• CA-04: Tom McClintock is bringing out the big guns to help his cash-strapped campaign - Ron Paul is all in!
Paul, the libertarian-Republican congressman from Texas who raised more than $34 million for his presidential race, sent out an e-mail last week urging his massive donor base to contribute to McClintock.
"Tom McClintock is one of the most promising warriors in the fight against big government we have seen in a long time, and the special interests and big bankers know it. ... You have stood with me as....
...I campaigned for the Presidency to return our federal government to its proper role. Will you help me bring a reliable ally to Congress?"
This brings up some interesting questions. Does Tom McClintock think we should withdraw from Iraq and dozens of other military bases around the world? Does he believe in abolishing the Federal Reserve? The coinage of free silver?
• CA-45: New voter registration statistics have not been released by the Secretary of State's office, but I think they will show good news for Democrats across the state. One statistic that is measurable is the early voting number, and in CA-45, it's good news for Julie Bornstein.
Democrats have significantly narrowed the early voting gap in the 45th Congressional District, an encouraging sign for challenger Julie Bornstein in her battle to unseat Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-Palm Springs), according to Bornstein campaign manager Walter Ludwig.
In both 2004 and 2006, registered Republicans accounted for about 54 percent of early voters, compared with just 34 percent for Democrats. Mack, now a four-term incumbent, cruised to re-election both years by more than 20 points.
This year, early voting is much more evenly split. The latest numbers from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters show that registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by just five percent among early voters.
It's like the entire Republican machine all collapsed at once. They used to be MASTERS at getting absentee votes out. This year, there's either no such effort, or it's being matched by Democrats. CA-45 is under the radar, but these numbers suggest that it shouldn't be.
• CA-46: At the Great Orange Satan, Devilstower has a great piece that could start a new meme about Debbie Cook - the anti-Palin.
Suppose there was a candidate who was as bright and as capable as Sarah Palin is confused and incompetent.
Someone who had a record of working with environmental groups, and who had a real understanding of the threat posed by our dependence on fossil fuels. Someone with a degree in earth science and the long experience to make the claim of being a genuine energy expert.
Someone who not only knew science, but also had a law degree, and was a graduate of the leadership program at the Kennedy School of Government. Someone who has held positions of honor in state and national commissions. Someone who was well respected for both her intellect and her passion.
Suppose there was a candidate who had been mayor of, not a tiny town, but a medium-sized city. And suppose she took that position as a Democrat in the midst of a heavily Republican district.
Suppose there was someone who was everything that Sarah Palin is not.
• AD-78: Bill Cavala, who worked the last close race in this district, took a peek at some new registration numbers which show a real advantage for Marty Block:
This year the new registration 'close' figures show the Democrats with 101, 131 registrants, an increase of about 4100 from the last Presidential year. DTS registrations are 49,855, an increase of about 5800 from 2004. Most remarkably, however, Republican registration has fallen by almost 8000 - from 82,615 four years ago to 74,700 today.
This means the net change is Dems up 4100 and Reps down 8000 or 12,100 in favor of the Democrat over 2004.
Forget the increase in DTS registrations - which vote more Democratic than Republican in San Diego. Starting out down 12,000 in a seat where they won by 2000 with an incumbent - it's open this year - puts the Republican candidate squarely behind the 8 ball.
Just one of the many Assembly races where this is so.
With the February 5th primary election approaching rapidly, in which voters in California and 21 other states will pick which presidential candidates represent each party, we have a rare opportunity to make a monumental decision.
For the first time in years, we have an opportunity to elect a president who will give the global climate crisis the level of attention that is required to tackle it.
But how are we to know where the candidates stand on global warming, if reporters simply refuse to ask the right questions? Of the 2,938 questions asked of the presidential candidates since January 2007, just 6 mentioned global warming (source: League of Conservation Voters).
(XPosted in the BluePalmSpringsBoyz Blog 1/29/2008 7:50 PM PST on MyDesert.com)
The National and local news media usually only focus on who 'wins' the caucus or primary race. They provide little information on election night regarding the important race, that for delegates.
This is interesting stuff from CNN.com, see http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#R for the Republican totals and http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#val=D for the Democratic totals.
The National and local news media usually only focus on who 'wins' the caucus or primary race. They provide little information on election night regarding the important race, that for delegates.
