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November 29, 2005

It's a good thing people are waking up to the destructive machinations of this Republican administration. Let's make sure everyone remember this on Election Day in 2006!

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November 28, 2005

Lois Brockman Wellington, a Democratic activist who fought for our Party’s ideals throughout her life, died on Friday, Nov. 25th following a stroke. Our deepest condolences go to her family and friends.

She was a tireless advocate for senior issues throughout her life, such as providing rights for in-home care providers. She was a Senior Senator representing Los Angeles County in the California Senior Legislature, where she actively and successfully pursued legislation on behalf of both youth and the aged. Nationally, she served as Silver Senator to the National Silver Haired Congress representing U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer.

We salute her and the ideals she continuously fought for. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her memory to either:

California Senior Legislature CFOA/CSL
1020 N Street #513
Sacramento, CA 93814
or to:
KCET
4401 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

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November 23, 2005

This time of year gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on what we as Californians and Americans have to be thankful for.

We are thankful for our families and friends, and all those who make our lives more whole, complete and joyful.

We are thankful for our ability to reach out and help those in our society who need our assistance and generosity.

We are thankful for our troops and the incredible sacrifices they have made for us all. We send best wishes to all who cannot be home with their families this holiday season.

We are also thankful that California voted down all of Governor Schwarzenegger’s power grab propositions. However, how many needy people could we have fed and provided for on this holiday instead of spending the approximately $55 million the Special Election cost the taxpayers of California?

We hope that our governor will now work together with our Party’s elected representatives for the good of our state.

We are thankful that our citizens are able to vote in our society, and will elect new Democratic leadership next year to rectify the Republicans’ culture of corruption and deficit spending which have taken over our nation’s capitol. We are grateful that people will have an opportunity to vote out Republicans who consistently push irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthiest of our citizens and promote corporate giveaways and their obscene profits, instead of addressing the immediate and future needs of our nation.

This is a party whose president and leadership cannot find it within themselves to put the poor and the weak ahead of the mighty and the strong – and to justify it, they mumble about "the trickle down effect."

Millions of Americans will be sitting down this holiday, and will be thankful for what is before them. They will be thankful for their family and they will say a prayer for the safe return of our troops fighting a war thousands of miles away and separated from their loved ones. These Americans will also ask themselves when that trickle down economic relief is going to reach them: That “uniquely American” woman who works three jobs to support her family will wonder when she will be able to work only two jobs, or perhaps even one. That working father and mother whose family has been without health insurance for years, will wonder when they will be able to afford to pay the premiums to ensure that their family has adequate health coverage. And that attendant at the Exxon gas station will surely wonder when just a tiny part of those billion dollar profits will show up in his paycheck so he can move his family to a safer community. These Americans – and millions more like them – will finally realize that the promised trickle was nothing but a Republican shell game.

Yet still these Americans will give thanks for what they have and be thankful that they have the power of a vote that can change the tide of this country; the rising tide will start at the bottom and ensure all Americans that a helping hand is really there when they need it.

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

November 22, 2005

Today marks a tragic milestone in our country’s history. Forty-two years ago today, President Kennedy was cruelly taken from our country. Our nation has missed his compassion, his brilliance and his elegance ever since. Read one of his great speeches on what it means to be a liberal here.

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

November 17, 2005

“Today in the House of Representatives, Democratic Congressman John Murtha, an expert on military issues and a decorated Vietnam veteran, called the Bush administration’s Iraq war, “a flawed policy wrapped in illusion.” This statement encapsulates the feeling in California perfectly. While we send our state’s sons and daughters to die in ever increasing numbers in Iraq, the President and Vice President are lashing out at Republicans and Democrats who dare question why we were led into this war in the first place. The manipulation of pre-war intelligence by this administration does not change the fact that our troops are being killed and seriously injured at alarming and unacceptable rates. The time is now to immediately redeploy our troops from Iraq.”

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

November 16, 2005

So Scott McClellan thinks "you can get caught up in polls; we don't. Polls are snapshots in time."

Well, then the Bush administration must have a photo album they would rather hide in the attic, because this president’s poll numbers have been one bad "snapshot" after another.

Bush’s current 60 percent disapproval rating shows that the American people are not longer buying into his act and feel it's time to move on.

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

The opening paragraph of this story says it all.

"Halliburton and its subcontractors hired hundreds of undocumented Latino workers to clean up after Katrina -- only to mistreat them and throw them out without pay."

Sadly, I don’t think any of us are surprised by this sort of conduct on the part of Halliburton.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

More evidence that a great leader doesn’t seek the limelight as part of her public service in brokering solutions to community problems. I applaud Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi for all of her hard work in settling the strike at Sutter Health hospitals:

"Six Hundred workers went back to work Monday at the three San Francisco hospitals of the California Pacific Medical Center after an arduous two month strike. Both sides in the conflict agree it's unlikely that the strike would have been settled without the notable behind-the-scenes involvement of Lou Giraudo, a prominent San Francisco businessman who owns Boudin Bakeries, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco. During the weekend before the settlement, Pelosi, who presumably has her hands full trying to manage a squabbling Congress, participated in a marathon 13-hour session trying to help break the deadlocked negotiations -- even passing up on meeting Prince Charles to do so. After she left for Washington, her district director continued to sit at the negotiating table for several days."

