February 10, 2010
Winograd accepts Jewish Journal's Debate Offer: Harman, No Response
"Let's pack the house," says Winograd
(Marina del Rey, CA) Congressional Candidate Marcy Winograd (CA-36) accepts the Jewish Journal's offer to participate in a proposed debate with opponent Jane Harman, and urges her opponent to accept, as well. In a recent Jewish Journal article, Editor Rob Eshman issued an open invitation to both candidates, saying, "I invite Winograd and Harman to discuss this issue (Israel/Palestine) in a public forum hosted by The Jewish Journal at a mutually convenient date." Harman has not responded.
The offer to sponsor a debate followed a controversy over a letter Congressman Waxman wrote urging potential high-dollar donors to contribute the maximum to Harman's campaign because of Winograd's support for equal rights for all in Israel/Palestine. Winograd is the co-founder of LA Jews for Peace, an organization which calls for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Winograd responded to Eshman's invitation, saying in a letter published in the Jewish Journal, "I thank the Jewish Journal for graciously inviting me to debate my opponent in the June 8, 2010, Democratic Party primary. Given the diversity of opinion, I look forward to a robust and open debate, not only on issues pertaining to middle east peace, but also on single-payer health care, immigration and citizenship, and the transition from a war economy to a new Green economy. Let's pack the house, wrestle with critical issues, and do some serious soul searching."
During the 2006 campaign, Harman refused to debate, or even stand on the same stage. In 2006 Winograd jumped into the race only three months before the primary, mobilizing almost 38% of the vote on an anti-war and pro-constitutional rights platform. In 2010, Winograd's platform calls for ending multiple perpetual wars and investing in human needs at home.
Contact: Michael Jay
Campaign Manager, Winograd for Congress
michael@winogradforcongress.com
Ph: (818) 445 4520
Driving to work (school) the other day, I listed on NPR as they talked about the need to curb spending, and AGAIN, the targets were the very DOMESTIC programs that the people value the most -- Medicare, Social Security, etc. NOT ONE WORD about the incredibly bloated defense budget or the Homeland Security Agency that's allowing more and more of our tax dollars to be privatized into black holes of campaign contributors. If we want to get a handle on the deficits (and I'm not sure any of our electeds are serious about that), then the MILITARY budget and their constant "supplementals" has to be put on the TOP of the stack for cutting.
Here's another of the great releases being done by CD36 candidate Marcy Winograd. A few days old, but still quite relevant:
Marina del Rey, CA, January 20, 2010 -- President Obama's soon-to-be announced three-year spending freeze will have a chilling effect on our schools, says Congressional Candidate Marcy Winograd (CA-36/Harman), a veteran public school teacher, who points out that K-12 schools, already choking from lay-offs and overcrowded classes, face the danger of book shortages and additional program cuts.
Programs Most Affected
Though the majority of school funding comes from the states, the Obama proposal could freeze spending on items funded with federal dollars: supplementary books, reading programs, English as a Second Language classes, and modifications for students with disabilities.
I was overjoyed to see that a serious progressive, one who is COMMITTED to helping TEACHERS, is being supported by one of the most influential of our unions, UC-AFT. We need to STOP sending back to Washington the same old incumbents who can't seem to separate themselves from their corporate sponsors. I personally think they should be registering as LOBBYISTS when they take so much money from the corporations.
Here's the release I received:
Marina del Rey, CA, January 27, 2010 -- The University of California American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) has endorsed public school teacher Marcy Winograd for Congress in her challenge to Jane Harman in the 36thDistrict. The union local represents 3,000 lecturers and librarians on ten UC campuses.
Jane Harman isn't exactly popular around these parts. Or around her district, to tell the truth. But while Marcy Winograd challenges her from the left for the CA-36 seat, this attack from the right is rather silly. There are two fine candidates in the primary, both profiled in the Daily Breeze today.
Pete Kesterson, a tea party activist, and is running on a campaign in opposition to "out of control debt." But, this man has just about every strike possible against him. While he is running his campaign on "fiscal sanity," he has filed for bankruptcy twice and currently under-earning his monthly expenses by $1,000.
His opponent, Mattie Fein, just moved from Washington, DC to Venice to run fir the seat. But, you know, we learned that a carpetbagger can occasionally squeak out a win in CA-04, so just to make this Keystone Cops thing complete, Fein abandoned a house in Kentucky after having "fallen victim to unscrupulous lending practices."
This crew sounds like something straight out of opposition research central casting, you'd almost think Harman recruited these people into the race herself. Either way, this is a safe Democratic seat, whomever comes out of the primary stands a fantastic chance in the general.
