Orange County Conservative Lou Correa Still Calls Himself A Democrat For Some Reason

Lou Correa, California's worst Democrat in Congress

Back before the November election, we warned Democrats that the leading "Democratic" candidate. Lou Correa had a long and horrible record from his time in the state legislature as a fake Democrat. Correa's Orange County district-- CA-46: Anaheim, Santa Ana and Orange-- is very blue. Obama beat Romney 61.4% to 36.2% and Hillary did even better against Trump-- 66.3% to 27.9%. She won every Orange County congressional district but CA-46 was the biggest victory. The jungle primary resulted in a D vs D race, conservative Lou Correa and progressive Berniecrat Bao Nguyen. In a contest that reflected ethnic loyalties Correa won 103,475 (69.9%) to 44,652 (30.1%). So a nice blue district with one of the most conservative Democrats from the Republican wing of the party.

Correa is a realtor who took advantage of the mortgage crisis to build up an empire of rental properties all over Orange County-- particularly Anaheim and Santa Ana-- and one of the sleaziest realtor lobbyist groups, the National Association of Realtors Congressional Fund, spent $535,000 on his campaign, trying to make sure they would have another sleazy ally against consumers and homeowners inside the House Democratic caucus. But corporate special interests is a huge part of the Correa brand, another reason he fits in so well with the New Dems and Blue Dogs.

In a majority Latino district, Correa wasn't just keeping it quiet that the joined the New Dems and Blue Dogs, but also that he voted against SB60, which would have made drivers licenses available for all qualified Californians regardless of immigration status. His vote was a complete betrayal of the Hispanic population. Although he's on record of having voted against it, when confronted with the vote he just lies and claims he voted for it. No wonder the Blue Dogs and New Dems love this guy!

Nor is that the only time he voted with the Republicans in the legislature against working families-- far from it. Although Correa claims when he campaigns that he's committed to affordable higher education, that sure isn't what his record in Sacramento shows. When Assembly Speaker John Perez proposed AB 1500 and 1501, the Middle Class Scholarship Act, to provide scholarships covering 60% of fees and tuition at all California State colleges and universities for families with household incomes of under $150,000, Correa crossed the aisle and voted with the GOP again. Perez took the unusual step of going on the record and singling out Correa for killing the bill "because he wanted a $300 million (tax) carve out [for out-of state corporations including his campaign contributor International Paper]. "Today was an opportunity for the State Senate to join the Assembly in approving tax fairness for California businesses and college opportunity for middle class families. Unfortunately, even though most Senate Democrats supported the Middle Class Scholarship Act, we could not reach agreement with Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) or Senate Republicans that would achieve the two-thirds vote necessary... It is disturbing that Senator Correa and so many Republicans would refuse to stand up for the middle class and instead continue to support a tax giveaway that favors out-of-state companies over our own." In a disturbing pattern that defines Correa's life, he pocketed campaign contributions from International Paper-- which vehemently opposed the bill-- 10 days before he voted against AB 1500, and more loot three weeks after the disgraceful vote.

If killing the Middle Class Scholarship Act wasn't bad enough, Correa also helped kill SB 935 which was an attempt by Democrats in the legislature to raise the minimum wage in 2014. Although 63 of his fellow Democrats were co-sponsors of the bill, he claimed he voted with the Republicans against it because it was too long and he didn't know what it meant. It's almost as though he was already practicing to be a New Dem or Blue Dog!

He also worked with the GOP to restrict women's access to family planning and abortion services and to push the NRA's agenda. Planned Parenthood gave him a big fat ZERO rating and labeled him anti-Choice, the only Senate Democrat who didn't receive a 100% rating in 2009. The DCCC likes this guy; can he really be anti-Choice? You tell me-- this is is record on women's reproductive health in the state legislature:

• voted to prohibit state funding of family planning service providers
• voted to limit state funding for abortion services
• voted to ban ban abortion procedures that he disagrees with (and, no, he's not a doctor)
• voted to require parental consent before a minor can access abortion care
• voted to force women to look at biased and unscientific information before they can access abortion care

This is how patriarchal Republicans vote on Choice issues, not how Democrats vote. Although it certainly works in real well with the Blue Dogs and the rest of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. Ditto on his cozy relationship with the gun nuts in general and the NRA in particular. He has actively supported loopholes to make sure assault-style military weapons would wind up in California neighborhoods. Again, Correa's sick record is not what Orange County Democrats and independents (nor even Republicans) want to protect society from gun massacres.

