Pelosi For Life?

With no progressive likely to challenge Pelosi for House Democratic leader after the midterms-- what a tragedy!-- the Democrats are going to wind up with the most corrupt member of their caucus, Wall Street’s very own Joe Crowley, as leader/Speaker. This is just so contemptible that I almost want to join the annoying anonymous commenter who dominates the DWT comments sector and who refers to Democrats as “Democraps.” Even the members who are respect most-- like Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan seem resigned (at best) to go along with what they see as inevitable. Will a huge class of freshmen save us? Not when the DCCC is engineering the election of so many Blue Dogs and New Dems from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. Many members are telling themselves they have to get rid of Pelosi-- no matter what the alternative is. They're wrong. She should go. Crowley is MUCH MUCH MUCH worse, and with none of her many saving graces.

Meanwhile, back in CA-12 (San Francisco), Pelosi appears unassailable. There are 3 Democrats, an independent and 2 Republicans competing against Pelosi in the open primary. The district, whose PVI is D+37, isn’t going to elect a Republican. Could Stephen Jaffe, Ryan Khojasteh or Shahid Buttar give Pelosi a run for her money? So far this cycle (as of the FEC reporting deadline at least) Pelosi had spent $2,294,990 and had another $1,749,316 cash on hand to Jaffe’s $2,096, Khojasteh’s $9,409 and Buttar’s… well he hadn’t raised anything by December 31. But now he is raising. Early last August, we asked Stephen Jaffe to explain why he thought San Francisco voters were ready to jettison Pelosi. Today, we basically asked Buttar the same question. His guest post:


Shahid for Change: An Advocate for Your Rights
-by Shahid Buttar

San Francisco is America's most progressive city. We need a representative in Washington who will fight for the rights of all Americans-- and against the corporate elite and executive power. We need someone who will fight for single-payer health care, cutting military spending to pay for expanded social services, and shutting down the war on drugs and the prison-industrial-slavery complex.  We need to challenge the corrupt corporate establishment that puts profits before people.

Fifteen years ago, in my first year out of law school, I was speaking at a panel on art and activism, and met a young mayor from upstate New York who asked for legal help so that his constituents in same-sex relationships could get married. We didn't win, but that case made some of the first steps toward marriage equality for all.

Since then, I’ve continued to organize, write, litigate, and fight tirelessly for the rights of all of us. I’ve worked inside and outside the system to challenge CIA torture, NSA surveillance, wars of aggression, and attacks on immigrants. I’ve taken direct action with the movement for black lives, and published a guide to social justice events at Burning Man. At the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), I created and cultivated a national grassroots network among local communities advocating for digital rights.

Now, I hope to take the fight to Congress, as a representative in Washington who embodies San Francisco’s values unapologetically.

I respect Nancy Pelosi as a trailblazing woman who has broken through the glass ceiling and risen to the highest ranks of Congress. And on many issues, we agree. Like her, I am a stalwart defender of the right to access reproductive planning services. I also support worker rights measures like the Raise the Wage Act, and share her concerns about the environment.

But there are also many important issues where we disagree. Here are a few ways in which our campaign offers San Francisco voters an alternative to corporate control over federal policy:

• I support the historic “Medicare for All” proposal championed in the House by Keith Ellison to provide healthcare to all Americans. Healthcare is a human right, and leveraging government purchasing power could drive down costs, prevent a key driver of homelessness, and enhance the competitiveness of American businesses.

• Reducing military spending by closing U.S. military bases in foreign countries and ending funding for the failed and fraudulent F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program could free up over $1 trillion. Those funds could secure-- and expand-- vital social services like student debt relief, early childhood education, medical and psychological services for veterans, and funding for affordable housing to address the urban housing crisis around the country.

• The federal prohibition of cannabis fuels the racist war on drugs and a prison-industrial-slavery complex. Congress should legalize cannabis, follow San Francisco’s lead in applying legalization retroactively and expunging past convictions, and seeking opportunities through the cannabis industry to support the communities most impacted by the war on drugs.

• Privacy is a fundamental right, and is critical to freedom of expression, on which democracy relies. So I will sponsor legislation to require law enforcement and intelligence agencies (such as NSA, FBI, and DEA) to secure a judicial warrant before searching or collecting information from or about Americans. I’ll also champion longstanding proposals to prohibit agencies from undermining encryption standards or intercepting devices, and seek the kind of in-depth investigation that the agencies haven’t faced in 40 years.

By contrast, the incumbent supports increasing the military budget, favors corporate health care delivery, and has not supported federal legislation to legalize cannabis.

After being in the House for 30 years-- and in leadership for the last 16-- SF’s longstanding representative has become a pillar of the Washington establishment.  Over the last few months, she’s voted to give expanded domestic surveillance powers to the Trump administration, engineered a backroom deal to throw immigrants under the bus, voted for Internet censorship, and endorsed an incumbent Democrat in Illinois who opposed reproductive choice and LGBTQ+ rights, instead of a far more progressive challenger. It’s time for a change.

We've all gotten so accustomed to business as usual in DC that the idea of diverting funds from fraudulent corporate weapons contracts to pay for single-payer healthcare might seem like a flight of legislative fancy. But I’ve helped make the seemingly impossible real before, more than once.

We can do better together. Learn more about our campaign to gain real representation for America's most progressive city at www.ShahidForChange.us.