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Wednesday, May 31, 2006

John Morrison vs. John Tester

From the Havre Daily News:

Ex-employees support former boss' opponent

As former employees of the state Auditor's Office, we worked with Jon Tester when he served in the Montana Senate. We also worked closely with John Morrison as members of his appointed staff.

When deciding whom to support in the U.S. Senate race, to us, the choice is clear. Jon Tester is a true public servant with respect for the average Montanan. Jon Tester is motivated by a desire to make sure future generations of Montanans can enjoy making a living and raising their families in this state. Jon Tester is the one candidate who can defeat Conrad Burns and make all Montanans proud of their senators again.

Jon Tester is our choice and we hope he will be yours too. Please support Jon Tester on June 6 (or when you vote early at your courthouse).

Jill Gerdrum, former deputy state auditor, Missoula
Betsy Griffing, former chief legal counsel to state auditor, Missoula
Wendy Raney, former state auditor public information officer, Wolf Creek

Morrison's former Chief Legal Counsel, Deputy, and flack are all voting for Tester. That says a lot about John Morrison. Meanwhile, his campaign is so out of touch they are claiming the scandal isn't an issue. From today's Congressional Quarterly Politics:

Tester spokesman Bill Lombardi said his candidate "has a proven track record and, as he's said over and over to voters here, he's the best Democratic candidate to go toe to toe with Conrad Burns on Conrad's ethical problems."

Lombardi's remark was an oblique reference to a controversy that has dogged Morrison -- an allegation that he gave special treatment in an investigation of securities fraud to the husband of a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair.

Tylynn Gordon, Morrison's campaign manager, rejected this as a factor in the primary contest, pointing to the Gazette poll in which 66 percent of respondents said the controversy would not have any effect on their voting.

Well that is great, only one third of the state thinks Morrison is a corrupt womanizer. But every last vote counts against an incumbent U.S. Senator. In fact, John Morrison became Montana State Auditor with 50.18% of the vote after outspending his opponent 46:1.

Today's USA Today explains what will happen if Morrison wins:

"Burns is about as vulnerable as incumbents get," said Jennifer Duffy, who handicaps Senate races for the non-partisan Cook Political Report. [...]

Once the primary is over, "count on rough," she said, especially if Morrison is the Democratic nominee. "Burns can't win a pretty race."

And Burns will have plenty to work with if Morrison is the nominee. For one thing, it looks Morrison may have violated both sections of Montana code that covers ethics disclosure. For another thing, Morrison cheated on his wife just after she co-wrote the book that launched his political career.

Also today, the Hotline changed their assessment of the race:

We've been tempted to move this race up for months, but the state's overall GOP tendencies have held us back. But not anymore, not when one of the more respected polls we've seen from the state (Mason-Dixon) shows both Democrats topping Burns. We used to be in the camp that said Morrison was Burns' toughest foe. But we're no longer so sure of that, as Tester has shown surprising strength and put to rest rumors questioning his campaign trail discipline.
While Tylynn Gordon may lie to the press about how the scandal is impacting the race, everyone else disagrees. Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia Center for Politics said, "But it's hard to believe the Democrats would nominate him now. ... He's blown it." And, "Burns has got to be pleased. There were not many national analysts who didn't say Burns was cooked. Morrison may have just pulled Burns out of the oven."

And Craig Wilson of Montana State University-Billings said, "If Morrison gets through the primary, it's going to be tremendously difficult to use ethics against Conrad and get any tread on it."

The Cook Report's managing editor Jennifer Duffy said Morrison will lose female voters:

"They're angry at him for putting her there," she said.

Morrison's wife of 15 years, Catherine Wright, accompanied him to the Bar Association lunch at the Montana Club on Thursday.

After the lunch, she stood silently beside her husband as he instructed waiting television reporters to make sure his wife was in the camera shot with him.

This ethics scandal will only get worse. John Morrison didn't treat Tacke typically and people want to know why Morrison didn't recuse himself.

Most of all, Morrison needed to stop evading questions of impropriety and answer the questions raised, but he didn't and now he needs to lose or Democrats will lose in November.

For up-to-the-minute race coverage, go to Left in the West.

CT-Sen: Ned Lamont Posts on Daily Kos

At 4PM West Coast, 7PM Eastern, Ned Lamont will be posting on Daily Kos.

Also, here is the update from Tim Tagaris:

1.) Yes, Ned is going to post on Kos. He'll jump in with both feet for the first time tonight at 7 PM. He will also be around to answer questions after the piece is posted.

2.) Yes, Joe's attack ads were ridiculous. Here's a piece from a campaign email that just went out minutes ago.

For example, Lieberman's ad claimed Ned voted against cleaning asbestos out of a local public school. But what the ad didn't say was that it was part of a larger $45 million appropriation of which less than 5% was slated for asbestos removal. Those bills are all-or-nothing, and Ned thought a good amount of the spending in the bill was unnecessary, so he voted the whole thing down. It's the same kind of attack President Bush launched when he screamed over and over that John Kerry voted against the now infamous $87 billion to provide troops with body armor.

I am not certain if an 18 year incumbent has ever launched such a desperate flurry of attack ads and literature in a primary, but it's what we are facing here in CT. That's alright though, cause thanks to you, we have been able to get our message out. The rest is left up to hard work and democracy.

3.) Senator Lieberman is still consistently asked if he has any intention of leaving the Democratic Party and running as an Independent ... he still refuses to rule it out.

4.) I will be at Yearly Kos representing the campaign, and also speaking on a panel. And yes, I'll have buttons and stickers and all that good stuff.

5.) Yes, we are going to work on accomodating people who want to come in and volunteer over the summer nearing the conclusion of the campaign.

6.) We are going to make available for you a number of online tools geared towards helping spread the message about Ned and our effort online, and into your offline networks.

7.) For you in CT, just wait until you see what we have planned for a marriage between the online and off -- it truly will revolutionize the way the online piece is integrated into campaigns.

This will be the race to watch as the people rise up against the DLC.

CT-Sen: Ned Lamont Responds to Joe Lieberman Attack Ads

DLC posterboy Joe Lieberman is lashing out like a trapped animal as the Reform Democrat movement comes together to hold him accountable. Today, the Ned Lamont campaign responded to Lieberman's desperate attack ads:

This past weekend, as we reflected on the sacrifices made by American service members and their families during wars past and present, Senator Lieberman launched a full-run of television attack ads against Ned Lamont. Just like President Bush did to John Kerry in 2004, the ads are so devoid of context they would make Karl Rove blush. And while their content is highly suspect, the money paying for them is undeniable. This election cycle, Senator Lieberman is the U.S. Senate's top recipient of campaign contributions from the defense industry, second largest recipient of pharmaceutical manufacturer donations, and has collected over $1 million from political action committees. From now until the end of the campaign, every time you see a Joe Lieberman advertisement, flier, bumper sticker or button, you know who's paying for it.

Our campaign will never match Senator Lieberman's special interest money, and we don't want to. This campaign is a struggle for the heart and soul of our party, and we have relied on a growing army of grassroots Democrats who share the common goals of bringing our troops home from Iraq, healthcare for all Americans, and energy independence. That's why over 8,000 individuals have contributed and signed up to volunteer in three short months. But we need your help again. It's not about the amount you can give, it's about adding your voice to the thousands more who share our vision of progress.

https://secure.nedlamont.com/page/contribute/fightback

What makes Senator Lieberman's desperate ads even more outrageous is a passage that can be found in the pages of his own book, "In Praise of Public Life":

At that point, Weicker stopped ignoring me. He hit back with a barrage of attack commercials ... One of those ads was technically accurate but didn't mention that the tax votes cited were cast seventeen years earlier, in 1971.

Which is exactly what Senator Lieberman did, presenting votes cast by Ned over a decade ago without context. For example, Lieberman's ad claimed Ned voted against cleaning asbestos out of a local public school. But what the ad didn't say was that it was part of a larger $45 million appropriation of which less than 5% was slated for asbestos removal. Those bills are all-or-nothing, and Ned thought a good amount of the spending in the bill was unnecessary, so he voted the whole thing down. It's the same kind of attack President Bush launched when he screamed over and over that John Kerry voted against the now infamous $87 billion to provide troops with body armor. That vote too was part of a much larger spending bill that resulted in billions of wasted dollars. Senator Lieberman has always been too close for comfort with President Bush on issues like Iraq, Social Security, and the current energy policy, but who knew they have been trading advice on campaign tactics during their time together. We need your help to fight back.

https://secure.nedlamont.com/page/contribute/fightback

Sincerely,

Tom Swan
Ned Lamont for U.S. Senate

Every time Lieberman or the DLC attacks Lamont, we need to fight back.

CA-50: John McCain Shuns Brian Bilbray

Tuesday's special election to replace former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham in California's 50th congressional district gets more interesting every day. In a staunchly Republican district where a Democrat shouldn't have a chance, Francine Busby is scaring the crap out of the NRCC. The latest Busby Bilbray poll documents why the GOP is so scared.

The NRCC is panicking, raising their independent expenditure to $5,000,000 (one fifth of their cash on hand according to the latest reports):

With a last minute prime-time ad buy in the district at over $600/point (more than double the $240/point paid by the DCCC for its advance purchase), The NRCC will end up spending over $5 million on the California 50 special election next Tuesday. Republicans are panicking about what a Busbee win would mean for its candidates in November. Not only would Busby get us one seat closer to a Democratic House, but it would help shape the media narrative for the election.

The DCCC has responded with $1.8 million (which has gone further than the NRCC's cash because of the lower ad rates), and Busby has raised a crapload more money than Bilbray. which doesn't necessarily equalize the money wars, but it means that Busby has had enough to be competitive.

Brian Bilbray is caught in a serious bind. Conservatives hate him and many aren't going to turn out to vote. His campaign was hoping a late appearance by Senator John McCain would help with moderate Republicans and Independents, but McCain told him to take a hike:

U.S. Sen. John McCain on Tuesday canceled an appearance for a Republican congressional candidate who has attacked his opponent for supporting McCain's immigration bill.

McCain, R-Ariz., was scheduled to speak Wednesday at a breakfast fundraiser for Brian Bilbray, who is in a close runoff race with Democrat Francine Busby to fill the seat left vacant by disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

Cunningham was sentenced in March to more than eight years in prison for accepting bribes. The winner of the June 6 special election will fill the remaining seven months left in Cunningham's term.

Bilbray, a former congressman who worked as a lobbyist for an anti-immigration group, has repeatedly attacked Busby for supporting the immigration bill passed last week in the Senate. McCain was a principal architect of the bill.

With both conservative and moderate Republicans agreeing that they don't like Brian Bilbray, the only thing he seems to be doing effectively is emptying the NRCC bank account. No matter what happens on Tuesday, the GOP is going to be in worse shape heading into the 2006 midterm elections. If Francine Busby comes close to beating Bilbray, it will show that far more races could be in play than the Washington pundits believe. If Busby beats Bilbray, it will send a shockwave through the 2006 narrative.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

MT-Sen: Netroots for Jon Tester

Yesterday, in the best blog round-up of the Montana Senate primary since the Montana bloggers talked about the John Morrison scandal, Kos posted:

This one is important folks. For those of you who cry about the DLC and its corrosive influence in DC, winning this primary would hasten the demise of what is already an organization in decline. For those of you who whine about Democrats without a spine, help get one of the good guys elected.
This is my second post on this today, but I just received the following email from Jon Tester:

In one short week, polls will open in communities across Montana and Democrats will choose who will take on Conrad Burns in the General Election.

A poll released by the Helena Independent Record and other newspapers over the weekend shows this race dead-even. Their pollster had this to say about the race:

"'The thing that strikes me is that Morrison is still better known than Tester, but Tester has a higher favorable rating with Democrats,' said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, which conducted the poll. 'Tester may have a little more upward mobility. He's pretty well-positioned for the primary...'"

With momentum on our side, we are in the best position headed into the Primary. We need your help to keep moving forward. Help us continue to spread our winning message by contributing to the campaign today.

http://www.testerforsenate.com/contribute/

Your contribution today goes a long way to ensuring we contact as many voters as possible in the next 7 days.

Your volunteer help will also spread the word about our campaign in communities across the state. Email the campaign, or contact us at (406) 454-2006 to lend a hand.

As we approach the primary, keep your eyes on your inbox for new developments and action alerts from the campaign.

Thank you for all that you do.


Jon Tester

P.S. We'll need all hands on deck on Election Day. Vote early at your county election office today to help us get out the vote on June 6.
You can sign up for these emails at Jon Tester's website. Contributing today will help Tester finalize his media buy.

CT-Sen: Joe Lieberman a Centrist Debunked

The idea Joe Lieberman is a centrist seems to be the topic of the day around the internets. Kos says:

So is Lieberman a "centrist"? Well, in the DC formulation of the word, sure. He's well-entrenched in the DC establishment, he's a corporate lobbyist's wet dream, he cheerleads military adventures abroad without shouldering any of the hardship, and he's quick to abandon party loyalty (and principles) for an opportunity to earn kudos from George Bush and Sean Hannity.

Under any rational definition of "centrist", Lieberman wouldn't qualify.

But really, there is nothing rational about DC or it's media establishment.

