SD 34 Update: OK, Back to the Good News... Correa Ahead by 821

Here's today's update from the OC Registrar:

STATE SENATOR, 34th District
Completed Precincts: 377 of 377
Vote Count Percentage
LOU CORREA (DEM) 55234 50.0%
LYNN DAUCHER (REP) 54413 49.2%
OTTO BADE 899 0.8%

Thank goodness all those folks were willing to wait hours in line to vote. They took all that time out of their busy day, time that they could hardly afford to waste in line, to exercise their right to vote. They knew the high stakes in this election, and they braved the madness at the polls to vote. Thank goodness for these amazing Americans! : )

SD 34: What the F**k Happened on Election Day?

Here's a disturbing video from "Video the Vote" :



Now yes, these individuals were documenting machine meltdowns in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, and Huntington Beach... Outside SD 34... However, others (including myself) can testify that there were similar problems WITHIN the 34th State Senate District. So why weren't there enough working machines for all these people to vote? Why weren't there enough paper ballots to give to voters once the machines broke down? Why were all these voters, especially the working-class people in SD 34 who COULDN'T AFFORD TO SPEND HOURS IN LINE, forced to do just that?

Was this just criminal negligence, or were there more sinister motives to swing the election a certain way? Check out Chris Prevatt's post on The Liberal OC to see how the Registrar may have violated election law. My goodness, whatever happened, we need new leadership there to make sure that this massive failure NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN! : (

SD 34 ALERT: Only 1,000 Ballots Left

According to Total Buzz, Neal Kelley is now saying that the Registrar's office only has about 1,000 ballots left to count... Lynn Daucher would have to win a whopping 90% of those ballots in order to overtake Lou's lead now!! So, can we now start getting used to saying "Senator Correa"?! ; )

SD 34 Update: Correa Expands His Lead!!

Now, according to the OC Registrar, Lou Correa has widened his lead to 783 votes! Wow, this will be a steep hill for Lynn Daucher to climb as the Registrar is nearly finished coutning all votes in the 34th State Senate District. Well, what can I say? I guess this wasn't as much of a "lock for Lynn" as all the right-wing bloggers were expecting!


STATE SENATOR, 34th District
Completed Precincts: 377 of 377
Vote Count Percentage
LOU CORREA (DEM) 55147 50.0%
LYNN DAUCHER (REP) 54364 49.2%
OTTO BADE 899 0.8%

SD 34 Update: Correa Now in the Lead!!!

Check out these new lovely numbers from the OC Registrar of Voters:

STATE SENATOR, 34th District
Completed Precincts: 377 of 377
Vote Count Percentage
LOU CORREA (DEM) 53834 49.7%
LYNN DAUCHER (REP) 53552 49.5%
OTTO BADE 891 0.8%

No, your eyes are not lying to you... LOU IS NOW LEADING LYNN BY 282 VOTES!! : )

I've been at the Registrar to observe the vote count with the OC Democrats, so I apologize for posting this a little late... Still, I am very heartwarmed to see that all our efforts to reach out to voters before the election finally seem to be paying off! Hopefully if this trend continues, the OC GOP will have to kiss their "one State Senate pickup" goodbye! : )

Btw: The Register's Total Buzz blog is estimating that there may be another 4,000 provisional votes left to count... We'll see if this is correct. I just hope that this trend holds.

SD 34 Update: Daucher Lead Slides Yet Again

Now Daucher is only ahead by 147 VOTES!

Here are today's numbers from the OC Registrar:

STATE SENATOR, 34th District
Completed Precincts: 377 of 377
Vote Count Percentage
LYNN DAUCHER (REP) 53019 49.7%
LOU CORREA (DEM) 52872 49.5%
OTTO BADE 886 0.8%

Hmmm... So now, "Otto the Spoiler" is finally on the map! I guess we'll have to wait and see as to how much Bade affects the final outcome. Just who voted for Otto? Were they "Pro-life Latino Democrats" who would have voted for Lou otherwise... Or were they "True Red Conservative Republicans" who could not hold their noses to vote for the (at least somewhat) pro-choice Lynn?

FURTHER UPDATE: The Register's Martin Wisckol spoke with OC Registrar Neal Kelley about the remaining SD 34 ballots to count. He's now estimating a few hundred more absentees to count, as well as about 6,000 provisionals. We'll see if Kelley's numbers prove to be right.

Oh, the fun continues as the ballot counts keep trickling in!

Election 2008: Here's Why Rudy Giuliani Won't Win the GOP Nomination

For all you Dems who are worried about "moderate Rudy" winning the GOP nomination, and winning the Presidency in a landslide in November 2008:



So, are you still worried about "President Rudy"?

[Still, I think the video's hilarious! ; ) ]

My Thoughts on Democratic Candidates

A post-mortem on 2006, as well as looking forward to 2008:

While I prefer to work with local progressive candidates and support national progressive candidates, I will not simply put up a fit and withhold support for the winning Dem candidate if that candidate is notthe progressive that I supported. While I do think we need to continue bringing the Democratic Party back to its original Democratic values, I also think that this does us no good if we end up only running underfunded "sacrificial lambs" in all Congressional districts. Of course, we also need to work with the thinking moderates in our party (DO NOT READ capitulate to the DLC) if we want to have a winning, governing coalition.

We need to be practical in implementing our progressive goals. While I'd love to see Bush impeached, I'm not expecting it. Personally, I've been thinking about it... And I've realized that it might be better for now if we focus on raising the minimum wage, making college more affordable for families like mine, finding a common-sense solution on immigration, and (MOST IMPORTANTLY!) put together a plan to GET OUT OF IRAQ! By actually getting things done instead of just holding impeachment hearings, we'll prove to our fellow Americans that we progressives are actually MAKING PROGRESS in moving this nation forward!

Sure, I'd love to see Russ Feingold or Dennis Kucinich as our next Presidential nominee... But no, I won't hold my breath until that happens! If we can get someone like Clark or Edwards (or especially Gore!!), I'll be happy.

SD 34 Update: Daucher Lead Sildes to 302!

This may just be the BEGINNING OF THE END of the "GOP Takeover" of Central Orange County! After the counting of damaged absentee ballots that had to be duplicated and rerun through the machines, Lou Correa continued to catch up with Lynn Daucher... Here are the latest tabs from the OC Registrar of Voters:

STATE SENATOR, 34th District
Completed Precincts: 377 of 377
Vote Count Percentage
LYNN DAUCHER (REP) 51736 50.1%
LOU CORREA (DEM) 51434 49.9%

EdVoice's Paul Mitchell has more analysis on what we can expect (via Red County/OC Blog):

Correa gained back 59 votes on Daucher, placing the gap at 302. In today’s counting, he led her by a margin of 51.1% to 49.9%. Correa needs to win the remaining ballots by a margin of 52/48 in order to prevail. There are still 12,260 absentees outstanding county-wide. Using previous counts, it can be assumed that this means there are 1,500 absentees to be counted in the 34th. The registrar has increased the likely number of Provisionals outstanding to 5-6,000 in the 34th, meaning that 25%+ of the provisionals were from this district, even though it is only 18% of the registration in the county, and about 14% of the votes on Election Day. The registrar also suggested that only half of these 5-6,000 would ultimately count. This is a much lower rate than in 2004 when only 16% of ballots were rejected. Even though there are two wildly different ways of approximating the number of provisionals to be counted, both methods get you to about 2,500. With a projected 1,500 absentees and 2,500 provisionals to count, it can be expected that we have 4,000 more votes to tally...
The Correa campaign has suggested all along that they will perform very well in the provisional ballots – something that is supported by previous elections. If Correa wins the remaining provisionals and absentees by the same percentage as his election day counts, he will win by 62 votes.

Now I'm not planning to take this as Gospel, just as much as I didn't cry on my bed when another local blogger declared Daucher to be the outright winner on Saturday. I'm simply suggesting that we ALL take a deep breath, and wait for the final results next week. I remain hopeful that Lou can overtake the now very-slim Lynn lead, but I'm NOT EXPECTING ANYTHING!

This is truly the unresolved race that will not end! ; )

SD 34: So Much for Daucher's Victory "in the Bag"!

Here's the total number of ballots left to count:

Total estimated number of ballots to count: 386,558
Total estimated number of ballots counted: 332,144

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total estimated number of ballots left to count: 54,414


It looks like the Registrar's office still has 32,499 absentee ballots left to be counted... I suspect the bulk of these were turned into the polling place on Election Day. Also, they still have 21,915 provisional ballots left to count. I suspect that this means that the count will continue to tighten... And this could still very well flip to Correa in the very end! OOOOH, this race is far from over! : )

SD 34 Update: Daucher Lead Cut in Half (In Just One Day!!)

Yes, you heard me right...

Democrat Lou Correa is ON THE REBOUND as the OC Registrar of Voters continues to count ballots in what has turned out to be the closest race in California.