I previously wrote about a situation where Jane Harman condemned those planning to oppose Iraq war funding in 2007 as being in favor of letting troops die from IED's, and how she herself ended up voting against the war funding. Apparently, Harman's condemnation of herself is becoming a habit.
This time it's over passing war funding in emergency supplemental budgets.
Yesterday at the Venice Pier, Marcy Winograd announced her campaign for Congress in front of about 75-80 supporters and friends, and many leaders of the progressive activist community in Los Angeles. The campaign showed their thrift and commitment to recycling by using the old Winograd '06 campaign posters and skillfully pasting a "'10" sticker in the appropriate place. It's going to be that kind of campaign.
After a few speakers (I particularly enjoyed Julian Barger from the Harbor area of the district calling Jane Harman "Congresswoman Helmsley" for her double standard on civil liberties for her vs. civil liberties for all Americans), Marcy gave a short speech where she emphasized her no-holds-barred progressive values and offered a true contrast to her incumbent opponent. She called for a "new New Deal" to put America back to work, announced support for John Conyers' HR 676, questioned the continued bailout of the banks and the use of Predator drone strikes in Pakistan, argued for rapid transit and renewable energy in the Los Angeles area, and said of her primary challenge, "this will reverberate throughout the country."
Winograd spoke to various concerns of families in the district, noting that areas of Torrance are experiencing skyrocketing foreclosure rates, and that business has declined over 20% in the port at San Pedro. This is an area where, with a longer campaign time frame than her quick run in 2006, Winograd can make headway in all areas of the district and throughout the South Bay, speaking to the economic concerns of the area and drawing contrast with Jane Harman's more conservative approach. Obviously, the greater concern about Harman more recently has been her defense of the Bush Administration's the warrantless wiretapping and her generally hawkish stance abroad. But there is an opening for a core economic argument, still the major preoccupation of voters, to be made.
Winograd's announcement got covered in LA Weekly and the CoCo Times. Mainstream news pieces about this primary challenge never fail to emphasize that the 36th is a "moderate" district and that Winograd will have to "broaden her appeal" to win over those voters. This assumes that Democratic primary voters, or virtually anyone, makes election choices based on firm ideological footing. Poll after poll has shown that on the issues, Americans portray a far more progressive belief system than their typical electoral choices. Maybe consultants and Democratic strategists need to "broaden their appeal" to potential candidates that can articulate a progressive agenda.
So I'm quoted in this Politico article about potential primary challenges to Jane Harman. I've said clearly that she'll either face a primary or drop out, and now multiple challengers, including 2006 opponent Marcy Winograd, have stepped up. One thing that people don't totally remember about that 2006 challenge is that Marcy got in the race in February for a June primary. She ended up raising and spending about $380,000, but she did not have time for a national fundraising base or a netroots strategy. She basically just went ahead and ran, and she got 38% of the vote. Starting the primary a year out this time will simply yield better results.
The other part, which Alex Eisenstadt acknowledges, is that Harman was a target long before the recent revelation of wiretapped conservations between her and suspected Israeli agents offering vague quid pro quo deals on getting some AIPAC members out of legal trouble.
It's true that Harman holds a firm grip on her comfortably Democratic district, having won 69 percent in the 2008 general election.
Still, her left flank remains exposed in large part because of her hawkish, pro-military reputation. After Sept. 11, 2001, Harman was an early advocate for the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, and she threw her support behind the American-led invasion of Iraq. She went so far as to criticize the FBI and the CIA for moving too slowly to respond to terrorist threats.
Those stances continue to rankle local progressives, and the recent controversy has only revived the frustrations that seemed to crest in 2006 with Winograd's challenge. Last week, Winograd organized a protest outside Harman's district headquarters, with activists calling on the California Democrat to resign. The environmental organization Greenpeace is coordinating a mailing in the district pressuring Harman, who has a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, on energy issues.
David Dayen, a California activist who writes for the liberal blog Calitics, said he expects progressive organizations to ramp up their efforts against Harman in the weeks ahead.
"I don't get the sense that in May, the year before this primary is happening, there is going to be a lot of clamoring over Harman, but I do think you're starting to see progressive groups get involved," said Dayen.
I reject the theory later in the piece that CA-36 is a moderate district. The PVI is D+12, and the formerly conservative areas have moderated their views. Torrance, the supposed "Orange County of LA County," just elected two Democrats to its City Council. What's more, Harman votes substantially to the right of the district and has for years.
