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If the Democrats Want a Wave Election, Don’t Sell Out Main Street in Favor of Moneyed Interests

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I have long thought that if you wanted to look back to find one of the key moments that showed how out of touch the Democratic establishment was on economic issues that it might very well blow the 2016 Presidential election, you’d likely want to revisit the debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).  

Indeed, in 2015, in the wake of the riots in Baltimore, I observed how President Obama could sound great on some social justice issues while badly missing on key economic ones…

That’s why recent news stories about the national Democratic Party’s efforts to “contain” Elizabeth Warren once again are concerning.  As a recent Politico story notes, there have again been rumblings that Warren’s fierce condemnation of the rollback of the Dodd-Frank law was harshing the mellow of the neoliberal wing of the party   [Read more…]

A War of Words in the D4 County Supervisor Race

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The race for District 4 County Supervisor is heating up. And not necessarily in a good way.

Four Democratic candidates are seeking the seat: attorney Omar Passons, former Deputy Fire Chief Ken Malbrough, along with former Assemblypersons Lori Saldaña and Nathan Fletcher. Former DA Bonnie Dumanis is the sole Republican on the June 5 primary ballot.

Saldaña and Fletcher are the ones making the news this week, with stories in the Union-Tribune and the Times of San Diego. You’d need a scorecard to keep track of the charges and counter-charges between two camps. While I’m not going to detail every move and countermove, I will give readers a taste of what’s been happening.

In a nutshell, last week candidate Lori Saldaña was endorsed by a breakaway labor group scorned by many progressive activists. This news has triggered a war of words.   [Read more…]

Healthcare Repair: The Achilles Heel for Republicans in 2018 Elections

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Indivisible Panel to Discuss Solutions at Balboa Park Club March 18

Issues of health and wellness represent a threat to the quality of life to most Americans.      

Healthcare. Obamacare. Medicare-For-All. Single-payer.  These are issues key to stemming the Red Tide of Republicanism come election time. The systems we to turn to for self-preservation often aren’t working when people need them. And it’s about to get much worse. So let’s have that conversation.

The GOP couldn’t come up anything beyond ‘don’t get sick and die quickly if you do’ after years of prophesizing the collapse of capitalism and civilization itself unless the collection of compromises passed while the Black Guy was in the White House were repealed.

Having robbed the treasury via ‘tax reform’ to pad the pockets of the wealthy, the Congress will have no choice but to announce yet another round of ‘reforms’ designed to reduce access to–along with the quality of–healthcare.
  [Read more…]

These 3 Women Could Change the California Justice System for Good

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By Liz Posner / AlterNet

District attorneys can play a major role in reducing (or amplifying) race-based incarceration in America’s largest cities. Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King announced in February that he is launching a political action committee to help elect reform-minded DA candidates and draw national attention to the issue. “No position in America, no single individual has a bigger impact on the criminal justice system—including police brutality, but the whole crisis of mass incarceration in general—than your local district attorney,” King said. “They are the gatekeepers of America’s justice system.”

In the past several years, progressive newcomers have unseated conservative old-guard incumbents in places like Caddo Parish, Louisiana, Philadelphia, Houston, Denver, and Jacksonville, to great effect.

The importance of diversifying the office of district attorney cannot be overstated. Across the country, 95 percent of district attorneys are white, and only 1 percent are women of color. Justice reform experts argue that the lack of representation for communities that are over-policed, over-arrested and over-charged is a major factor in the mass incarceration of people of color. Across the U.S., grassroots efforts are underway to reshape the justice system by choosing new progressive leaders who reflect the communities they serve.   [Read more…]

Health Care is Still the Number One Economic Issue

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By David Akadjian / Daily Kos

Since the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting, there’s been a lot of talk about reasonable gun violence prevention laws. If you look at surveys, most people support them. But one of the issues we face with implementing background checks or any gun violence prevention laws is that, for conservatives, guns are an economic concern.

Different conservatives will phrase this differently but what it comes down to for them is that property must be protected at all costs, and they feel this is key to the economy. Guns are an emotional issue to conservatives, especially rural conservatives, in a way that they aren’t viewed as important to the economy by liberals.

