Tracy Emblem is running for U.S. Congress in San Diego's 50th District in tomorrow's, June 8th Democratic Primary race against Francine Busby, a Cardiff School Board trustee, to unseat the incumbent Republican Brian Bilbray.
The California Progressive Alliance is a multi-racial, multi-issue "rainbow coalition" dedicated to the struggle for social justice and peace. Their key priorities include economic justice for working families; equal rights for all of God's children regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation; international peace and solidarity; humanitarian service; eradicating poverty at home and abroad; environmental protection and sustainable development; and electing progressives to public office and then holding them accountable. Founded in 2005, they have rapidly grown to more than 5,000 members and have emerged as one of the largest and most active grassroots coalitions on the West Coast. They serve as a chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and as an an affiliate of United for Peace & Justice (UFPJ), the largest peace and justice coalition in the United States with over 1,400 member groups across the nation.
Children's Hope is a humanitarian organization that serves Haiti's neediest children. They've been bringing supplies to schools and free clinics in Haiti's most desperate slums since 2004. Their volunteers were on the ground in Port au Prince just a few days after the devastating earthquake of January 12 and are currently organizing their third Earthquake Relief trip.
As one of California’s largest Political Action Committees, ECCOPAC is on the front lines of the political battlefield. Based out of Orange County, they monitor all legislative issues that may have a direct or indirect impact on communities in California. Through their efforts and affiliations, ECCOPAC is a potent political voice for hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout the country — particularly in Southern California.
IBEW Local 465 strives for dignity in the workplace for all of our members by collectively bargaining for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. We also endeavor to organize non-union employees so that they may enjoy the benefits of bargaining collectively. Some of the classifications we represent include: electricians, linemen, mechanics, train operators, office clericals, meter readers, gas operators, maintenance personnel, court supervisors, technicians, tree trimmers, laboratory personnel, and more.
The IAM's 730,000 active and retired members can be found in all 50 states in the U.S. and 10 provinces and three territories of Canada. The Western Territory, which includes California, is the most culturally diverse territory in the Machinists Union. Their members include large numbers of Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Eskimos, Hispanics, Asians, Middle-Easterners, as well as African-American and Caucasian populations.The industries they represent vary from aerospace to automotive repair, city employees to police, fabrication workers and assemblers of semi-trucks to the people that haul them and the food production workers that help sustain us all.
LIUNA is the most progressive, aggressive and fastest-growing union of construction workers, and one of the most diverse and effective unions representing public service employees. LIUNA members are on the forefront of the construction industry – a sector that is a powerhouse of 12 million workers producing 5 percent of our countries’ economic output. A half-million strong, LIUNA members are united through collective bargaining agreements which help them earn family-supporting pay, good benefits and the opportunity for advancement and better lives.
UWUA is one of the most successful and progressive unions in all of the labor movement. They have over 50,000 members working in the electric, gas, water, and nuclear industries across the United States. UWUA is both innovative and relentless in their interest in and ability to protect utility jobs, and the wages, benefits and working conditions that their members enjoy in their jobs.
IUOE is a progressive, diversified trade union that primarily represents operating engineers, who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, and surveyors in the construction industry, and stationary engineers, who work in operations and maintenance in building and industrial complexes, and in the service industries. IUOE also represents nurses and other health industry workers, a significant number of public employees engaged in a wide variety of occupations, as well as a number of job classifications in the petrochemical industry. Founded in 1896, IUOE today has over 400,000 members in 138 local unions throughout the United States and Canada and is the 12th largest union in the AFL-CIO.
ESCONDIDO, May 20, 2010 - The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) Region 5 has endorsed Tracy Emblem for U.S. Congress in California's 50th as the Democratic Candidate to vote for in the June 8th primary.
UAW Region Five consists of active and retired members in 17 states in the Western and Southwestern United States and represents individuals such as manufacturing and aerospace employees, agricultural implement workers and academic student employees, readers and tutors at the nine teaching campuses in California.
"Putting Americans back to work should be the number one priority right now in Congress. If America is to have a future, now is the time to revitalize our manufacturing base with high tech green manufacturing jobs that benefit Americans. It starts immediately with policies that return our jobs to America and by retooling for a new economy together with a multi-industry strategy approach through partnership with private, public and labor segments."