• voted against banning high capacity ammunition magazines and conversion kits (AB 48)
• voted against making it illegal to knowingly store loaded firearms that are accessible to minors (AB 231)
• voted against extending the waiting period for gun purchases when the background check reveals potential criminal and/or mental health history requiring further investigation to determine eligibility to purchase weapons (AB 500)
• voted against requiring registration of homemade guns and assault rifles, AKA "Ghost Guns" (SB 808)
• voted against restrictions on ownership of Assault Weapons and .50 Caliber Browning Machine Guns (AB 170)
• Correa opposes license requirements for purchase of guns, despite overwhelming public support, even among gun owners and voted against requiring a valid Firearm Safety Certificate in order to purchase a firearm (AB 683)

Since taking his seat in Congress in January, Correa has earned an "F" from ProgressivePunch and has the worst record of any California Democrat-- a crucial vote score of 35.71. Only 3 Democrats have worse records, although none of them are in strong Democratic districts the way Correa is. Friday the Orange County Register spoke with Central Valley Republican Jeff Denham about Correa's propensity to cozy up with Republicans. Denham wishes there were other Democrats as happy to back the Republican agenda as Correa is. "He's certainly a standout. He's getting well known and making a lot of relationships. He is the kind of member you wish they all were. Some people follow (party) leadership. He's one of those people who thinks on his own."

Thinks is maybe the wrong word, but Correa is certainly a knee-jerk voter for most of what Ryan and McCarthy want. Remember, when Correa was in the state Assembly in Sacramento, basically voting with the Republicans on almost everything, he roomed with Assembly GOP Leader Scott Baugh. Martin Wisckol, who wrote this post, has never understood the difference between a "moderate" and a right-wing conservative and always insists on referring to Correa as a "moderate." It's a little language trick. Correa is a Democrat when it comes to issues that directly speak to Latinos as Latinos. otherwise, he's a Republican with a "D" next to his name. "Besides his burgeoning relationships on both sides of the Congressional aisle," wrote cheerleader Wisckol, "this approach manifests itself in his membership in two moderate [note the word "moderate again to describe very corrupt and very conservative groups] Democratic Capitol Hill groups, the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democratic Coalition. He’s also building a reputation of lending early support to GOP-sponsored bills he agrees with." Yes, indeed. And there is no one challenging him in a primary, at least not so far.

A gaggle of corrupt conservative Democrats snuck in and out of the meeting so no one would know who attended, but no one doubts that Correa was one of the right-wing Blue Dogs sniffing around to see what was in it for them to sell out the party and to sell out working families. Last Monday, Marc Short, the Regime's director of legislative affairs met with 15 of the slimiest Blue Dogs to discuss the Trump legislative agenda to see what it will cost to get them to step in when Freedom Caucus and mainstream Republicans say no to Trump on specific issues. This is exactly the climate a piece of shit like Correa thrives in and why he's involved in politics. Our sources say the attendees were Correa plus the 3 co-chairs (Dan Lipinski, Henry Cuellar and Jim Costa) as well as Kyrsten Sinema, Jim Cooper, Stephanie Miller, Charlie Crist, Tom O'Halleran, Brad Schneider, Kurt Schrader, Josh Gottheimer, Collin Peterson, Sanford Bishop and Vicente González.

Tomorrow's Notable California Congressional Races-- Some Democrats Aren't Worth Voting For-- And Some Are Fantastic

Tomorrow's the big day here in California. Let me remind you, that all of our endorsements for the 17 statewide propositions are here. There are no Republicans worth voting for anywhere in the state-- not for any office. In the U.S. Senate race, Kamala Harris is a better bet than Blue Dog Loretta Sanchez and in the congressional races, the Democrats I would never consider voting for are corrupt New Dem Ami Bera (who should be in prison instead of his poor fall-guy father), Blue Dog Jim Costa, New Dem Ro Khanna, coked-up New Dem Pete Aguilar, New Dem Isadore Hall, Blue Dog Lou Correa, and New Dem Scott Peters. Blue America has endorsed Ted Lieu, Doug Applegate, Bao Nguyen, Mike Honda, Nanette Barragán, and, of course, Barbara Lee. The rest of the Democrats range from excellent to... well get a clothespin and remember they're not as bad as Correa, Bera, Costa or Hall. It's also worth noting that there are half a dozen Dem vs Dem congressional races in the Greater Los Angeles area tomorrow:

• CA-29- Tony Cardenas vs Richard Alarcon
• CA-32- Grace Napolitano vs Roger Hernandez
• CA-34- Xavier Becerra vs Adrienne Edwards
• CA-37- Karen Bass vs Chris Wiggins
• CA-44- Nanette Barragán vs Isadore Hall
• CA-46- Bao Nguyen vs Lou Correa

And in CA-40 (East L.A., Downey, Paramount, Vernon, Bell, Cudahy, Commerce, Maywood) progressive Democrat Lucille Royball-Allard is opposed by an Independent, Roman Gonzales, who won 27% in the primary. He's likely to earn a smaller percentage than that tomorrow. But in these bizarre races with no Republicans, two are especially important: CA-44 (South Gate, Watts, Lynwood, Willowbrook, Compton, Carson, Rancho Dominguez, North Long Beach and San Pedro) and CA-46 (Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, and Garden Grove, easily the bluest congressional district in Orange County). What makes these two races so interesting is that there is a progressive pitted against a notoriously corrupt reactionary in each.

Yesterday when the L.A. Times reiterated their endorsements, they only picked ONE of the two dozen congressional districts in the L.A. area to highlight. That's how stark the difference and important the race is between Nanette Barragán and Sacramento's most corrupt legislator, sold-out conservative Democrat Isadore Hall, already recruited by the Wall Street-owned New Dems. Of course, the entire corrupted Democratic Party establishment has sided with Hall. He is, in every way, one of them. "Barragán," wrote the L.A. Times editors, "has strong environmental credentials. State Sen. Isadore Hall’s environmental record is dismal." They neglected to mention that his sleazy political career has been funded by Big Oil and Gas, tobacco, gambling and every rot-gut issue oriented lobbyist who is generally just welcomed aboard by the worst and most pay-for-play of the Republicans.

Nanette would be a great candidate even if she wasn't running against someone as reprehensible as Hall. Same goes for Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen, whose opponent, Lou Correa, is, incredibly, even worse than Hall! If he wins-- and nearly a million dollars in right-wing SuperPAC money has flooded into his race-- he will surely be California's worst and most corrupt member of Congress. Congratulations, in advance, Orange County! Correa is the poster child for the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. Naturally, he's been endorsed by both the Blue Dogs and the New Dems.



Correa is a realtor who took advantage of the mortgage crisis to build up an empire of rental properties all over Orange County-- particularly Anaheim and Santa Ana-- and one of the sleaziest realtor lobbyist groups, the National Association of Realtors Congressional Fund, spent $535,000 on his campaign so far. trying to make sure they would have an ally against consumers and homeowners inside the House Democratic caucus. But corporate special interests is a huge part of the Correa brand, another reason he fits in so well with the New Dems and Blue Dogs.

In a majority Latino district, Correa isn't just keeping it quiet that the joined the New Dems and Blue Dogs, but also that he voted against SB60, which would have made drivers licenses available for all qualified Californians regardless of immigration status. His vote was a complete betrayal of the Hispanic population. Although he's on record of having voted against it, when confronted with the vote he just lies and claims he voted for it. No wonder the Blue Dogs and New Dems love this guy!

Nor is that the only time he voted with the Republicans against working families-- far from it. Although Correa claims when he campaigns that he's committed to affordable higher education, that sure isn't what his record in Sacramento shows. When Assembly Speaker John Perez proposed AB 1500 and 1501, the Middle Class Scholarship Act, to provide scholarships covering 60% of fees and tuition at all California State colleges and universities for families with household incomes of under $150,000, Correa crossed the aisle and voted with the GOP again. Perez took the unusual step of going on the record and singling out Correa for killing the bill "because he wanted a $300 million (tax) carve out [for out-of state corporations including his campaign contributor International Paper]. "Today was an opportunity for the State Senate to join the Assembly in approving tax fairness for California businesses and college opportunity for middle class families. Unfortunately, even though most Senate Democrats supported the Middle Class Scholarship Act, we could not reach agreement with Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) or Senate Republicans that would achieve the two-thirds vote necessary... It is disturbing that Senator Correa and so many Republicans would refuse to stand up for the middle class and instead continue to support a tax giveaway that favors out-of-state companies over our own." In a disturbing pattern that defines Correa's life, he pocketed campaign contributions from International Paper-- which vehemently opposed the bill-- 10 days before he voted against AB 1500, and more loot three weeks after the disgraceful vote.