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

November 11, 2005

Today, I join all Californians in honoring our veterans and the over 18,000 brave Californians serving today in Iraq and Afghanistan. America’s veterans understand better than anyone else the true meaning of sacrifice. We owe each and every veteran and their family an enormous debt of gratitude.

However, America can do better. As Democrats, we express our appreciation to our men and women in uniform by fighting to make sure our government keeps its promise to take care of them when their service is done. Our commitment to our troops doesn’t end when they come home. Our nation owes our veterans continued health care and benefits. Democrats will continue to stand up and fight for these values.

Note:
Democrats Fought to Support our Troops and Veterans. Democrats fought to provide an additional $53 million for urgently needed funding for combat-related trauma care centers, telemedicine initiatives for trauma care centers, VA medical and prosthetic research, survivors of those who die from service-connected deaths, and for processing claims for compensation and pension benefits – items critical for veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But Republicans Defeated It. Every single Democrat voted for this bill, but Republicans rejected this proposal 214 to 213. (HR 2528, Vote #224, 5/26/05)

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

November 10, 2005

More evidence that if we leave the Republicans alone, they will take care of themselves:

“In this special election, the four horsemen of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's apocalypse were incompetence, arrogance, greed and stupidity. They rode with his friends. It was these friends, not his enemies, who brought devastation upon him.”

Tony Quinn, longtime Republican political analyst.

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

November 09, 2005

Congratulations on a sweeping victory for Democratic values. Without you in the grassroots working with our friends in Labor, we would not have been able to protect our principles and the rights of our children under Proposition 98, the right to privacy of our teenage girls on choice, the first amendment rights of our public employees, the rights of our teachers, and the voters' unwillingness to have a DeLay takeover of our legislature.

This Governor should apologize to the taxpayers of California for wasting our hard-earned money on an election that did nothing to support education, our infrastructure needs and access to affordable health care.

His initiatives could have been on the ballot in June just seven months away (and the voters would have rejected them then as well), but the culture of greedy and cynical Republican consultants forced this election on the taxpayers so that they could put money into their pockets. Shame on them and shame on this Governor for acquiescing to their greed.

Do not be mistaken, the Democratic leadership in Sacramento put forward compromises on the real issues, all rejected or vetoed by this Governor. Even at the last minute when Democratic legislators pleaded not to waste money on an unnecessary election, the Republicans in the Legislature voted to allow this election to take place. None of their current spin can wash away their duplicitous actions.

Do not take my word for it, read today's headlines from the LA Times, Sacramento Bee, San Jose Mercury News, Riverside Press-Enterprise, and the Oakland Tribune. Click here for complete coverage of our Special Election Wrap-up.

"A Bruising Blow From the People"
"Governor's Political Clout Dwindling With Defeats"
"Governor's 'Reforms' Get Cold Shoulder"
"Schwarzenegger Faces Resounding Defeat"
"Voters Reject Schwarzenegger's Bid to Remake State Government"
"Governor's Reform Measures Defeated"
"Arnold's Reforms Terminated"

And let us not be fooled by his "humble Arnold vows bipartisan cooperation" (Associated Press).

The Republican Party in Washington and Sacramento continue their culture of corruption, as our own House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has so eloquently stated: DeLay, Frist, Libby, Cheney, Bush -- the most wasteful administration in recent history, and the loss of over 2,000 of our courageous men and women in a war that should never have been.

Thank God that hardworking teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, correctional officers, public employees, working men and women and our Democratic organizers and activists stood up to protect our children and grandchildren's future.

Our fight is not over: we must now elect a Democratic Governor, Legislature and Congress in 2006. It will not be easy, but now they know we will fight for our future. California is a blue state and our Party is engaged!

I give my heartfelt thanks to our entire CDP staff, who in addition to other campaign duties, also worked hard on getting over 18 million pieces of party mail out to voters; and to the thousands of volunteers who took time out from their families and jobs to protect California's future.

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

November 01, 2005

Arnold’s reform agenda just took a turn for the worse – his propositions are now flat-lining.

Check out the latest numbers from today’s Field Poll:

And another bad review for Arnold shows that by a 43% to 24% margin, likely voters are more inclined to vote NO when they know Schwarzenegger is behind the proposition.

Last Friday’s Public Policy Institute of California poll (www.ppic.org) had similar bad numbers for Schwarzenegger’s propositions. Add today’s Sacramento Bee headline on page three - "Poll: Support for Key Ballot Measures Falling" and it’s a "trifecta" of bad news for the governor.

Click here for the latest Field Poll. Click here for the latest PPIC Poll.

Democrats working together to get out the vote this final week before the election will be the key to winning on November 8 - grassroots action has always been the key to our success. Are you involved in your local area? If not, click here to find an office near you where you can make a difference.

« October 2005 | Archives | December 2005 »

I'll be on the Ronn Owens Show on KGO radio this Thursday, November 3rd at 11:00 a.m. to noon debating the Republican Chair on the Special Election and the Propositions. KGO radio can be found at 810AM and reaches throughout the Bay Area, but for those of you out of range, you may listen live here.