Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap... California

Progressive woman, Katie Porter, vs Dave Min, backed by the corrupt reactionay New Dems

Do you want to hear something funny? Last week I was talking with someone about Dave Min, a truly reprehensible New Dem, trying to claw his way into Congress by telling everyone he meets whatever he thinks they want to hear. He actually managed to use some really gross tactics to win the California Democratic Party endorsement just over a week ago. My DCCC contact told me the DCCC should back him now out of respect for the California Democratic Party. Min won their endorsement, which was disputed by all the other candidates, by 1 vote. On the same day, Emilio Huerta won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party in a massive landslide. That triggered an avalanche of DCCC activity to pressure Huerta out of the race for a ghost candidate. Among the congressmembers who landed on Huerta-- or chatted with him respectfully-- were Zoe Lofgren, Jim Costa, Pete Aguilar and DCCC regional vice chair Ted Lieu.

Min was also able to use that "respect for California" argument to block progressive Katie Porter from being endorsed by the Congressional "Progressive" Caucus. So what about these reprehensible tactics Min has been using. If you're following the race, you know Min and his backers-- including Rep. Mark Takano-- used intimidation against signature gatherers at the Democratic state convention. Republican Mimi Walters has already started advertising Min's vile behavior towards progressive Democrats at the convention She sent out this video of Min in action in an e-mail which also used these tweets (among others):







But that's out there already and it isn't what I want to discuss today. This I believe hasn't been reported previously. Although when he was caught Min has been trying to worm out of this by claiming it was done by an unaffiliated supporter of his, I know from first hand experience with him that this has his stink all over it. He had one of his staffers call Katie Porter's Asian law students to see if they had been discriminated against. And now there are rumors that the dean of the law school got win of it and flipped out and demanded Min apologize. I haven't been able to get my hands on whatever apology he sent to the students but this is the bullshit he sent to the convention delegates:

So how do I know this isn't just campaign gossip? Min is an asshole. As soon as he noticed I was writing about him being a New Dem-- long before I had ever called him an asshole-- he went whining to friends of mine in DC that I'm an anti-Asian racist. I got three calls about that in one day-- from Asian friends.

More DCCC skuttlebutt that I just heard, although this sounds like it is wishful thinking from another conservative candidate, gun-nut and death penalty fanatic Andrew Janz. The rumor he's spreading is that the DCCC is trying to get Ricardo Franco, the progressive running against Devin Nunes, to run against Valadao. Total bullshit. And the good California progressives running for Congress this cycle are easily found by clicking on the ActBlue congressional thermometer in the right. I asked Ricardo if he has anything of the rumors Janz and his allies are spreading. He hadn't. He did send me a statement though:

I was made aware of Emilio Huerta's resignation from his race this morning through various media outlets. I was saddened to see my friend Emilio would no longer be fighting for labor rights, income inequality or better healthcare as a candidate for congress, but am confident he will still find a way to serve the good people of his district in another fashion as he always has. He and his family always have been and will continue to be an inspiration for all of us working-class folks from the Central Valley.

I also want to clarify that I have not had any contact with any members of the DCCC regarding my campaign jumping ship from CD-22 over to CD-21. I have great respect for CD-21; our districts are incredibly similar. However, the communities in CD-22, specifically Fresno, Dinuba, Clovis and Visalia have played an important role in my family's history for the last 100 years. I buried my uncle last year in Dinuba and have already purchased my burial plot in Fresno. My god-children live in Clovis and my cousins are in Visalia. These are the faces I will remember when I am making tough decisions in Congress. Theirs, along with the faces of countless volunteers that have supported me over the last 9 months with their blood, sweat and tears remind me why we cannot give up nor get distracted by issues out of our control.

I did not enter this race to simply win. I got into it to improve lives. Until we have Medicare for all, clean air in our valley, affordable housing, water with which to live, repatriated deported veterans and provided affordable means of housing for all of our citizens I will not stop fighting. Hasta la victoria!

And now, despite the DCCC, some good news for 2018-- another poll. Voters are pissed off at Trump and his Regime and at the Republicans who enable him-- and they're looking towards 2018 as a way to remedy that. That's what a wave is and that's what we've been seeing in those tremendous red to blue swings in special elections in every part of the country. Republicans are happy enough... but normal Americans are out for blood. Sure Democrats are anti-Republican and that accounts for gigantic voter enthusiasm. But even more important is that independents have turned away from the GOP in staggering numbers. USA Today reported that "Seven in 10 Republicans say the country is headed in the right direction. But more than eight in 10 Democrats say it's off on the wrong track, and seven in 10 independents agree with them... If the election were held today, though, those surveyed say they are more likely to vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress than the Republican one by 47%-32%-- a yawning 15 percentage-point advantage. Democrats need to flip 24 seats now held by Republicans to gain control of the House of Representatives. Winning control of the Senate is more difficult in a year in which 26 Democratic seats and just eight Republican seats are on the ballot.

Sixty percent of those surveyed say they disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, his highest negative rating in the USA TODAY Poll since he was inaugurated last year. Thirty-nine percent "strongly" disapprove; just 16% "strongly" approve.

Ratings for the Republican-controlled Congress are even worse: 75% disapprove of the job its doing. Thirty-six percent "strongly" disapprove and just 5% "strongly" approve.

That intensity of feeling could affect efforts to convince voters to go to the polls. Turnout traditionally is lower in midterm elections than in presidential years.

...The Republican Party has a dismal rating: 27% had a favorable opinion of the GOP; 60% an unfavorable one. That's a net negative rating of 33 percentage points.

That's not to say voters have a rosy view of the Democratic Party. Its favorable-unfavorable rating was 37%-48%, a net negative of 11 points.

Attitudes toward the nation's two major parties are so dyspeptic that even a share of partisans who claim membership in them express a dim view. One in five Republicans and one in five Democrats say they have an unfavorable opinion of their own party. Among independents, half have an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party; two-thirds have a negative view of the GOP.