The UAW is one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America, with members in virtually every sector of the economy. UAW-represented workplaces range from multinational corporations, small manufacturers and state and local governments to colleges and universities, hospitals and private non-profit organizations. The UAW has more than 390,000 active members and more than 600,000 retired members in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
It has been actively involved in every civil rights legislative battle since the 1950s, including the campaigns to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988 and legislation to prohibit discrimination against women, the elderly and people with disabilities.
The UAW also has played a vital role in passing such landmark legislation as Medicare and Medicaid, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Employee Retirement Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. In Washington and state capitols, the UAW is fighting for better schools for kids, secure health care and pensions for retirees, clean air and water, tougher workplace health and safety standards, stronger worker's compensation and unemployment insurance laws and fairer taxes.
This endorsement brings the total labor support of Tracy's campaign to about 20 unions. Tracy is also the candidate endorsed by the Progressive Democrats of America.
Tracy Emblem is running for U.S. Congress in San Diego's 50th District against Francine Busby, a Cardiff School Board trustee with only one endorsement by labor (California Teachers Association), to unseat the incumbent Republican Brian Bilbray who has no endorsements by labor.
ESCONDIDO, May 12, 2010 - The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has endorsed Tracy Emblem for U.S. Congress in California's 50th Democratic primary race in North San Diego County.
AFGE represents a diverse workforce of government workers who are the vital threads of the fabric of American life. Government employees inspect the food we eat and the places we work, protect citizens from the illicit flow of drugs, maintain the safety of our nation's borders, care for our nation's veterans and keep the national defense systems prepared for any danger
"With the 50th District geographically between two military bases and San Diego County home to the second largest Veteran population in the nation, I am proud to have the support and endorsement of AFGE whose members work to care for, empower and assist our returning Veterans and protect and keep America strong," said Tracy Emblem on Wednesday.
AFGE is the largest federal employee union representing 600,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Workers in virtually all functions of government at every federal agency depend upon AFGE for legal representation, legislative advocacy, technical expertise and informational services.
AFGE believes that all unions should belong to the house of labor and has been nationally affiliated with the The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) since AFGE was founded in 1932. The AFL-CIO is a voluntary federation of 56 national and international labor unions. The AFL-CIO was created in 1955 by the merger of the AFL and the CIO.
This endorsement brings the total labor support of Tracy's campaign to about 20 unions. Tracy is also the candidate endorsed by the Progressive Democrats of America.
Tracy Emblem is running for U.S. Congress in San Diego's 50th District against Francine Busby, a Cardiff School Board trustee with only one endorsement by labor (California Teachers Association), to unseat the incumbent Republican Brian Bilbray who has no endorsements by labor.
Logan Jenkins, a San Diego Union-Tribune columnist based in North San Diego County, covered the tight Democratic Congressional primary in California's 50th District today. He profiled the two Democratic candidates in the race competing for a chance to unseat the Republican incumbent, Brian Bilbray: 1) Francine Busby, "the Harold Stassen of the 50th district, a three-time loser in head-to-head races against Republicans," and 2) Tracy Emblem, the fresh new upstart with extensive blue collar support from about 20 labor unions. He posited that the 50th District might change color from red to blue this year. Read more:
WASHINGTON D.C., May 07, 2010 - National peacekeeping group, Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) gave progressive democrat, Tracy Emblem the thumbs up in her race for United States Congress in North San Diego County's 50th district with their official endorsement for her candidacy in the June 8th Democratic Primary.
CGS is a membership based 'big idea' group working to promote the International Criminal Court (ICC), reform the United Nations and encourage the United States to adopt a multinational foreign policy, which includes working together with other nations to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no one nation can solve alone.
"I am proud to have the support and endorsement of the Citizens for Global Solutions and to work together to promote the end of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. We all have a responsibility to be part of the solution," said Tracy Emblem upon receiving the news.
CGS remains one of the leading U.S. based organizations focused on the ICC. Through the work of members, they have been able to roll back the anti-ICC policies adopted by Congress and the Bush administration. They are currently meeting with members of the Obama administration to build a truly positive U.S. relationship with the Court.