Joementum looks at Joe Lieberman's record:

While we're on the subject of voting records lets take a look at some of Joe's highlights:

  • Voted YES on limiting death penalty appeals. (Apr 1996)
  • Voted NO on spending international development funds on drug control. (Jul 1996)
  • Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
  • Voted NO on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)
  • Voted YES on school vouchers in DC. (Sep 1997)
  • Voted YES on authorizing use of military force against Iraq. (Oct 2002)
  • Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)
  • Voted NO on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25. (Mar 2005)
  • Voted YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. (Jul 2005)

(source: issues2000.org)

From this we can fairly conclude that Joe: wants you dead, supports the international drug trade, is a homophobe who doesn't want a balanced budget, has given up on public schools, is a republican, doesn't value your privacy, thinks workers shouldn't be given a living wage and, thinks textile factories in America should go out of business.

Holding Lieberman accountable is far from tilting at windmills, as William Yardley points out in the New York Times:

Ned Lamont has already shown that his candidacy should be taken seriously. On May 19, a third of the delegates to the Democratic state convention voted to endorse him instead of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman. [...]

"Once you scratch and sniff, you realize he would be a very credible senator, and that makes him a very credible candidate," said George Jepsen, the immediate past chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee. "If he was a nut, Joe wouldn't have a problem. But he's intelligent. He's accomplished. There are no personal warts. He teaches in the Bridgeport public schools. How many people of his pedigree and background go do that?"

Mr. Jepsen, who supported Senator Lieberman in past races, has not taken a public position in the primary. He is among many Democrats, however, who predict that voters who are angry with Mr. Lieberman are likely to turn out in great numbers in the primary. The senator, he said, is "genuinely threatened on Aug. 8."

Lieberman must be worried, just check out his new ad. The movement of Reform Democrats against the DLC is for real, otherwise Lieberman wouldn't be changing his tune.

CA-50: Francine Busby Leads Polls, Money, Spin

In the latest Francine Busby, Brian Bilbray poll, Busby lead by 7% points. Considering the make-up of California's 50th congressional district, even being competitive is a major feat for a Democrat. The press is realizing that a strong Busby showing would change the narrative of the 2006 mid-term elections. Tony Perry in the LA Times reported:

Normally, this district is so Republican that Democratic strategist Donna Brazile says it's not just red, but "ruby red."

However, with Bush's approval ratings severely hobbled by Iraq and other issues and Cunningham in prison for the biggest corruption case in congressional history, the GOP is running concerned, if not downright scared.

A loss here, or even a close victory, could be seen as a sign that the GOP hold on Washington is slipping and that November could see wholesale change.

"This is a biggie," said Carl Luna, a political science professor at San Diego's Mesa College. "Everyone is going to be reading the tea leaves as a predictor of November."
Not just the press, but political pundits:
Because of the Republican party's national problems, the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report has listed the 50th as "a tossup, tilting Republican," a far cry from the usual slam-dunk for the GOP.

There will be hundreds of congressional primaries June 6, but only one special election for an open seat, Rothenberg analyst Nathan Gonzalez said.

"The 50th is a symbolic race," said Gonzalez. "If the Republicans lose, the story nationwide will be: 'Republicans are in even more trouble than we thought.' " [...]

In a district that covers part of northern San Diego and several suburbs, Republicans have a 44% to 30% registration edge over Democrats, with 22% independents.
The GOP fear of this election being close also showed up on the pages of the conservative Washington Times:
"The Southern California district is heavily Republican, but some GOP insiders believe that Democrat Francine Busby will defeat former GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray and go on to win a full term in November. More alarming, some worry that a Bilbray defeat could signal the GOP's loss of control of the House.

"The NRCC has already pumped $3.1 million into the race. 'It is becoming more and more likely,' says one GOP strategist, 'that Bilbray will squeak out a victory.' But another longtime Republican operative isn't so sure. 'This is a district we should never lose,' he says. 'It's the stink of Cunningham, and the Bush problem.'"
Chris Bowers looks at how National Republican Campaign Committee must be extremely defensive to spend so much money:
$3.1M. The NRCC has only $24M cash on hand. They are spending one-eighth of their cash on hand to defend a seat with a local Republican partisan index of around RNC +20. If Busby wins, Republicans are finished come November. Even if she does not win, Republicans are still in a world of hurt.
This will be an exciting election night, stop back by for CA-50 Special Election returns and analysis.

MT-Sen: Reform Democrats for Jon Tester

Matt Singer explains the importance of next week's Montana senate primary. My experience in Montana leads me to the conclusion that John Morrison will not be able to beat Senator Conrad Burns. But the flip side of the race is that Jon Tester represents the reform of the Democratic Party that need, that is going on in Connecticut, that is the basis for the DLC hatred of the netroots and grassroots. Singer explains why you should support Jon Tester:

For the past year, an uphill battle has been fought in Montana. Insurgent candidate Jon Tester started well behind presumptive nominee John Morrison in the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Morrison has already won statewide twice and is known for his intense fundraising ability. Tester was President of the Senate, but still worked his farm full time and had never had to raise more than $15,000 for a race in his life.

But if there was ever a time when you've got believe, the time is now. Because Jon Tester, a prairie populist in the mold of Tom Harkin, Byron Dorgan, and Brian Schweitzer, is now poised to win the Democratic primary just one week from today. But he still needs your help.

The difference between these two candidates could not be starker. As Chuck Johnson, Dean of the Montana political press corps, wrote this weekend, Tester "is the tall, barrel-chested grain farmer with the flat-top haircut that's become the symbol of the campaign." Morrison has "wavy brown hair and a friendly smile. Politics is in his genes."

Jon Tester is a third-generation farmer. John Morrison is a third-generation politician. I could tell you which we prefer in Montana -- farmers or politicians -- but I think you can guess.

Authenticity matters and Tester is campaigning like he has lived his life. Meanwhile, John Morrison is campaigning like he is auditioning for to be a Wrangler jeans model. For a city lawyer to act so outside of his nature convey's a phoniness voters can smell two counties away. But issues also matter.

But it isn't just genes or appearances where they differ, it's the issues. Jon Tester has called for a sane foreign policy that includes turning away from Iraq and back to the real threats to American security. John Morrison's Iraq policy is to basically hope the insurgency goes away while trying to create a national oil company. Where is he on troop levels? Good question. He won't tell us.

Jon Tester has made it clear: as long as single-payer is affordable and maintains patient choices, it'll gain his support. John Morrison has categorically rejected it.

Jon Tester stands strongly against the economic policies that bankrupt the middle class in order to help the richest -- CAFTA, the bankruptcy bill, and the energy bill. John Morrison takes few specific positions, is a proud member of the DLC, and likes to quote Tom Friedman.

It doesn't get bigger than this. Conrad Burns is as vulnerable as he's ever been. The news stories explaining the depth of his corruption and the malfeasance of his staff continue to break regularly. This race isn't just about replacing Conrad Burns, it's about shaping the Senate and the Democratic Party for the 10-20 years.

We need a U.S. Senator who is willing to fight the big insurance and prescription drug companies to achieve affordable, fair health care for all.

We need a U.S. Senator who is willing to fight the big oil companies to achieve energy independence that will create more American jobs and a cleaner planet.

We need a U.S. Senator who is willing to fight the financial industry and corporate interests to achieve a fair trade policy that will protect the interests of working families here at home and abroad.

And we've got just the man for the job -- Jon Tester. Honestly, do we want another Tom Harkin or another Evan Bayh in the U.S. Senate?

We don't need another DLC coward in the Senate. Tester needs your help!

His campaign needs to wrap up their media buys today. That means we don't have time for ActBlue (as much as I love those guys). The campaign needs your money directly. Every dollar you give today increases Tester's ad buy.

The latest poll showed Jon Tester down by a single point -- 42-41. Our side is way more motivated. My friend Denver has been heading up volunteer phone banks for weeks in Western Montana. We've got teams of volunteers dropping literature across the state. We've got closing campaign rallies this weekend featuring former U.S. Senator John Melcher (Morrison's former boss).

We've got the momentum. We've got the volunteers. Just help us stay competitive on the air. And together, we'll help change the face of the Democratic Party, the Senate, and the United States.

Damn it, this feels good.

Yup!

CT-Sen: Joe Lieberman is Not a Centrist

For anyone who cares about the reforming the Democratic Party, I highly recommend reading David Sirota's Hostile Takeover -- it is quite simply must-read. Today, Sirota takes on Joe Lieberman and the DLC's allusion of centrism:

In my new book Hostile Takeover, I spend a good deal of time showing how ultra-conservative right-wingers have hijacked the terms "centrist" and "mainstream" and disconnected them from what's actually "centrist" and "mainstream" among the public. This is no small matter (and a topic I have focused on before) - it is a hugely important and powerful linguistic weapon deviously employed by the most destructive forces. That's right - today in Washington, positions that are way to the right of where the American public stands are regularly called "centrist" or "mainstream." That's no accident - it is a deliberate strategy employed by Big Money interests that run the Establishment to effectively marginalize the vast majority of the population from its own political debate and political system. It is, in short, a hostile takeover not just of our government, but of political discourse itself.

How this semantic strategy legitimates right-wing positions and politicians can best be seen in looking at Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), a man incessantly billed by the Washington media - and himself - as a "centrist."

It has become clear that the blogosphere is going to take to task DC Establishment Democrats and Washington Pundits who shill for Joe Lieberman...

In fact, Lieberman's name has become so synonymous with Washington's propagandistic definition of "centrism" that some of the most insulated Establishment spokespeople are using the term in a pathetic attempt to defend him from grassroots primary challenger Ned Lamont (D).

As just one example, take Marshall Wittman. This ultra-right-wing former Christian Coalition official is now employed at the Democratic Leadership Council, and purports to speak for Democrats. He is one of the most odious icons of Washington's bought-off bipartisan Establishment - and has made a name for himself peddling right-wing talking points, narratives and storylines wholly at odds with actual facts. Last week was no exception. He told the Los Angeles Times that the Connecticut primary "is a fight for the soul of the Democratic Party" because "it will have repercussions for the 2008 presidential campaign and whether centrists will feel comfortable within the Democratic Party."

Wittman, a staunch Lieberman shill, is actually correct, though inadvertently. He's right - this is "a fight for the soul of the Democratic Party" and it will indicate "whether centrists will feel comfortable within the Democratic Party." But the actual data shows that the centrist is not Lieberman, as Wittman purports, but those opposing Lieberman. And if Lieberman wins the primary, it could mean that centrists will not feel comfortable in the party, because the actual data shows Lieberman is the out-of-the-mainstream arch-right-winger, and the movement that is challenging him represents the real center.

This is not theoretical rhetoric or cocktail party chatter, as Wittman and his ilk in the pundit class have become specialists in peddling. This is cold, hard fact, backed up by cold, hard facts (you remember - those things so looked down upon inside the Beltway). On almost every major issue, the data shows that Lieberman is far to the right of the "center" or "mainstream" of American public opinion.

Sirota is an excellent researcher and makes a compelling case that Joe Lieberman is far to the right of the center.

Take the Iraq War. Lieberman continues to unflinchingly support the stay-the-course policy of the Bush administration, to the point where he attacks those who even raise questions about the administration's Iraq policy as "undermin[ing] the president's credibility at our nation's peril." His out-of-the-mainstream position comes at a time when every major national poll shows roughly two thirds of Americans oppose the war and want a change in policy. But it gets worse. Lieberman has long claimed that because of the Iraq War, "the world is safer, America is safer." Again, CNN/USA Today polls asked this very question, and they have consistently shown (here and here) that the majority of Americans believe that the Iraq War has made America less safe. In sum, the cold, hard data shows that despite the rhetoric, Joe Lieberman is on the fringe extreme, while those like Ned Lamont who have criticized his position and who want a change in policy are the real centrists.

How about Social Security? Though Lieberman now desperately claims he's against privatizing Social Security, he was one of the earliest and most outspoken Senators giving credence to the concept - credence that was critical in helping legitimate the concept. As far back as 2000, the New York Times reported that Lieberman was publicly suggesting "that he could support allowing workers to invest a portion of their payroll taxes in the private markets." Two 2002 polls - one from the Los Angeles Times and another from NBC News - both found a strong 55 percent of the public opposed the concept. After the President in 2005 put the full weight of the White House behind selling the concept in the most favorable terms possible, those numbers actually got worse. A CNN/USA Today poll that year found that "opposition rose to 59 percent." So, on yet another issue, the cold, hard data shows Lieberman was well outside the "center," those who criticized him for his position were representing the real center - and yet the out-of-touch Washington chattering classes still billed him as a "centrist" on the issue.

On health care, Lieberman was labeled a "centrist" by the Washington elite when he ran for President in 2004 for saying things like, "I am not willing to raise taxes to pay for health insurance." He said this the same year that, as polling expert Ruy Teixeira notes, major nationwide polls showed the public supports "by 67 percent to 26 percent, the U.S. government guaranteeing 'health insurance for all citizens,' even if that meant repealing most of 'recent tax cuts.'" In fact, "the majority was scarcely diminished (67 percent to 29 percent) by referring not to repealing tax cuts but more directly to 'raising taxes.'" Similarly, "Greenberg Quinlan Rosner/Public Opinion Strategies found, in January 2004, a 69 percent to 28 percent majority saying that they would be willing to pay more per year in federal taxes to assure every American citizen received health care coverage." Again, the cold, hard data shows Lieberman is well outside the "center" on health care - while those who criticize him for these kinds of positions represent the actual center.

This pattern shows up even in the specifics of lower-profile issues. On prescription drugs, the Washington Post reported in 2000 that "Lieberman said he was opposed to price controls on drugs." That was the same year Lieberman, a recipeint of more than $400,000 in drug industry cash, voted against bipartisan legislation to reinstate the law that forces drug companies to offer drugs developed at taxpayer expense at a "fair and reasonable price" - instead of allowing them to charge Americans the highest prices in the world for those drugs. It was also the same year the Washington Post billed Lieberman a "centrist" for his work "lobb[ying] hard for pharmaceutical companies on issues [like extending] research and development tax credits."