STATE SENATOR, 34th District
Completed Precincts: 377 of 377
Vote Count Percentage
LYNN DAUCHER (REP) 50433 50.2%
LOU CORREA (DEM) 50072 49.8%

Now apparently this morning (according to the Register), there were still 53,000 ballots left to count... And it doesn't look like they've completed the count. I guess tomorrow we'll see how much further Correa leaps... Will it be enough for us to hold onto this seat? Darn, I hope so!

Democratic Values ARE Working Class Values

You know what's irking me today? The GOP's still trying to spin this election as a "conservative win" with these supposed "conservative Democrats" winning last week, and they're still trying to portray us as "out of touch liberal elite" who want to destroy America. Well, guess what I have to say back to them?

Stop projecting your problems on us! This year, voters throughout the country kicked the GOP out of Congress because they are sick of the culture wars, and want real action in ussues such as raising the minimum wage. This year, Democrats talked with voters on serious issues such as the minimum wage, making health care more affordable, and making college more affordable for working families. This year, the Democrats won because we gave them a breath of fresh air from the stale old culture wars, and promised real solutions to real problems facing real American families.

The GOP, on the other hand, simply pulled off stupid election-year stunts by trying to reignite the culture wars. They tried to push the ridiculous marriage amendment, did a lot of grandstanding on the flag-burning amendment, and pushed through worthless resolutions "supporting the troops" while the troops are dying with inadequate body armor... Oh, and while trying to fend off a civil war that was begun by this Administration in a failed attempt to assert its geopolitical muscle in the Middle East.

Yeah, and it's "us Democrats" who are talking down to working class voters...
Yeah, right!

The Dem Priority of the New Congress: A Phased Withdrawal from Iraq

On one of the most violent days in Iraq yesterday, the Congressional Democratic leadership talked about one of the top priorities for them when the new Congress convenes: A phased withdrawal from Iraq.

In today's LA Times, they discuss the Democratic Senate leadership uniting behind a proposal for phased withdrawal:

Senior military officials have recently voiced increasing concern that the security benefits of keeping large numbers of troops in Iraq are outweighed by significant downsides to the heavy U.S. presence. Among them are a perceived reluctance by Iraqis to take the lead in stemming the violence as long as U.S. forces are there.

"We have to tell the Iraqis that the open-ended commitment is over and that we're going to begin to have a phased withdrawal in four to six months," said [Sen. Carl] Levin [D-MI], who also appeared on "This Week."

Levin was joined in his call for a phased pullout by Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), who is in line to become chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader in the Senate, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that decisions on drawdowns should rest with U.S. military officers in Iraq. Still, Reid said that "we need to redeploy" and that a withdrawal should start within several months.

Now we probably won't see any concrete proposals until the Baker-Hamilton Commission releases its suggestions on Iraq. At the same time, Bush & Co. still refuse to consider any withdrawal of troops until there is "victory in Iraq". Of course, Bush still doesn't quite define what "victory in Iraq" means. Is it a stable government? A democratic government? An American-style republic? Bush is still promising to block any legislation calling for a withdrawal, but what if that's what the commission recommends (though I'm not counting on it)? What if that's what the American people want (it already is)? What if that's what the Iraqi people want (it already is)?

If only we had an Administration that cares about more than its own desires, and the desires of their corporate sugar-daddies.

Lou Sheldon's Helped Cover Up Haggard-gate

Lou Sheldon, one of Orange County's own home-grown hatemongers, is now in trouble for helping to hide Ted Haggard's dirty little secrets.

From New York's Jewish Week:

Then, as if things could not get worse, there was the disgrace of Sheldon's own friend and colleague, Rev. Ted Haggard, the Colorado mega-church leader and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, an even bigger pillar of Republican support on the Christian right. Sheldon disclosed that he and "a lot" of others knew about Haggard's homosexuality "for awhile ... but we weren't sure just how to deal with it."

Months before a male prostitute publicly revealed Haggard's secret relationship with him, and the reverend's drug use as well, "Ted and I had a discussion," explained Sheldon, who said Haggard gave him a telltale signal then: "He said homosexuality is genetic. I said, no it isn't. But I just knew he was covering up. They need to say that."

Ah, yes... Lou Sheldon...
The same person who spewed out this crap:

Gays are like Hitler and Gestapo

"The Rev. Lou Sheldon, president of the Traditional Values Coalition, said the 'hate crime' designation is increasingly going to be applied against those who believe homosexuality is wrong. 'What Hitler began to build against the Jews is now being built against people of faith who believe the Scriptures are valid for today and their injunctions against certain sexual behaviors is correct,' he said. Several years ago, homosexual activists disrupted a similar conference of his in Sacramento, he said, 'but I didn't have the finances to get a lawyer. For a long time we were the target of their wrath. Now other people are surfacing against them, thank God. If you don't agree with [homosexual activists], they use Gestapo tactics to stop you.' - Washington Times, Tuesday, October 27, 1998, Page A2

Sheldon for quarantining AIDS patients

"Reverend Louis Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition has come out in favor of quarantining AIDS patients in what he calls 'cities of refuge.' " - Mark E. Pietrzyk, News-Telegraph, March 10, 1995.

Gays are amoral extremists

"If the Ameircan people are shocked by all of the same-sex smooching that is on television, wait until they see an American president kissing up to the wealthiest extremists of the amoral left." Andrea Sheldon, quoted by People for the American Way, "Hostile Climate," 1988, p.9.

So Sheldon helped his secret gay friend hide in the closet? How precious! I wonder how Haggard liked being compared to a Nazi! Is he really that self-loathing?! And does one need any more evidence that Lou Sheldon is a HYPOCRITICAL BIGOT?!

Thank goodness we finally took back Congress... I don't think I can survive any more of the crap that's coming from the GOP's best friends in the Religious Right!

(PS- Thanks, dogemperor, for the great DKos diary!)

Now for National News: Rumsfeld Finally Resigns, and Dems Look to Take Both Houses of Congress

Yes! Finally, a change of leadership at the Pentagon... Perhaps the White House finally got the message last night? The Washington Post has more on this... If confirmed by the Senate, it looks like ex-CIA Director Robert Gates will be the new Defense Secretary... Thank goodness Bush didn't choose Lieberman! : )

Also, NBC News is now projecting that Jon Tester will be the next Senator from Montana... YES! Montana Dems rock!

Now according to MSNBC, we've got 234 seats in the House and 50 in the Senate...
We're just waiting on Virginia, but I'm confident that we've won that one as well. ; )

"The Reagan Revolution" is now officially over... "The Progressive Revolution" is just beginning!

"Daucher leads Correa by 13 votes in state Senate race"

Yep, that's the headline of this morning's Register story on the race that won't end in my home district.

The hottest state Senate race ended at a virtual deadlock early Wednesday morning, with late absentee ballots and provisional ballots expected to determine the outcome when counted in the days ahead.

Republican Lynn Daucher led Democrat Lou Correa by just 13 votes all precincts had been counted. Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley said it was not yet known how many absentee and provisional ballots remained to be tallied.

"I can't believe this," Correa said. "We're going to have to wait until the last vote is counted."

Daucher concurred.

"I said all along it would be really close," she said. "But I didn't think it would be this close."

The narrow margin could mean a recount following the final tally, which could be done by the end of this week or early next week.

Yep, you heard Martin Wisckol right... We'll have to wait until the end of the week AT LEAST to discover any clue as to how this race will end.

Nevertheless, I'm still hopeful. I know that all those folks in Santa Ana weren't just waiting foir anything... Many were motivated by Lou and the Correa campaign to go out and exercise their All-American right to vote. I think Lou can ultimately win... We just may have to wait a while as every last vote is still being counted.

SD 34: Still Too Close to Call

With all regular ballots counted, this race is as close to a statistical tie as humanly possible...
Republican Lynn Daucher leads by ONLY 13 VOTES...

I'm not kidding! Here's the last update from the Registrar of Voters:

STATE SENATOR, 34th District
Completed Precincts: 377 of 377
Vote Count Percentage
LYNN DAUCHER (REP) 38679 50.0%
LOU CORREA (DEM) 38666 50.0%

Oh, and we still have to wait for ALL the provisional ballots to be counted, as well as ALL the absentee ballots that were handed in yesterday... Oh, and I hadn't even figured into account the lawsuits yet! We were warned that this race would be close, and now the real fight to the bitter end begins.

This May Be My Last Post Before the Polls Close...

So if you haven't done so already, PLEASE VOTE!

Oh, and if you're going to the OC Democrats party at the IBEW, the CYD party on Bush St, and/or Lou Correa's HQ, I may bump into you later tonight...

In the mean time, happy voting!

Guest Blogger on Why Ed Royce (CA-40) Needs to Go Today

From Gary, a concerned voter in the 40th CD:

Hi... friends of liberty,

As you know and have reason to know, I am a lot more
concerned for my country than I am any such political
party. So, with that statement, I'm including a Guest
Editorial/Letter To The Editor I had submitted to the
OC Register for your enjoyment as I don't believe they
had any inclination to publish it.

Good luck with the voter turn-out!

Gary

Aren't We Lucky?