If past experience is any indicator, the economy is the most important issue to Americans. This is what people vote on.  Because of this, the Republican strategy for the 2018 midterm elections is going to be this:

  1. Take credit for the economy
  2. Paint Democrats as caring only about identity issues or hating Trump because of identity issues

  [Read more…]

Carl DeMaio Expected to Parachute in to ‘Save’ the 50th Congressional District from Rep. Hunter

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The possibility of both the 49th and the 50th Congressional Districts having only Republicans battling it out in the November election became real yesterday. It’s looking increasingly likely that the GOP’s Rocky Chavez and Diane Harkey will win the top two spots in the June primary, as squabbling Democrats in the 49th are busy figuring out a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Republican Carl DeMaio paid a $1,740 filing fee and pulled nomination papers on Monday from the County Registrar of Voters, signaling his intent to challenge Rep. Duncan Hunter in the 50th Congressional District. The incumbent Congressman is widely considered as damaged goods, with the Justice Department convening a grand jury to consider charges stemming from a scandal involving campaign spending.

Writing about the former City Councilman’s potential candidacy at SDRostra, San Diego’s conservative political outlet, Steve Gramm referenced polling showing DeMaio and Hunter both making it to the November general election. That research purportedly shows a path to DeMaio winning a Republican vs Republican contest.   [Read more…]

Debate Dodging and Disappointed Democrats in the 49th Congressional District

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“We, not the candidates we elect, are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.”
–Flip the 49th! organizer

Wow. What could have been a defining event in the effort to win a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives turned into a punch in the gut for North San Diego County activists.

A candidate viability forum organized by Flip the 49th!, an independent expenditure committee (super-PAC) which grew out of the weekly protests outside Rep. Darrell Issa’s office, and an Indivisible chapter was supposed to confront candidates with hard questions about their continued presence in the race.

Hundreds of people showed up on Friday, filling Oceanside’s Ocean Hills Clubhouse and spilling into overflow rooms. Another thousand turned in via Facebook to watch a live broadcast. Only two of the five declared Democrats running for Congress took the stage.   [Read more…]

Keeping the Stupid in Politics, San Diego Style

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The ‘stupid’ in San Diego politics is mighty intense for this time of year. It’s February, right? People can still file to run in the primaries for another two weeks.

Three of San Diego County’s keepers of the ‘same old, same old, flame’ are apparently running for ‘who can be the most outrageous and still get  votes.’

These are people who expect to get elected or re-elected on June 5 because they think their name recognition is enough to win. Or because they ‘deserve’ the position.   [Read more…]

Survey Says: Flipping the 49th Won’t Be Easy

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A just-released poll, conducted February 12-15 by FM3 Research for Flip the 49th! Neighbors in Action has a cautionary tale for Democrats seeking to replace retiring Congressman Darrell Issa.

The good news is the Republicans’ brand is so tarnished that a generic Democrat could win over a generic Republican by 7 points or more.

The bad news is that the current line-up of Democratic candidates is likely to split primary voters in such a way that two Republicans will face each other in the general election.   [Read more…]

Competition for Rep. Duncan Hunter’s Seat Gets Down and Dirty

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Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon has announced he’s running for Congressman Duncan Hunter’s (R-Not Indicted Yet) seat. I’m guessing all the worldwide publicity over the East County City’s decision to criminalize food sharing has convinced Wells he’s destined for higher office.

One of the early supporters he’s touting is Minnesota wack-a-doodle and former Congresswoman Michelle Bachman. Among her many accomplishments, besides bashing gays and Muslims, is the claim she made about the PPV vaccine causing mental retardation.

In a press conference held at the Ronald Reagan Community Center in El Cajon, Wells said he aims to bring “conservative, Republican values to Washington, D.C.”   [Read more…]

Supervisor Bill “Bah Humbug” Horn Bashes Evening Budget Hearings

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People will have to take time off from work if they have an interest in local government this year. With most of the Board of Supervisors leaving office in the next couple of years due to term limits, they’ve decided daytime hearings are all the people need.

Supervisor Bill Horn’s recent statement that he was no longer willing to sit through evening hearings on the $5.79 billion County budget and the willingness of three other board members to go along with him says it all.

As reported by the Union-Tribune: “If you’re a concerned citizen … you could make the time to come down here to testify,” Supervisor Bill Horn said at a recent board meeting. “I’m willing to sit here for two days. … I don’t want to sit here at night.”   [Read more…]

The Russian Raiders of the Internet Are Coming (Again)

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Indivisible 49 and its coalition partners are continuing their weekly rallies outside the Vista offices of Congressman Darrell Issa. The North County Republican may be laying low for now –it’s expected he’ll jump into the race for District 50 if and when Rep. Duncan Hunter takes a fall– but the issues surrounding Congress and the administration continue.

As has been true throughout their campaign, the Issa office protests have a theme each week. This week’s theme seems especially appropriate: a “Love America” rally on the day before Valentine’s Day focus on the values of democracy, freedom, truth, justice, equality, the Constitution, rule of law.

Given that Russian interference in domestic politics is in the news today, this theme seems especially appropriate.   [Read more…]

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