Yet, polls show that a strong majority of the public supports drug price controls, and doesn't buy the argument that the already-wealthy drug industry needs federal handouts for R&D. Specifically, a 2004 Harris Poll found "60 percent to 35 percent majority to favor federal government price controls." In 2005, the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation noted that polls showed "almost two-thirds of the public say there should be more government regulation of prescription drug prices, and 70% of these people continue to support more regulation of prices even it leads to less research and development of new drugs." Kaiser also noted that "Most of the public do not believe that research and development drive the cost of prescription drugs, instead three-quarters say drug company profit margins or marketing costs are the largest contributors to the price of prescription drugs and eight in ten say that drug costs are not justified because companies charge more for medications than necessary." Yet again, the data shows Lieberman's position has been way outside the "center" - while his critics have been representing the real center.

How about corporate-written trade deals? Lieberman remains one of the most rock-solid supporters of pacts like NAFTA, WTO and China PNTR that were stripped of labor/wage/human rights/environmental protections and thus undermined American jobs, wages, and benefits. He has attacked as - gasp! - "protectionist" anyone (even fellow Democrats) raising any questions about these trade deals. For this, Washington pundits fall all over themselves to call him a courageous "centrist."

Yet, polls consistently show that the centrist position is one that supports pushing for a serious change of these trade policies. To the shock and dismay of the bipartisan Washington Establishment that pushes these sellout trade deals, polls continue to show that a majority of Americans have long wanted this trade policy reformed. For instance, as I have previously pointed out, a July 2005 PIPA poll found 56 percent of Americans said they are "not satisfied with the way the US government is dealing with the effects of trade on American jobs, the poor in other countries and the environment" while 90 percent of Americans want trade deals to include strong labor protections and 93% want strong environmental protections - protections deliberately removed from the trade deals Lieberman champions. Similarly, a January 2004 PIPA/University of Maryland poll found that "a majority [of the American public] is critical of US government trade policy." USA Today reported in 2004 that even high-income Americans "have lost much of their enthusiasm for free trade." A March 2003 EPIC-MRA poll found just 21% of Americans said they wanted to "continue the NAFTA agreement." A 2002 poll by Investors Business Daily and the Christian Science Monitor found an overwhelming 61% of Americans "think U.S. trade policy should have restrictions on imported foreign goods to protect American jobs." And a 1999 poll done on the five-year anniversary of the North American trade deal was even more telling: Only 24 percent of Americans said they wanted to "continue the NAFTA agreement."

This is one of the great benefits of that Ned Lamont's campaign enjoys, the overwhelming support of the progressive blogosphere. The intrinsic value of the netroots isn't raising money, but communicating and if you go read Sirota's whole diary (recommend it) you will see a textbook example of the power of the blogosphere. This diary is the top recommended diary on Daily Kos and MyDD, it is on Sirota's blog and Working Assets' blog. Sirota concludes:

Washington, in short, deliberately tries to marginalize forces of change by slandering those forces as outside the "center." That propaganda system, not surprisingly, selects for people who refuse to challenge power. This explains why we have so many unspectacular, mealy-mouthed, power-fearing politicians on both sides of the aisle in Congress (and also why there are more outspoken voices in statehouses where this propaganda system is less pronounced). But it also explains why there is so much anger at Washington brewing throughout the country. After so many years of Washington lying to people about what the "center" supposedly is, Americans are waking up. As a 2005 poll by the Feldman Group showed that a whopping 72 percent of Americans now "believe that elected officials in Washington do not see the nation's problems and opportunities in the same way they do."

That anger represents electoral opportunity for the political candidates like Ned Lamont and others who actually look at the data, reject the Beltway's B.S. and stand up for ordinary citizens. To be sure, doing that takes guts. Big Money interests have made an art out of eviscerating those who challenge them, and every pundit on the cocktail party circuit from Joe Klein to Tom Friedman to David Brooks has shown their eagerness to dishonestly attack populists that challenge the Establishment. But rest assured that despite all of this desperate hot air, the cold, hard data shows the public is ready to reward the real centrists - the people who have the guts to stand down the elitsts on the fringe and stand with the vast majority of America in the real mainstream center. That's the place that supports political leaders who dare to fight back against the hostile takeover.

Go buy the book! Then go contribute to Ned Lamont!

Monday, May 29, 2006

ISSUES: John Morrison and Jon Tester

In the June 6th Montana Senate Primary that will determine who it is that takes on Sen. Conrad Burns, it is important to keep an eye on the candidate's stands on the issues:

Chuck Johnson's Horse Sense column this week attempts to tease out the difference between Jon Tester and John Morrison. While he captures the stylistic difference well (Tester is a third-generation farmer; Morrison is a third-generation politician), he claims that the two "differ little on the major issues." A statement that is flat out untrue.

Here's how I see the policy differences:

  • Jon Tester supports health care for all. Morrison prefers our current "patchwork quilt" system.
  • Jon Tester opposes the bankruptcy bill, the energy bill, and CAFTA. John Morrison talks in Friedmanesque "earth is flat" platitudes about economic issues.
  • Jon Tester got contraceptive equity done in Montana and has a 100% from MT NARAL the last 3 legislative sessions. John Morrison campaigned on contraceptive equity then refused to act.
  • Jon Tester refused to endorse Montana's hate amendment and instructed his legislative candidates not to submit to the politics of hate and fear. John Morrison, without so much as a heads up to Montana PRIDE, didn't just endorse Montana's hate amendment, he encouraged other Democrats to do likewise, and told the press that marriage belongs to straight people.
  • Jon Tester has called for a withdrawal from Iraq and refocusing on the real enemy. John Morrison waffles on withdrawal and says simply that our policy should be encouraging the Iraqis to start a national oil company (a bit like having a health care policy of encouraging doctors to be nice to patients -- missing the mark on what really matters by such a long-shot, it ain't real).
Also, there is a great review of Montana's Senate Primary by Howie Klein:

The really stellar one is Jon Tester. (The Democratic political hack -- way better than a Republican political hack (way, way, way better), but a hack nonetheless, a DLC one at that, is Montana State Auditor John Morrison.) Tester is more than just better than the other guy. He's a transformational politician, the kind of inspiring public servant who we will be able to look to for a genuine effort to actually make our nation a better place, the way candidates like Ned Lamont in Connecticut or Rick Penberthy and Jan Schneider in Florida, or Jerry McNerney, Francine Busby and Marcy Winograd in California can be expected to do the same. Not run-of-the-mill garden variety Democrats, but men and women who have the ability, the capacity and the intention of doing far more than just going along with the political whores who rule the roost Inside the Beltway.

I want to tell you a little about Jon. But first I want to ask you to read what someone else has to say about him. John Rodwick is a guy in Montana who stumbled across Down With Tyranny a few months ago. He was cynical about the sorry state of politics-as-usual and I asked him to look into Jon's campaign and to go meet him. Last week he did and his report is here. The word that comes up in John's report -- and in any report of first-hand experience with Tester -- is "straight shooter." When I was running Reprise Records I sometimes would get so excited about an album that an artist delivered -- more often than not, something from Green Day, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Wilco, Depeche Mode, Joni Mitchell -- that I'd fantasize about going door to door with an iPod and asking people to just listen. I'm positive that if Jon Tester could just meet every one of Montana's voters...

So who is this guy? I first started writing about him last July. My excitement has grown and grown as I've seen more of him in action. A 48 year old organic wheat farmer from Big Sandy and President of the State Senate, Jon announced his populist, progressive candidacy driving his tractor-trailer rig around Montana. He's endorsed withdrawal from Iraq, a clean renewable energy policy (he actually sponsored a renewable energy standard in Montana), and is calling for expanded health care -- including government funded health care for all children. He's also endorsed a reasonable version of single-payer health insurance. Morrison (as a DLC shill) has more incommon with Burns on these issues than he has with Jon. Jon Testers stands on the issues are what I expect from every Democrat; unfortunately my expectations are shot down more than they are realized. That's why when a strong and outspoken leader like Jon comes to the fore, I feel grateful... and eager to help in any small way I can.

When I asked Jane to look this over for me, she asked me 2 questions: How is Tester on Choice and Gay issues (talk about separating the wheat from the chaff!) and what are Tester's real chances? I call these next two my Jane paragraphs. Like John Kerry, Tester is personally pro-Life. The good news is that he has a 100% pro-choice voting record in the State Senate. That's because to him it's a privacy issue between a woman and her physician (and anyone else she wants to talk about it with). He's a Montanan and he's not eager to see Big Government interfering in peoples' private lives. The gay issue is always the hardest for any politician not living in an urban area. But Tester hasn't ducked that one either. He's come out strongly against the hate and bigotry amendments the Republicans have tried passing and he's worked hard to make sure others in the State Senate understood the issue as well. The man has great instincts and we can expect him to come to progressive conclusions about important issues.

Now, can he win? The DLC has been running around trumpeting the inevitability of their puppet Morrison because he's been scooping up lots of cash from wealthy, often out-of-state, donors, while Tester's strategy has been to fund-raise from average voters inside the state. In the last month, Tester has overtaken Morrison in fundraising, a result of more people in the state getting to know him and also of Morrison's ethics problems. The momentum is clearly with Tester now and he very much looks like a winner. Polls show either Democrat beating Burns, who is so mired in corruption that people wonder what the chances of his indictment before November are, but at this point the latest polls show Tester surging and Morrison basically holding steady.

The irony, of course, is that the DLC and Inside-the-Beltway schnooks who have been propping Morrison up all during the campaign and insisting that the issue was electability against the hated Burns, are screwed. Now that every newspaper and media outlet in the state has been titillating its audience with stories of Morrison's infidelity and how that mixed with state business, he no longer looks all that savory OR electable against an incumbent who has turned off most Montanans not because he's a far right maniac but because he is widely perceived to be corrupt and dishonest. Morrison is now similarly tainted in the public eye and Tester's straight-arrow reputation makes him look far more electable. Add that to the fact that the Beltway Establishment's #1 stated reason to turn against grassroots and populist candidates -- that they can't raise big money -- has been utterly demolished by Tester and all that is left are a bunch of corporate Democrats sputtering and fuming and feeling very much hoist on their own petards.

Last weekend's fund-raiser for Jerry McNerney and Francine Busby brought in around $3,000. I was really happy about all the generosity from the readers and Jerry and Francine were thrilled. Every contributor got a Neil Young CD in the mail. I have a feeling you can figure out who I'm hoping to collect some much-needed last minute money for this weekend. I just opened a Jon Tester page at ACT BLUE so that whatever you feel you can chip in will go directly to Jon's campaign.
Go read the whole thing, this post has already raised $1,899.18 -- which will go a long way in Montana and will be a huge help during the final week of the campaign.

Brian Bilbray

According to U.S. News and World Report's Washington Whispers, Republicans tasked with trying to win congressional races in 2006 are worried that Brian Bilbray is going to lose the June 6th Special Election:

Staffers from the National Republican Congressional Committee are quietly telling GOP House members to prepare for a possible loss in the June 6 special election to fill the seat of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in prison for taking bribes. The Southern California district is heavily Republican, but some GOP insiders believe that Democrat Francine Busby will defeat former GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray and go on to win a full term in November. More alarming some worry that a Bilbray defeat could signal the GOP's loss of control of the House. The NRCC has already pumped $3.1 million into the race. "It is becoming more and more likely," says one GOP strategist, "that Bilbray will squeak out a victory." But another longtime Republican operative isn't so sure. "This is a district we should never lose," he says. "It's the stink of Cunningham, and the Bush problem."
It is bad news for the GOP in 2006 if they are losing districts like California's 50th. The problem with Bilbray might not be that he is going to lose, but that he is a loser:

Lobbyist Brian Bilbray
Busby's opponent, Republican Brian Bilbray is a lobbyist who has fought hard to keep his occupation from the voters of CA-50.

The Hill, a Capitol-area newspaper, reported last summer that several sources, including one GOP lawmaker, complained that Bilbray used his floor privileges as an ex-member to lobby in the House chamber. Bilbray denied the allegation. "I've never done that. That's not right," he said.

Abramoff crony Brian Bilbray
In the now famous Marianas Island lobbying saga, Brian Bilbray was the beneficiary of a political junket arranged by convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

As a congressman, Bilbray traveled to the Marianas Islands on a junket arranged by disgraced GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. The island government, controlled by a handful of wealthy manufacturers, was pressing to keep the U.S. from imposing wage and labor laws on their factories.

Bilbray took up the Marianas' cause with aplomb, although he has denied knowing Abramoff. "I assume I've run into him during the process," he said. "But when I see him on TV, it's not someone I recognize."

Brian Bilbray lobbying in violation of federal law?
In 2001 while working for the lobbying firm of Benedetto Advocacy and Communcations, Bilbray apparently lobbied congress in violation of federal law.

Benedetto hired former Representative Brian Bilbray to lobby for Bajagua less than a year after Bilbray lost reelection, and Bilbray appeared before Congress to press for Bajagua. That is in apparent violation of 18 U.S.C. §207 of the federal criminal code.
Not only was he in possible violation of federal law, he failed to disclose that was was a paid lobbyist for the group he was testifying for.

Where exactly does Brian Bilbray live?
The question is raised by green in brooklyn. It seems that lobbyist Bilbray claims he lives in his mother's house (which is in CA-50) in Carlsbad since March 2005. However, Virginia records show that he lists his home in Alexandria, VA as his primary residence for tax purposes. However, the same is true for his home in Imperial Beach, CA. (located outside of CA-50). 10News in San Diego has the details.

