firm Greenberg Traurig. House records indicate the trip to Malaysia focused on terrorism and trade. Rohrabacher's spokeman called the trip "very positive." (LINK)
Rohrabacher Calls Abramoff "a fine man"
In April 2005, with Abramoff the target of a grand jury, Rohrabacher said "Jack has made some mistakes...but he is not the dishonest, malevolent, arrogant, wheeler-dealer that people are portraying. He is a fine man."
(LINK)
Rohrabacher: Abramoff's Crimes Are Business As Usual
Rohrabacher defended Abramoff to the Washington Post: "I think he's been dealt a bad hand and the worst, rawest deal I've ever seen in my life." Words like bribery are being used to describe things that happened every day in Washington and are not bribes."
Abramoff pleaded guilty in January 2006 to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. (LINK)
Rohrabacher Alone in Praising Abramoff, Despite Guilty Plea
Following Abramoff's guilty plea for his role in the fraudulent purchase of a fleet of casino cruise boats in Florida, Rohrabacher was the ONLY member of Congress to request leniency from the federal judge sentencing Abramoff.
(LINK)
Today, Debbie Cook released this statement: "Rohrabacher's ongoing relationship with Jack Abramoff and his willingness to excuse his crimes, even now, as Abramoff is sentenced for bribery, speaks volumes about the Congressman's judgment and his Washington D.C. mindset." The words "culture of corruption," which Democrats successfully branded in 2006, can be thrown in there as well.
Good to see some aggressiveness out of Cook. They just released their first ad of the cycle, too, designed for local cable, which also displays some toughness against Rohrabacher. It's the first ad run against Crazy Dana in 20 years. What's more, they're asking supporters to buy an ad through Act Blue.
Huntington Beach, CA - Debbie Cook has formally asked Congressman Dana Rohrabacher to join her in at least three town-hall style debates throughout the 46th distict.
"The voters in our district should have meaningful opportunities to hear our very different goals and visions for the 46th district," said Cook. "The Congressman has been willing to debate in previous elections, I hope he will agree to join me in a series of forums that will present our positions directly to the voters."
The Cook campaign has asked for three debates located across the district, two in Orange County and one in Los Angeles County.
"There are two very different media markets in this district, so along with Orange County, it's important to schedule at least one town hall debate in Los Angeles County, possibly in Long Beach or the Palos Verdes Peninsula." said Kevin Thurman, Cook's campaign manager.
Thurman said he is waiting for an official response from the Rohrabacher campaign. Thurman sent a certified letter to Rhonda Rohrabacher, the Congressman's wife and campaign manager, early this week.
Cook, the Democratic nominee and mayor of Huntington Beach, is challenging incumbent Dana Rohrabacher. She has devoted much of her adult life and her legal career to environmental protection and energy policy. She considers reducing America's dependence on fossil fuels an environmental and national security imperative.
The 46th Congressional District covers a two-county area bounded by Costa Mesa on the south and the Palos Verdes Peninsula on the north. For more information about the campaign, please visit www.debbiecookforcongress.com.
Fiona Ma is doing a "Citizen Co-sponsor" thing for AB 1778, a bill that would require people selling over 2,000 cans ($100) to provide their name. It's an interesting idea aimed at stopping people from rummaging through garbage cans in the middle of the night. However, there's some risk to homeless and low-income folks in this as well. Many of them will sort public trash cans looking for recyclables, and that's tough work.
The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee and our allies at the Leadership Conference on Guaranteed Healthcare are debuting a new feature: The Healthcare Heroes Caucus, which will honor candidates who are running on a platform of supporting HR 676, John Conyers' bill for an expanded and improved Medicare for All.
We will highlight the stories of these healthcare heroes, and work to get them the attention and support they need. It's not always easy to run in the face of insurance companies and a sold-out political culture...but it is smart. Poll after poll shows the American people are open to an expanded and improved Medicare for All, and are desperate for the kind of solutions that will improve care while saving money.
Debbie Cook is our first Healthcare Hero candidate and she's a great one. She is a committed progressive running in a district that is ready to toss out Bob Dornan Dana Rohrbacher and elect a real leader.
So today I drove back down to my old stomping grounds of Palos Verdes to see Debbie Cook's "ice cream social" at the lovely Hesse Park. Admittedly, the crowd was mostly older folks, and I felt a bit out of place. The head of the Palos Verdes Democratic Club opened with a joke about how Democrats do exist in Palos Verdes, which people chuckled at. I mean, surface appearances would make you think P.V. was 100% Republican.
Anyway, not only was Debbie Cook there, but the people running for the state assembly and senate were there also. (The Democratic incumbents in those seats are term-limited out.) Rod Wright, who worked for Maxine Waters, is running for the State Senate, and Beth Loewenthal, a member of the Long Beach City Council, is running for the State Assembly. Both should be elected when all is said and done; the districts seem to be more or less safe for Democrats.
Los Angeles, CA-The California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) announced today their endorsement of Debbie Cook, the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 46th Congressional District.
"We're proud to support Debbie Cook because she has shown time and again her commitment to protecting our coastal resources," said CLCV's Southern California Director David Allgood. "Mayor Cook has a long record of achievement on environmental, public health and other issues important to the people of the 46th District."
In 1989, rather than see her city's parks and beaches destroyed by private development, Cook led a group that collected 18,000 signatures for a successful ballot measure to require voter approval in order to build in Huntington Beach public parks and beaches.