Being an interested person living in the 40th
Congressional District has its rewards. Take for
example our 'safe seat' congressman, the one and only
Honorable Ed Royce. A modest, middle class kind of
guy with a deafening quietness to his demeanor has not
been debated, much less, taken to task with a hard
foght battle to keep his job as our public servant.
In short, we're not having to endure the bare knuckles
fights as so many of Honorable Ed's fellow 'red ink
rubber-stampers' are facing. Aren't we lucky?

Looking this way and that way, I notice that red ink
Ed is not touching any of his own millions taking out
sleazy ads bashing the Democratic candidate... he's
not even moved enough to spend a ten bucks of his
money blasting the Libertarians... Oh my, Honorable Ed
is not even resorting to free ads in the Penny Saver
leveling pot shots at the Green Party. Aren't we
lucky?

While, scant news leaks seep through the nation's
'controlled' mass media to offer one whispers and
fleeting glimpses of the thundering political
revolution roaring across the land, right here in the
40th congressional district, we have Honorable Ed
'sitting pretty' with his taxpayer funded hand
sanitizer to clean all of that nasty red ink off his
hands after a busy, busy day rubber-stamping George W.
Bush's ongoing war on reasoning and everything else
the "decider" desires for himself. Aren't we lucky?

In fact, honorable Ed is not even having to hide his
rubber stamp behind his back and bash his own homeboy
party to save his honor, dignity and integrity.
Honorable Ed hasn't even been nudged to explain what
the $5,000 "donation" (we'll call it) from Jack
Abramoff was all about. Frankly, I am unable to say
whether or not Honorable Ed had even considered giving
that money back to Jack or some other worthy charity--
because he has neither been asked nor inclined to say.
Aren't we lucky?

I ask, "Is this a little odd?" Here we have a guy, a
quiet middle class millionaire who has his hands
soaked in red ink to rubber stamp virtually 100% of
George W. Bush's dirty politics as horrid policy
agenda, yet has not stepped into the light to tell me
a single thing he has done for the benefit of his safe
seat district, or the oath of safe seat office he will
again take in honor and defense of the Constitution of
the United States of America. Aren't we lucky?

My friends, let's face it... it's more than obvious
that with each passing day, the terribly misguided
invasion of Iraq is an issue that will haunt and
plague this once-great nation for decades to come. In
fact, decades from now, my infant grandchildren may be
shipped off to Iraq to 'stay the course' we need to do
to defend, uh... whatever we're defending at the time
with all that red ink dripping from our 'safe seat'
congressman's hands... Oh my, that's not red ink?
Aren't we lucky?

Maybe, just maybe by then, there will be enough
'interested persons' left around to muster up enough
sanity to ask 'safe seat' Ed for a little more than
buying his own bottle of hand sanitizer to wash away
the blood of our children. Aren't we lucky?

As I vote on Tuesday, I hope that everyone stops, like
I will do, and seriously consider, the price we're all
paying for 'safe seats' and a lot of hand sanitizer.
Aren't we lucky?

Election Night Parties

California Young Democrats' Party
1800 N. Bush St #102
Santa Ana, CA
830pm - ??
Refreshments and Returns…
RSVP to
949.735.2353

The Official OC Democratic Party
Election Night Party @ IBEW

Party with Democrats on Election Night!
When: Starting at 8:30 PM
Where: IBEW Hall - 309 N. Rampart
Orange, CA
What: Party with the Democrats in Orange County
Cost: FREE!
To find out more: email info@ocdemocrats.org

Steve Young (CA-48 Dem Candidate) Campaign Party in Irvine

Who: Steve Young, Democratic candidate for the California 48th District Congressional seat
What: Election Night Watch Party & Celebration
When: Tues. Nov. 7, 8:30-11:30pm
Where: Doubletree Spectrum Hotel, 90 Pacifica, Irvine
For more info: Call (949) 640-4400

Jim Brandt (CA-46 Dem Candidate) Campaign Party in Huntington Beach

Join
Jim Brandt
for a celebration
of democracy

Election Night
Tuesday, Nov. 7th
8:30 pm (after the polls close!) to ???

5402 Bolsa Avenue, Huntington Beach
IAM Union Hall, 2nd Floor

For information, email
campaign@brandtforcongress.org

714-594-5244 | 562-472-0381 | 310-579-2288

Live music by
The Fallen Stars

Food & Fun
Live election results!
Thank you for your continued support!
Brandt for Congress Team



And finally...

After the other Election Night parties wrap up,
come celebrate Democratic victories at…

L A S T T A L L Y

The last and best party of the evening!

Tuesday, November 7, 2006
9:30 P.M. - ?

Proof
215 N. Broadway, Artists Village, Santa Ana
OCTA Routes: 53, 55, 64

Admission is free,
But the drinks will cost you.

Local, State and National results
will be shown on multiple screens.

And for Those of You Who Want to Help the Out-of-State Races...

There are MoveOn Call for Change parties happening TODAY! When I wasn't walking for Lou over this last weekend, I was calling folks in Nevada and Maryland, urging them to vote for Tessa Hafen (Dem Congressional Candidate in NV) and Ben Cardin (Dem Senate Candidate in MD). I'm sure they will calling other crucial races today...
Go to http://www.moveon.org to find out more.

Today's the Day!!

Yes, today is my favorite day of the year: ELECTION DAY!

If you haven't done so already, go to your polling place today and VOTE!
If you need to find your polling place, or you have any other questions about the election, click here if you are in Orange County. For everyone else in California, click here.

Now for those of you who need something to do today, please consider helping any of our fine campaigns get out the progressive vote in Orange County.

Lou Correa (D), running for 34th Senate District: (714) 972-9276, http://www.loucorrea.com

Loretta Sanchez (D), incumbent in the 47th Congressional District: (714) 839-4431, http://www.loretta.org

Florice Hoffman (D), running in the 40th Congressional District: (714) 282-1179, http://www.hoffman2006.org

Jim Brandt, running in the 46th Congressional District: (714) 594-5244, http://www.brandtforcongress.org

Steve Young, running in the 48th Congressional District: (949) 640-4400, http://www.steveyoungforcongress.org

Sometimes the Enemy of Our Enemy Can Be Such a Good Friend!

On the Register's Orange Punch commentary blog, Steven Greenhut just slammed Lynn Daucher (and husband Don), for being a "liberal RINO" who's been lying about her history on eminent domain, as well as higher taxes. Though I disagree with Greenhut on much of his "libertarian conservative" platform, I at least appreciate his intellectual honesty... And I've got to appreciate his attack on Lynn's campaign on this very crucial last day!

Here's a nice excerpt from Greenhut's full-throttle attack on Daucher:

... You would think, though, that the Dauchers would let it go, given that the Republican Party has let go of the fact that Lynn Daucher has voted like a liberal, supporting eminent domain, regulatory takings, abortion on demand, some of the loonier parts of the gay-rights agenda, higher taxes and so forth. On the Brea council, Daucher sent an infamous letter to the Legislature opposing the repeal of the car tax.

Hey, you've got to love Greenhut's timing. Right when Lynn would like to rally the GOP base behind her, Greenhut reminds these GOPers that Lynn is not their "chosen one". Though I wouldn't exactly call Lynn a friend of women and the LGBT community, I guess she still isn't extreme enough for the firebreathing radical right...
But wait! It gets better...

Daucher is the ultimate Republican In Name Only, and even though she is getting party support, her husband wants the Republican Party to use its resources to attack a conservative running for the Brea City Council. Imagine what happens if she wins. She will drag the Republican Party far to the left. That's why conservatives ought to hope that moderate Democrat Lou Correa wins the Senate seat instead. Sometimes it's better to lose a seat to the Democrats than to win one with Republicans like these.

Wow! Greenhut is so mad over Daucher's flip-flops over eminent domain and tax issues that he's`supporting Lou. Now how often do Steven Greenhut and I agree on a candidate? Well, let me answer that: HARDLY EVER!!

However those of us on the left, on the right, and at all points inbetween agree:
Lynn Daucher is THE WRONG FIT for our communities in Central OC. If you have any libertarian and/or conservative friends, let them know how real conservatives like Greenhut feel about Lynn Daucher.

Perhaps they'll think twice before voting for her as well.

My Vote Isn't a Secret

Go ahead and check out how I voted in Santa Ana:

Statewide Offices

Governor: Phil Angelides
Lt. Governor: John Garamendi
Secretary of State: Debra Bowen
Controller: John Chiang
Treasurer: Bill Lockyer
Attorney General: Jerry Brown
Insurnace Commissioner: Cruz Bustamante

Federal Offices

US Senate: Dianne Feinstein
US Representative, District 47: Loretta Sanchez


State Legislature

Senate District 34: Lou Correa
Assembly District 69: Jose Solorio

Board of Equalization

District 3: Mary Christian-Heising

Local Offices

Orange County Superior Court Judge- Office 4: Sheila Hanson
Rancho Santiago Community College District, Trustee Area 2: John Hanna
Santa Ana Unified School District, Board Members: John Palacio and Cecilia Aguinaga
Santa Ana Mayor: Write-in
Santa Ana City Council, Ward 2: Michele Martinez
Santa Ana City Council, Ward 4: Nelida Yanez
Santa Ana City Council, Ward 6: Sal Tinajero

State Propostitions

1A: YES
1B: YES
1C: YES
1D: YES
1E: YES
83: NO
84: YES
85: NO
86: YES
87: YES
88: NO
89: YES
90: NO

Local Measures

M: YES
O: YES
AA: YES
BB: YES
CC: YES
DD: YES
EE: YES

These are my own convictions, based on my take on national, state, and local affairs. If you'd like more information on voting tomorrow, please go to http://www.vote-smart.org .