Neighbors told 10News they rarely ever see Bilbray at the house, which is his mother's home.

"He comes here occasionally to see his mother like boys will do, but he doesn't live here," said neighbor Frank Knudsen.

"If he does live here, he must leave late at night and come back early in the morning," said neighbor Bill Rider.

Another man, who lives right next door, said he wondered when people would catch on that Bilbray does not live here.

If Bilbray lives in Virginia, he may not be eligible to run for the congressional seat here.

Questionable dealings while serving as a County Supervisor
In 1990, while a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Bilbray was caught up in an investigation of a sanitation company suspected of price fixing, antitrust violations, environmental contamination and illegal dumping of toxic and hazardous materials, inadequate liability insurance held by WMI on their municipal and hazardous waste operations and organized crime connections. Here's a summary of the investigation by the San Diego District Attorney's office. It's quite long and you have to scroll down towards the bottom for Bilbray's involvement.

It seems that in 1990, Waste Management, Inc. was looking to develop a landfill site in San Diego County. At the time, Brian Bilbray was on the County's Board of Supervisors which was responsible for approving of permit and zoning change applications. A member of that Board of Supervisors had some concerns and asked the District Attorney's office to investigate Waste Management which led to this investigation. At the same time, Bilbray also happened to be the president of a non-profit called "Sail San Diego" whose purpose was to compete in an international sailing competition. Now at the time, Sail San Diego was facing financial difficulties, which made a subsequent $50,000 donation from Waste Management to Sail San Diego seem a little suspicious.

An examination of the financial records of Sail San Diego by our investigators revealed that the donations by Waste Management, Inc., and Hal Jensen were made at times; when the organization was in serious financial trouble... It is clear that without this infusion of cash that Sail San Diego would probably have become insolvent.

On March 22, 1990, a meeting took place in Supervisor Bilbray's office at the County Administration Center. The following individuals were present at the meeting:

Supervisor Brian Bilbray
John Woodard, chief of staff for Supervisor Bilbray
Jeff Stafford, administrative assistant to Bilbray
David Lowry, chairman of NORCORP, Inc.
David McGuigen, of Sport F/X
John DeTar, of Sport F/X
Tom Blackman, Western regional vice president of Waste Management of California
David Ross, project manager for Waste Management of California

When interviewed, David Ross stated that during this meeting a request was made for a donation by Waste Management to Sail San Diego. He recalled that David Lowry made most of the presentation on behalf of Sail San Diego, and that Supervisor Bilbray also participated. Ross stated that the privatization of landfills and the development of Gregory Canyon were also discussed at this meeting.

John DeTar and David McGuigen both stated that during the meeting a presentation was made to Waste Management officials about Sail San Diego. They specifically recall that a request for a $50,000 contribution was made.

In interviews conducted as a part of this investigation, neither Supervisor Bilbray nor his staff could recall any details of this meeting, nor could they recall who was in attendance. Although his office calendar contains an entry for March 22, 1990, indicating a 2:00 p.m. meeting with Tom Blackman, Supervisor Bilbray stated, "The March 22 one, really just sort of draws a blank for me. That one I really can't tell you. I don't know, I could try and guess." Supervisor Bilbray was unable to recall a meeting in which a $50,000 donation to Sail San Diego was requested. Supervisor Bilbray did recall, in detail, a series of meetings with Waste Management officials over a period 'of months, which occurred after March 22, 1990.

Another such practice has been Waste Management's penchant for donating large sums of money, all with the appearance of altruistic or beneficent ends, to charitable entities or projects which are targeted for the greatest impact on persons exercising crucial approval authority over Waste Management business projects which are either proposed, pending or under review. This kind of practice appears to be Waste Management's primary reason for their $50,000 contribution to the financially troubled Sail San Diego. These practices suggest an unseemly effort by Waste Management to manipulate local government for its own business ends. If unchecked, these practices, like other more direct forms of improper attempts to gain influence, may have a corrupting impact on local government and lead to decisions unsuitable to the best interests of the public.

In view of the obvious ramifications of Waste Management's contribution to Sail San Diego, we believe that Supervisor Brian Bilbray would be well advised to abstain from voting on current Waste Management projects pending before the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Such action will avoid any further appearance of impropriety or conflict of interest.

It is important to note that Bilbray has been neither convicted nor charged with any criminal activity. However, I think his actions in years past warrant a closer look at who we want to serve as our elected representatives. Francine Busby has two proposals which would help clean up the way business is done in Congress. You can read more about her Clean House and Clean Office proposals.

With one week to go, it appears the GOP is stuck with a dirty candidate in a district where everyone knows about the Republican Culture of Corruption.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

CT-Sen: Pundits Realize Joe Lieberman is in Serious Trouble

From Ron Brownstein in the LA Times:

The liberal challenge to Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) escalated Friday when the political arm of MoveOn.org, an influential online advocacy group, endorsed the political newcomer opposing his bid for renomination.

Gaining the support of MoveOn's political action committee was Ned Lamont, a businessman who wants to unseat Lieberman largely because of the veteran lawmaker's staunch support for the war in Iraq. [...]

"Lamont's message resonated with members who want a senator who will stand up to President Bush on key issues and represent the views of most people in Connecticut," said Eli Pariser, executive director of the MoveOn PAC.
What does this mean for Ned Lamont?
With the endorsement, the group will seek to raise money and generate volunteers for Lamont among MoveOn's 3.2 million members nationwide.

Lamont earlier this week gained an endorsement from Democracy for America, a liberal grass-roots group that Howard Dean established as his campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination foundered. Dean gave up his leadership role when he became chairman of the Democratic National Committee last year, but the group is headed by his brother, Jim Dean.

Lamont's candidacy also has become a priority for many liberal websites, such as Daily Kos — whose founder, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, recently appeared in one of Lamont's television advertisements.
The online triple crown: MoveOn, DFA, and a united progressive blogosphere:
MoveOn's PAC has proved capable of raising substantial sums from its members — it collected about $800,000 last year for Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), a strong critic of the Iraq war, in just a few days.

Lamont's credibility as a candidate also should benefit from MoveOn's stamp of approval, said Scott McLean, chairman of the political science department at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.

"Getting 33% at the convention is really impressive, but [Friday's endorsement] is even bigger because it shows the grass-roots and money [donors] … that there is something behind Ned Lamont," McLean said. "It's big. It's huge."
Lieberman helped earn this endorsement for Lamont:
But McLean said Lieberman has been hurt by having "a tin ear" for the opinions of liberal Connecticut Democrats deeply disaffected with Bush and the Iraq war.

Thursday night may have been a case in point.

While the online poll was being conducted, Lieberman was at a Washington dinner receiving an award from the Committee on the Present Danger, a hawkish foreign policy group whose membership includes prominent conservatives and leading supporters in both parties of the Iraq war.
The piece includes some whining from the DLC (of course). Tim Tagaris points out the difference in authority between the Marshall Whitman quotes and those from McLean:

The difference between the two sources in the piece is striking. One, a respected professor from Quinnipiac University, here in Connecticut. The other, a member of the aforementioned chattering class of beltway insiders, the insufferable Marshall Whittman. But Whittman and Lieberman are kindered spirits of sorts. Whittman is the guy the press turns to when looking for a source to defame progressives. Senator Lieberman, when the Republicans look for a Democrat to provide "bipartisan" cover on an issue (like Iraq, Alito, President Bush’s energy policy, etc.).

1.) Whittman's DLC has a long history attacking Democratic grassroots organizations, like MoveOn. In fact, DLC attacks on MoveOn are part of the RNC press release template.

2.) Marshall Whittman worked for John McCain in 2000 and has also spent time at the Christian Coalition (Link). The Christian coalition was, of course, founded by Pat Robertson. The very former fundamentalist-Republican presidential candidate, Pat Robertson.

3.) Marshall Whittman, author of the DLC's Bull Moose Blog, who occassionally opines on the site, "If the Moose was a Democrat…"

For the life of me, I can't understand why the press quotes Whittman -- he isn't even a Democrat. Some of his resume highlights:

  • Prior to joining the DLC staff Wittman was Director of Communications for John McCain.
  • Wittman was a Senior Fellow at the far right-wing Hudson Institute. (sharing letterhead with Robert Bork)
  • Wittman was Director of Congressional Relations for the Heritage Foundation.
  • Wittman was Director of Legislative Affairs for the Christian Coalition.
  • Wittman was Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services in the first Bush administration.
You would think Democrats in the DLC would be appalled that they would allow Whittman to go on the record on behalf of New Democrats, but sadly they put up with it.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Latest Poll: Phil Angelides over Steve Westly for CA Governor

A new poll for the June 6, 2006 California Gubernatorial Democratic primary showed state Treasurer Phil Angelides opening up a huge lead over state Controller Steve Westly. From Survey USA, the poll shows Angelides up by twelve points:


Steve Westly (DLC)32%
Phil Angelides (D)44%

Despite the fact that Westly has wasted $34,500,000.00 of his own money trying to buy the race, Westly has been falling in the polls for a month. It is also important to note that Westly has only raised $1.5 million, which suggests the support he does have is weak support, not committed to pushing him over the top during the final ten days of the campaign. Smart Westly supporters will begin jumping ship to join the side of the next governor of California, their lack of committment for Westly compared with their ability to read polls makes it the smart move. I mean, who wants to go down on a sinking ship when you aren't invested in the voyage?

If undecideds break at a similiar margin, Angelides could easily pull off a double digit victory. But that fails to take into consideration GOTV and the overwhelming advantage Angelides enjoyes with his dominant political support that has built an army including 23,000 small donors who are invested in seeing his victory. Most of the slate mail and doorhangers organizations are dropping are pushing Angelides. The local clubs turning out the vote are pushing Angelides. Westly may have a big checkbook, but Angelides has actual people supporting him.

The fact Westly has been falling like a rock in the polls explains why Westly broke his promise about going negative and why Westly's online ads are misleading: desperate moves by a losing campaign.

Even more troublesome for Westly's campaign, there is little room to escalate. Westly already has TV saturation, he has already gone extremely negative, and he doesn't have time to build a field organization that can compete with the efforts supporting Angelides.

Angelides is peaking perfectly, the key at this point is for his supporters to keep up the intensity and push twice as hard in the last ten days as they have in the last month. Get plugged in to help in the final push!

Friday, May 26, 2006

Steve Westly Wins Al Checchi Award for Excessive Political Masterbation

From the Merc News:

With just under two weeks left in the nasty primary spat, Controller Steve Westly had spent about $36 million, leaving $3.7 million on hand, according to campaign finance reports that reflect activity through May 20. Most of his campaign cash came from Westly's own personal fortune, earned as an early employee of online auction giant eBay. [...]

All told, the former tech executive has contributed a staggering $34.5 million to his own effort. Only airline mogul Al Checchi, who spent close to $40 million in an unsuccessful campaign in 1998, has spent more money on his own gubernatorial bid.
Westly=Checchi
``What Westly is doing is throwing good money after bad,'' said Angelides' senior adviser, Bob Mulholland. ``He's burning up his money. Anybody who's spent nearly $40 million and is behind in the polls has some serious problems.''
Indeed. The Gray Davis mastermind has the best quote:
Were it not for outside help, ``this race would be essentially over,'' said Westly strategist Garry South.
Were it not for Westly trying to buy the race, it would be over. I mean, come on, Westly has only raised $1.5 million -- that is pathetic, especially compared to Angelides' 23,000 small donors who are invested in the campaign and ready to put Phil over the top. Angelides has the momentum and thousands of people will be at his house parties on Sunday -- you should join them.

MT-Sen: Jon Tester has Mo' Against John Morrison

The 2006 Montana Senate primary is one of the most important races in the country for those who want to reform our Democratic Party. John Morrison is in a serious scandal that John Morrison's campaign has bungled.

Yet Tester is doing great, go read a great story on Tester at Down with Tyranny (which added Tester to the DwT Actblue page).

And Kos has a front-page post pointing out Tester's momentum:

That scandal has not only stopped Morrison's early momentum (based on large-scale institutional support both in Montana and DC because of Morrison's perceived fundraising advantages), but it also seems to have lit a fire under Tester to be a more aggressive campaigner. For the first time in months, people in Montana appear to be really excited and hopeful about the Tester campaign.

And the polls look great, making Montana the number two pickup opportunity for Democrats this cycle. Once lagging behind Morrison in the head-to-heads with Burns, the lesser-known Tester now shares a similar 4-point-spread with Morrison against the corrupt incumbent Republican.

Rasmussen. 5/11. MoE 3%. (3/14 results)

Burns (R) 44 (43)
Tester (D) 48 (46)

Burns (R) 45 (43)
Morrison (D) 49 (48)

Tester gives Republicans nary an opening, unlike Morrison's scandal. And Tester is exactly what we need in DC -- a straight-talking, genuine, anti-politician who still works for a living paycheck-to-paycheck. No offense to lawyers, but we've got enough of those on Capitol Hill. I want a Congress that looks more like America. If we did, I have no doubt we'd have better representation.

So if you're someone who complains about the DLC, and about spineless Dems, and about a DC unresponsive to the country, then send $10 of scratch to Tester. This is how people-power works. We get behind good progressive leaders when we find them.

Tester also links to Gwen Florio's piece in the Great Falls Tribune on how trial lawyers are switching support from Morrison to Tester:

Four Democratic attorneys have signed a letter sent to lawyers around Montana, asking them to vote for — and contribute to — Jon Tester over his chief rival, state Auditor John Morrison, in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary 11 days from now.