Winograd will be holding a campaign kickoff on Monday at the Venice Pier around 4:00pm, so she's obviously serious about making this run again. And she'll be taking questions in a liveblog session at Firedoglake today at 11am. John Amato of Crooks and Liars fame may also make a run at this seat.
UPDATE: LA Progressive now has a post from Winograd herself announcing her campaign kickoff.
Via the website Activist Los Angeles comes the announcement that Marcy Winograd will be challenging Jane Harman for the Democratic nomination in the 36th District.
Winograd Challenges Harman - Campaign Kick-Off in Venice
May 7, 2009 by Admin1
Mon., May 11, 4 pm
Join Marcy Winograd and supporters at the Venice Pier as they kick off the Winograd for Congress 2010 campaign to unseat incumbent Jane Harman in the 36th congressional district.
Assembled at the Venice Pier, near the northern end of the district, Winograd for Congress will launch a year-long campaign involving listening tours and grassroots precinct organizing.
"I am challenging Jane Harman because the 36th district deserves a representative who stands for integrity, commitment, and leadership," says Winograd. "Jane Harman got caught with her hand in the cookie jar - trading favors with a foreign lobby group in order to advance her own political agenda. That's not leadership; that's corruption," says Winograd, adding, "Harman's apparent willingness to campaign for warrantless wiretapping in order to avoid an FBI investigation reflects a disregard for the Constitution and Americans' right to privacy."
Winograd is founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Progressive Democrats of America. In 2006, in less than three months of campaigning, Winograd garnered almost 38% of the vote in the June primary challenge to Harman. Daniel Ellsberg, Gore Vidal, Dolores Huerta, and Susan Sarandon all supported Winograd's challenge.
Winograd's 2010 campaign has received early endorsements from 36th district notables, such as Mitch Ward, Mayor Pro Tem of Manhattan Beach; Carl Clark, Vice-President of the Redondo Beach School Board; David Greene, President of the San Pedro Democratic Club; Julian Burger, President of Progressive Democrats - Wilmington/Harbor Area; Mickey Oskey, Pres of Westside Progressives and Nativo Lopez, President of the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), which has thousands of members in the harbor area.
Winograd's platform calls for redirecting expenditures on war and occupation to address human needs for jobs, Medicare for All, education and housing. "We need a massive green jobs program, a new New Deal," says Winograd, "and incentives for cities to mediate foreclosure disputes in order to allow homeowners to modify their loans. It is a time of crisis but also of opportunity as we look at ways to strengthen local economies and reinvest in our communities."
Winograd teaches English at Crenshaw High School in South Los Angeles.
The 36th congressional district includes: parts of West LA, Venice, Westchester, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Wilmington, Harbor
City and San Pedro.
If she can afford to get a professional campaign in place, then she can probably go far. Even without a really polished campaign, she got 38% with a campaign that was only 3 months long. With a well-coordinated and planned campaign, she could probably do a lot better. The initial signs, though, are that we're not there yet. (More below)
Here's the latest on the Jane Harman/AIPAC story that I haven't previously discussed here. We know that she discussed the case against two AIPAC lobbyists with a suspected Israeli double agent, possibly Haim Saban, and made at least an implicit arrangement to push for the dropping of the case against the lobbyists in exchange for help getting appointed the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. It is unclear whether this actually represents a violation of the federal bribery statute (doing a favor in exchange for something of value), but according to the story by Jeff Stein at CQ Politics, the Justice Department felt they had Harman in a "completed crime." Nancy Pelosi was briefed that Harman had been picked up on a federal wiretap but was barred from disclosing it to her House colleague, and this could explain why Harman was not appointed to that Committee Chair. The reason that the DoJ failed to charge Harman was because Alberto Gonzales intervened on her behalf, because, among other things, he knew she would be helpful in the forthcoming battle over, amazingly enough, the Administration's warrantless wiretapping program.
A person who is familiar with Mr. Gonzales's account of the events said that the former attorney general had acknowledged having raised with Mr. Goss the idea that Ms. Harman was playing a helpful role in dealing with The Times.
But Mr. Gonzales's principal motive in delaying a briefing for Congressional leaders, the person said, was to keep Ms. Harman from learning of the investigation before she could be interviewed by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A spokesman for Ms. Harman said the congresswoman had never been interviewed by the bureau.
There's also the charge that then-NSA Director Michael Hayden provided talking points for a Harman discussion with NY Times Washington editor Philip Taubman BEFORE THE 2004 election, to get the paper to squash the warrantless wiretapping story. And today, Stein advances the story by noting that a whistleblower informed then-Speaker Dennis Hastert about the Bush Administration suppression of the wiretapped Harman call (it's a violation of standard procedure to withhold information involving national security and a member of Congress from either Democratic and Republican leaders in the House).