SD 34: GOTV for Lou Correa

Though I understand that not everyone in Southern California is very enthusiastic about this election, I AM. Perhaps this is because I live in the 34th State Senate District. Of course, we in the 34th Senate District have the chance to elect a real community leader who's lived in Central OC his whole life, and someone who has been proven to be an effective advocate for our diverse working-class communities in Central OC. And of course, this individual is DEMOCRAT LOU CORREA!


And yes, I am also disappointed with the Sacramento Democratic Leadership for resorting to dirty tactics to try to swing this election. Personally, I think it undermines the direct efforts of Lou's campaign to reach out to the voters in the 34th in a POSITIVE way. I've walked with many of the local students, and I have been quite heart-warmed by their dedication to their community, as well as their dedication to helping Lou win this election. I've also walked with other community activists whose first concern is that of their neighbors in Central Orange County. And of course, while walking I've talked to many of my neighbors in Santa Ana. Many of them support Lou because they know that he actually cares about the well-being of our communities, and has worked hard to bring money home to keep our neighborhoods safe, make our parks beautiful again, and improve our schools.

I really think it says something that neighborhoods throughout Santa Ana are filled with Lou Correa signs, while I still have not found EVEN ONE Lynn Daucher sign in front of any house around here. Personally, I think this is because the voters here are not stupid. They know that Lou has been a part of our community for 42 YEARS, while Lynn Daucher has only "lived" here (her Fullerton apartment is only one of MULTIPLE residences) for 42 WEEKS, and only in order to hold onto power in Sacramento.

Personally, this is why I'm hopeful about this campaign in my hometown. I've talked to so many fellow Santa Ana and Garden Grove residents who are more than happy to vote for Lou. Can Lynn's camp say the same thing?

OK, Now for Another Bizarre Campaign Event!

Ok, I think I've gotten too serious again...

But don't fear, George Allen's nutty supporters are here!

Check out this lovely "macaca moment":



Hmmm... Are the Allen folks now getting campaign advice from TAN NGUYEN?



I dunno... They're both falling off the deep end! : )

The Official Release from New Life Church

Courtesy of Colorado Confidential

November 4, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Life Church
Colorado Springs, Colorado

We, the Overseer Board of New Life Church, have concluded our deliberations concerning the moral failings of Pastor Ted Haggard. Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct.

The language of our church bylaws state that as Overseers we must decide in cases where the Senior Pastor has "demonstrated immoral conduct" whether we must "remove the pastor from his position or to discipline him in any way they deem necessary."

In consultation with leading evangelicals and experts familiar with the type of behavior Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided that the most positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal. In addition, the Overseers will continue to explore the depth of Pastor Haggard's offense so that a plan of healing and restoration can begin.

Pastor Haggard and his wife have been informed of this decision. They have agreed as well that he should be dismissed and that a new pastor for New Life Church should be selected according to the rules of replacement in the bylaws.

That process will begin immediately in hopes that a new pastor can be confirmed by the end of the year 2006. In the interim, Ross Parsley will function as the leader of the church with full support of the Overseers.

A letter of explanation and apology by Pastor Haggard as well as a word of encouragement from Gayle Haggard will be read in the 9:00 and 11:00 service of New Life Church.

Well, here ya go! The church has now officially dropped Haggard.

How sad for all those people who actually thought of him as their spiritual leader. This must be devastating for them. How sad for Gayle and the kids. No family should have to endure this turmoil. How sad for the fundies. They just can't find any one who actually practices what they preach.

How sad.

Haggard Dismissed as New Life Pastor

This just in from the AP Wire:

The Rev. Ted Haggard was dismissed Saturday as leader of the megachurch he founded after a board determined the influential evangelist had committed "sexually immoral conduct," the church said Saturday.

Haggard had resigned two days earlier as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, where he held sway in Washington and condemned homosexuality, after a Denver man named Mike Jones claimed to have had drug-fueled trysts with him. He also had placed himself on administrative leave from the New Life Church, but its Overseer Board took the stronger action Saturday.

"Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct," the independent board said in a statement.

Haggard was "informed of this decision," the statement said, and he "agreed as well that he should be dismissed."

So apparently, the Church Overseer Board isn't buying the "I bought meth, but never used it... Oh, and I got a massage, but never had sex" story from Haggard.

Good for them!

Haggard is yet another religious right hypocrite who refuses to practice what he preaches. What gave him the right to call queer people like me "sinners" who "need to repent", while he was secretly enjoying all these "sinful acts"? Hey, at least I've been faithful to my partner! At least my friends have never cheated on their partners! Oh, and I can honestly say that I've NEVER used an illegal drug in my life!

How is it that many of us "heathen" progressives actually live more "wholesome, moral" lives than these "values conservatives" who say one thing and do another?

This just always boggles me.

CA Election: NO on Prop 85

Check out this video... It explains quite well why Prop 85 is SOOOO SCARY!



Now we all agree that parents should be involved in their teenagers' lives, and fortunately most are, especially when it comes to serious matters like an unwanted pregnancy...

But about those teen girls who CAN'T talk to their parents because they're afraid of horrid repercussions...
What about those girls in abusive homes? What about those girls who are afraid of being kicked out of home?

These girls need to talk to professional counselors, NOT TO JUDGES AND COURT OFFICIALS! These girls should be receiving proper medical attention, and NOT BE FORCED TO TRY TO NAVIGATE THROUGH OUR CRAZY LEGAL MAZE! These girls need proper care, NOT INAPPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT!

Prop 85 tries to force families to communicate, but it won't succeed...
It's another radical religious-right attempt to force government into family matters and private medical affairs, and all that it would end up doing is in putting teen girls at risk!

Next Tuesday, please vote NO ON PROP 85!

Haggard's Saying He Just Got "Massages", But Mike Jones Says Otherwise

Here's Mike on MSNBC:

Watch it here.

So now, Mr. Haggard's admitting to a "massage", and to buying meth...
But he never used the meth, and he never had sex...
Yeah, and I'm the straightest man on earth! Gimme a break!

Ya know, it would be so much easier for him if he just coughs out the truth!
He's probably devastated his family, and for sure he threw his own church into the middle of a train wreck. Don't these fundies pay attention to what the Bible says:
"The truth shall set you free."

OC Election: Sheila Hanson for Judge!

OK, here's a welcome break from Haggard-gate and the national scandals...
Right now, I'd like to discuss a VERY IMPORTANT race on our local ballots in Orange County:

Next Tuesday, we in Orange County will be choosing who will be our next Superior Court judge. Since no one received 50% in the June election, we must now face a runoff between Deputy District Attorney Sheila Hanson and court commissioner Lyle Robertson. Now Hanson did come awfully close to winning ouright in June; in fact, she recieved 49.4%. Also, Hanson has received the endorsement of over FIFTY regional judges, and she is very highly regarded in the legal community. Robertson, in comparison, seems to be a legal "lightweight".

So why isn't this a cakewalk for Sheila Hanson?
Oh yeah, she's a ... (Drum roll, please.)

DEMOCRAT!

Here's an excerpt from today's OC Register:

To many attorneys and law-enforcement officials, Sheila Hanson is more qualified than Lyle Robertson in Tuesday's election for Orange County Superior Court judge.

Hanson, a senior deputy district attorney, has spent 17 years prosecuting sex offenders and other high-profile suspects. She has participated in 80 jury trials and has never had a case overturned on appeal. She is endorsed by more than 50 area judges and has received the highest possible rating from the Orange County Bar Association.

Robertson, on the other hand, has spent 15 years as a court commissioner, a position similar to a judge but without as much authority. He has overseen drunken-driving charges, small claims and personal-injury cases. He declined a review by the bar association and is endorsed by about 25 judges.

Unfortunately, most of the OC GOP party machine is lining up behind Robertson, simply because he's a Republican and Hanson's a Democrat. Yeah, let's forget about who has more legal experience. Let's forget which one received THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE RATING from the Bar Association. Let's forget about who's more fit to uphold the law...

Yeah, we've got more important things to consider, LIKE WHO'S BEEN A MORE LOYAL REPUBLICAN... More from the Register:

"If you've got a choice between a registered Democrat and a registered Republican," said Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, who endorsed Robertson, "that's a bit of a sign for a partisan such as myself."

