Mary Bono, sometime Congresswoman for the CA-45 Congressional District has been renowned for her absentee voting system. No, I do not mean that she has developed a better method for Vote By Mail for Nationwide distribution. Rather, Bono has identified a way to marginally represent her Riverside County District by masking her many missed procedural and bill votes. Seems that Bono did not get the memo from Nancy Pelosi, D-CA regarding increasing the hours of the Congressional work week. Also, it seems that Bono is much more interested in registering herself on Connie Mack, R-FL, than registering her opinion on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
To summarize, Bono obviously takes the same amount of vacation time that the rest of the Congress takes during Congressional recesses. In addition, Bono obviously feels it necessary to take additional time. Bono took addional vacation time during the Congressional work week of March 5-9, 2007, and again during the work week of June 6-9, 2006. I fathom that Bono needs more than average amount of downtime from her strenuous voting schedule.
Being her employer, I do not recall that Bono ever provided me with a medical excuse or explanation as to why she takes so much time off. As a former supervisor at one of the biggest retail concerns in the country, if someone kept Bono's work schedule, I would have to give the requisite reprimands and then suspension and then termination. At present, I am a sole practitioner. I do not take this much time off, and I work for myself!!! Jesus!!!
Bono missed 43 votes in 2007, 38 in 2006, and 19 in 2005. Seems that as the Republican spirits declined during 2005 - 2006, so did Bono's. Or maybe she just became busier trying to justify herself to her constituents? Also, please note how often during the corrupt Republican regime in the House, Bono missed days on Tuesdays (the first day of their work week) and Thursdays (the last day of their three-day work work)!!! In my profession, the issue of substance abuse is considered when employees consistently miss the first day of the work week. In politics, as with Fred Thompson, the alternative hypothesis is laziness.
Paul Clay, Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives CA-45 has indicated that he will raise voters' expectations rather than lower them, will vote rather than miss votes on the floor, and will adequately represent the interests of all peoples of the Coachella Valley rather than the monied few.
The following is a list from The Washington Post of Missed Votes by Mary Bono/Congress Votes Database/
As noted in my earlier post, CBS affiliate Channel 2 is being sued by a terminated employee for wrongful dismissal and will be investigate for possible illegal activity. Apparently, according to the lawsuit, the General Manager (unnamed) provided unlawful shall we say 'rebates' on political advertising.
This is what we know:
(1) Employee approaches GM of CBS affiliate Channel 2 to bring possible illegal nature of payments to GM's attention
(2) Employee is terminated
(3) CBS affiliate is owned by Jim and Jackie Lee Houston of Palm Springs
(4) Jacqueline Lee Houston donated well over $10,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2004
What we do not know is what political campaigns benefited from the alleged illegal activity. Was it a current campaign? Was it the Weigel for Mayor of Palm Springs campaign? Or, was it a past campaign? Was it the Bonnie Garcia campaign(s) for CA 80th AD? Was it the Mary Bono campaign(s) for the CA-45th Congressional District? Was the CBS affiliate Channel 2 illegally funneling funds to one or more of these campaigns?
When will the press investigate and bring the details out into the open? Or is it the job of the bloggers and diarists to do the job of the free press? Where is the Desert Sun in all of this. Why is not the Desert Sun investigating the allegations?
This is my Letter to the Editor in the Desert Sun, published on November 1, 2007:
There has been a pattern with President Bush and Rep. Mary Bono, one of neglect and incompetence. It is their attempt to manage government by downsizing. Eliminating and reducing government services, including fire services, is ill-conceived and absent of good judgment. It is a pattern begun with Sept. 11 and extends through the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
In Southern California, fire season is not news. In fact, it is planned on the calendar months in advance, and the news media informs the public of the beginning and ending of the fire season.
The fact that up to 50 percent of the National Guard and its equipment was not available for an expected disaster is more of the pattern of neglect and ineptitude of the Bush administration. And, Bono has been a rubber stamp for the administration's plan to divert the Guard to Iraq and to underfund the fire services.
Bush and Bono promised New Yorkers billions in aid following Sept. 11 and failed to deliver. Bush and Bono promised New Orleans residents billions in aid and have yet to deliver.
Now, Bush and Bono have promised Southern California billions in aid. It's a pattern of incompetence and false promises.
There's some real data in the form of third-quarter fundraising numbers to pore over, and events in Washington and at home have served to focus on some of our Congressional candidates here in California. Plus, believe it or not, we're only about a year out from Election Day. Let's take a look at the top ten races.