After attending law school, she joined the Bolsa Chica Land Trust legal team, winning a case that protects sensitive coastal habitat throughout California to this day. As Mayor of Huntington Beach, she led the fight to stop the Orange County Sanitation District from dumping partially-treated sewage into the ocean, resulting in cleaner water for our beach's recreational users.
Cook's opponent, longtime Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, ignores science to deny that climate change is man-made, favors drilling off the coast of California and has spoken against the landmark Clean Trucks Program at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles - which will slash toxic truck emissions by 50%, significantly reducing the port-related diesel pollution that leads to 2,400 premature deaths per year, according to the California Air Resources Board. He currently has a low 10 percent rating on the League of Conservation Voters' congressional scorecard.
It's not surprising that Cook would get the endorsement; what's crucial here is whether or not she becomes a cause for the environmental movement the way that Jerry McNerney became a cause in 2006. Rohrabacher's rejection of port cleanup, which just passed the California State Senate, could be a really salient issue in this district, part of which covers Long Beach and most of which is situated on the coast. Some hard-hitting ads and mailers accusing Crazy Dana of allowing kids to suffer and die from pollution seem to be in order.
UPDATE: Cook is also pivoting off of the historic nominating speech by Barack Obama at the DNC, holding 200 "Making History" parties in the district and raising money for Cook's campaign. This is really a local effort. You can sign up at her website.
Today Americans United for Change, the progressive advocacy group that is visiting districts throughout the country on the "Bush Legacy Tour," hammered David Dreier for being a tool to Big Oil and special interests. From their release:
With gas prices above $4, Americans United for Change, the progressive issue-advocacy group that recently launched its national Bush Legacy Bus tour, blasted Rep. David Drier today for standing in the way of lower gas prices for California families by voting against meaningful legislation to release 70 million barrels of light, sweet crude oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve into the open market and replace it with heavy, sour oil that is tougher to refine - a move that has historically brought down gas prices and strengthened our national security.
The SPR has been tapped or suspended before by the current President Bush, President Clinton, and the first President Bush and each time oil has been released the impact on prices has been dramatic and immediate. For example, in 1991, oil prices immediately dropped by 33 percent. The 2000 exchange drove oil prices down by 19 percent. And the release by President Bush in 2005 resulted in a 9 percent drop.
"With gas prices hovering above $4 a gallon, Rep. Dreier was given a chance today bring real relief now to California families forced to make incredible sacrifices choosing between bills, gas, and food," said Caren Benjamin, for Americans United for Change. "But without apology or question, Congressman Dreier chose to put his loyalty to Bush and his addiction to big oil cash ahead of relief for struggling Californians."
I don't know if the "Free Our Oil" campaign and focusing on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the most effective message, but clearly somebody has to show some leadership on the energy front. Contrary to popular beliefs, Democrats are NOT being pushed out of this debate. In a recent poll by The Wilderness Society, the public is split on the question of drilling or protecting arctic lands and offshore areas, and they believe 76%-19% that the best way to secure our energy future is to invest in new technologies and renewable sources rather than continue to drill. In addition, by a 63%-31% score, those polled believe that the President's proposal to open up ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling "is more likely to enrich oil companies than to lower gas prices for American consumers." That's why it's so crucial for AUFC to note that David Dreier has taken $129,400 in contributions from oil company executives over the years.
There's starting to be some real pushback on this "drill now" blather. The Democrats put forward this SPR bill today and most Republicans took the bait of voting against it. Jimmy Hoffa Jr. of the Teamsters, in a real game-changer of a move, came out with a very strong statement rejecting "drilling our way out" of this crisis, and demanding long-term energy solutions. Democratic Congressional candidate John Boccieri from Ohio made this amusing Web video to mock his opponent's reliance on drilling:
And just to your left, CA-46's Debbie Cook has put together a comprehensive 10-point plan to realize Al Gore's vision of receiving 100% of our electricity from renewables by 2018.
There's work to be done - by candidates, policy wonks, advocacy groups, and regular people - but together we can beat back these shortsighted solutions and expose those who want to wed our energy needs to the failures of the past.
Last week, Vice President Al Gore presented the American people with a challenge: meet 100% of our electricity needs through renewable energy within 10 years. Al would be the first to acknowledge this is not a minor task. And yet it is an urgent one, a challenge that will require a transformation in how we invest our time and money, and how we view ourselves.
I wanted to respond to Al Gore's call by asking two things of each of you:
1. Include your voice with the millions of others expressing support for this mission
2. Be part of collective solutions to make it a reality
Greetings and welcome to the latest installment of the California House races roundup. We're just around 100 days to go until the election, and things are starting to take focus. There are about a half-dozen seats where Democratic challengers have an outside shot at dumping the incumbent, and another six on the watch list in case something spectacular occurs. One thing to note is that the Cook numbers are tied to the 2004 election, and given the demographic changes and cratering of the Republican brand I think they mean significantly less now - it'll be interesting to see how all these districts change in November.
We have plenty of new information to judge these races, including 2nd quarter fundraising reports, national ratings from Charlie Cook and Swing State Project, additional DCCC targets, and the appearance of many challengers at Netroots Nation. So this list is really about who I think has the best chance to retain or take over a seat, not necessarily who should (though that may come through in the writing). Here are some helpful bits of information that I used to help judge.