While I wouldn't expect otherwise from wingnut Chuck DeVore, I hope that more thoughtful Republicans remember this:

Hanson has prosecuted some of Orange County's biggest cases: Ronald Kline, the judge accused of child molestation; the Rev. Gerardo Tanilong, the Catholic priest convicted of fondling a 15-year girl; Trenton Veches, the former supervisor of a youth program who liked to suck little boys' toes.

The county bar association rated her "highly qualified" for the job.

And what has Robertson done for the last fifteen years? Oh, that's right...
He oversaw drunk-driving, personal injury, and small claims cases.

So, there you have it! We, the Orange County voters, can either elect an effective prosecutor and sharp legal expert for judge...
Or we can choose a partisan Republican.

If you care about having effective local judges, please join me in voting for Sheila Hanson for Superior Court Judge!

"The Scarlet Letter H" and Colorado Elections

Could the Ted Haggard gay sex scandal affect the two initiatives on the Colorado ballot this year (respectively) banning same-sex marriage and offering domosetic partnership benefits to same-sex couples? An article in this morning's Denver Post suggests that Haggard-gate could possibly alter the dynamics here, mainly because of one "h-word":

From the Denver Post:

The allegations regarding Haggard, a key member of the coalition that drafted Amendment 43, raise what Smith called "the H-question: hypocrisy."

"I'm not sure how that plays out in ballot issues, but as one of the proponents and drafters, it's the scarlet letter H that can affect that campaign," said Smith, who tracks ballot issues nationwide.

"The story will have legs carrying it through the election and, whether the allegations are born out or not, it will have the effect of moving attention away from that ballot issue," he added.

So can this scandal really shock fundamentalists into staying at home on Tuesday? Is this yet another terrible omen for the Republicans? Well, the Washington Post is presenting this scenario as a real possibility:

Although he has avoided endorsing political candidates, Haggard has been a staunch ally of the Bush administration. Some political observers said his resignation was more bad news for Republicans trying to rally their conservative Christian base to turn out for the midterm elections.

"This is one more factor that could increase the disillusionment of evangelicals with prominent leaders on the Christian right and with the political process as a whole, and some may conclude that perhaps their forebears were wise to be wary about politics," said William Martin, a professor of religion and public policy at Rice University and a biographer of the Rev. Billy Graham.

Oh, and getting back to how this will affect the Colorado vote, the WaPo even suggests that this could affect the competitive House races going on in the state:

"Haggard is a very important political figure in Colorado, and there are tight races there as well as ballot questions that could be affected," he said, citing in particular the embattled reelection efforts of Reps. Marilyn Musgrave and Tom Tancredo, both Republicans. "I think there's less of an implication for what evangelicals might do nationwide, because outside of Colorado he's not directly involved in voter turnout efforts and is seen as more of a religious leader than a political one."

Yep, this is just what the GOP needs: ANOTHER EMBARRASSING SCANDAL!!

Haggard-gate: Explosive New Evidence & Allegations

Was Ted Haggard asking for help in obtaining meth in a voicemail for gay escort Mike Jones? So did the two really have a relationship? Are we really surprised that a salacious scandal like this WOULDN'T be a major story on GMA?

Go ahead and watch the video for yourself.



Also, Denver's NBC affiliate interviewed a voice expert who confirmed that the person leaving Mike Jones a voicemail is the same individual (Ted Haggard) who spoke with the TV station Wednesday night. Here's the video.

BREAKING: Haggard Resigns as Evangelical Leader

This just in from Denver's NBC affiliate:

TED HAGGARD RESIGNS AS PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS...
And he is now on leave from his own New Life Church.

From the Denver Post:

Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals and founder and leader of the Colorado Springs-based New Life Church, stepped down Thursday following allegations that he has had a three-year homosexual affair with a male prostitute.

Mike Jones, a self-professed male escort, talked publicly of the affair Wednesday morning on KHOW radio. Haggard denied the affair Wednesday night to KUSA Channel 9News.

But today, Haggard stated he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations made on Denver talk radio..."

After consulting with his spiritual counsel and the church's board of overseers, Haggard said, "I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity. I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date."

What great, "godly" leadership the fundie movement has...
I wonder what Haggard's friends Jim Dobson, Marilyn Musgrave, and George W. Bush think about this!

Fundie Watch: Is Ted Haggard Gay?

Here's the scoop (which I first noticed at AmericaBlog):

Pastor Ted Haggard of Colorado Springs, President of the National Association of Evangelicals (and rabidly homophobic), is being accused of having an affair with a Denver gay escort. This could be a big blow to the fundies' effort to get Colorado to pass a Constitutional Amendement banning same-sex marriage... I mean, one of their own leaders has been caught with his pants down... AND IN A BED WITH ANOTHER MAN!

Apparently Mike Jones, the Denver gay man who used to be an escort, is now claiming to have had a three-year relationship with Haggard... And he claims to have proof:

Jones also said during his appearance with Boyles that he was paid money by Haggard, who made frequent trips to Denver for sexual liaisons, that he has recorded voicemails and a letter from Haggard, and that he had also witnessed Haggard use methamphetamine.

How nice. Here's yet another hypocritical radical-right wingnut who preaches one thing... And does another!

I'll keep you updated on this new doozie.

AZ Senate: Can Jim Pederson Pull Off An Upset?

According to the DSCC, YES HE CAN!



(Perhaps all the bad news from Iraq is finally catching up with Kyl... After all, he has agreed with Bush that we need to "stay the course" of failure.)

In fact, the Democrats are so awestruck by early voting patterns that they're buying up all the available ad time they can find in Arizona! This is an amazing late development in the Arizona Senate Race... Just when all of us expected Jon Kyl to coast to an easy reelection, Pederson enjoys a late bouce in the polls...
And LEADS IN EARLY VOTING!

Arizona could very well end up being the "Wild Card" race next Tuesday if Pederson does well enough that we start talking about an upset.

If you have family and/or friends in Arizona, direct them to Jim Pederson's website so they can figure out how they can help him defeat Rubber-stamp Republican Kyl.

OC Sheriff: Carona Demotes Hunt While No One Else Is Looking

From today's LA Times:

The lieutenant who took on Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona in this year's heated primary election should be demoted for statements he made during the campaign and other allegedly unprofessional conduct, according to a letter he received Tuesday.

Lt. Bill Hunt, who has been suspended from his job as the sheriff's chief of police services in San Clemente for more than four months, was summoned to department headquarters to pick up the Notice of Proposed Discipline.

So Mike Carona is trying to dump Lt. Bill Hunt just at the time when all of us are focusing on the election...
And he thinks he can get away with this bullshit?
HELL, NO!

First, Mikey Boy recruits Hunt to run in his place because he thinks he's on his way to higher office...
Then, as scandals begin to be revealed at the Sheriff's Department, Carona decides to stay and run for another term as OC Sheriff afterall.

Next, Carona engages in a bloddy battle for reelection. He tells Republicans that he's a loyal Republican, and gets his friend Mike Schroeder to twist the arm of the OC GOP Central Committee into endorsing him. However at the same time, Carona cozies up to certain prominent Democrats, pulling out some surprising endorsements. Given all the talk by both parties about ethics, how could various leaders in both parties endorse the most corrupt Sheriff in Orange County history?

However, Carona still has the problem of the OC Weekly investigations into the Sheriff's office, revealing some of the most disgusting illegal acts this County has ever seen... Well, at least until the Tan Nguyen scandal!

But anyways, Mike Carona barely squeaked by to reelection this past June... And the first thing he did after winning was putting Lt. Hunt on administrative leave. This was clearly an act of petty political retribution... Mikey Boy felt threatened when Hunt seemed to pose a serious threat to his reelection bid... Carona came extremely close to being forced into a November runoff with Hunt, a runoff he could have very well lost as the bad news has kept flowing out of the Sheriff's Department.

Now I know that a few brave souls are not about to let Carona get away with these high crimes and misdemeanors...
Here's for hoping that they succeed in holding Carona accountable for this disgustingly slimy act!

Rush Limbaugh: American Psycho

Here's a hilarious new send-up to everyone's favorite right-wing hypocrite!



And he totally deserves it after slandering Michael J. Fox on his radio show:



What a dumbass! I hope he never has to experience the pain and frustration that is Parkinson's Disease.

CA-50: Guess Who's Being Dumped by the NRCC?

Wow! It's funny how one poll can cause everyone to rethink an entire Congressional race. Notice how the anchor on San Diego station KUSI is calling the 50th a close race, just before he lets the candidates' debate begin:



Isn't it funny how Bilbray can't even get Francine's name right?!

But anyways, it seemed like the NRCC became worried about the 50th once again...
And they began spending their money in North SD County once again. However, notice who's missing in the latest NRCC list of "final push" candidates.

Now Bilbray's never had a strength for fundraising... In fact, the NRCC had to spend over $5 million just to salvage him from a strong Democratic upsurge. So why isn't the NRCC throwing additional last-minute money into the 50th? Perhaps, the national GOP is really afraid that Bilbray won't be able to weather this latest scandal over the GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION INTO BILBRAY'S MULTIPLE RESIDENCES?