If killing the Middle Class Scholarship Act wasn't bad enough, Correa also helped kill SB 935 which was an attempt by Democrats in the legislature to raise the minimum wage in 2014. Although 63 of his fellow Democrats were co-sponsors of the bill, he claimed he voted with the Republicans against it because it was too long and he didn't know what it meant. It's almost as though he was already practicing to be a New Dem or Blue Dog!

He also worked with the GOP to restrict women's access to family planning and abortion services and to push the NRA's agenda. Planned Parenthood gave him a big fat ZERO rating and labeled him anti-Choice, the only Senate Democrat who didn't receive a 100% rating in 2009. The DCCC likes this guy; can he really be anti-Choice? You tell me-- this is is record on women's reproductive health in the state legislature:

• voted to prohibit state funding of family planning service providers
• voted to limit state funding for abortion services
• voted to ban ban abortion procedures that he disagrees with (and, no, he's not a doctor)
• voted to require parental consent before a minor can access abortion care
• voted to force women to look at biased and unscientific information before they can access abortion care

This is how patriarchal Republicans vote on Choice issues, not how Democrats vote. Although it certainly works in real well with the Blue Dogs and the rest of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. Ditto on his cozy relationship with the gun nuts in general and the NRA in particular. He's actively supported loopholes to make sure assault-style military weapons would wind up in California neighborhoods. Again, Correa's sick record is not what Orange County Democrats and independents (nor even Republicans) want to protect society from gun massacres.

• voted against banning high capacity ammunition magazines and conversion kits (AB 48)
• voted against making it illegal to knowingly store loaded firearms that are accessible to minors (AB 231)
• voted against extending the waiting period for gun purchases when the background check reveals potential criminal and/or mental health history requiring further investigation to determine eligibility to purchase weapons (AB 500)
• voted against requiring registration of homemade guns and assault rifles, AKA “Ghost Guns" (SB 808)
• voted against restrictions on ownership of Assault Weapons and .50 Caliber Browning Machine Guns (AB 170)
• Correa opposes license requirements for purchase of guns, despite overwhelming public support, even among gun owners and voted against requiring a valid Firearm Safety Certificate in order to purchase a firearm (AB 683)

I bet you could guess he's also an environmental disaster, right? You'd be guessing right. California's League of Conservation Voters says he has the worst environmental record of any Democratic elected official in the state. He always sides with special interests to protect corporate polluters, consistently failed to protect the state's water sources from lead and contamination, and voted against ensuring Californians have a right to clean, safe and affordable water. Even though he joined corrupt Republicans to vote against SB 685, the Human Right to Water Act, in 2012, the bill passed, establishing a right to safe, non-toxic and affordable water for human consumption. But Correa voted to hide the source of vended drinking water, whether that water was from a public or private source, and the county from which the water came. AB 301 would have required water sellers to disclose this information: Lou Correa voted to keep such information hidden from the public. Large corporations have been bottling California's public water supply for years. This water is bottled and sold back to the public at an extreme profit. At the same time, the cost of water to the public is rising, and penalties being imposed for overuse. Swiss based Nestle Company has been bottling millions of gallons a year from San Bernardino's forests under a permit that expired over 25 years ago-- a permit with an annual costs of $525.00. Nestle bottles over 700 million gallons of water a year to sell back to the public at a staggering profit. As the public was ordered to cut back on water during the drought, with significant penalties at risk, corporations like Nestle were bottling California's water to sell back to them.

In 2009, the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) scored Correa's environmental voting record at 29%, 53 points below average Senate Democrat average. Correa had the lowest environmental rating of any Democrat. The following year they gave him a 30%, 61 points lower than the average Senate Democrat and the lowest rating of any Sacramento Dem. And the following year... same thing-- a 29% rating, 57 points lower than the average Senate Democrat and the lowest of any Dem in the state. The guy is a catastrophe and it's just repulsive that, for the sake of expediency, the Democratic establishment has embraced this garbage candidate who always, always, always puts corporate profits, tax breaks, and special interests over the needs of his constituents, while collecting special interest and PAC money for his next campaign. Is that the California Democratic Party today? It's certainly what Nancy Pelosi's DCCC has turned into. Steny Hoyer gave him the biggest contribution of any of the Democratic candidates of this cycle, $20,000 so far.

The weight of the Democratic Party Establishment is behind both Correa and Hall. If you live in California and you oppose corruption and conservatives, you should ask yourself why.