Meanwhile, Morrison, who had long been scheduled for an hour-long interview Thursday evening with Yellowstone Public radio — one of a heavily promoted series of interviews with Senate candidates — abruptly canceled, saying he wanted to attend his daughter's band concert. [...]

News Director Jackie Yamanaka, who said on the air that no candidate had ever canceled on such short notice, filled the hour with calls on Morrison's candidacy.

"As a former supporter of Morrison, why have you not dropped out of this race so we (Democrats) can have a chance?" asked one caller.

It sounds like Morrison is having some trouble on the home front, which isn't surprising considering all the talk of the affair. Why are big name lawyer's leaving?

Some Democrats say Morrison's admission of an extramarital affair with a woman whose fiance was later investigated by his office makes him a weaker candidate than Tester in the November election against Republican incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns.

That's the theme sounded by the four attorneys who signed the letter distributed by Tester's campaign. [...]

"Most of us know John Morrison, and many of us have given to his campaign," said the letter, signed by Alexander Blewett III of Great Falls, Michael E. Wheat of Bozeman, and Michael J. McKeon and C. Richard Anderson of Butte. [...]

"You're going to have to read between the lines, but I'm supporting Tester for a vast number of reasons," said Blewett, who last year donated $4,200, the maximum allowed, to Morrison's campaign.

He made his donation in May 2005, just shy of a year before Morrison revealed the affair with a woman who later married David Tacke.

Other lawyers just came right out and said it:

The letter writers said they feared the matter leaves Morrison on shaky ground when it comes to challenging Burns on what's perceived as his greatest weakness: his connections to the associates of Jack Abramoff, the convicted Washington lobbyist at the center of a congressional influence-peddling scandal. [...]

"The affair, and the poor way (Morrison) handled the Tacke matter, I think render him impotent in the general election against Conrad Burns," said McKeon.

Wheat added that a Morrison victory in the primary will guarantee a "brutal" general election.

He said he could imagine voters saying, "'I don't care if John Morrison cheats on his wife, but when he does it with the girlfriend and future wife of a guy who's ripping people and investors off ... then that's just wrong.'"

The article also pointed out that Morrison seems to have hit a ceiling in the area of fundraising. With lawyers abandoning Morrison, Tester now has the fundraising momentum:

In the six weeks since the last Federal Election Commission reporting period, Tester raised another $147,000. Morrison raised nearly $124,000, according to his campaign.

If you can, help out Jon Tester!

Ned Lamont wins online Triple Crown

I can't think of a single progressive blogger who isn't supporting Ned Lamont, so far Ned Lamont has raised $206350.75 from 4156 people on Act Blue.

Earlier this week, DFA endorsed Ned Lamont which has already brought in $61,545 from 1466 people.

And now, Moveon (with 50,000 members just in Connecticut) has endorsed Ned Lamont:

Dear MoveOn member in Connecticut,

I wanted to share the results from our online primary with you before we tell the media. Drumroll, please: By a whopping 85% to 14%, MoveOn members supported Ned Lamont for Connecticut's U.S. Senate seat -- securing him the MoveOn endorsement.

The movement against the DLC is coming together.

Reform Democrats vs. DLC: 3 Key Races

I've added the following to the template, but will be updating it periodically:

Movement Time
This summer, there are three key Democratic Party primaries in the battle between the grassroots and the Democratic Leadership Council (GOP wing of the Democratic Party).

Montana Senate

In 2004, the Montana Miracle elected populist Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer and swept Democrats into power in both chambers of the state legislature. In 2006, state Senate President Jon Tester can continue this grassroots movement and beat embattled Senator Conrad Burns. However, Tester is opposed in the primary by DLC posterboy John Morrison who is GOP-lite and John Morrison is seriously ethically challenged. Tester is a netroots candidate and the only Democrat who can beat Burns. In the June 6th primary election, Senator Tester deserves your support.

California Governor

In 2003, California voters rejected the DLC triangulation of Gray Davis and removed him from office. In 2006, Gray Davis act-alike Steve Westly is dumping tens of millions of dollars of his fortune into his effort for a rerun of the rejected Davis Administration. When Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor, Westly gave him the allusion of bi-partisan support. At the same time, state Treasurer Phil Angelides stood up to the governator despite what the polls said. Westly has attacked Davis with right-wing style ads that are doing long-term damage to the Democratic brand, yet Angelides is leading in the latest polls. In the June 6th primary election, Treasurer Angelides deserves your support.

Connecticut Senate

In 2000, Senator Joe Lieberman was the Democratic Party nominee for vice-president, yet sold out the ticket during the recount. Since then, Lieberman has been President George Bush's favorite Democrat, supporting Bush and giving the allusion of bi-partisan support for the worst administration ever. Democrat Ned Lamont formerly supported Lieberman, but like many Connecticut Democrats has come to the conclusion that Lieberman has abandoned the Democratic Party. Ned Lamont is running a grassroots campaign for U.S. Senate, he is a netroots candidate who is supported by DFA and Moveon. In the August 8th primary election, Ned Lamont deserves your support.

Bay to the Beltway will be following each of these races and following the voting and election night returns. Thank you for considering these candidates, there is a growing progressive movement that is rejecting the failed policies of the DLC that have been repeated over the last election cycles. Even in places like Montana, voters will vote for candidates with whom they disagree, yet respect -- Brian Schweitzer proved this. Even in states as blue as California, voters won't bother to support DLC candidates who focus on triangulating against fellow Democrats for personal gain -- Gray Davis proved this.

The DLC, poll driven approach is the wrong way to connect with swing voters. Sista Soulja moments belong to the failed past while straight talk, bold action, respect and inspiration are defining the bright future for the Democratic Party. Together we can progress, these three races will give us the knowledge necessary to continue the reform and win in 2006 and 2008. Bay to the Beltway asks you to join the movement, sign up with Democracy for America, sign up with Moveon and join the progressive blogosphere by contributing to the netroots candidates.

CA-50 Special Election

On June 6th, registered voters in California's 50th Congressional District will go to the polls to replace former Republican Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham who is currently getting his ass duked in prison where he is serving time for his role in the GOP Culture of Corruption. In the CA-50 Special Election, the GOP nominated Brian Bilbray who lives on the other side of the country and is currently in trouble for vote fraud and perjury. Democrats nominated Francine Busby who has a real plan for ethics reform and is leading in a new poll. Busby is a netroots candidate running in a Republican District -- if she wins she'll set the tone and storyline of the 2006 midterm elections. Francine Busby deserves your support.


Time for Reform!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Steve Westly Misleads in Online Ads

Steve Westly is heading south fast -- and I'm not talking about campaigning in LA. Westly is blatently deceiving the netroots with his dishonest blogad buy. Go to Political Wire on the latest general election poll, where you'll see Angelides doing as well as Westly. Scroll down, and you'll see the following Westly ad buy:

Only Steve Westly can stop Arnold
Steve Westly is the only
Democrat who can take on
Arnold in 2006 and make
California blue again.

Arnold has pledged to raise $120
million. Help stop him.
This ad is running on many liberal blogs, many which did not list the above linked poll that Political Wire did -- pointing out the desperation of the Steve Westly campaign. Westly is lying, just like he did with going negative. He isn't the only Democrat who can be Arnold Schwarzenegger, in fact even if he wins Democrats lose because of his triangulation ads against Phil Angelides that hurt Democrats in the long run.

Of course, Steve Westly isn't trying to beat Arnold, but buy himself a bigger title. If Westly wanted to join Democrats in opposing the Governator, he could have started years ago. But Westly is a DLC'er and his "brain" trust is Gary South, who forced upon us the Gray Davis disaster.

Westly is going negative because Democrats don't want to get fooled again like we were with Gray Davis:
In a new television ad, Steve Westly wags his index finger and jabs a hand into the air to show how adamant he is about running a clean campaign for governor.

"I promise, unilaterally, I will not do a single negative ad on TV against my opponent unless he attacks me first," he tells a crowd.

Then the ad, aired by his rival Phil Angelides, pillories Westly as a hypocrite, closing with a Sacramento Bee headline: "Westly first to air negative TV ad."

The presence of the ad on California's airwaves is testament to Westly's quick reversal of fortune in the race for the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in November.

Just three weeks ago, the state controller was riding high amid polls showing his emergence as the clear front-runner in the June 6 primary. But now, even Westly's advisors concede that Angelides, the state treasurer, has erased much, and perhaps all, of Westly's early edge.
Westly is running ads that may help him in the short term, but hurt Democrats in the long run. The online ads are like everything with Westly, they are designed to help him, not you. If you don't want a Gray Davis rerun produced by Garry South, then vote for Phil Angelides. I know I will.

Phil Angelides

In the June 6th Democratic Primary election for Governor of California, everyone who is anyone seems to be endorsing Phil Angelides for Governor. Steve Westly brags (on state letterhead -pdf), that he is a Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) politician (Republican wing of the Democratic Party). Yet damn near everyone other than Al From seems to be with Angelides, just take a look at his endorsements -- he is the candidate who will win and make us proud:

Campaign Co-Chairs

United States Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator Barbara Boxer
United States House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the California State Assembly Fabian Núñez

Elected Officials

Congressman Joe Baca
Congressman Xavier Becerra
Congresswoman Lois Capps
Congressman Dennis Cardoza
Congressman Jim Costa
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo
Congressman Sam Farr
Congressman Robert Filner
Congressman Mike Honda
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren
Congresswoman Doris Matsui
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald
Congressman George Miller
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez
Congressman Adam Schiff
Congresswoman Hilda Solis
Congressman Pete Stark
Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher
Congressman Mike Thompson
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey

State Senator Richard Alarcón
State Senator Gil Cedillo
State Senator Wes Chesbro
State Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny
State Senator Joe Dunn
State Senator Dean Florez
State Senator Christine Kehoe
State Senator Elaine Kontominas Alquist
State Senator Sheila Kuehl
State Senator Alan Lowenthal
State Senator Michael Machado
State Senator Kevin Murray
State Senator Gloria Romero
State Senator Nell Soto
State Senator Edward Vincent
Assemblymember Joe Baca, Jr.
Assemblymember Karen Bass
Assemblymember Patty Berg
Assemblymember Wilma Chan
Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally
Assemblymember Noreen Evans
Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg
Assemblymember Loni Hancock
Assemblymember Jerome Horton
Assemblymember Dave Jones
Assemblymember Betty Karnette
Assemblymember Johan Klehs
Assemblymember Paul Koretz
Assemblymember John Laird
Assemblymember Mark Leno
Assemblymember Lloyd Levine
Assemblymember Sally Lieber
Assemblymember Gloria Negrete-McLeod
Assemblymember Gene Mullin
Assemblymember Mark Ridley-Thomas
Assemblymember Lori Saldana
Assemblymember Simon Salinas
Assemblymember Alberto Torrico
Assemblymember Lois Wolk
Assemblymember Leland Yee
Former State Senate President Pro Tem John Burton
Former Assemblymember Thomas Hannigan
Former State Senator Byron Sher
Former Assemblymember Darrell Steinberg
Former Assemblymember Patricia Wiggins

Blanca Alvarado, Supervisor, Santa Clara County
Tom Ammiano, Supervisor, City and County of San Francisco
Shirley Bianchi, Supervisor, San Luis Obispo County
Salud Carbajal, Supervisor, Santa Barbara County
Victor Carrillo, Supervisor, Imperial County
Illa Collin, Supervisor, Sacramento County
Tom Daly, Clerk/Recorder, Orange County
Mark DeSaulnier, Supervisor, Contra Costa County
Roger Dickinson, Supervisor, Sacramento County
John Flynn, Supervisor, Ventura County
John Gioia, Supervisor, Contra Costa County
Federal Glover, Supervisor, Contra Costa County
Rose Jacobs Gibson, Supervisor, San Mateo County
Duane Kromm, Supervisor, Solano County
Fiona Ma, Supervisor, City and County of San Francisco
Paolo Maffei, Supervisor, Tuolumne County
Sophie Maxwell, Supervisor, City and County of San Francisco
Charles McGlashan, Supervisor, Marin County
Michael McGowan, Supervisor, Yolo County
Pete McHugh, Supervisor, Santa Clara County
Nate Miley, Supervisor, Alameda County
Gloria Molina, Supervisor, Los Angeles County
Don Nottoli, Supervisor, Sacramento County
Aaron Peskin, Board President, City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Susan Rose, Supervisor, Santa Barbara County
Bill Santucci, Supervisor, Placer County
Gere Sibbach, Auditor-Controller, San Luis Obispo County
Frank Sieferman, Jr., Supervisor, Yolo County
Kendall Smith, Supervisor, Mendocino County
Mark Stone, Supervisor, Santa Cruz County
Helen Thomson, Supervisor, Yolo County
John Vasquez, Supervisor, Solano County
John Woolley, Supervisor, Humboldt County
Mardi Wormhoudt, Supervisor, Santa Cruz County
Mariko Yamada, Supervisor, Yolo County
Jim Gonzalez, Former Supervisor, City and County of San Francisco
Barbara McIver, Former Supervisor, Tehama County
Dianne McKenna, Former Supervisor, Santa Clara County
Naomi Schwartz, Former Superivisor, Santa Barbara County