Francine Busby now has a great ad on this. Poor North San Diego County... They already have been rocked by so much scandal!



And now, Brian Bilbray just won't stop the scandaliciousness! (Also, check out this )

So here begins another round of intrigue as to how close the vote in the 50th will be... And who will emerge as the final victor?

If you want to help knock off this corrupt GOPer in San Diego County, go to Francine Busby's website to see how you can help.

Anaheim Update: Lorri Galloway WILL NOT Be Welcoming Dalati into the Democratic Party Tomorrow

This just in from the DPOC:

Lorri Galloway WILL NOT be attending tomorrow's press event with our newest Democratic Candidate for Anaheim City Council, Bill Dalati.

Thank goodness! Even while as a registered Republican, Dalati's been more of a loyal Democrat than Galloway!

Anaheim: What is DINO Lorri Galloway Doing Accepting Dalati into the Democratic Party?

This just in...
Bill Dalati, the Muslim American who was deemed an "extremist" by his own Republican Party, will now reregister as a Democrat...
And DINO Lorri Galloway, the Anaheim Councilmember who turned her back on the Democratic Party to endorse REPUBLICAN Lynn Daucher, will be going with him tomorrow??!!

Here's the official DPOC statement below:

BILL DALATI, TARGET OF REPUBLICAN RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE AND ANAHEIM CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE, TO RE-REGISTER AS DEMOCRAT

County Democratic Chair Frank Barbaro and Anaheim City Councilmembers Richard Chavez and Lori Galloway to Welcome Dalati to Democratic Party

WHO:

Bill Dalati, Candidate for Anaheim City Council
Frank Barbaro, Chair, Democratic Party of Orange County
Richard Chavez, Councilmember, City of Anaheim
Lori Galloway, Councilmember, City of Anaheim
Other community and religious leaders

WHAT:
In reaction to religious intolerance exhibited by the Republican Party, Dalati will be turning in a new registration form and becoming a Democrat this Wednesday morning.

WHEN:
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.

WHERE:
Orange County Registrar of Voters, front steps
1300 Building C
South Grand Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92705

BACKGROUND:
In September of this year, former State Republican Party Chair Shawn Steel made national news by characterizing Republican candidate for Anaheim City Council Bill Dalati as an Islamic extremist because he is an Arab of Syrian birth and a Muslim. As Democrats in Orange County, we are proud to welcome Bill Dalati to our Party.

What's wrong with this picture? Well, Dalati had to endure the worst of the bigotry of the GOP machine. He was shamelessly depicted as a "terrorist sympathizer". GOP leaders, such as Shawn Steel, tried to distract attention away from local Anaheim issues in order to scare Anaheim voters with "Muslim extremism", not unlike GOP attempts to nationalize local elections in Costa Mesa, Orange, and Escondido over immigration. Basically, the GOP tried to make a big issue over Dalati's faith and ehtnic heritage, but in the end this sleazy attempt backfired in their faces.

But where was Lorri Galloway while the GOP was demonizing Bill Dalati over his Muslim faith? Oh, that's right... She was busy UNDERMINING DEMOCRAT LOU CORREA'S CAMPAIGN for State Senate by overtly aiding REPUBLICAN LYNN DAUCHER. She helped the Daucher Campaign spread the outrageous charge that Lou Correa doesn't care about kids. She mischaracterized Lynn Daucher's voting record in the Assembly as one that supported working families, when in reality Lynn Daucher has voted consistently AGAINST WORKING FAMILIES while in Sacramento. Basically, Lorri Galloway has been working hard over the last couple of months to undermine Democratic efforts to hold onto our State Senate seat in Central Orange County... And now SHE wants to welcome Bill Dalati into the Democratic Party??!!

OH, PUH-LEEESE! I'll be more than happy to accept Bill Dalati into our Democratic Party. He's proved his commitment to working families in Anaheim...
But Lorri Galloway? Perhaps she can join Carlos Bustamante, Barbara Quintana, and others in forming the Orange County chapter of the CONNECTICUT FOR LIEBERMAN PARTY!

SD 34 Update: Republicans for Lou? Or Otto Bade?

First off, the Lou Correa campaign recently sent registered Republicans a letter signed by several prominent GOPers in Central County...
Including Dave Shawver, a Stanton City Councilmember who ran against John Moorlach for the OC Supervisor seat being vacated by Jim Silva.

Here's an excerpt from the letter, courtesy of Mike Lawson at The Liberal OC:

Although we’re all registered Republicans, none of us are voting for “Republican” Lynn Daucher for State Senate.

Lynn Daucher isn’t even from our area. She just moved here from up North and rented a place so she could run for office.

And, frankly, she’s not like us at all.

Hmmm... So the residency issue is coming back to haunt Lynn, after all!
Also, this mailing includes a letter that Lynn sent to the Legislature while she was Mayor of Brea, asking them to keep the VEHICLE LICENSE FEE...
You know, the "Evil Car Tax" that Ahhnuld the Governator would later run against.

Yes, so this is Lou's response to the "Democrats for Daucher" mailer that Lynn's campaign recently mailed to me... Hmmm, interesting...

BUT NOT NEARLY AS INTERSTING AS OTTO BADE'S ENTRY INTO THIS RACE!!

Yes, failed GOP Assembly Candidate Otto Bade is back! After he tried to pull an upset against the very well-funded Tom Umberg in 2004, he is now acting as a Wild Card by qualifying as an Official Write-in Candidate in the highly competitive SD 34 race. Apparently, Bade thinks that the 34th should be represented by a Latino. Also, there are rumors that he's teamed up with the Republican who ran against Lynn Daucher in the open primary in the 72nd AD in 2000.

And now to make this new development even more interesting, the Independent Expenditure group "Californians United" is sending out mailers to Republicans in the 34th Senate District, asking them to support "true conservative" Otto Bade instead of "liberal Republican" Lynn Daucher. Though Otto Bade has no real chance at winning, apparently his campaign is being used by a few Sacramento Democrats to spoil Lynn's chances at winning next week.

Whew! This race has been one wild ride all year...
And now Otto Bade, "Democrats for Daucher", and "Republicans for Correa" seem to be adding more intrigue (and a bit of confusion) into one of the top competitive races in California.

CA-47: Happy Halloween from Tan Nguyen!

Here's another bizarre Tan Nguyen event for you! With opponents like Tan, Loretta Sanchez doesn't need to do much to win! Believe it or not, Tan Nguyen will not give up his disgraced campaign for Congress! Here is the video from his truly strange weekend rally... I guess there are still some misguided folks (and some outright racists) who are willing to "stand by their Tan".

Some folks just have no sense of decency...
Is this the mysterious female staffer?
Is this Tan's desperate cry for attention?
Is this Tan's attempt to win over the "dirty, horny man" vote?

Photos from Florice Hoffman/PDA Rally

Top: Peace Protesters arrive at the Orange Circle.

Middle: Florice Hoffman (center-right) speaks to the crowd about the importance of real moral values, such as ending the war and solving our healthcare crisis.

Bottom: National PDA leader (and Orange County native) Tim Carpenter speaks to us about the importance of electing progressive Democrats to Congress.

More from the Steve Young/PDA Rally

National PDA (Progressive Democrats of America) Board Member Mimi Kennedy speaks about the basic American "dharma" of voting.

Photos from Steve Young/PDA Rally

Top: Actor and activist Ed Asner speaks of the imporatnce of young people voting.

Bottom: PDA Orange County Director Dr. Bill Honigman addresses the crowd at UCI.

So Who's the REAL Nancy Pelosi?

Today, THREE newspapers have THREE interesting profiles of ONE WOMAN who could very well be the next Speaker of the House:

NANCY PELOSI (D-San Francisco)

According to The New York Times, Rep. Pelosi is a fairly frigid, usually scripted, "liberal elitist".

According to the Los Angeles Times, Pelosi is a "mainstream liberal" who angers many of her San Francisco constituents by not being progressive enough.

According to The Guardian of London, she is a tough-minded party leader who has brought discipline back to the House Democrats.

Of all the three, The Guardian's story cast the most favorable light on Pelosi... And certainly The New York Times piece cast her in an unfavorable light...
In fact, we were complaining about the (NY) Times story on Daily Kos this morning.

Check out the articles for yourself, and let me know what YOU THINK about Pelosi, her leadership of the House Democrats, and whether or not you think the media's treating her unfairly.

CA-50: San Diego U-T Story on New Bilbray Scandal

Click here for their take on the SD Grand Jury's investigation into Bilbray's lies about his multiple "primary residences".

"One of Rep. Brian Bilbray's neighbors yesterday said he recently told the county grand jury that he never saw the congressman at his Carlsbad house at the time Bilbray claimed to live there."

... And the article goes on to quote this neighbor...

“I passed by the house maybe six times a day,” said 61-year-old former Marine (and real Carlsbad resident!) William Rider at a San Diego news conference. “I just feel that if he had lived there, I would have seen him and his family.”

So I guess I was right... Rider told the same thing to the Grand Jury as other neighbors told the San Diego ABC affiliate back in May:

BILBRAY DOESN'T ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE 50TH DISTRICT!

