Can A Clueless Democratic Establishment Save Darrell Issa's Career Once Again?

TRUTH is a defense to libel and slander. Just last Friday, March 10th, Darrell Issa’s $10 million defamation lawsuit against progressive Marine Colonel Doug Applegate was dismissed. The judge held that Applegate’s TV commercials in question were in fact true. Even better, Issa’s own poll filed with the San Diego County Superior Court and conducted 30 days post-election had Applegate beating Issa by 8%. Things never looked better for San Diego/Orange County Democrats to finally defeat Issa in 2018. But I know what you’re thinking, "How are earth could they screw this up?"... Bring in the corporate, big money Democrats.

Backed by entrenched big money interests, a newcomer, Mike Levin from San Juan Capistrano, has announced that he will primary Applegate, sucking energy and resources out of the crucial battle against Issa. Make no mistake: Levin, with zero name recognition in San Diego, is running against Doug Applegate, the most successful Democrat to have ever gone up against Issa, a candidate the DCCC has never challenged even once in his career. Levin who’s claim to fame is that (1) he went to Stanford with Chelsea Clinton and (2) he bundled $500,000 for Hillary in Orange County. Levin somehow forgot to give a dime to defeat his own Republican congressman, Darrell Issa. Where was he in 2016 when Applegate had Issa on the run? Hosting cocktail parties for wealthy establishment donors who now think he'd make a better opponent for Issa based on... well, he's their friend.

Levin has tried to come on strong behind the scenes. He and surrogates launched a scheme to get the Colonel to drop out of the race. So far, they’ve picked the wrong Marine and the wrong Congressional district. CA-49 has 45,000 Marine Veteran households, something that Levin will never tap into, and hundreds of progressive activists charged up and ready to finish the job they worked so hard on in 2016, replacing one of Congress' least trustworthy Republicans with a progressive Democratic fighter.

Since January, Levin predicted a campaign calling Applegate an unethical attorney to ruin him and to force him to drop out of the 2018 Congressional race against Issa. Applegate however has no record of charges or discipline and is an attorney in California, Arizona, Texas, Virginia and Maryland. This was a smear charge that Issa tried out in 2016 with no effect. Levin has been whispering Issa's charges in Establishment Democratic circles to people who paid no attention to the race in 2016 and to whom they sound like new charges. They backfired on Issa and the identical smears will backfire on Levin.

Typical of an establishment hack, Levin hired "consultants" known to dwell in ugly gutter politics, and-- lo and behold!-- the same tired Issa’s political mailers with divorce allegations resurfaced. But that ship has sailed. Democratic and independent voters in CA-49 didn't fall for the crap in 2016 and they're not going to fall for it in 2017 or 2018. Dirty tricks by Issa or dirty tricks from the Democratic establishment puppet aren't going to force Applegate's eye off the prize. He's is one of congressional districts so badly represented by an incumbent that the DCCC insistence on making the 2018 race a referendum on Trump is just icing on the cake. Darrell Issa has earned defeat all by himself. And Doug Applegate has proven himself the Democrat who can give it to him. In 2016 the Issa-Applegate race was the very last congressional race called anywhere in the U.S. It was that close. Once again, this cycle Blue America was proud to make Doug Applegate it's first endorsed candidate of the cycle. Please consider contributing to his campaign by tapping on the ActBlue thermometer on the right.

FALSE Domestic Violence Allegations Against Applegate-- Democratic consultants during the 2016 race never allowed Applegate to respond directly to the accusations. But a quick check of the court file shows the case was swiftly dismissed by the first judge who heard evidence-- No violence ever alleged by ex-wife, No threats of violence ever alleged by ex-wife and firearms swiftly returned to the Colonel. It was a battle over child custody and visitation, nothing more. Republicans and Democrats making false social media posts/statements should be warned-- you will likely find yourself named in a lawsuit. Applegate, after all, has been a trial attorney for over 30 years. It looks like the gloves are off in the 49th.

With the corporate Democrats splitting votes and more importantly splitting money between two Democrats, a weakened Issa, losing in the recent polling to Applegate by 8%, just may find a way to escape the strongest challenge he ever faced. Issa is hoping he run against another Establishment corporate Democrat in Levin. Remember this: the hard work Doug Applegate and the progressive base he activated did in 2016, is the only reason Darrell Issa said this on CNN this morning:

"I'm not prepared to vote for it as it is right now... I think we can do better."

(It wasn't related to Levin's cocktail parties for Hillary in Orange County.)