Needless to say, this is a tangled web of intrigue, and with more disclosures it's likely to get worse. This has led to speculation that Harman would either not run for another term, or face a primary challenge. I can confirm that Marcy Winograd is likely to run if Harman does seek re-election. Winograd, who took 38% of the vote in 2006, was not planning a run until the AIPAC/wiretap revelations. But she is uncomfortable with Harman not being held to account, and saw no other option on the horizon. She has a federal account and will take the pulse of the district before a formal announcement.
"I think she's clearly in trouble and I think she knows it and is doing whatever she can to turn the tables on the situation," Winograd said. "And now she is the spokesperson for the ACLU or the Bill of Rights Foundation. It would be comical, if the stakes weren't so high." [...]
One of Winograd's first steps is going to be "taking the pulse" of the district on issues like military spending and single-payer health care, among other issues. It's entirely possible that Harman might bow out and try to annoint a successor. Or that another establishment Dem might try to take advantage of her weakened position. Which is why I wanted to get the word out as quickly as possible that there's a really credible progressive alternative. Winograd has already run a primary once in the district. Activists there know who she is, and a lot of them have already worked for her in 2006. This would not be a net-based candidacy, but it will certainly help to have it be net-supported.
In addition, the name of blogger John Amato has surfaced as a possible challenger.
(Howie) Klein said a group of bloggers met earlier this year to discuss challenging Harman in a primary, weeks before the recent revelations. He said many in the blogging community would like a fellow blogger, John Amato, to challenge Harman and that Amato is considering it.
Winograd said that she would step aside for the right candidate, and that she's taking up the mantle at least for now.
"I don't know who else will answer the call, if not me," she said. "People with great name recognition and track records in public office are not going to take her on."
I think Marcy feels the duty to run. At the same time, she agreed that there needs to be one progressive alternative to Harman. But my sense from people in the district is that Harman is unlikely to try another re-election campaign. Even the above-mentioned NYT article refers to this.
While the two women do not display overt hostility, Ms. Harman seems to have never quite gotten over the slight. Colleagues say that since Ms. Pelosi, 69, thwarted her ambitions for a more prominent role on security issues, Ms. Harman, 63, has grown weary of Congress and has been eyeing a post in the Obama administration, perhaps as an ambassador.
This tracks with everything I've heard from locals. She wanted the Intelligence Committee chair, and failing that she wanted an Administration job, and failing that she wants out.
There would be a whole host of elected officials who would jump in if Harman retired. Ted Lieu, the Assemblyman in this district, could be enticed away from his Attorney General campaign. City Councilwoman Janice Hahn would take a look. And there would be others. But if Harman stays in, none of these electeds would run, avoiding what would be an expensive primary. Harman is the richest member of Congress and has no problem spending her own money to keep her seat.
Either way, there will be a contested race in CA-36 in June 2010. And I do believe that a primary would feature only one major challenger. The question is, who would that be?
One hundred and ten Progressive Democrats of America members and their guests filled the center section of the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles for the premiere of Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro's new film, "Body of War." It was a sold-out house and a very special evening for everyone lucky enough to have gotten their tickets in advance.
The "Body of War" is the story of Tomas Young and his journey from healthy young man from Kansas to that of the face and body of the broken warrior returning to his country, disillusioned by the lies that sent him to war and a leader who jokes about non-existent "weapons of mass destruction." Tomas begins his new life paralyzed from the chest down in a wheel chair. City riding in an unarmored Humvee on his first mission into Sadr City, he had been shot above the collarbone.
That's what her campaign manager told me just a month ago, after I gave him numerous chances to concede that she's a more progressive Congresswoman now than she was before she was subject to a primary from Marcy Winograd. But after today's events, where she not only voted against the supplemental bill, but was one of only seven Democrats, along with McNerney and Stark, to vote against accepting the rules for debate, a vote which came tantalizingly close to failing (216-201).
This was also personal. Harman's constituent, Pfc. Joseph Anzack, was found floating in the Euphrates River yesterday, one of the three soldiers taken prisoner by insurgents that sadly turned up dead. Her statement on that tragedy is here.