As a founding member of the Partnership for Effective Peacekeeping, CGS successfully lobbied Congress to appropriate an additional $524 million to help address critical shortfalls to funding U.N. peacekeeping missions. Overall, they were able to help reduce, by more than 20%, U.S. debt to the U.N. They will continue work to bring this to zero and to put blue helmets back onto U.S. troops.
Close to 90% of the 183 candidates endorsed by Global Solutions PAC in the 2008 election cycle won, including 5 new senators and 5 new representatives.
Tracy is running for U.S. Congress in San Diego's 50th District against Francine Busby, a Cardiff School Board trustee, to unseat the incumbent Republican Brian Bilbray.
With the June primaries fast approaching, we have three candidates facing challengers for the party's nominations. As we pursue our goal of a governing progressive majority, you'll be hearing from each of them. Our hope is that you will find an hour or two to help elect true progressive candidates like Tracy Emblem in California's 50th congressional district. -Tim Carpenter
Republican Brian Bilbray has stood as a living roadblock to every meaningful piece of legislation. He voted NO to Regulate Predatory Lending Practices while people are losing their homes due to foreclosure. He voted NO to Health Care Reform, even after his friends in Congress stripped the Public Option back to nothing less than another private insurance bailout. He voted NO to Ending the War and to bring our troops home. In fact, the only consistent YES vote he has cast is to participate in the Obstruction of Progress.
The RNC considers the 50th a vulnerable district. In 2008, President Obama won with over 14,000 votes. The district is 97.8 percent urban and is ready for change and progressive leadership in Congress.
I am running in a contested Democratic Primary against the party "blue dog" candidate who has already run and lost three times. I have the support of California's working families, the California Labor Federation, the California Nurses Association, National Air Traffic Controllers and almost 20 individual unions in the AFL-CIO. Labor supports me because they know it will take a progressive leader to deliver a victory. Your support will help to level the playing field against the party machine.
With only days until the primary, I need your help now more than ever to win this fight. Please volunteer to make calls to help us reach voters in this critical Southern California district. Together, we can work for true progress to make America stronger.
Yours truly,
Tracy Emblem
P.S. Your campaign contribution of $10, $25, $50 or whatever you can afford will help us reach voters in this critical time. Please visit www.TracyEmblemforCongress.com.
P.P.S. Join Tracy this Thursday on the "Inside the Party" call. Register here.
ESCONDIDO, CA April 23, 2010 - The California School Employees Association (CSEA) joins the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), the California Labor Federation (CLF) and nearly twenty diverse labor unions from building trades to health care specialists and service employees in their official endorsement of Tracy Emblem for United States Congress in California's 50th district.
CSEA represents nearly 230,000 classified employees in California public schools and community colleges.
These school support staff, known in California as “classified school employees,” perform a wide range of essential work, including security, food services, office and clerical work, school maintenance and operations, transportation, academic assistance and paraeducator services, library and media assistance, computer services and more.
"I am proud to have the support and endorsement of the working men and women who keep our schools and colleges open and running. California's Classified Employees work hard every day to ensure that our learning environments are safe, clean and ready for our students, young and old. It is essential that we have a quality, skilled workforce which is why I support rights for employees to organize, pool their resources and collectively bargain for benefits. Investing in our local communities will have lasting results for generations to come," said the jubilant Tracy Emblem.
These endorsement's bring the total labor support of Tracy's campaign to almost 20 unions. Tracy is also the candidate endorsed by the Progressive Democrats of America.
Tracy is running for U.S. Congress in San Diego's 50th District against Francine Busby, a Cardiff School Board trustee with only one endorsement by labor (California Teachers Association), to unseat the incumbent Republican Brian Bilbray who has no endorsements by labor.
Vote Now for Tracy Emblem the True Progressive Candidate
We all know in our hearts who the real progressive candidate is -- Tracy Emblem. The other 50th District candidate has lost the general election three times, and is now attempting to gain the DFA endorsement as a "progressive" candidate. She is not a Progressive Democrat who DFA should endorse. In fact, the DFA does not want Blue Dog or Corporate candidates to represent the party as stated in a recent email from DFA.