As usual, I'm going to rank them in order of most possible pickup, including their number from the last roundup. I'm also, as usual, including the "Boxer number." Basically, seeing how Boxer fared in her 2004 re-election against Bill Jones in a particular district is a decent indicator of how partisan it is. If I put "57," that means Boxer received 57% of the vote. Anything over 50, obviously, is good. (over)
This is almost a placeholder diary so I can get to it later in my monthly roundup, but this diary at Open Left shows the very real opportunity available in California this time around. Six Congressional Rpublicans who are running for re-election have less than $250,000 in cash on hand. The NRCC, the campaign arm for the House GOP, is spread thin by retirements and challenges. So many incumbents are going to be on their own in 2008. And saying "Hello, I'm a Republican member of Congress" just doesn't rake in the money like it used to. Here's the list:
John Doolittle, CA-04
George Radanovich, CA-19
Ken Calvert, CA-44
Mary Bono, CA-45
John Campbell, CA-48
Darrell Issa, CA-49
I can add to this the fact that Gary Miller only raised a paltry $40,000 last quarter. And Doolittle's problems are well-documented.
Unfortunately, our Democrats statewide haven't fully stepped up. Two of these incumbents (Radanovich, Issa) don't have challengers yet, and Mary Bono just got one in Paul Clay. But I would hope that Art Torres and the team would wake up to the fact that there are opportunities all over the map, in places that would significantly help down-ballot races as well.
OK, I'm getting this in just under the wire. Time for the House roundup for September. There are a little over 13 months until Election Day, and with the end of the 3rd quarter on Sunday (donate), this election is really not that far away. In fact, CQ Politics has put out their initial assessment of the House landscape. It's favorable for Democrats, but predictably, there are only two California seats on that radar: CA-04 and CA-11. But there have been a lot of developments in the other races throughout the state as well.
I'm going to rank them in order of most possible pickup, including their number from the last roundup. I'm also, as usual, including the "Boxer number." Basically, seeing how Boxer fared in her 2004 re-election against Bill Jones in a particular district is a decent indicator of how partisan it is. If I put "57," that means Boxer received 57% of the vote. Anything over 50, obviously, is good. (over)
From the way she knows how to trim her sails, Ms. Bono must be a pretty decent sailor. Although busy planning her wedding, Bono senses, quite rightly, that change is in the air. The new winds are coming out of the left; where-as in the past it blew decidely from the right.
Now that her voting record is getting a lot more attention, she's pulling a "Cher" on us. In Cher's case it is the extreme make-over approach. Using her on the record voting and the well placed news conference, Bono would have us believe that she, Bono, is to the left of Hillary on domestic issues. While this may or may not have some validity, it is so recent a change as to raise eye-brows. According to Ms. Bono, healthy families is critically important. Hard to argue with that sentiment. Also, it is that kind oh hot air that is "critically important" in sailing as well.
M. Bono a good sailor?
Posted 9/20/2007 4:49 PM
From the way she knows how to trim her sails, Ms. Bono must be a pretty decent sailor. Although busy planning her wedding, Bono senses, quite rightly, that change is in the air. The new winds are coming out of the left; where-as in the past it blew decidely from the right.
Now that her voting record is getting a lot more attention, she's pulling a "Cher" on us. In Cher's case it is the extreme make-over approach. Using her on the record voting and the well placed news conference, Bono would have us believe that she, Bono, is to the left of Hillary on domestic issues. While this may or may not have some validity, it is so recent a change as to raise eye-brows. According to Ms. Bono, healthy families is critically important. Hard to argue with that sentiment. Also, it is that kind oh hot air that is "critically important" in sailing as well.
I've been late on my Congressional roundup for September; I'll probably get it up by the end of the week. But I did want to wait and see which way House Republicans would vote on expanding SCHIP, a priority for the state and for the Governor. Voting to leave sick children out in the cold is almost impossibly cruel, and will get the great big spotlight it deserves in 2008. So how did they vote?
Mary Bono voted yes. That's it. Every single other California House Republican voted to deny poor children health insurance. John Doolittle, no. Jerry Lewis, no. Ken Calvert, no. Gary Miller, no. Brian Bilbray, no. And David Dreier, not only no, but here's a quote:
"It dramatically expands the welfare state," said Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif.
I think Russ Warner just got the ammo he needed. Somehow Republicans think this vote won't boomerang back on them.
Because a veto is expected, much of the attention Tuesday was on the political fallout. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of the Republican congressional campaign committee, said Republicans will support a less costly compromise. "I don't think it will be a decisive bill in the 2008 elections," he said.