This is interesting stuff from CNN.com, see http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/20... for the Republican totals and http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/20... for the Democratic totals (kudos to grodriguez for providing the link in his blog).
The magic number of delegates for the Democratic nominee is 2,025. Thus far, 386 Democratic delegates have been chosen, including those from today's Nevada Democratic caucuses as well as the so-called Super Delegates (e.g., governors, U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives). This means that only 9.53% of the Democratic delegates are committed to date. Hillary Clinton leads the field far and away (I have deleted the Democratic candidates who have thus far dropped out of the race). The results are as follows:
Buried in Friday's LA Timeswrite-up of Barbara Boxer's California-waiver hearing is a development that bears mentioning, courtesy of California AG Jerry Brown's oral testimony:
The outcome of the tailpipe issue may be determined by the next administration, said Brown, who added that he had written the presidential candidates to ask their positions on the waiver. All the Democrats support California's position, but only one Republican, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), answered Brown's letter in the affirmative.
Testifying Thursday, Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, urged Californians to focus on the Feb. 5 primary and demand that all candidates endorse the waiver.
Pope, who reiterated that point on his personal blog, is absolutely spot-on here in a way that goes beyond even his call to action (more on that after the jump). It's no coincidence that Hillary Clinton made a point of blasting EPA's decision during a campaign speech over the weekend, and that Barack Obama had previously spoken out against it. Standing up for California is a win-win-win move that allows candidates to demonstrate a commitment to mitigating climate change and growing the economy in the process (the rationale that Clinton used), fealty to the rule of law and freedom from undue corporate influence (which featured in Obama's December 20 statement responding to the waiver ruling), and respect for the states' historic roles as "laboratories of democracy."
This shouldn't be something that requires too much pressure, either-- it's more of a basic legal test for anyone, of either party, that wants to serve as our chief constitutional steward. That Ron Paul, who is not generally seen as a climate champion but has assiduously rooted his campaign in respect for the rule of law, is alone on the GOP field for now is appalling. Perhaps that will change once the Michigan primary passes and candidates don't feel an urgent need to pander to the auto industry, and as California citizens, and influential fellow Republicans weigh in. (Note that Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, which joined California's lawsuit against the EPA last week, is often mentioned as a potential running mate for leading contenders.)
34% Huckabee
25% Romney
14% Thompson
13% McCain
10% Paul
Other
So allowing for a possible 1% fluctuation somewhere, how does this impact the race and California's role therein? Thus far, California numbers have mirrored national polling almost exactly. Anybody want to guess where the Iowa bounce takes us?
UPDATE: Most recent Field Poll (pdf) has California looking this way two weeks ago:
So here at UCLA, several student groups are springing up that support the various candidates running for President. Our Daily Bruin has the story here.
Many have begun to show their support for candidates by donating their time, and in some cases, money, to bring the message of their favored candidates to students across the campus. To achieve the same goal, some have formed organizations, created Facebook groups, and organized meetings and discussions.
"I believe this election is arguably the most important that will happen in our lifetime, and I think a lot of students are recognizing this and want to get involved in it," said Teddy Schwartz, a third-year political science student and founder of the Bruins for Hillary student organization.
The group, which began after Schwartz and several friends decided to act on their personal interests in favor of Sen. Clinton, is only several weeks old. But, according to Schwartz, it already has the support of over 100 UCLA students and faculty.
"People are excited to see Hillary have a presence on this campus," Schwartz said.
In addition to Bruins for Hillary, several other university-recognized student groups related to the upcoming elections have been formed, including Bruins for Obama, Bruins for Kucinich, and Ron Paul 2008.
Issues such as the war in Iraq, health care, higher education affordability for college students, and foreign policy, among others, have moved many of these groups to campaign for their candidates.
For Curtis Whatley, president of Bruins for Obama, it was Sen. Obama's positions on the issues that has caused the public's enthusiasm and support for the Illinois senator's campaign.
"This campaign is about changing the political dialogue in America, and we are going to take it out of the gutter," Whatley said.
Though the group is fully self-funded, it claims the support of over 500 UCLA students coming from varying backgrounds and levels of involvement.
If I actually had the time, I'd set up a Bruins for Edwards group. But alas, my schedule simply doesn't permit that.