Meanwhile, one especially odious, brand new and little-known right-wing SuperPAC, Cooperative of American Physicians, which has spent most of it's money helping right-wing Republicans Joe Heck (R-NV), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Jeff Denham (R-CA), and Paul Cook (R-CA), has also come to the aid of corrupt conservative California Democrats Pete Aguilar ($22,438), Jim Costa ($31,627), Lou Correa ($35,000) and, worst of all, Isadore Hall ($100,122). Another right-wing SuperPAC created by Big Oil, the misleadingly named California Progress Coalition, has spent $271,411 smearing Nanette and another $63,842 trying to make Hall sound like he's a Democrat.

UPDATE: Can The Dems Win Super-Majorities In Sacramento?

No one disputes that we're going to see a blue wave in California. Democrats are counting on it giving them super-majorities in the Assembly and possible the state Senate that were lost in 2014. Ironically, in San Bernardino, Eloise Reyes beating a corrupt conservative like Cheryl Brown, ostensibly a Democrat but fully owned and operated by whichever lobbyists write the biggest checks, is the first step. And it looks good. If early voting trends are indicative, Eloise is likely to end Brown's miserable career tonight. Beyond that the Democrats need to pick up two red seats to triumph in the Assembly. Also in San Bernardino, Democrat Abigail Medino looks to beat Republican Assemblyman Marc Steinorth (Rancho Cucamonga). Two Dems who went down in 2014, Al Muratsuchi (Torrance) and Sharon Quirk-Silva (Fullerton) are back for re-matches with David Hadley (Manhattan Beach) and Young Kim (Fullerton).

The Senate looks tougher but the Democrats' best shots would be Ling Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar) losing to Josh Newman) and Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) losing to Jonathan Ervin. Either race would take a massive Latino turnout indicative of a Hillary landslide.

Does The Democratic Party Still Stand For Working Families? That Depends How You Define "Democratic Party"

Many of us are watching the clock tick down to November 8, election day. But millions of American workers have their eyes set a few weeks further down the calendar to December 1 when a Department of Labor rule kicks in that will double the salary threshold-- from from $23,660 to $47,476-- at which workers get overtime pay for overtime work. Republicans, of course, are up in arms. But so is the Democratic wing of the Republicans Party. Four of the worst Blue Dogs, ringleader Kurt Schrader (OR) and fellow conservatives, Henry Cuellar (TX), Collin Peterson (MN) and Jim Cooper (TN), all of whom are reliable supporters of Paul Ryan's reactionary austerity agenda, introduced a bill, H.R. 5813, to postpone the rule, stretching out the help the bill offers workers until December, 2019. 5 conservative co-sponsors signed on last week, Blue Dog Gwen Graham (FL) and 4 Republicans, Jeff Fortenberry (NE), Tom Emmer (MN), Jeff Miller (FL) and David Jolly (FL).

The bill is now with John Kline's Committee on Education and the Workforce, where we can count on progressive committee members Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Mark Takano (D-CA) and Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) to put up a massive fight. But they are outnumbered by 22 extremely anti-worker Republicans who very smoothly align with the Blue Dogs and New Dems. Schrader announced that his opposition to the new rule stems from having "heard from business owners and their employees who are worried about implementing this increase overnight. Without sufficient time to plan for the increase, cuts and demotions will become inevitable, and workers will actually end up making less than they made before. It’s long past time we strengthen overtime pay protections for American workers in a meaningful and effective way." Typical textbook Republican scare tactics that are always puked up any time there's a proposal made to lessen the economic burdens on working families.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, what Big Business and the corporate world like so much about Schrader's approach is that it would eliminate the rule’s indexation of the threshold, which would raise it automatically every three years, as wages for salaried workers rise, reproducing "the very disaster for working people the Department of Labor is seeking to prevent: an inevitable and significant loss of guaranteed overtime coverage due to inflation and wage growth."

Failure to adequately update the salary threshold over 1975–2015 caused the share of the salaried workforce that was guaranteed overtime pay to fall from 49.6 percent to just 9.5 percent in 2015. Had 49.6 percent coverage been maintained, some 26.6 million workers would have been covered, rather than the scant 5.1 million who actually were covered in 2015. Raising the salary threshold to $913 per week in 2015 would have allowed 17.6 million employees to enjoy overtime protection (12.5 million of whom would have newly obtained protection), but it would not restore the level of protection provided in 1975.

