Will CA-25 Voters Choose Willful Mediocrity Or Shoot For The Stars?

The political establishment in DC, in Los Angeles, in Sacramento and in Santa Clarita-- and I’m talking about the Democratic political establishment-- have all gone bonkers in trying to destroy Cenk Uygur’s electoral aspirations. I don’t know Cenk well, but well enough to be certain that he would be the single best member of Congress-- at least in the ways most feared by the transpartisan establishment. He wants to cut them off from the bribery that makes the wheel of careerism go round and round. The establishment has instead rallied around a useless corporate tool who, if elected, will instantly disappear into the backbenches to never be heard from again-- except in fundraising letters every two years. Frankly, I was surprised a couple of weeks ago when the establishment newspaper for CA-25, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal, actually published a relatively fair and balanced piece on Uygur as a candidate.

Last month, the former MSNBC personality announced the launch of his campaign after former Rep. Katie Hill stepped down from office on Nov. 1. He’s now looking into the next steps: relocating with his family from Los Angeles to the district.

“I’m moving to the district but I’ll have to wait until the end of the school year,” said Uygur, a father of a 9- and 7-year-old. “We’re already looking at houses and it’s a beautiful area so we’re happy to move.”

As the family finds a place to settle down, he and his campaign committee have already started mobilizing in the Santa Clarita Valley. On Friday, Uygur announced he would no longer accept endorsements, following an endorsement from presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who said in a statement on Thursday that Uygur “will serve ordinary people, not powerful special interests,” but then withdrew his endorsement entirely a day later.

Uygur’s platform is taking on “corruption in politics,” as his campaign website states.

“Getting money out of politics (is a priority) because that affects all the issues and the issues of this district,” said Uygur.

Other priorities include supporting small businesses, increasing the minimum wage and Medicare for All-- the only candidate who has voiced being in favor of it because “others get contributions from private insurance companies,” he said.

School funding and improved safety for students in the wake of the Saugus High School shooting are also on his radar.

How does he plan on doing that?

“I’m going to go after Mitch McConnell (the Senate majority leader) with fire and fury and the reason for that is that we must get federal gun control immediately,” he said. “Every day that our kids are in danger of a school shooting is a day that I cannot bear. If we put enough public pressure he will have to bring (legislation) up for a vote.”

Uygur said he’s not concerned about his challengers on either side of the party lines, which include former Republican Rep. Steve Knight, Republican Mike Garcia and Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita. Besides the competition, the progressive pundit has had to reckon with past remarks about women, saying that “I’ve apologized. They were made when I was a politically incorrect Republican.” 

Let’s take a look at the two leading candidates’ websites. The DCCC/EMILY’s List corporate shill, Christy Smith:

And the independent-minded progressive, Cenk:

The DCCC tells the candidates it owns to nev er put an issues page where people will find it without looking around, which explains why there is no issues page on the top bar of Smith’s website. Obviously, on the other hand,you can’t miss it on Cenk’s. When you eventually get to hers, it’s nice and vanilla: no real policy... just pablum: “Christy believes that a great education levels the playing field and creates more opportunity for all of our young people.” Is she going to back any of the bold plans bering put forth by political leaders like Elizabeth or Bernie? She doesn’t say, but her silence tells the story. She plans to go to Congress to do whatever her donors and political benefactors tell her to do-- on education and on every other issue. Look at her Mayo Pete-like healthcare plank:

Health care is a human right and while the Affordable Care Act was a tremendous step in that direction, Christy believes we need to do more to reduce costs, ensure that every American has access to affordable healthcare, and protect those with pre-existing conditions. That’s why she supports a public health insurance option for anyone who wants it. Additionally, Christy believes we need to have the same consumer protections in the healthcare system as we do in any consumer market, which includes transparency when it comes to the real cost of healthcare treatments. She will work to shed light on pricing that for too long has been negotiated in the dark.

Christy also believes that Congress needs to do the work of controlling the skyrocketing cost of health care, including the rising costs of prescription drugs. It’s unacceptable that US taxpayers subsidize the research and development of lifesaving drugs, only to pay more for them than people who live in Europe, Japan, and Canada. She'll also fight to protect Medicaid and Medicare, women's reproductive health care rights, and funding for Planned Parenthood.

Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All bill (H.R. 1384) will be voted on once Pelosi is out of the way. 118 Democrats have co-sponsored it (including Katie Hill and Democrats in neighboring districts like Brad Sherman, Ted Lieu, Adam Schiff and Judy Chu). It’s not a theory; it’s an actual piece of pending legislation. Will Smith co-sponsor it or even vote for it? She very carefully doesn’t say, using DCCC language to not offend anyone nor commit to anything. It’s what she is and it’s why sending her to Congress would be a complete waste of time.

Compare her inane plank to Cenk’s take-no-prisoners approach:

I’m the only candidate in this race who is in favor of Medicare for All. Every single person is covered under Medicare for All and there are no co-pays, deductibles, or premiums. Imagine a country where no one dies because they don’t have insurance or goes bankrupt when they run into a serious medical problem. Well, that’s what every developed country in the world has-- except us. And on average they pay half of what we do!

Don’t let anyone-- Republican or Democrat-- deceive you about Medicare for All. You wouldn’t need private insurance anymore because you would have better insurance! Even it’s critics agree Medicare for All is “the Cadillac plan” and has “awesome” coverage. It expands the coverage you have now and lets you go to any doctor, hospital, or provider! The only reason the other politicians are against it is because they get campaign contributions from private insurance companies to keep the old, expensive, ineffective system we have now. Simply put, Medicare for All will save lives, and I will always fight for what's best for the people.

It’s the same thing when it comes to the climate crisis. No need for Smith to even mention the Green New Deal, which is opposed by the establishment she craves to join-- just more professional-sounding pablum and meaningless talking points. Cenk? Exactly what you would expect: fire and fury:

Environmental Justice and Climate Change

The planet is on fire. And we don’t have a second one. My district is on fire. Our politicians fiddle while we burn. We must take action right now. The oil companies keep all the profits of extracting our natural resources but do they pay all the costs to our future? A primary cause of climate change is the oil and gas industry, but when Simi Valley is on fire we have to pay for it! Why? That’s outrageous. Did you get any part of the profits of Exxon-Mobil? No, neither did I. But when your house burns down, they are nowhere to be found. That’s privatizing the gains and socializing the losses. 16 out of the last 17 years have been the hottest on record. If we don’t act soon, we can’t reverse it. I’m not going to let my district burn down for their profits.

Voters in CA-25 have an opportunity to rub the establishment’s snout in the mud and elect someone who will drive Pelosi, Hoyer and their cronies insane every single day. He will push and push and push and never worry about losing his seat, always working to enact the policies to make the lives of working families better. Unlike Smith, he isn’t running to make a career move. He’s running to make a difference, a real one, for the Santa Clarita, Simi and the Antelope valleys-- and for the country. Please consider contributing to his campaign on the DWT ActBlue page which you can access by clicking on the thermometer on the right. This morning Cenk told me that "I'm not sure there has ever been a clearer choice in a Democratic primary. Christy brags non-stop about how the establishment picked her and she celebrates the money she got from corporate donors, including the insurance industry. I don't take a dime from corporate donors or lobbyists and I don't owe any other politician any favors. The reason why I can speak so boldly and honestly is because I am accountable to only one set of people-- the voters."