To our fellow democrats who are Busby supporters we say that your friendship and loyalty to her is admirable, but we all know friends don't win elections. It is the best qualified candidate who should move on to defeat Brian Bilbray. Let's all make it happen, and as our opponet says - "Let's rally the troops."
Why support Tracy Emblem as the Progressive Candidate? Progressive Democrats of America and Progressive Push - both national progressive organizations have endorsed Tracy.
Tracy has the support/endorsements of 16 labor unions who represent hundreds of working families in the 50th District.
This district can only be won by a strong opponent -- Tracy has been a civil rights attorney protecting and fighting for people's constitutional rights!
Please Click on the Link Below & Vote for Tracy Emblem
Anyone who understands the fundamentals of campaigns knows that Tracy Emblem, despite her passion and earnest efforts, has no chance to win the democratic primary in the 50th congressional district. Emblem's spin on the strengths of her campaign misrepresents reality. Her minor endorsements and negative campaign strategy has not moved her closer to the only viable candidate for the Democratic nomination, Francine Busby.
Emblem has failed the key tests of any serious candidate. First, Tracy Emblem's scorched earth campaign against Busby is doing a disservice to her party. Second, her funds are not sufficient to compete against an incumbent candidate. With $8,000 in the bank and over $45,000 in debt, it is impossible to run a campaign and rally support. Francine Busby has raised almost $290,000 dollars in her race to unseat Bilbray and take back the 50th congressional district for Democrats. The money, support, and endorsements make it clear that Busby is the only viable candidate in this race.
Emblem's continued mudslinging is a losing strategy. This approach has created a false dichotomy between the right choice, Busby, and the empty choice, Emblem. Emblem's claim that Busby's support is overwhelmingly due to long time loyalties is petty and insulting to Busby's supporters and endorsers. If anything, this indicates that Emblem is in denial about her lack of appeal, and ability to build a broad base of support. Francine's broad name and face recognition are huge assets that any candidate needs to win. Tracy has no name recognition and no means to achieve it. Although Tracy claims that she is a candidate running for the issues, her only issue seems to be Francine. Having no money and little support, Tracy Emblem's campaign is over. The only choice left for Emblem is to graciously withdraw.
PDA is the second progressive organization to endorse Emblem this week. The Progressive Push PAC endorsed Emblem on Saturday. Luis A. Cuevas, the National Director, stated on Emblem's Facebook page that he was proud to endorse "the real progressive in California's 50th Congressional District race".
The Republicans in the 50th Congressional District are starting to feel comfortable about having a win in the bag in 2010. CQ Politics just released an assessment that Bilbray's GOP seat in North County's 50th is secure. Clearly the author is unaware of the district's history and political leanings before 2002 covered in Part 1 of this series and plays down the systematic closing of the point gap between Democrats and Republicans since the Republican's gerrymandered win in 2002. Part 2 of this series will explore why a Democratic candidate hasn't yet won the District and what they need to do to wrestle control back from the Republicans.
Why hasn't a Democrat won the district back yet?
The following list encompasses some personal observations as well as election analysis in a 2006 poll commissioned in California's 50th Congressional District by Courage Campaign, a non-partisan, Progressive 527 based in Los Angeles, and MyDD, a Progressive blog devoted to analysis and commentary on political campaigns and infrastructure, to determine why the national Democratic message failed to give Democrat Francine Busby the seat formerly occupied by convicted felon, Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Busby also lost to Republican Brian Bilbray in the 2006 regular election, having probably been her last best chance to win this district.
1. Voter Turnout - A winning Democratic candidate needs high Independent and Decline to State voter turnout, which combined currently makes up at least 28% of registered voters in North County, to close the point gap with the Republican incumbent. Busby has been repeatedly unsuccessful in mobilizing this demographic and securing their vote. Voter appeal beyond Democratic base voters will be instrumental.
2. Inland Voter Turnout - A winning Democratic candidate needs to mobilize and secure the vote of residents in the inland part of the district. The highest density of registered voters are inland and the majority of these voters are working class families. Thus far, the previous Democratic candidates have been coastal candidates, such as Busby and Nick Leibham, which did not resonate with inland voters. However, one candidate Progressive Democrat Tracy Emblem, a resident of Escondido since 1964 with working class roots and strong support from Labor Unions will appeal to this key inland working class demographic.