They're wrong. And even though I believe that the Democratic majority is committed enough to this program that they will keep voting on it until they get a veto-proof majority (they're 24 votes away as it is), this vote will not be forgotten. The ads will be written. And the price will be paid.
My friend Carole, a terrific Democrat who knows how to work a room, had the ear of a Major Insider at the Magic Johnson party for Hillary this past week (I'm still listening to everyone and leaning Obama). She was pushing for DC attention to the CA-45th, as she often does, because we have two Democratic candidates (so far) to challenge Mary Bono, and our Dem candidate will need some real support. Mr. Major Insider thought our GOP/Dem breakdown was 80/20ish, a common misconception, and one which drives Carole right up the wall. Our actual numbers are:
Dem (35.85%) * Rep (45.53%) * Other (18.62%)
Not only that, the CA-45th has a high growth rate with newcomers trending Democratic, a weak Bushbot incumbent, a bargain media market (for California), and last year's race was the first potentially competitive one in thirty years. But the DCCC gave Roth no tangible support. So why no love from Washington? Follow me past the flip for the many reasons why the Democratic Party needs to start playing to win in the CA-45th.
Oh, boy, today's a cool news cycle. I mean, how can you not love the fact that every newspaper in the state is running some article about how the GOP is tearing itself apart. So, let's get right to it. On Sunday, Tom McClintock, thrice a statewide loser, argues that in fact his vision (you know, the one that lost three times) is the way the GOP needs to go. Well, I'm sure the state is just lining up to ditch the minimum wage and all those pesky consumer protections in exchange for vague promises of the market making everybody's life utopian. That's worked really well in the past, right? So, from the state's conservative leader:
"Today, I hear some say that we need to redefine who we are as Republicans," McClintock told roughly 200 people who hung around Sunday to listen to the final speeches of the California Republican Party's three-day convention. "I've got news for them. We don't need to re-define our principles, we need to return to them." (Oak Trib 9/10/07)
Well, first, I love that the GOP convention ditches the resolutions too, and that nobody stuck around to listen to ol' Tom. But, what are those values that Tom wants to return too exactly? Wait, I know! Ronald Reagan:
Bono agreed. "President (Ronald) Reagan renewed the hope of our nation shared his vision of America," she said during her address. (Desert Sun 9/10/07)
That would be Mary Bono, not the incredible lead singer of U2. Ronald Reagan was a person, flesh and blood, not a principle. During his tenure, the defecit balloned and we got involved in wars of choice. Is that the principle McClintock wants? Or is that Arnold's principle? I get confused, because everybody claims Reagan, because, "Me First" is a great principle to live by. Flip it...
We have 15 months to go before Election Day, and it's time for another roundup of Congressional races. I am going to continue to focus on the top 10 challenges to Republican incumbents. There is certainly a concern in CA-11 with the Jerry McNerney/Dean Andal race, particularly after McNerney's "I'm a moderate" comment seemed to depress supporters. On the bright side, he did vote against the ridiculous FISA bill. And as we go into September, I would hope he would continue his efforts to end the occupation of Iraq. I will certainly cover the McNerney race in future roundups.
But for now, let's take a look at the top 10 challenges. I'm going to rank them in order of most possible pickup, including their number from the last roundup. I'm also adding the "Boxer number." Basically, seeing how Boxer fared in her 2004 re-election against Bill Jones in a particular district is a decent indicator of how partisan it is. If I put "57," that means Boxer received 57% of the vote. Anything over 50, obviously, is good. (over)
With 16 months to go before Election Day, some Democratic challengers are getting a little more visible in their efforts to unseat Republican incumbents. I see good news at the very top of the target list, and elsewhere we're still waiting to see who will run. Let's focus on the top 10 races where a Republican is currently serving, knowing that we are still going to have a fight in CA-11 to re-elect Jerry McNerney (although that probably won't be against Guy Houston, who may be on trial for fraud at the time).
So let's take a look at the top 10 challenges. I'm going to rank them in order of most possible pickup, including their number from the last roundup. I'm also adding the "Boxer number." Basically, seeing how Boxer fared in her 2004 re-election against Bill Jones in a particular district is a decent indicator of how partisan it is. If I put "57," that means Boxer received 57% of the vote. Anything over 50, obviously, is good. (over)
(people seem to have issues with official records today - promoted by juls)
Rep. James Oberstar had an OpEd in our local paper, The Desert Sun, today. Seems the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure doesn't appreciate Mary Bono's attempt to hide her incompetence by smearing him.