Larry Agran, Councilmember, City of Irvine
Jim Aldinger, Councilmember, City of Manhattan Beach
Irma Anderson, Mayor, City of Richmond
Max Anderson, Councilmember, City of Berkeley
Harry Armstrong, Councilmember, City of Clovis
Toni Atkins, Councilmember, City of San Diego
Sharon Barovsky, Councilmember, City of Malibu
Tom Bates, Mayor, City of Berkeley
Tom Bartee, Councilmember, City of Vallejo
Christina Billeci, Vice Mayor, City of Marysville
Marty Blum, Mayor, City of Santa Barbara
Tom Boyajian, Councilmember, City of Fresno
Wanda Brown, Treasurer, City of Inglewood
Jane Brunner, Councilmember, City of Oakland
Irma Carson, Councilmember, City of Bakersfield
Pablo Catano, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Hawthorne
Richard Chavez, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Anaheim
Steve Cohn, Councilmember, City of Sacramento
George Cole, Councilmember, City of Bell
Maria Antonieta Contreras, City Treasurer, City of Baldwin Park
Ken Cooley, Councilmember, City of Rancho Cordova
Jim Dear, Mayor, City of Carson
Roosevelt Dorn, Mayor, City of Inglewood
Carmen Durazo, Councilmember, City of Calexico
Mark Egerman, Former Mayor, City of Beverly Hills
Jane Egly, Councilmember, City of Laguna Beach
Jan Epstein, Councilmember, City of San Mateo
Rose Espinoza, Councilmember, City of La Habra
Iya Falcone, Councilmember, City of Santa Barbara
Heather Fargo, Mayor, City of Sacramento
Marilyn Farley, Councilmember, City of Fairfield
Katrina Foley, Councilmember, City of Costa Mesa
Robert Fong, Councilmember, City of Sacramento
Ralph Franklin, Councilmember, City of Inglewood
Lorri Gallaway, Councilmember, City of Anaheim
Marlen Garcia, Councilmember, City of Baldwin Park
Mike Gipson, Councilmember, City of Carson
Victor Gordo, Councilmember, City of Pasadena
Sue Greenwald, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Davis
Harmony Groves, Councilmember, City of Arcata
Janice Hahn, Councilmember, City of Los Angeles
Isadore Hall, III, Councilmember, City of Compton
Pat Hammers, City Clerk, Cathedral City
Lauren Hammond, Councilmember, City of Sacramento
Dan Harden, Councilmember, City of LaVerne
Michael Harris, Councilmember, City of Pleasant Hill
Michael Harrison, Former Mayor, City of Calabasas
Roger Hernandez, Councilmember, City of West Covina
Chris Holden, Councilmember, City of Pasadena
Roger Horton, Councilmember, City of Santa Barbara
Kerri Howell, Councilmember, City of Folsom
Bonnie Hurlhey, Vice Mayor, City of Shasta Lake
Meline Juarez, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Covina
Sukhee Kang, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Irvine
Kenneth Kearsley, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Malibu
Janice Keller, Councilmember, City of Lompoc
Otto Lee, Vice Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
Linda LeZotte, Councilmember, City of San Jose
Chi-Wei Lin, Mayor, City of Trinidad
Victor Lopez, Mayor, City of Orange Cove
Bonnie Lowenthal, Councilmember, City of Long Beach
Louie Lujan, Mayor, City of La Puente
Laura Macias, Councilmember, City of Mountain View
Nury Martinez, Mayor Pro Tem, City of San Fernando
Frank Matarrese, Councilmember, City of Alameda
Mary Sue Maurer, Councilmember, City of Calabasas
Kevin McCarty, Councilmember, City of Sacramento
Jamie McLeod, Councilmember, City of Santa Clara
Leonard McNeil, Councilmember, City of San Pablo
Lisa Moore, Councilmember, City of Cotati
Carl Morehouse, Mayor, City of Ventura
Peter Murray, Councilmember, City of Pinole
Nancy Nadel, Councilmember, City of Oakland
Roberto Ocampo, Councilmember, City of Salinas
Ron Oden, Mayor, City of Palm Springs
Bonnie Pannell, Councilmember, City of Sacramento
Ana Ventura Phares, Councilmember, City of Watsonville
Lee Pierce, Councilmember, City of Santa Rosa
Pamela Pitts, Former Councilmember, City of Vallejo
Anthony Portantino, Mayor, City of La Canada Flintridge
Iris Pygatt, Treasurer, City of Lynwood
Steve Rabinowitsh, Councilmember, City of Santa Rosa
Gwen Regalia, Councilmember, City of Walnut Creek
Larry Reid, Councilmember, City of Oakland
Antonio Rivas, Mayor, City of Watsonville
Marco Robles, Councilmember, City of Pomona
Mari Rodin, Councilmember, City of Ukiah
Mike Rotkin, Councilmember, City of Santa Cruz
Julie Ruiz-Raber, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Carson
Sedalia Sanders, Councilmember, City of El Centro
Elito Santarina, Councilmember, City of Carson
John Sawyer, Councilmember, City of Santa Rosa
Don Saylor, Councilmember, City of Davis
Joanne Schivley, Former Vice Mayor, City of Vallejo
Helene Schneider, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Santa Barbara
Jonathan Sharkey, Councilmember, City of Port Hueneme
Sandy Sheedy, Councilmember, City of Sacramento
Eric Sklar, Councilmember, City of St. Helena
Carol Smith, Councilmember, City of Ojai
Jose Solorio, Councilmember, City of Santa Ana
Stephen Souza, Councilmember, City of Davis
Tony Spitaleri, Councilmember, City of Sunnyvale
Cynthia Sterling, Councilmember, City of Fresno
Andy Stern, Mayor, City of Malibu
Larry Stevens, Councilmember, City of Red Bluff
Joshua Susman, Councilmember, City of Truckee
Nick Tell, Councilmember, City of Manhattan Beach
Tony Thurman, Councilmember, City of Richmond
Pamela Torliatt, Councilmember, City of Petaluma
Ray Tretheway, Councilmember, City of Sacramento
Norma Torres, Mayor, City of Pomona
Richard Valle, Vice Mayor, City of Union City
Leticia Vasquez, Mayor, City of Lynwood
Cherylee Wegman, Councilmember, City of Wasco
Donald White, Treasurer, County of Alameda
Bob Wieckowski, Councilmember, City of Fremont
Das Williams, Councilmember, City of Santa Barbara
Forrest Williams, Councilmember, City of San Jose
Anthony Young, Councilmember, City of San Diego
Rosalie Zarate, Councilmember, City of National City
Art Agnos, Former Mayor, City of San Francisco
Susan Boyd, Former Mayor, City of Davis
Brian Conroy, Former Councilmember, City of Hollister
Shelton Enochs, Former Mayor, City of Chico
David Guzzetti, Former Councilmember, City of Chico
Elihu Harris, Former Mayor, City of Oakland
Jerry Kaneko, Former Councilmember, City of Davis
Eric Knight, Former Councilmember, City of Yountville
Susan Leal, Former Treasurer, City and County of San Francisco
Michael McGinnis, Former Councilmember, City of Chico
Harriet Miller, Former Mayor, City of Santa Barbara
Karl Ory, Former Mayor, City of Chico
Jim Owens, Former Mayor, City of Chico
Eddie Rose, Former Councilmember, City of Laguna Niguel
Kurt L. Schmalz, Former Councilmember, City of Redondo Beach
Linda Stevens, Former Mayor, City of Grass Valley
Daniel Whitehurst, Former Mayor, City of Fresno
Mardi Worley, Former Mayor, City of Chico

Larry Carr, Board Director, Sacramento Municipal Utilities District
Bruce Daniels, Director, Soquel Creek Water District
Walter Edwards, Member, Sacramento County Human Rights and Fair Housing Commission
Maria Gutzeit, President, Board of Directors, Newhall County Water District
Dr. James Kohnen, Member, Alameda County Flood and Water Conservation District
Susan Patterson, Board Director, Sacramento Municipal Utilities District
Bill Slaton, Board Director and President, Sacramento Municipal Utilities District
Doris Topsy-Elvord, President, Board of Harbor Commissioners, Port of Long Beach
Joe Wallace, President, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District Board of Directors
Carole Ward Allen, Vice President, Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors

Education

California Faculty Association
California Federation of Teachers
California School Employees Association
California Teachers Association
Faculty Association of California Community Colleges
Los Angeles College Faculty Guild
United Teachers Los Angeles

Delaine Eastin, Former Superintendent of Public Instruction
Gary Hart, Former State Senator and Former California Secretary for Education

Bob Trigg, Former President, State Board of Education
Murray Galinson, Chair, Board of Trustees, California State University
George Marcus, Vice-Chairman, Board of Regents, University of California

Timothy Baird, Superintendent of Schools, Ojai Unified School District
Carl Cohn, Superintendent of San Diego City Schools
Julian Crocker, Superintendent of Schools, San Luis Obispo County
John Deasy, Superintendent, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
Bob Douglas, Superintendent of Schools, Tehama County
Don Iglesias, Superintendent of Schools, San Jose Unified School District
Michele Lawrence, Superintendent, Berkeley Unified School District
Maggie Mejia, Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District
Diane Siri, Superintendent, Santa Cruz County Schools
Ira Toibin, Superintendent of Schools, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
David Verdugo, Superintendent of Schools, Paramount Unified School District
Charles Weis, Superintendent, Ventura County Schools
Barbara Wilson, Superintendent, Jefferson Elementary School District
Carl Wong, Superintendent, Sonoma County Schools
Jim Brown, Former Superintendent, Glendale Unified School District
Walt Buster, Former Superintendent, Clovis Unified School District
Marcia Plumleigh, Former Superintendent, Campbell Elementary

Rene Aguilera, Trustee, Roseville City School District
Jeanette Amavisca, Trustee, Elk Grove Unified School District
Christine Aranda, President, Board of Trustees, Southwestern College
Jennifer Baker, Trustee-Clerk, Natomas Unified School District
Patricia Barr, Trustee, Fresno Unified School District
Marty Block, Community College Board President
Dave Brown, Trustee, West Contra Costa Unified School District
Sharon Brown, Trustee, La Habra City School District
Julia Brownley, Trustee, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
Francine Busby, Trustee, Cardiff School District Governing Board
Robert Bynum, Trustee, Palmdale School District
Kelly Candaele, Trustee, Los Angeles Community College
Lorraine Cervantes, Trustee-Clerk, Compton Community College
John Collins, Trustee, Santa Cruz City Schools
Damon Connolly, President, Board of Trustees, Dixie School District
Barbara James Dew, Trustee, Victor Valley Union High School District
Adrienne Dickinson, Trustee, San Luis Coastal Unified School District
Ron Dwyer-Voss, Trustee, Natomas Unified School District
Joan Eriksen, Trustee, Mendocino College
Mona Field, Trustee, Los Angeles Community College District
Harold Fong, Member, Sacramento County Board of Education
Rebecca Garcia, Trustee, Cabrillo Community College District
Nicholas González Yuen, Trustee, Peralta Community College
Roy Grimes, President, Board of Trustees, Sacramento Unified School District
Larry Haenel, Trustee, Santa Rosa City Schools
Ed Honowitz, Trustee, Pasadena Unified School District
Gavin Huntley-Fenner, Trustee, Irvine Unified School District
Shirley Issel, Trustee, Berkeley Unified School District
Richard Jennings, Trustee, Sacramento City Unified School District
Patricia Kohnen, Trustee, Dublin Unified School District
Julie Korenstein, Trustee, Los Angeles Unified School District
Phil Kranenburg, Trustee, College of Marin
Richard Launey, Trustee-Clerk, San Juan Unified School District
Melodie Lew, President, Board of Trustees, San Mateo-Foster City School District
Henry Lo, Vice President, Garvey School District Board of Education
Suja Lowenthal, President, Board of Trustees, Long Beach Unified School District
Eric Mar, Past President, San Francisco Board of Education
Mary McCormick, Trustee, Folsom Cordova Unified School District
Georgia Mercer, Trustee, Los Angeles Community College District
Lawrence Miles, Trustee, San Juan Unified School District
Larry Miller, Trustee, Ventura County Community College District
Sara Myers, Trustee-Clerk, Folsom Cordova Unified School District
Manual Nunez, Trustee, Fresno Unified School District
Randal Okamura, Trustee, San Jose Evergreen Community College District
Teresa Parra, Trustee, San Bernardino Unified School District
Andre Quintero, Trustee, Rio Hondo Community College
Joaquin Rivera, Trustee, Berkeley Unified School District
Carl Robinson, Trustee, Compton Community College
Felix Robles, Trustee, Santa Cruz City Schools
Sylvia Ruiz, President, Sacramento County Board of Education
Oscar Sablan, Trustee, Firebaugh Las Deltas Unified School District
Norman Saude, Trustee, Sierra Unified School District
Maria Elena Serna, Trustee, San Joaquin Delta Community College
Christopher Stampolis, Trustee, West Valley Mission Community College
David Stromberg, Trustee, Lafayette School District Governing Board
Mark Takano, Trustee, Riverside Community College
David Tokofsky, Trustee, Los Angeles Unified School District
Sharon Wallin, Trustee, Irvine Unified School District
Robert Whalen, Trustee, Laguna Beach Unified School District
Kathy Wisnicki, Trustee, Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District
Patricia Wright, Trustee, Redwood City School District
Gene Wong, Trustee, City College San Francisco
Peter Zschiesche, Vice President, Board of Trustees, San Diego Community College District
Harlene Adams, Former Trustee, San Juan Unified School District
Jay Schenirer, Former Trustee, Sacramento City Unified School District
Michelle Yanez, Former Trustee, Rio Hondo Community College

