A Big Unknown: How Will California's Central Valley Respond To An Unabashed Progressive Democrat Running For Congress

In 2018, the DCCC timidly and reluctantly got behind a tepid centrist, Andrew Janz, in the Central Valley race to unseat Trump enabler Devin Nunes. On the first day after his announcement, I spoke to Janz and he volunteered that the two issues that were motivating him to run were the death penalty-- he said it needs to be used more frequently-- and the Second Amendment-- he said it needed to be protected. Eventually he hired some skillful consultants and they got him to stop talking that way. But he was a confused communicator who never quite understood what would motivate voters to replace Nunes. That said, national anti-Nunes feelings brought in a whopping $9,086,681. No one was contributing to Janz; everyone was contributing against Nunes. In the end, Nunes nearly lost-- 117,243 (52.7%) to 105,136 (47.3%). A better candidate might have won. Nunes beat Janz in both Fresno and Tulare counties-- on the same day progressive warrior Kevin de Leon smashed conservative Democrat Dianne Feinstein 60.1% to 39.9% in Tulare County and 52.3% to 47.7% in Fresno County.

Fortunately, Janz isn't running this cycle. But, almost needless to say, the DCCC called him and asked him to pick someone to run in his stead. He came up with a failing candidate for Fresno city council, financial advisor Phil Arballo. A DCCC operative called Arballo and persuaded him to end his city council race and run for Congress instead. The two grassroots progressives already running, Bobby Bliatout and Dary Rezvani, are not the kinds of candidates the button-down, corporately-oriented DCCC embraces. Garbage in/garbage out.

The DCCC then contacted the most pathetic of the tools at Politico too do a puff piece on Arballo under the guess of Democrats line up for chance to take down Devin Nunes. The absurd Carla Marinucci mention of the crowded field from the headline in paragraph #20 of 20 paragraphs:

Already, the race against Nunes is getting crowded. Bobby Bliatout-- the third place Democratic candidate in 2016-- has announced he’s making a second run at the seat, and another Democrat, Dary Rezvani, has also filed.

We'll never know how much of the story was written by Jared Smith at the DCCC but one thing that's clear is that the story itself came straight from the DCCC, who claims-- as they always do-- that they're "neutral."

“Phil Arballo is our best chance to defeat Devin Nunes, hands down,’’ said Janz, in a statement to Politico. “I’m proud to support Phil and know that he’ll be the champion the Valley needs."

...Arballo told Politico in his first campaign interview Wednesday that he plans to stress how the Central Valley has been cheated by Nunes in its congressional representation. The GOP congressman, he said, has been more interested in pushing his national profile as a Fox News regular and defender of President Trump on issues like the Russia probe and impeachment than in addressing issues in his district with his own constituents.

Last October, Trump suggested that Nunes deserves the Medal of Freedom-- the nation's highest civilian honor-- for his controversial efforts to push back against the Russia investigation.

"I don’t believe impeachment is going to be a topic" that is top of mind to Democratic voters, said Arballo, an active member of the Fresno Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “What is going to matter here in the Valley is everyday things” that will affect local pocketbooks and livelihoods, he said. With GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy calling on Republicans to back the tariffs, "that’s going to be a hot topic" in the race ahead, as will health care issues and the concerns about the viability of the Affordable Care Act, he said.

Arballo, who is Mexican-American and the son of a single mother, says his personal background-- he was raised in Fresno and is a graduate of Fresno State, is married to a linguistics teacher, and is the father of two-- gives him a much closer understanding of the lives of Central Valley voters. Latinos outnumber white voters by 46-40 percent in the district, and could represent a key advantage in the next race if Democrats succeed in boosting their turnout, campaign insiders say.

"With the national turnout what it was last time around, we’re excited to see more Latinos and more people of color in the district. There’s a hunger out there from the base...and people will be knocking on doors and excited to engage in the race with Nunes and with [Duncan] Hunter," the embattled San Diego congressman who has also been named as a target by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said one Democratic Party insider who spoke not for publication.

Arballo acknowledges that, while many voters in the district are conservative and supported Trump, an increasing number are disenchanted "that [Nunes] is using them for a political game...he chooses to be in Washington," instead of returning back home to his district to hear their concerns.

Arballo criticized Nunes, who has limited his public appearances in recent years, saying. "Pete Buttigieg has done more town halls here than Devin has"-- a reference to the South Bend, Indiana, Democratic presidential candidate who held a town hall meeting last week in Fresno.