Her statement that I "was simply unwilling" to include the project in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) legislation that was passed by the House on April 19 is not only a mischaracterization of my personal conversations with her, but it is contradicted by the official record of the floor debate on the bill.
Translated from DC euphemese: Mary Bono is a bald-faced liar. She failed to follow through with her constituents' major concern, the Salton Sea, last year. I helped her out, and promised to fix it for her, and this is how she thanks me.
Kudos to The Desert Sun for printing it, that surprised me. Now if they'll just allow more sunshine on Mary Bono's overall record, the voters might wake up in the CA-45th.
(Oooh! Sounds like it was a lot of fun! : ) - promoted by atdleft)
Howie and Irwing came to talk to Democrats of the Desert yesterday, and it was fantastic. Howie has an encyclopedic knowledge of our district, our neighboring districts, and the interests that the DCCC and PFAW have in challenging our GOP incumbents. Our members are longtime veterans of local politics in most cases, and they were amazed at how much they didn't know about the current landscape. I'm still getting emails about how great it was, and as I hoped, more people want to get active in the blogosphere.
Howie told how he got into blogs, gave us a bit of his own history of political activism, and took many questions on what we can do here in Riverside County: how to stop eating our young, how to overcome the blind paternalism that Mary Bono enjoys, what's coming next for crooked Jerry Lewis, and many other great questions that I lost in my previous draft diary. Damn. More good stuff on the flip:
Mary Bono likes to talk the talk. I mean she's hoodwinked the Human Rights Campaign into believing that she supports LGBT rights, and her consitituents into believing that she's some sort of "maverick." She doesn't and she's not.
Mary Bono claims some misgivings over Iraq, or at least she says so:
I would like to make clear that I have grave reservations regarding the current situation in Iraq. For too long, circumstances have limited our ability to reduce the sectarian violence plaguing this region, especially in Baghdad. It is critical that we see a greater commitment from the Iraqi government and the citizens of Iraq to help quell the insurgency. I question whether or not this increased level of force will accomplish the desired goal but I also respect the need to explore all options to stabilize the situation in this troubled country. My hope is that General Petraeus, given his extensive direct experience in training our troops on the ground, will have a strong sense of what can be achieved on the ground given the challenges of the future. (Floor Speech 2/16/07)
Well, give me her misgivings and a pile of pocket lint will get you a firestarter. And that's about it. She knows how to say the right things, but simply never delivers on her promises to actually change the course of, well anything. She's a lockstep Republican. On Progressive Punch, she gets a stellar 10.57, that puts her a smidge more progressive than James Sensenbrenner, but less progressive than Brian Bilbray (14.87) and far less progressive than the most progressive Republican Chris Shays (31.27).
And what do you know, she walked lockstep with the Republican party in rejecting the McGovern Amendement. Ms. Bono is no John Duncan, Jr, who joined the Dems in demanding a redeployment. Ms. Bono is selling us a bill of goods.
(It is great to see her targeted, maybe we'll have an excuse to visit Palm Springs (and better yet, Joshua Tree). - promoted by blogswarm)
Hat tip to dday for this treat for CA-45th Democrats from Robert Salladay at Political Muscle:
Retired generals and veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are targeting California Rep. Mary Bono (R-Palm Springs) as part of a $500,000 media campaign to peel off support for President George W. Bush and the Iraq war.
Ah, VoteVets.org. I hadn't noticed that Bono is the only California target - sweet. So will this convince Mary Bono to unplug herself from the loyal Bushie borg and really support the troops? Somehow I doubt it. She didn't learn much from the last ad
There are no Senate seats up in California in 2008, and no statewide offices up for election, so the biggest seats outside of the Presidency will be in the House of Representatives. While we're 18 months out, I thought I'd give a snapshot of what races are most inviting for a Democratic pickup.
I'm going to concern myself solely with pickup opportunities, because the only realistic possibility of a GOP pickup is in CA-11, and I'm confident that Jerry McNerney and his grassroots army can handle whatever's thrown at him, plus he'll have the power of incumbency and the focus of the CDP. There may be some retirements that would make things interesting (Lantos, Stark, Woolsey), but those are very blue areas. So let's look at the best opportunities to add to the Democratic majority:
Like most Dem clubs, our membership is largely senior, and many of our members don't drive at night. Imagine the manpower they'd represent if they spent those evenings in the blogosphere. I'm also hoping to appeal to the younger set, who already spend excessive time online, but don't yet get involved in politics. They really need to see what Howie's doing.
Americans United for Change who have made headlines in recent weeks running ads against Senators Collins, Sununu and McConnell, have started a new ad campaign today.