3. Issue-based Campaign - A winning Democratic candidate needs to clearly draw a distinction between themselves and the Republican incumbent by running a strong, issue-based campaign. Most voters in 2006 had no concrete idea where Busby stood on important issues, so her image in the mind of the voter was poorly defined. The Republicans, on the other hand, led the discussion and framed any debate around issues they knew would resonate in their favor. Even in the current jockeying for the 2010 primary election, until a month ago Emblem was the only candidate who clearly outlined her positions on important issues on her campaign website. Busby only recently added any substantive issue-based information to her campaign website after Emblem pointed out the omission at a Mesa Democratic Club meeting in November.
4. Accountability - A winning Democratic candidate has to hold the current administration accountable for problems that have occurred under its watch both at home and abroad. This is as relevant now as it was during the Bush administration, perhaps more-so. President Obama has high disapproval ratings and a successful candidate needs to distinguish clearly how they will provide viable solutions to the problems the Obama administration and Democratic legislators have been unable to resolve. San Diego News Network noted that Busby is still uncritically toting President Obama's change message as if she's his sidekick. Emblem, on the other hand, has demonstrated that she can hold the President accountable for unsuccessful policy decisions, like Afghanistan.
What's the bottom line?
The Democratic party cannot continue to do the same old same old in the 50th district if they have any hope of unseating incumbent Republican Bilbray. With a focus on voter turnout, an issues-based campaign focusing on issues that resonate with Independent, Decline to State and Inland voters, and lastly courage to hold the current administration accountable for policy missteps, Democrats can pull off this supposed Hail Mary pass win.
In a swift and decisive move this week, three employee rights organizations joined the "Emblem to Win" Campaign and gave their official endorsement to Democratic Congressional Candidate, Tracy Emblem, in a contested primary.
When asked what prompted IUPAT's decision to make a financial commitment so early in a contested Democratic primary, DC36/LU831 Business Representative Paul Vauchelet stated, "Tracy Emblem has got a lot of fight, a lot of fire in her belly. She is someone who will really fight for our working families."
Many of the AFL-CIO affiliates have been active in races in the 50th since the 2006 special election. With the emergence of Emblem's winning message, professionalism and natural leadership, the tides are shifting past party loyalties to focus on the only viable Progressive Democrat that can unseat the incumbent, Republican Brian Bilbray. The labor unions are in it to win, are backing a fresh face and have invested in Tracy Emblem as their "Emblem for Change".
"The voters are ready for change," Emblem said. "These progressive labor groups, like many folks residing in the 50th, believe that we need to focus on economic recovery in our own communities by returning our tax dollars to our neighborhoods, cities and schools, through well-paying jobs."
San Diego, CA - Progressive Author & Activist, Norman Solomon endorses Tracy Emblem as the progressive candidate and the Democrats only hope in 2010 to win a seat in the House of Representatives from California's 50th District.
Mr. Solomon is the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Accuracy, a nationally syndicated columnist on media and politics and is on the advisory board of Progressive Democrats of America. Widely known for his groundbreaking works, Made Love, Got War and War Made Easy, he has been writing the weekly Media Beat column since 1992. He recently co-authored a resolution which the California Democratic Party adopted in November calling for the end of the United States occupation and air-war in Afghanistan.
The district is ripe for the picking but Tracy Emblem is the fresh democratic face the district needs. Francine Busby has proven that she doesn't have the support of the entire district behind her and is out of touch with inland voters. Tracy is an attorney based out of Escondido and understands the needs of the entire district, coastal and inland, it's demographics and what is needed to win. Her winning message of strongly supporting working families and Labor Unions, creating new jobs, rebuilding our economy, supporting public education, fixing healthcare, protecting our environment, and supporting President Barack Obama’s economic recovery program will resonate with Progressive voters in the district.
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San Diego, CA - Progressive Author & Activist, Norman Solomon endorses Tracy Emblem as the progressive candidate and the Democrats only hope in 2010 to win a seat in the House of Representatives from California's 50th District.