Apparently, neither the DCCC nor their pet "journalist at Politico has bothered to, but I reached out to Dary Rezvani to get a sense of what he's all about. (I talked with Bobby Bliatout in 2016) Rezvani was super-impressive and I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot more from him. But I asked him to introduce himself to DWT readers. One take-away, Dary Rezvani stands for something; he is no wishy-washy centrist who will focus-group test issues before taking a stand. I asked him how he can hope to win, when Janz, with all those millions of dollars last year, lost.


The Forgotten Vote
-by Dary Rezvani

From the Muslim community to the Latino community (especially the ‘Dreamers’); from women to Black Americans-- your party has abandoned you. They give us soundbites to instill the bare minimum amount of comfort that, time and again, ultimately ends in disappointment.

The real question in this congressional race is why the Central Valley hasn’t gone blue. The answer is we’ve never had a Democrat run a platform that resonates with the real constituents who make up this valley. What we have are Republicans who hide behind a parenthesized “D.”

I believe the party wants all Americans to feel and be treated equal in our society. But I do not believe they would fight tooth and nail for true equity if it meant risking a vote. Centrists will sink the world, both literally and figuratively. The time for swift action and accountability starts now.

Being a Democrat means you are in an endless cycle of constantly fighting for positive change. We desperately need government leaders calling the shots who will actually be around for the climate crisis and the impending disasters unforeseen in any of our time on earth. That way we’ll know their policies will have a direct impact on their lives just as much as they have on ours. Many of them stand behind platforms and exclaim we can’t afford an overhaul of the systems that have perpetuated this problem. But the fact of the matter is, we can't afford not to.

Why not immediately stop the creation of new plastic and require all companies to use recycled plastic? We have appeased corporations for my entire life (and longer) just so they could save on the bottom line. It’s time to pay up on those savings and reinvest in the Earth. We have 134 months to fix this man-made problem. I repeat: fix, not “start” fixing. Will a Centrist representative fight for you or will they just fight to get re-elected? They are going to sink this earth and the generations to come will be left with its uninhabitable remains.

This kind of behavior is an incredulous testament to the corruption of our political system the Democratic party has been able to get away with for so long. Some members are further along than others, but messages of systemic change are scary to them-- especially when it comes to the pocketbooks of corporations because it impacts donations at the national level. It isn't easy being a party of change for this very reason.

So what does this mean? It means the party sells its soul for the dollar bill. It receives and ultimately abandons messages that once meant something, just to win a seat. What can be said of an organization that would rather have a Republican masked behind a (D) than refuse to allow primary challengers a chance to inspire change? This does not sound like a democracy to me. We have a government for the people, by the people, with no exceptions. Congress isn't an opportunity, it is a call to duty.

Furthermore, Democrats seek the approval (or vote) of a broad, diverse and remarkable spectrum of people that make up America by talking at them during their campaign, but do nothing to fight for them once elected. Below are a list of conundrums the mainstream Democratic party is tasked with every election cycle.

How can they engage the Latinx community if they are not willing to say, we need to abolish ICE.

How can they speak to the hearts of our service members if they are not willing to say, Veterans should be honored and protected the same way they protect us overseas.

How can they reach the Boomer generation if they are not willing to say, we must fight to protect social security.

How can they bolster Millennials if they are not willing to say, student debt should be wiped clean and de-privatized.

How can they stand up for the Black community if they are not willing to say, Black lives matter.

How can they catch the attention of Generation Z if they are not willing to say, fix the climate crisis now or our children will have no place to live.

How can they protect the Muslim community if they are not willing to say, you are welcome no matter your religious practices.

How can they advocate for women’s rights when they are not willing to say, the government has no right to interfere with your bodily autonomy.

How can they secure trust with parents in our community if they are not willing to say, your children should not have to practice live shooter drills in their school.

How can they embolden the LGBTQ community if they are not willing to say, they should be able to use the bathroom that they feel most comfortable using?

Lastly, how can the people be expected to cast their ballot when they have lost hope?

Despite the lack of accountability Democrats have to the true melting pot of their base, it is possible to radically transform the world. The Central Valley could be a model for the rest of the country; an impetus for progress, unification, and change. I hope to challenge this conversation, if anything, by helping other Democrats turn words into action; and action into the humanity this party wants us to believe it’s capable of having. We are the Americans of the future, and it’s time to start acting like it.