CA-50: NC Times Confirms That Bilbray Is Being Investigated by Grand Jury

(Cross-posted at MyDD)

The North County Times is now confirming what the Busby campaign and the blogger have known for a couple of weeks now...

"A neighbor of Republican 50th District Rep. Brian Bilbray said Thursday that he was subpoenaed to testify before a San Diego County grand jury in August and spent about an hour and a half answering questions about whether Bilbray lived in his Carlsbad neighborhood."
Hmmm... I wonder if the "neighbor" who testified to the Grand Jury said the same thing about Bilbray "living in Carlsbad" as his other Carlsbad "neighbors" back in May.

What can I say?

This is yet another example of a horribly corrupt GOP politician who thinks he can get away with anything because he lives in a safe district. This is another slimy GOPer who has been lying to his constituents about his loyalty to the district. This is another Republican who has accepted many thousands of dollars from oil companies, which is why he voted for offshore oil drilling. This is one corrupt individual who will even go so low as to lie about where he lives.

This, everyone, is Brian Bilbray.

Bilbray v. Busby on the Issues That Matter to 50th District Voters

Truthout Report on Bilbray's Apparent Perjury

CA-50: Remember That Other Close Race?

I know I've been talking a whole lot about Tan-gate recently...
Well, this has been THE BIGGEST STORY in Orange County for the last week and a half!
Also, this has affected the race in my SD 34, one of the closest races in Southern California.

But now, I must talk about that OTHER close race in Southern California:
CA-50- Busby v. Bilbray

Yes, that one! The one that had both parties spend millions on negative ads. The one that involved unsafe Diebold machines that were allowed to be in private homes for "sleepovers".
The one that probably changed the entire course of my life.

Unfortunately, Bilbray won (fairly?) in June...
And what's even more unfortunate is that he's been just as bad for the 50th District as his predecessor, Randy "Duke" Cunningham. (I'll have more on that soon)...
However, we must remember that...

Yes, there is still a hot race there... SurveyUSA confirmed that.
Busby is once again within the margin of error, and I know that if we encourage folks to vote this time instead of turn them off with stupid negative ads, we can win.

If you live in the San Diego area, please volunteer for Francine Busby. If you don't, give money or volunteer some other way. Go to the website to find out more.

You can see their new TV ad here.

OC GOP Registration Scandal: Were there arrests?

I just got an email from the OC Democrats...
Apparently, DPOC Chairman Frank Barbaro learned from OC District Attorney Rackauckas that there were between nine and twelve arrests relating to the OC GOP illegally switching about 500 registered Democrats and Decline-to-State (Independent) voters to Republicans early this year.

From the email release:

Today, Orange County Democratic Chairman, Frank Barbaro, commended Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas for making several arrests relating to the more than 500 verified complaints of voter registration fraud filed in the last seven months by the Democratic Party. These arrests come after hundreds of Orange County registered voters, without their consent, had their party affiliations illegally changed from Democrat to Republican in a voter registration drive sponsored by the Republican Party (see the original story here).

“We are hopeful that these arrests, as well as the recent response by local Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh to the Tan Nguyen scandal, are indicative of a new effort by local Republican Party leaders to protect the rights of all Orange County voters,” Barbaro said.

“The basic problem is that for years, certainly going back to the posting of uniformed guards at polling places to discourage Hispanic voters in 1988, the Republican Party has perpetuated a permissive political culture in which political candidates and their operatives think that they can act to suppress the democratic process without fear of repercussion. The unscrupulous letter of Republican congressional candidate Tan Nguyen did not happen in a vacuum. I have no doubt that the unfortunate history of Republican campaigns, including the voter registration fraud just now being addressed by the District Attorney, provided a context for his actions.”

“Hopefully, these arrests are a good first step towards discouraging those who would wish to suppress the democratic process, and we are hopeful that more preemptive action will be taken in the future. Specifically, we support the efforts of Supervisor Lou Correa to bring together law enforcement leaders in an Orange County Election Task Force that will monitor and quickly respond to all efforts to undermine a full and fair voting process.”

Frank Barbaro
Democratic Party of Orange County

Also, Peggy Lowe at the OC Register is reporting on Total Buzz that the DA was hoping to have a big press conference on Monday to formally announce this with SoS McPherson, but I guess it's a little late for that now (as long as this proves to be true).

Tan-gate Update: SoS Letter Now Being Mailed

The Secretary of State's letter to the 14,000+ Tan-gate victims is now out.

See the letter here.

OK, back to the NJ Ruling: Is It a Victory or a Defeat?

I saw the headline on 365gay.com, "N.J. Court Rejects Gay Marriage":

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/10/102506jerseyNo.htm

Now while that may be technically accurate to an extent, let's not forget the content of today's ruling: New Jersey's highest court just decided that under the Equal Protection Clause of the state's counstitution, the state must provide the EXACT SAME RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND BENEFITS TO SAME-SEX COUPLES as it does to opposite-sex couples. Now while this ruling does not have a six-month deadline for the state to begin marrying gay and lesbian couples like the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling almost three years ago, this does require that the legislature either expand marriage to same-sex couples or rewrite the domestic partnership law to extend ALL THE SAME BENEFITS of hetero marriage to same-sex unions... And the legislature must do either within 180 days.

Although I'd prefered that the NJ Supremes just call it marriage, I am still happy that they are declaring that gay and lesbian unions must be equal to heterosexual unions. I'll call it a victory.

SD 34 ALERT: Watch out for this in your mailbox!

Here's the text of the letter:

Dear Fellow Democrat,

We are loyal Democrats who usually vote the party line, but Lynn Daucher has done so much for working families that she has earned our support.

Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher is a former school teacher who built bipartisan support to bring more dollars into Orange County schools.

She's a cancer survivor who was the only Republican who voted for a landmark law that will reduce the cost of prescription drugs by 40-60% for 5 million Californians.

She worked to put her husband through law school and knows what it is like to make ends meet. That's why she bucked party leaders to help enact an increase in the minimum wage.

And its [sic] why Lynn has worked to reduce the cost of housing so that people wanting a starter home and senior citizens wanting a home to retire in can find an affordable place to buy and call home.

Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher will never forget her working class roots.

That's why she works hard for working people and is our choice for State Senate.

Sincerely,

Lorri Galloway
Anaheim City Councilmember

Barbara Quintana
Magnolia School District Trustee

Mary Fuhrman
Buena Park Elementary
School District Trustee

Barbara Michel
Buena Park Elementary
School District Trustee

AND NOW FOR THE FACTS:

Yes, Lynn voted for Arnold's precription drug bill.

Yes, Lynn voted for Arnold's minimum wage bill.

However...

Lynn Daucher voted AGAINST requiring large employers (10,000+ employees) to spend between six percent and eight percent of its total wages, as specified, on employee health insurance costs, or pay a specified amount to the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) for deposit into the California Fair Share Health Care Fund. (SB 1414- 08/30/06)

Lynn Daucher voted AGAINST requiring the Department of Social Services (DSS) to establish categorical eligibility for food stamp benefits for Medi-Cal recipients who are eligible for services funded by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. This bill would have improved access to food stamps and school meals through the "categorical eligibility" mechanism. (AB 2205- 05/31/06)

Lynn Daucher voted AGAINST the landmark Global Warming Bill. This first-in-the-nation bill will take the next step needed to coordinate emission reductions of greenhouse gases and climate change activity in California. AB 32 will establish a program to log current greenhouse gas emissions in our state and set a limit/cap on those who are contributing emissions, in order to begin to reduce these emissions that are a major contributor to global warming down to 1990 levels by the year 2020. (AB 32- 08/31/06)

In 2005, Lynn Daucher got a 7% rating from the CA AFL-CIO. She only voted 7% of the time for interests of working class Californians.

In 2005, Lynn Daucher got a 44% rating from the California Association of Retired Americans. She voted less than half the time for interests of senior citizens.

In 2005, Lynn Daucher got a 20% rating from the California Sierra Club. She voted four out of five times against protecting our natural resources.

However in 2005, Lynn Daucher got a 72% rating from the California Republican Assembly. She voted about seven out of ten times with the radical right wing interests.

Should we Democrats REALLY trust Lynn Daucher to represent our interests in Sacramento? Let your friends know about this very misleading mailer.

New Jersey Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Marriage Equality (for the most part)

http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/opinions/supreme/a-68-05.pdf

Finally, some good news on our battle for equal rights.

However, don't expect same-sex nuptials in the Garden State tomorrow. The NJ Supremes are giving the state legislature 180 days to either change the state marriage laws to allow same-sex marriages, or alter the current domestic partnership laws to allow gay and lesbian couples ALL THE SAME BENEFITS as heterosexual married couples...
Basically whaever name they end up calling it, it's nonetheless marriage equality. Scott in NJ has more analysis on this developing story on Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/25/151343/19

Also, The New York Times just posted a story on this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/nyregion/26marriagecnd.html?hp&ex=1161835200&en=51e657f351dfce95&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Check back here for further updates.