...[I]ndexing the salary threshold, as provided by DOL’s new rule, allows the share of salaried workers enjoying overtime protection to remain at or near 32.7 percent. The number of workers protected increases as the salaried workforce grows, rising to 20.5 million by 2035. Without indexation, however, the share of the salaried workforce guaranteed overtime pay would decline each year, falling to 23.1 percent in 2025 and just 16.1 percent by 2035. If Rep. Schrader’s bill were enacted, by 2035 there would be 10.4 million fewer salaried workers covered by overtime protection because of the failure to index the salary threshold. Lack of indexation would cut in half the share of the salaried workforce provided overtime protection, which would fall from 32.7 percent to just 16.1 percent (20.4 million versus 10.1 million).

So who's this Kurt Schrader fellow? The head of the Blue Dogs and a member of the New Dems, we talked about Schrader quite a bit last spring when he was being primaried by Berniecrat Dave McTeague back in Oregon. As we pointed out at the time, Schrader went even further than many Republicans care to go in his zeal to wreck Social Security and Medicare. Back in early 2013, Schrader offered an amendment to accept the Simpson Bowles proposals that do just cut Social Security and Medicare benefits and raise the retirement age. 54 disgraceful excuses for Democrats-- mostly New Dems and Blue Dogs from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- went along. Schrader's amendment failed 75-348.

Schrader represents a solidly blue district which Obama won 53-44% in 2008 and 50-47% in 2012. There are 7 counties in the district and in the Oregon primary in May, Bernie won all 7. These were Bernie's wins by county:

• Benton- 61.2%
• Clackamas- 51.5%
• Lincoln- 53.7%
• Marion- 53.0%
• Multnomah- 57.0%
• Polk- 54.5%
• Tillamook- 53.8%

On the same day, Berniecrat Dave McTeague, a former state legislator, went up against Schrader. The huge Bernie support just didn't bother to vote or didn't bother to vote for McTeague. Schrader win 67,124 (72.6%) to 25,289 (27.4%). There's no excuse for that. For a Bernie voter, Kurt Schrader has no saving graces on any level.

By the way, among the supporters of Schrader's amendment to gut Social Security and Medicare were many of the usual scum always looking for chances to lick the asses of the corporate campaign donors, including several Blue Dogs and New Dems up on the ballot in November, like Loretta Sanchez, who's running for California's open Senate seat, Chris Van Hollen, the Democratic candidate for Maryland senator, as well as recently defeated conservaDems trying to weasel their ways back into Congress-- Colleen Hanabusa (HI), Joe Garcia (FL) and Pete Gallego (TX). Electing more of these garbage-Democrats is the last thing we should be doing, but the DCCC and the California Democratic Party are delighted to be backing Lou Correa, a former state legislator who was widely considered the most right-wing Democrat in Sacramento (and one of the most corrupt). The progressive mayor of Garden Grove, Bao Nguyen, also made it through the primary and will be duking it out with Correa in a Dem vs Dem election November 8-- one real progressive Democrat against one from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. A few minutes ago he told us that "These corporate Blue Dog Democrats are eagerly pumping money into my opponent Lou Correa's campaign. We certainly have every reason to expect that my opponent will do the bidding of corporations in Congress if elected, as he has done in the past as a state legislator. What we really need is someone in Congress who will protect the pro-worker agenda that so many of us in the labor and progressive movement have fought so hard to achieve. I've been that champion for working families as Mayor of Garden Grove and as a labor organizer. If the people of the 46th Congressional District elect me in November, one of the first laws I would vote against is anything that would compromise or threaten Obama's overtime rule for salaried workers."

Only 21 Republicans voted for the Blue Dog anti-Social Security amendment, including Pat Meehan from the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Funny, he doesn't tell the voters in PA-07 that he voted to raise the retirement age and cut their benefits. Mary Ellen Balchunis, the progressive Democrat running against him this year, expected nothing more from Meehan. "I wasn't surprised when Pat Meehan voted to support cuts to Social Security and Medicare because he told us he would do that when he ran as a Tea Party candidate in 2010. Pat Meehan thinks that if he says he is a moderate enough times, the voters will believe it, but votes like this tell the truth. The real Pat Meehan has also voted to cut taxes for the wealthiest of Americans, to cut healthcare and cancer screenings for women, and end Medicare as we know it. If Pat Meehan was a true moderate he would stop prioritizing tax breaks for the rich and start looking out for seniors."

Please help replace Meehan with Mary Ellen and help keep Correa out of Congress-- he did enough damage to working families when he was in Sacramento-- by electing Bao Nguyen instead of him. You'll find them both by tapping the thermometer below:

UPDATE: Certain States...

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin are suing the government to stop the overtime rule. What do all these states have in common? No, they weren't all former slave-holding states that started the Civil War-- though most of the former slave-holding states that started the Civil War signed on to the suit. This list is a list of states that have Republican governors. Don't people in these states want to get overtime pay for overtime work?