Mary Bergan, President, California Federation of Teachers
John S. Crowther, President, Hacienda La Puente Teachers Association
Kathleen Crummey, President, Hayward Education Association
A. James Duffy, President, United Teachers, Los Angeles
Carl Friedlander, President, Los Angeles College Faculty Guild
Dayle Gillick, President, Simi Educators Association
Kevin Gordon, President, School Innovations and Advocacy
Jim Groth, President, Chula Vista Educators*
Ken Johnson, President, Association of Colton Educators
Dennis Kelly, President, United Educators of San Francisco
Barbara Kerr, President, California Teachers Association
Marlene Mattoon, President, San Jose Teachers*
Larry Moore, President, Fresno Teachers Association
Mike Noce, President, Mt. Diablo Education Association
Arlene Pavey, President, California Teachers Association/National Education Association- Retired
Laura Rico, President, ABC Federation of Teachers, Local 2317
Gregg Swenson, President, Saddleback Valley Educators Association
Susan Thornton, President, Madera Unified Teachers Association*
John Travis, President, California Faculty Association
Katherine Underwood, President, Moreno Valley Educators Association
Sharon Bowles, Past President, California School Counselor Association
Wayne Johnson, Former President, California Teachers Association

Don Gerth, President Emeritus, CSU Sacramento
Jerry Hayward, Former Chancellor, California Community Colleges
Bernie Kirtman, Professor of Chemistry, UC Santa Barbara
Steve Lilly, Former Dean, School of Education, CSU San Marcos
Rick Miller, Director of Communications, CA Department of Education
Ellen Moir, Education Advocate
Brian Murphy, President, DeAnza Community College
Karl Pister, Education Advocate
Robert Polkinghorn, UC Berkeley Principal Leadership Institute
Judy Rosener Professor Emerita, UC Irvine School of Business
Bob Suzuki, President Emeritus, Cal Poly Pomona
Dale Shimasaki, Education Consultant
Arthurlene Towner, Dean, College of Education and Allied Studies, CSU East Bay
Merrill Vargo, Executive Director, Springboard Schools
Rene Townsend, Leadership Associates

Labor Organizations

American Federation of State County Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen – California State Legislative Board
Building and Construction Trades Council, Napa-Solano Counties
California Conference Board of the Amalgamated Transit Union
California Conference of Machinists
California Federation of Labor
California Professional Firefighters
California State American Postal Workers Union
California State Association of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
California State Association of Letter Carriers
California State Employees Association
California State Pipe Trades Council
California Teamsters Public Affairs Council
Communications Workers of America, District 9 (CWA)
District Council of Iron Workers of the State of California and Vicinity (Ironworkers)
International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 1909 - Hayward
International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers, Local 5
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers
and Helpers - Local 549
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Local 3
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Local 4
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Local 18
International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 3
International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 39 – Stationary Engineers
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades – District Council 16
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Local 487 – Painters and Tapers
Labor Council for Latino American Advancement – San Francisco Chapter
Laborers’ International Union of North America
Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, District 1-Pacific Coast District
National Association of Letter Carriers, Local 24
Northern California Carpenters Regional Council
Orange County Employees Association
Sacramento County Central Labor Council
Sacramento-Sierra’s Building and Construction Trades Council
San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council
Sanitary Truck Drivers and Helpers, Local 350
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Service Employees International Union, Local 535
Service Employees International Union, Local 1000
Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association, Local 104
Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association, Local 105
State Building and Construction Trades Council of California
United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, Region 5 CAP Council
United Farm Workers of America
United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 588
United Food and Commercial Workers, Western States Council
United Steelworkers of America
Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers

Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder, United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO

Law Enforcement

Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC)
San Bernardino County Safety Employees' Benefit Association (SEBA)
Azusa Police Officers' Association
Buena Park Police Officers' Association
Cypress Police Officers' Association
Fontana Police Officers' Association
Fresno Police Officers' Association
Garden Grove Police Officers' Association
Inglewood Police Officers' Association
La Habra Police Officers' Association
La Verne Police Officers' Association
Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers' Association
Los Angeles County Police Officers' Association
Los Angeles School Police Association
Montclair Police Officers' Association
Oakland Police Officers' Association
Rialto Police Benefit Association
Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association
Sacramento Police Officers' Association
San Diego City Schools Police Officers Association
San Francisco Police Officers' Association
San Gabriel Police Officers' Association
San Jose Police Officers' Association
Santa Clara Deputy Sheriff's Association
Sierra Madre Police Officers' Association
Torrance Police Officers' Association

Ed Berberian, District Attorney, Marin County
Lou Blanas, Sheriff, Sacramento County
Craig Steckler, Chief of Police, City of Fremont

Silicon Valley Business Leaders

Read the Endorsement Letter from Silicon Valley Leaders

Rick Belluzzo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Quantum Corporation*
John "Bud" Colligan, Partner, Accel Partners*
J. Taylor Crandall, Managing Partner, Oak Hill Capital Management*
L. John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers*
John Freidenrich, General Partner, Bay Partners*
Joel Hyatt, Chief Executive Officer, Current Media*
Michael Kieschnick, President, Working Assets*
Nicole Lederer, Environmental Advocate*
Kathy Levinson, Chief Executive Officer, Levco*
George Marcus, Chairman, Marcus and Millichap*
Constance McKee, President & CEO, Asilomar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*
Regis McKenna, Regis McKenna Inc*
Larry Orr, Managing Partner, Trinity Ventures*
Bill Perry, Former United States Secretary of Defense
Kim Polese, Chief Executive Officer, SpikeSource, Inc.*
John Powell, General Partner, Integral Capital Partners*
Amy Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Integrated Archive Systems*
Andrew Rappaport, Partner, August Capital*
Deborah Rappaport, Executive Director, Rappaport Family Foundation*
Joanna Rees Gallanter, Founder/Managing Partner, Venture Strategy Partners*
John F. Shoch, Ph.D., General Partner, Alloy Ventures*
Steve Silberstein, Co-Founder, Innovative Interfaces Inc.*

Environmental Leaders

Read the Endorsement Letter from Environmental Leaders
Read the List of Environmental Accomplishments

California League of Conservation Voters
Clean Water Action - California
Sierra Club California
Vote the Coast

Martha Arguello, Environmental Advocate*
Ed Begley, Jr.
Ralph Benson, Executive Director, Sonoma Land Trust*
Rachel Binah, Chair Emeritus, Environmental Caucus, California Democratic Party*
Holly Bishop, Environmental Advocate*
Jim Blomquist, Board Member, Smith River Alliance*
Susan Boyd, Principle, CalAg, LLC*
Luke Breit, Chair, Environmental Caucus, California Democratic Party*
Owen Byrd, Advisory Council, Save San Francisco Bay Association*
Peter Calthorpe, Founder, Congress for the New Urbanism*
Ann Carlson, Co-Director, Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic, UCLA School of Law*
Tim Carmichael, President and Chief Executive Officer, Coalition for Clean Air*
Joseph Caves, Environmental Advocate*
Sarah Christie, San Luis Obispo Environmental Advocate
Janet Cobb, President, California Oak Foundation*
Paula Daniels, Immediate Past President, Heal the Bay*
Ted Danson
Laurie David, Environmental Advocate*
Carla Din, Field Director, Western Region, Apollo Alliance*
Michael Eaton, Former President, Environmental Council of Sacramento*
Robert García, Executive Director, Center for Law in the Public Interest*
Madelyn Glickfeld, Board Member, Heal the Bay*
Brad Hall, Environmental Advocate
Carlyle Hall, Chairman of the Board, Center for Law in the Public Interest*
Bob Hattoy, Vice President, CA Fish and Game Commission*
Jim Jones, Former President, Save the American River*
Susan Jordan, Director, California Coastal Protection Network*
Larry Kaplan, Director, Los Angeles Area, The Trust for Public Land*
Nicole Lederer, Environmental Advocate*
Marianna Leuschel, Environmental Advocate*
Adi Liberman, Former President, Heal the Bay*
Doug Linney, President, The Next Generation*
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Environmental Advocate
Joel Makower, Founder, Green Business Network/GreenBiz.com*
John McCaull, Former Legislative Director, National Audubon Society –California
Craig McNamara, President-Executive Director, Center for Land Based Learning*
Gerald Meral, Former Executive Director, Planning and Conservation League*
Albert Meyerhoff, Environmental Advocate*
Diane Meyer Simon, Founder, Global Green*
Rhonda Mills, Director of Special Projects, Clean Power Campaign*
David Mogavero, Former President, Environmental Council of Sacramento*
Virginia Moose, Environmental Advocate*
Irma Munoz, President and Founder, Mujeres de la Tierra*
Mary Nichols, Director, Institute of the Environment, UCLA*
Gary Patton, Executive Director, Planning and Conservation League*
Shelley Poticha, President, Reconnecting America and Former Executive Director, Congress for the New Urbanism*
Erich Pfuehler, California State Director, Clean Water Action*
Jill Ratner, Environmental Advocate
Betsy Reifsnider, Former Executive Director, Friends of the River*
Joan Reinhardt Reiss, Former Regional Director, Wilderness Society*
Cruz Reynoso, Environmental Advocate*
Jonathan F.P. Rose, Environmental Advocate*
Tony Rossmann, Board Member, Planning and Conservation League*
Christine Russell, Environmental Advocate
Martin Schlageter, Campaign and Advocacy Director, Coalition for Clean Air*
Bob Schneider, Director, Tuleyome and Cache Creek Wild*
Mitchell Schwartz, Environmental Advocate
Traci Sheehan Van Thull, Campaign Director, California Wildlife Heritage*
Karolyn Simon, Former President, Environmental Council of Sacramento*
Nancy Sutley, Former Board Member, State Water Resources Control Board*
Frederick Tornatore, Chair, Sacramento Environmental Commission*
Jerry Uhland, President and Chief Executive Officer, CalAg, LLC*
Tom Unterman, Board President, Heal the Bay*
Erik Vink, Former Regional Director, American Farmland Trust*
Lee Wallach, President, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life of Southern California of Southern California*
Sara Wan, Commissioner, California Coastal Commission*

African American Leaders

Rick Callender, President, San Jose/Silicon Valley Chapter, NAACP*
James W. Franklin, Executive Director, Sr. Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles*
Alice Huffman, President, California NAACP*
Frank Jackson, West Section Director, California NAACP*
Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Shirley Miles-Harris, President, Bakersfield Chapter, NAACP*
Ali Morris, Chair, Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce*
Aubry Stone, President and Chief Executive Officer, California Black Chamber of Commerce*
Veronica Stone, President, Solano County Black Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Cornel West, Professor, Princeton University
Leslie R. White, President, African Methodist and Episcopal Ministerial Alliance
Vernon Whitmore, President, Black American Political Action Committee of Contra Costa
Keyshawn Johnson, Professional Football Player

Latino Leaders/Organizations

Mexican American Bar Association, Political Action Committee
California La Raza Lawyers Association
Latina Lawyers Political Action Committee

James Aguirre, President, MABA PAC and Chair, Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations*
Hildy Carrillo-Rivera, Executive Director, Calexico Chamber of Commerce
Frank Martin Del Campo, President, San Francisco Chapter Labor Council for Latin America*
James Rojas, President, Latino Urban Forum*
Placido Salazar, Director, Northwest Region, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project*

Asian Pacific Islander Leaders

Lillian Galedo, Executive Director, Filipinos for Affirmative Action
Monica Flores Lodise, Governing Board Member, APA for Progress and Founder, PowerPAC
Judy Ki, AAPI Community Advocate
Aiha Nguyen, AAPI Advocate
Angela Oh, Nationally Recognized Civil Rights Leader

LGBT Leaders

Read the Endorsement Letter from LGBT Leaders

Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
Capitol Area Political Action Committee (CAPPAC)
Fresno Stonewall Democrats

Alvin Baum, Founder, LGBT Alliance, San Francisco Jewish Federation*
Thomas Brown, Member, Steering Committee, California for Democracy*
Miguel Bustos, Former Executive Director, California Latino Civil Rights Network*
David Campos, Former Co-Chair, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom*
Sam Catalano, LGBT Activist
John Cleary, President, Stonewall Young Democrats
Steve Collier, Member, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom*
Judith Franks, Former President, Sacramento Area Career Women’s Network*
Robert Haaland, Former President, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club*
James Hormel, Former United States Ambassador
Gloria Johnson, Co-Chair, California Democratic Party LGBT Caucus*
Cleve Jones, Founder, Names Project*
Thom Lynch, Executive Director, San Francisco LGBT Center*
Mike Marshall, Executive Director, Under One Roof*
Laurie McBride, Co-Chair, National Stonewall Democrats*
Mary Miller, M.D., Health Sciences Clinical Professor and Clinic Medical Director*
Gloria Nieto, Executive Director, Lyon-Martin Women’s Health Services*
Penny Nixon, Reverend, Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco*
Loren Ostrow, LGBT Activist
Peter John Poulos, Poulos Brothers*
Craig Roberts, Board Member, National Stonewall Democrats*
Theresa Sparks, Commissioner, San Francisco Police Commission*
Michael Sullivan, Member, San Francisco Urban Forest Council*
Debra Walker, Northern CA Vice-Chair, California Democratic Party LGBT Caucus*

Women's Organizations/Leaders

California National Organization for Women, PAC

Carolene Marks, Commissioner, San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women*
Peg Yorkin, Chair, Feminist Majority Foundation*

Other Leaders/Advocates

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
Voters Injured at Work (VIAW)

Henry Cisneros, Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

CA Democratic Party Leaders, Democratic Activists and Organizations

Andrew Ammon, Member, Democratic National Committee
Garry Shay, Member, Democratic National Committee
Christopher Stampolis, Democratic National Committee
Alicia Wang, Vice Chair, California Democratic Party
Eric Bradley, Controller, California Democratic Party