We're also hearing that the Daily Bruin will create a specific primary "beat" to cover the primary season in more depth.
The Finance Report for Campaign 2008 Q3 is now in for the Coachella Valley, thanks to HuffingtonPost.com FundRace 2008. Much has already been written about the declining amounts given to the Republican campaigns as compared to Campaign 2004. In fact, some bloggers have indicated that Business in particular has been abandoning the Republican party this election cycle, for instance, refer to today's post on HuffingtonPost.com at Fundraising Trends Democratic in Key Senate Races.
"With third quarter fundraising totals trickling in, the Senate electoral landscape continues to look optimistic for Democrats.
"Political insiders cite at least seven Senate seats currently held by Republicans as potentially up for grabs in 2008. In each of those contests Democratic challengers finds themselves either well positioned in the polls or well stocked in their campaign coffers."
"Lag, lag, lag. That's all you hear these days regarding Republican fundraising compared with the Democrats'.
"Now we can add a new word: abandoned."
Check in the following to see the meager totals racked up in the Coachella Valley for the Republican candidates this quarter (Q3). Also, check the information below to see what your neighbors contributed.
As you probably know already, the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area is a must-see destination for Presidential campaigns. What you probably don't know, that, at least in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, and Coachella, Fred Thompson raised $0.00 during Q3 and only 4% of the total raised by Republicans Coachella Valley-wide. (It seems that he is as lazy at the money trough as he is on the campaign trail. Also, Thompson barely beat Ron Paul in the fund race in the Coachella Valley). So much for the Thompson factor thus far.
When considering the donations to Republican Presidential candidates in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Coachella, and Indio, John McCain raised $17,213, I.e., 35% of the total raised. Rudy Giuliani raised $17,125, 35% of the total. Mitt Romney, the theofascist, gay-bashing, flip-flopping reactionary, raised only $10,685, 22% of the total. Thompson (4%), Ron Paul (2%), and Sam Brownback lagged behind in the FundRace 2008.
What follows is the all-important money trail. See below the flip to understand who your neighbors support, and, indirectly, what they probably think of you, your politics, and your beloved country.
Coachella Valley Grand Total Q3: $48,848
Sam Brownback: $1,000 (2%) Rudy Giuliani: $17,125 (35%) John McCain: $17,213 (35%) Ron Paul: $1,100 (2%) Mitt Romney: $10,685 (22%) Fred Thompson: $1,725 (4%)
As you probably know already, the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area is a must-see destination for Presidential campaigns. We know this from the visit from the so-called President when he skulked into Indian Wells in 2006 to raise money on behalf of other Repugnants in the Coachella Valley as well as for his own trough. What you probably don't know, that, at least in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and Palm Desert, Fred Thompson and Ron Paul have raised $0.00 total to date. So much for the Thompson factor in the Coachella Valley thus far.
What follows is the money trail as reported by the HuffingtonPost.com FundRace 2008. See below the flip to understand who your Repugnant neighbors support, and, indirectly, what they probably think of you, your politics, and your beloved country.
For the first time in over 10 days the sun is out here in Monterey. But hey, after 6 years in the Emerald City, I'm used to the gray...
Is free speech being lost in privatized SF parks, asks a Fog City Journal guest op-ed? Given how little public assembly space that city actually has, and the corresponding need for free, accessible community organizing space, this is a major concern.
Also from FCJ: SF Supes defeat 6-5 a measure to protect the health of Bayview-Hunters Point residents who are certain they're falling ill from dust and possibly asbestos kicked up by Lennar's redevelopment project. This is especially ironic to me, as my dissertation is in part about the earlier fight against redevelopment in the Western Addition in the 1960s. Then, as now, the city leaders chose to defend redevelopment in spite of its harmful impacts on the residents it was ostensibly there to help.
From the Sightline Institute comes this graph of how various kinds of cars compare in their CO2 emissions. The difference between a Prius' emissions and those of an average passenger car are greater than the difference between that average car and an average SUV.
LAist is beating the drums for Ron Paul - and isn't about to apologize for it. Sigh. He's Barry Goldwater, Grover Norquist, and James Dobson all rolled into one. I dread the moment when the corporate powerbrokers see the opportunities inherent in Ron Paul's 1890s approach to political economy, and how it motivates many Republican netrooters.