Today is a shitty day. The war is now essentially funded until the end of Bush's tenure (the supplemental covers to September, but the defense appropriation for FY2008 then kicks in to carry well into next year). The Democratic leadership gave Bush the ability to use critical funding money as leverage to force the Iraqis to pass an oil law that privatizes the entire industry for the benefit of multinationals (that benchmark, I can assure you, won't be waived). The leadership played a good hand in the worst way possible, dissipating the goodwill of the American people and showing through their actions the lack of any capacity to lead. We can only take solace in the efforts of the rank and file to deliver a strong "no" message. And Jane Harman, given the fact that she most certainly has changed in myriad ways, is the best embodiment of that we have in Congress. (By the way, PRIMARIES MATTER!!!)
I just got back from vacation, and boy has it been hopping around here! I'm still trying to work out some kinks in the Blog Roundup System, but hopefully we'll get a team together to bring a daily blog roundup online soon. Until then, perhaps you can satiate your appetite for the bloggy goodness over the flip.
Teasers: Leno/Migden is a go, Is centrism a hoax?, Phil's back, non-white flight?, and some stuff on primary challenges. Plus, as always, more!
Today's California Blog Roundup is on the flip. Teasers: Phil Angelides, Arnold Schwarzenegger, CA-50, Richard Pombo, Jerry McNerney, John Doolittle, Marcy Winograd, prisons, immigration, biodiesel, redistricting, reform.
Today's California Blog Roundup is on the flip. I'm having a hard time keeping up: more people are writing as the election approaches. Teasers: Angelides, Westly, Schwarzenegger, Bowen, Paid-For Pombo, Francine Busby, Winograd v. Harman, Props 81 and 82, Jerry Lewis / CA-41, discussion of various reforms,immigration, and recent legislative actions.
UPDATE: Corrected an error about Harman's endorsement.
Listen up folks. This is a real race. Really. I'm not kidding. Well, not mostly...Winograd has supporters, and CA-36 is a pretty liberal seat.
Manhattan Beach Mayor Mitch Ward, a perennial Jane Harman supporter, remembers precisely when he decided the longtime South Bay congresswoman no longer deserved his backing.
He was watching NBC's "Meet the Press" on Feb. 12 when he heard the influential Democrat defend the Bush administration's domestic wiretapping program.
"She failed her constituents when she failed to realize the U.S. Constitution is in place for a purpose; she failed us by not recognizing the illegal wiretapping of this administration had gone too far," Ward said. (Dailybreeze.com 5/26)
As far as I know there aren't any real polls, but Winograd says that she's seen some of Harman's polling that they are close.
Few give her any real chance of unseating Harman, although Winograd claims with a straight face that Washington sources are telling her Harman's own polls show the pair running neck and neck.
Winograd blocked an early endorsement of Harman, but failed to block the endorsment at the Democratic Convention in April.
I definitely prefer Winograd's policies, but how much money is that worth? Is it worth the $208,000 that she has raised so far? I don't know. Anybody have an opinion on it?
Today's California Blog Roundup is on the flip. Teasers:Angelides, Westly and Schwarzenegger of course, Debra Bowen, Doolittle, Pombo, Filson, Harman, Winograd, immigration, a long list of other interesting items.
(A diary Chevy would be proud of... - promoted by SFBrianCL)
jane harman, who is facing a challenge from newcomer marcy winograd in her home district of venice california, is also facing a challenge from the democratic leadership (yes, we know it's an oxymoron) to rotate ms. harman off of her seat on the house intelligence (another oxymoron) committee. the latimes:
the dispute pits the venice lawmaker against house democratic leader nancy pelosi of san francisco. its outcome could determine what role harman, who once ran for california governor and is one of the most quoted democrats on intelligence matters, will play in the next congress — if she is reelected.
Today's Blog Roundup is on the flip. Teasers: Feingold in LA, CA-11, CA-50, CA-36, gas gouging, a little on the Dem Gov Primary, and a lot of neat stuff in "Other".
In what must be a shock to the California Democratic Party, Progressive Democrat of Los Angeles President Marcy Winograd BLOCKED six-term incumbent Congresswoman Jane Harman from receiving the California Democratic Party's endorsement at this weekend's delegate caucus in Harbor City. Winograd won 35% of the 104-delegate vote, enough to prevent Harman from picking up an early 36th congressional district endorsement prior to the California Democratic Party Convention in Sacramento later this month. At that time another vote will be taken with a delegate pool purged of many grassroots activists.
...
The vote to block Harman's endorsement was not the first upset for the incumbent Congresswoman and ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Both United Teachers of Los Angeles and the California Federation of Teachers voted to reject their political action committee's recommendation to endorse Harman. Additionally, the Progressive Democrats of Wilmington, who had previously endorsed Harman, rescinded their endorsement and endorsed Winograd.