What Does It Mean To Be A Blue Dog Running For Congress In California In 2016?

The other day, we looked at a list of the sneaky conservative Democrats who applied for endorsements from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- the New Dems and the Blue Dogs. Here in a safely blue district in northern Orange County (CA-46)-- including Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Orange, where Obama beat Romney 61-36% and where only 18% of the population is white-- the jungle primary yielded two Democrats, the progressive mayor of Garden Grove, Bao Nguyen (who was endorsed by Blue America), and the very corrupt and very conservative former state legislator Lou Correa. This isn't the kind of district where it makes sense for a Democrat to behave like a Republican. But that's exactly what Correa has done for his entire slimy career.

And in the current race, he slinked off for the Blue Dogs and the New Dems, the two most right-wing "Democratic" groups in Congress, the heart of both congressional corruption and bribery and, of course, the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. When Correa lists the organizations that have endorsed him on his website, he's smart and wily enough to not include either the Blue Dogs or the New Dems. A voter would never know Correa long ago sold his soul to Wall Street-- although they could surmise it from his record. (In contrast, Bao is proud to advertise on his own website that he's been endorsed by progressive and clean govenmernt groups like Progressive Democrats of America, the Sierra Club, the Nurses Union, Blue America, DFA and the Mexican American Bar Association PAC.)

Correa is a realtor who took advantage of the mortgage crisis to build up an empire of rental properties all over Orange County-- particularly Anaheim and Santa Ana-- and one of the sleaziest realtor lobbyist groups, the National Association of Realtors Congressional Fund, spent $535,000 on his campaign so far. trying to make sure they would have an ally against consumers and homeowners inside the House Democratic caucus. But corporate special interests is a huge part of the Correa brand, another reason he fits in so well with the New Dems and Blue Dogs.

In a majority Latino district, Correa isn't just keeping it quiet that the joined the New Dems and Blue Dogs, but also that he voted against SB60, which would have made drivers licenses available for all qualified Californians regardless of immigration status. His vote was a complete betrayal of the Hispanic population. Although he's on record of having voted against it, when confronted with the vote he just lies and claims he voted for it. No wonder the Blue Dogs and New Dems love this guy!

Nor is that the only time he voted with the Republicans against working families-- far from it. Although Correa claims when he campaigns that he's committed to affordable higher education, that sure isn't what his record in Sacramento shows. When Assembly Speaker John Perez proposed AB 1500 and 1501, the Middle Class Scholarship Act, to provide scholarships covering 60% of fees and tuition at all California State colleges and universities for families with household incomes of under $150,000, Correa crossed the aisle and voted with the GOP again. Perez took the unusual step of going on the record and singling out Correa for killing the bill "because he wanted a $300 million (tax) carve out [for out-of state corporations including his campaign contributor International Paper]. "Today was an opportunity for the State Senate to join the Assembly in approving tax fairness for California businesses and college opportunity for middle class families. Unfortunately, even though most Senate Democrats supported the Middle Class Scholarship Act, we could not reach agreement with Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) or Senate Republicans that would achieve the two-thirds vote necessary... It is disturbing that Senator Correa and so many Republicans would refuse to stand up for the middle class and instead continue to support a tax giveaway that favors out-of-state companies over our own." In a disturbing pattern that defines Correa's life, he pocketed campaign contributions from International Paper-- which vehemently opposed the bill-- 10 days before he voted against AB 1500, and more loot three weeks after the disgraceful vote.

If killing the Middle Class Scholarship Act wasn't bad enough, Correa also helped kill SB 935 which was an attempt by Democrats in the legislature to raise the minimum wage in 2014. Although 63 of his fellow Democrats were co-sponsors of the bill, he claimed he voted with the Republicans against it because it was too long and he didn't know what it meant. It's almost as though he was already practicing to be a New Dem or Blue Dog!

He also worked with the GOP to restrict women's access to family planning and abortion services and to push the NRA's agenda. Planned Parenthood gave him a big fat ZERO rating and labeled him anti-Choice, the only Senate Democrat who didn't receive a 100% rating in 2009. The DCCC likes this guy; can he really be anti-Choice? You tell me-- this is is record on women's reproductive health in the state legislature:

• voted to prohibit state funding of family planning service providers
• voted to limit state funding for abortion services
• voted to ban ban abortion procedures that he disagrees with (and, no, he's not a doctor)
• voted to require parental consent before a minor can access abortion care
• voted to force women to look at biased and unscientific information before they can access abortion care

This is how patriarchal Republicans vote on Choice issues, not how Democrats vote. Although it certainly works in real well with the Blue Dogs and the rest of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. Ditto on his cozy relationship with the gun nuts in general and the NRA in particular. He's actively supported loopholes to make sure assault-style military weapons would wind up in California neighborhoods. Again, Correa's sick record is not what Orange County Democrats and independents (nor even Republicans) want to protect society from gun massacres.