Action Democrats of the San Fernando Valley
Americans for Democratic Action – Southern California Chapter
California Democratic Council
Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley
Democratic Women’s Forum of San Francisco
El Cerrito Democratic Club
FDR Democratic Club
Gardena Valley Democratic Club
Hayward Democrats
Los Angeles Democracy for America
Pacific Palisades Democratic Club
Sacramento Progressive Alliance
San Francisco for Democracy
Santa Cruz Democracy for America
Sonoma Democracy for America
Town and Country Democratic Club
Valley Grassroots for Democracy
Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club
West Hollywood Democratic Club
West Los Angeles Democratic Club

John Alden, Chair, Marin County Democratic Central Committee
Frank Barbaro, Chair, Orange County Democratic Central Committee
David Burr, Chair, San Joaquin County Central Committee
Rebecca Carey, Vice Chair, Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee
Jon Cross, Chair, Lassen County Democratic Central Committee
Gerry Crowley, Vice Chair, San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee
Roberto De La Rosa, Chair, Tulare County Democratic Central Committee
Jess Durfee, Chair, San Diego County Democratic Central Committee
Carolyn Estes, Treasurer, Amador County Democratic Central Committee
Jim Gray, Chair, Shasta County Democratic Central Committee
Phillip Ginsburg, Vice Chair, San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee
Linda Hall, Chair, Placer County Democratic Central Committee
Steve Haze, Chair, Fresno County Democratic Central Committee
Irwin Heit, Chair, Inyo County Democratic Central Committee
James Hennefer, Chair, Lake County Democratic Central Committee
Sharon Hillbrant, Chair, Ventura County Democratic Central Committee
Leslie Katz, Chair, San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee
Eric Knight, Chair, Napa County Democratic Central Committee
Jery Lacayo, Chair, Mariposa County Democratic Central Committee
Patrick Lane, Chair, Amador County Democratic Central Committee
Scott Lay, Chair, Yolo County Democratic Central Committee
Paulina Mayorga Miranda, Treasurer, Fresno County Democratic Central Committee
Marc Medefind, Chair, Merced County Democratic Central Committee
Vern Miller, Chair, Calaveras County Democratic Central Committee
Duane Moore, Chair, Kern County Democratic Central Committee
Mary Longmore, Chair, Nevada County Democratic Central Committee
Joe Pepi, Chair, El Dorado County Democratic Central Committee
Ronald Platt, Vice Chair, Calaveras County Democratic Central Committee
Carl Pohlhammer, Chair, Monterey County Democratic Central Committee
Nagaraja Rao, Chair, Contra Costa County Democratic Central Committee
Rudy Ratkovsky, Chair, Sutter County Democratic Central Committee
Patrick Riggs, Chair, Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee
Vernon Schabert, Chair, Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee
Doris Smith, Chair, Butte County Democratic Central Committee
Susan Smith-Rowe, Chair, Madera County Democratic Central Committee
Antonio Tirado, Chair, Imperial County Democratic Central Committee
Mary Walker, Chair, Alpine County Democratic Central Committee
Jeanie Wallace, Chair, San Benito County Democratic Central Committee
Shirley Walton, Chair, Riverside County Democratic Central Committee
Rick Wathen, Chair, Sacramento County Democratic Central Committee
Jean Wuamett, Chair, Mono County Democratic Central Committee
William Casey, Former Chair, San Joaquin County Democratic Central Committee
Vince Falcone, Former Chair, Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee
Jimmie Woods Gray, Former Chair, Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee
George Harris, Former Chair, Contra Costa County Democratic Central Committee
Christine McGinnis, Former Chair, Contra Costa County Democratic Central Committee
Laurie Mitnick, Former Chair, San Joaquin County Democratic Central Committee
Jane Morrison, Former Chair, San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee

Mark Ades, Chair, Assembly District 57, California Democratic Party
Charles Ara, Chair, Assembly District 56, California Democratic Party
Rebecca Carey, Chair, Assembly District 33, California Democratic Party
Sandra Carter, Chair, Assembly District 17, California Democratic Party
David Chiu, Chair, Assembly District 13, California Democratic Party
David Cohen, Chair, Assembly District 24, California Democratic Party
Enid Cox, Chair, Assembly District 3, California Democratic Party
Bill Daly, Chair, Assembly District 72, California Democratic Party
Nadine Diaz, Chair, Assembly District 46, California Democratic Party
Craig Donnelly, Chair, Assembly District 2, California Democratic Party
JoAnn Fields, Chair, Assembly District 78, California Democratic Party
Mary Garripoli, Chair, Assembly District 44, California Democratic Party
Christian Griffith, Chair, Assembly District 9, California Democratic Party
Lois Jean Hill, Chair, Assembly District 52, California Democratic Party
Charlie Imes, Chair, Assembly District 76, California Democratic Party
Walter Johnson, Chair, Assembly District 30, California Democratic Party
Andy Katz, Chair, Assembly District 14, California Democratic Party
Douglas Kessler, Chair, Assembly District 31, California Democratic Party
Jon Kessler, Chair, Assembly District 22, California Democratic Party
Martin Krasney, Chair, Assembly District 6, California Democratic Party
Clark Lee, Chair, Assembly District 60, California Democratic Party
Jeannie Lindberg, Chair, Assembly District 65, California Democratic Party
Joan Little, Chair, Assembly District 75, California Democratic Party
Luis Marquez, Chair, Assembly District 50, California Democratic Party
Susan McKee, Chair, Assembly District 5, California Democratic Party
Robert Melsh, Chair, Assembly District 64, California Democratic Party
Laurel Nicholson, Chair, Assembly District 66, California Democratic Party
Shirley Palley, Chair, Assembly District 70, California Democratic Party
Tom Parker, Chair, Assembly District 37, California Democratic Party
Claude Rowe III, Committee Treasurer, 78th Assembly District, California Democratic Party
Todd Schwenk, Chair, Assembly District 4, California Democratic Party
Mustapha Sesay, Chair, Assembly District 53, California Democratic Party
Elaine Shaw, Chair, Assembly District 15, California Democratic Party
Rick Trullinger, Chair, Assembly District 18, California Democratic Party
John Veen, Chair, Assembly District 29, California Democratic Party
Andrew Westall, Chair, Assembly District 43, California Democratic Party
Bob Wieckowski, Chair, Assembly District 20, California Democratic Party

Kevin Biggers, Director, Region 17, California Democratic Party
Bob Handy, Director, Region 10, California Democratic Party
John Heaner, Director, Region 13, California Democratic Party
August Longo, Director, Region 4, California Democratic Party
Bob Manley, Director, Region 14, California Democratic Party
Xavier Martinez, Director, Region 20, California Democratic Party
Robert Melsh, Director, Region 19, California Democratic Party
Jim Moreno, Director, Region 18, California Democratic Party
Darren Parker, Director, Region 11, California Democratic Party
Louis Reyes, Director, Region 15, California Democratic Party
Steven Rivera, Director, Region 21, California Democratic Party
Thomas Romero, Director, Region 1, California Democratic Party
Janet Sangster, Director, Region 8, California Democratic Party
John Smith, Director, Region 16, California Democratic Party
Daniel Weitzman, Director, Region 3, California Democratic Party
Karen Wingard, Director, Region 12, California Democratic Party
Raymond Cordova, Former Director, Region 18, California Democratic Party
Helen Doherty, Former Director, Region 16, California Democratic Party

Yvette Andrade, Chair, Chicano-Latino Caucus, California Democratic Party
Jamie Beutler, Chair, Rural Caucus, California Democratic Party
Luke Breit, Chair, Environmental Caucus, California Democratic Party
Mal Burnstein, Chair, Progressive Caucus, California Democratic Party
Lori Geittmann, Chair, Senior Caucus, California Democratic Party
Jim Gordon, Chair, Labor Caucus, California Democratic Party
Bob Handy, Chair, Veteran Caucus, California Democratic Party
Lyn Hilfenhaus, Chair, Women’s Caucus, California Democratic Party
Sumi Haru, Chair, Filipino-American Caucus, California Democratic Party
Gloria Johnson, Chair, Lesbian and Gay Caucus, California Democratic Party
Julie Soo, Chair, Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus, California Democratic Party
Edward Tawil, Chair, Arab-American Caucus, California Democratic Party
Renee Westa-Lusk, Chair, Business and Professional Caucus, California Democratic Party
G. Nanjundappa, Former Chair, Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus, California Democratic Party
Rima Nashashibi, Former Chair, Arab-American Caucus, California Democratic Party

Saundra Andrews, Director, Constituent Services for Congresswoman Barbara
Betty Ball, President, Lake San Marcos Democratic Club*
Alon Barlevy, President, Hubert Humphrey Democratic Club*
Michael Barnett, President, Lamorinda Democratic Club*
Moreen Blum, President, Sherman Oaks Democratic Club*
Roberts Braden, Chair, California Federation of Democratic County Central Committee Members*
Sue Broidy, Chair, Ojai Democratic Club*
Cody Campbell, President, San Diego North County Young Democrats*
Stephanie Campbell, President, Democratic Club of West Orange County*
Art Copleston, Chair, Desert Foundation for Democracy*
Jeffrey Daar, President, California Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley*
Fred Davis, President, Visalia Democratic Club*
Jake Edmondson, Vice President, North County San Diego Democratic Unity Coalition*
Ralph Erickson, President, Malibu Democratic Club*
Marilyn Evans, Former President, United Democrats*
Matt Evans, Vice Chair, Bonita Unified Democratic Council*
Lee Fink, Vice President, Beach Cities Democratic Club*
Nathan Gonzalez, Board Member, Latinos for America*
Lee Greenawalt, Vice President, Region 10, California Democratic Council*
Adrienne Grey, Treasurer, Democratic Club of Silicon Valley*
Midori Kamei, Founder, Asian Pacific Democratic Club*
Jolyn Liaw, Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley
Evan Low, President, Silicon Valley LGBT Democratic Club*
Keith Martin, President, Westside Grassroots Democratic Club*
Tina McKinnor, President, Lawndale Democratic Club*
Toye Moses, President African American Democratic Club*
Tom Mullens, President, Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley*
Michael Paine, President, Yuba-Sutter Democratic Club*
Mary Pallant, President, San Fernando Valley Democrats United*
Richard Peterson, Executive Director, Yolo County Young Democrats
Cheryl Alethia Phelps, Chair, Council of Clubs, San Diego County Democratic Party*
Rita Ramirez-Dean, Vice President, Region 20, California Democratic Council*Johnnie Roberts, Jr., President, Ronald H. Brown Democratic Club*
Chris Robson, President, Democratic Club of Camarillo*
Irma Santana, Treasurer, Sutter County Democratic Women’s Club*
Marc Saltzberg, President, West Los Angeles Democratic Club*
Gina Singletary, President, Lomita-Harbor City Democratic Club*
Tony Suh, Treasurer, Lamorinda Democratic Club*
Steve Stearns, President, Democrats of Greater Riverside*
Richard Turnbull, Chair, Victor Valley Democratic Club*
Michael Webber, Chair, Southern California Grassroots*
Glenda Wertenberger, Chair, Democratic Club of South Placer*

Young Democratic Organizations/Leaders

Los Angeles County Young Democrats
Mira Costa Young Democrats
Marin County Young Democrats
Sacramento Young Democrats
San Francisco Young Democrats
Santa Barbara Young Democrats
Yolo County Young Democrats

California Young Democrats
John Alford, Vice President of Membership
Pamela Bachilla, National Committeewoman
Laura Booth, Regional Director – Bay Area
Corrin Choppin, Regional Director – Northern CA
Rocky Fernandez, Political Director
Jamison Power, Secretary
Crystal Strait, President
Brian Van Riper, Regional Director – Southern California
Mia White, Regional Director -Central Coast

California College Democrats
Eric Anthony, President
Robert Abelon, Northern Vice President
Marisa Alcaraz, Southern Vice President
Justin Lehr, Communications Director
Jenica Mariani, Director of Membership
Varoon Modak, Secretary/Treasurer
John O’Kane, Former President, California College Democrats
John Vigna, Vice President
Gabe Weiner, Political Affairs Director

Damian Carroll, President, San Fernando Young Democrats*
Kristina Doan, President, Bruin Democrats*
Becca Doten, Communications Director, San Fernando Young Democrats*
Jonathon Goetz, President, Stonewall Young Democrats of San Diego*
Jason Haider, President, Riverside County Young Democrats*
Jessica Hilgart, President, East Bay Young Democrats*
Eddie Kirby, High School Caucus
Michael Niktaris, President Lodi High School Young Democrats*
Alex De Ocampo Former President, California Young Democrats*
Angela Pourtabib, President, UC Davis College Democrats*
Kandice Kapri Richardson, President, Yolo County Young Democrats
Eric Tindall, Treasurer, UC Davis College Democrats*

Bellermine High School Democrats
Cal Berkeley Democrats
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Democrats
CSU Hayward Democrats
CSU Sacramento Democrats
CSU San Francisco Democrats
Democrats of the Claremont Colleges
Mira Loma High School Young Democrats
Newport Harbor High School Democratic club
Palomar College Democrats
Santa Clara University Democrats
Sierra College Democrats
Troy High School Democratic club
UC Irvine Democrats
UC San Diego Democrats
UC Santa Barbara Democrats
UC Santa Cruz Democrats
UCLA Bruin Democrats
USC College Democrats

* Organization names are for identification purposes only.
Go Phil!