More Voices from the OC Supervisors' Meeting Today

Darrell Nolta, of Westminster (and always at the OC Supes' Meeting), called Tan Nguyen's treatment by the press and the elected officials a "kangaroo trial", and urged the Supes NOT to allow the Registrar to do anything regarding the "Immigrants can't vote" letter because "there is no business in which the Orange County Registrar of Voters engages in political activity."

Well, Mr. Nolta, we're not talking about "political activity"... We're talking about the Registrar doing its legal duty to assure LEGAL VOTERS that THEY CAN VOTE!

Mark Rosen, Mayor Pro-tem of Garden Grove, urged that the County needs to "take action to undo the problem" because "Tan Nguyen has polluted the [political] process."

Nicely put, Mr. Rosen.

Richard Chavez, Mayor Pro-tem of Anaheim, exclaimed that "we have a responsibility to protect our community" when he stressed the need for the County Registrar to do its duty to rectify this confusion among voters caused by Tan-gate... He later said, "There are people who could vote today, and are not because they are confused."

This is precisely what I'm concered about: Some of those 14,000+ voters may still be afraid to vote.

Nick Berardino, head of the Orange County Employees Association, urged the County Supes to allow the Registrar to send out a letter to the 14,000+ targeted voters in order to show that "we care," and that "we recognize that they have ben subjected to an unthinkable act... An attempt to disenfranchise people from the American way of life." He also offered that the OCEA reimburse the County for sending this letter.

OC Supervisor and SD 34 Candidate Lou Correa (D)

"Great idea. We'll work on that."

This was Lou's response to Lynn Daucher's offer that they both reimburse the OC Registrar of Voters for sending out the letter.

Now, Lou made a good proposal today to his fellow Supervisors on how to deal with this crisis:

He made a substitute motion [to his original planned motion to ask the Registrar to send out a correction letter] to set up a tak force headed by District Attorney Tony Rauckackas to investigate ALL EFFORTS of voter intimidation in Orange County, and that plain-clothed sheriffs monitor various random polling places and contact the task force if they spot any voter intimidation efforts. Though the other supervisors seemed willing to sign on to this, they ended up killing this proposal softly by doing nothing to put this into motion soon.

When the board was about to agrere to the toothless resolution and do nothing else, Lou said that "we need to be preemptive on voter intimidation. We need to be proactive, and create a task force."

Though Lou urged his colleagues to act on this TODAY, his fellow supervisors simply said that they "like the idea", but postponed this to the next week's meeting.

72nd District Assemblymember and SD 34 Candidate Lynn Daucher (R)

" I think the Registrar should send the letter."

When she explained what warranted the need for the county to send out a letter to the targeted voters, she simply stated, "I believe that the Tan Nguyen letter is enough warrant to send out the letter."

On the 14,000 targeted NATURALIZED CITIZENS who were targeted by the letter:

"Those immigrants who became citizens should be encouraged to vote, not intimidated."

Oh, and the kicker:

" I offer to pay half the funds of the letter if Lou pays the other half..."

That is, Lynn offered to pay half of the reimbursement of the OC Registrar for sending out the letter to the 14,000 voters if Lou and his campaign agreed to pay the other half...

This Is the Board of Supervisors' Proposed Solution to Tan-gate

Basically, they're doing nothing.

Even Lynn Daucher, the Republican running against Correa, offered to split the expense with Correa's campaign in reimbursing the OC Registrar of Voters for mailing a letter to the over 14,000 targeted LEGAL VOTERS, reassuring them that they HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE in this election.

Even Patrick Kelly of the OC Teamsters offered that the Teamsters could chip in toward reimbursing the County for this letter.

Even Supervisor Bill Campbell seemed to agree to this proposal that the two SD 34 campaigns (and possibly the Teamsters as well) reimburse the County for mailing this letter to the targeted voters...
It looked like there could have been a "win-win" situation...
But Supervisors Norby and Wilson objected to any county involvement in this matter oter than the meaningless resolution...
Silva remained silent...
In the end, this compromise proposal was killed.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters, the agency which should be involved in correcting this disgustingly messy situation, will be resrained from doing anything regarding this case.

What a travesty.

And just when I was about to move to other matters...

I must now "go with Tan" again!

The LA Times is now reporting that Tan personally bought the list of 14,000+ registered Latino Democrats originally born outside the US (BUT NEVERTHELESS LEGAL CITIZENS!!) from Burbank-based Political Data Inc. to be targeted with the infamous "Immigrants can't vote" letter.

More on this link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-letter24oct24,0,4709363.story?coll=la-home-headlines

After the Debate...

Top: Military families yell, "Dana cut and run!", when they found out that Rohrabacher left the debate early.
Middle Two: Signs used by the military families during their protest
Bottom: Here are the amazing folks from Military Families Speak Out-Orange County. They are truly courageous folks... No wonder why Chickenhawk Rohrabacher is afraid to meet them!

More from the Rohrabacher-Brandt Debate

46th Congressional Democratic Candidate Jim Brandt (right) talks with a voter after the debate.


Question #4 : Homeland Security and the LA/Long Beach Port

Rohrabacher- According to Dana, “What we do overseas has a tremendous impact on the security of the ports.” He said that we need to keep terrorists outside the US, and that “my office has been proactive” by being supportive of the Iraq War. He said that his office is trying to make sure money is spent wisely, and that they're trying not to miss things regarding port security. However, he went back to the point that we need to “make sure that no one that hates our way of life.. Radical Islam hates our way of life… They will hurt us.”

Brandt- Jim stressed that “we need to focus here… Let’s put the money forward to protect attacks here.” He proposed fully funding security efforts at the LA/Long Beach Port, including first responders, the Coast Guard, and actual cargo inspections. Jim also discussed how both he and Dana agreed on a container fee for foreign cargo ships, but he mocked how Dana hasn't even tried to win support in his own party for this.

Question #5: Iraq

Brandt- Now according to Jim, “We’ve had terror since the beginning of time… We could have declared war on al-Qaeda, and we would have finished the job in Afghanistan.” However, Bush diverted our attention from the real threat in Afghanistan to go into Iraq, supposedly to rid the nation of dangerous weapons of mass destruction... However, none of those weapons were ever found! Also to make things worse, Jim added, Iraq has descended into civil war.Now Jim added his own solution to the Iraq quagmire: Start redeployment as soon as it’s safe, send soem of the troops to Kuwait and others toAfghanistan to finish the job over there. and develop a plan for oil revenue distribution among the various factions in Iraq.

Rohrabacher- Dana said tonight that “I understand why people would honestly disagree”, and added that “it might not have been the right decision at that time”. However, he also added that “we have to be careful as to how we leave” because it will "embolden our enemies if withdrawal is seen as weak." Dana the added, “Radical Islam has declared war on us... We must have an alliance with moderate Muslims, and if we leave them now, they will never trust us again.” Free elections and a constitution were “major steps forward”, and we need to remember that “there’s evil in this world… that’s not all history.”

Oh, and I have to add this! One of the questions from the audience after the main program was regarding global warming... And Dana Rohrabacher once again denied human involvement in global warming… But he then added that “I am very concerned about pollution… I want my kids to have clean air, and clean water, and clean soil… We don’t need money for studies [on climate change].”

Brandt-Rohrabacher Debate Continued

Question #2: Immigration

Rohrabacher- He claimed that the biggest problem we are facing today are the 20 million (this is his claim) "illegal immigrants" in the US. He said that we need to make sure that “we don’t provide jobs”, and added that “we should not provide social security to illegal immigrants” (I never knew we did). Dana also claimed that these immigrants are sucking up our "limited money for healthcare and education". Ultimtely, Dana said that “we need a commitment to end all benefits”, and hold employers and immigrants accountable.

Brandt- Now according to Jim, a major problem that we are facing is that baby boomers leaving the workforce, and in turn we don’t have enough workers to fill many positions. As he put it, “I try to see it as a business issue." Also, he cited national security concerns, and that these 12-13 million workers need background checks. Of course, he also cited economic concerns, especially that employers paying below prevailing wage. Basically, his solution to the immigration issue is to hire 120,000 federal prosecutors to go after immigrants with overstayed visas, as well as go after employers who are not following federal employment law. As Jim put it, “We don’t have enough people to do the work… If we had the employers paying the prevailing wage, and the prosecutors to hold them accountable, we wouldn’t have this tax problem.”

Question #3: Healthcare

Brandt- He stated that in his corporate work, numerous clients “can’t compete with Canada and Europe because of healthcare… Those countries have universal healthcare.” He also spoke about the painful reality of families that are "one accident away from financial disaster." Basically, Jim proposed a single-payer universal healthcare system for catastrophic injuries, but everything else can be a choice for private plans.

Rohrabacher- He blamed healthcare problems on immigration. He claimed that the "illegal immigrants eat up those limited health dollars”, and he also blamed "frivilous" malpractice suits and big government. Dana also mentioned that he's been working on healthcare by joining with other Republicans in support of health savings accounts... And he broke with his party to support medical marijuana.