• voted against banning high capacity ammunition magazines and conversion kits (AB 48)
• voted against making it illegal to knowingly store loaded firearms that are accessible to minors (AB 231)
• voted against extending the waiting period for gun purchases when the background check reveals potential criminal and/or mental health history requiring further investigation to determine eligibility to purchase weapons (AB 500)
• voted against requiring registration of homemade guns and assault rifles, AKA “Ghost Guns" (SB 808)
• voted against restrictions on ownership of Assault Weapons and .50 Caliber Browning Machine Guns (AB 170)
• Correa opposes license requirements for purchase of guns, despite overwhelming public support, even among gun owners and voted against requiring a valid Firearm Safety Certificate in order to purchase a firearm (AB 683)

I bet you could guess he's also an environmental disaster, right? You'd be guessing right. California's League of Conservation Voters says he has the worst environmental record of any Democratic elected official in the state. He always sides with special interests to protect corporate polluters, consistently failed to protect the state's water sources from lead and contamination, and voted against ensuring Californians have a right to clean, safe and affordable water. Even though he joined corrupt Republicans to vote against SB 685, the Human Right to Water Act, in 2012, the bill passed, establishing a right to safe, non-toxic and affordable water for human consumption. But Correa voted to hide the source of vended drinking water, whether that water was from a public or private source, and the county from which the water came. AB 301 would have required water sellers to disclose this information: Lou Correa voted to keep such information hidden from the public. Large corporations have been bottling California's public water supply for years. This water is bottled and sold back to the public at an extreme profit. At the same time, the cost of water to the public is rising, and penalties being imposed for overuse. Swiss based Nestle Company has been bottling millions of gallons a year from San Bernardino's forests under a permit that expired over 25 years ago-- a permit with an annual costs of $525.00. Nestle bottles over 700 million gallons of water a year to sell back to the public at a staggering profit. As the public was ordered to cut back on water during the drought, with significant penalties at risk, corporations like Nestle were bottling California's water to sell back to them.

In 2009, the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) scored Correa's environmental voting record at 29%, 53 points below average Senate Democrat average. Correa had the lowest environmental rating of any Democrat. The following year they gave him a 30%, 61 points lower than the average Senate Democrat and the lowest rating of any Sacramento Dem. And the following year... same thing-- a 29% rating, 57 points lower than the average Senate Democrat and the lowest of any Dem in the state. The guy is a catastrophe and it's just repulsive that, for the sake of expediency, the Democratic establishment has embraced this garbage candidate who always, always, always puts corporate profits, tax breaks, and special interests over the needs of his constituents, while collecting special interest and PAC money for his next campaign. Is that the California Democratic Party today? It's certainly what Nancy Pelosi's DCCC has turned into. Steny Hoyer gave him the biggest contribution of any of the Democratic candidates of this cycle, $20,000 so far. Please help elect Bao Nguyen in November, a real progressive Democrat with the record to prove it-- even if no help from an establishment that stinks to high heaven. You'll find Bao by tapping the thermometer below:

Some Endorsements Can Mean A Lot-- Like The Nurses Announcement For Bao Nguyen

Two Democrats involved in crowded primaries got very high-level endorsements this week. Blue America-backed progressive Bao Nguyen is competing in a jungle primary with 2 other Democrats and 4 Republicans to replace Loretta Sanchez in the Orange County congressional seat she's giving up to run for Senate. Two great unions-- National Nurses United (NNU) and the California Nurses Association came together to endorse him Monday. Bao, the Mayor of Garden Grove, is the only progressive in the race and he's backing Bernie's campaign and running on the same package of issues and values.

Shella Soriano, RN, and a local leader of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, announced the much-coveted endorsement, noting that Bao "has made serving the public interest his priority... For demanding improved Medicare for all, advocating for school funding, ensuring accountable government, and pushing back on corporations that put our community and our environment at risk, Bao has demonstrated that he will be a champion for the people of Orange County-- our jobs, our families, and our health."

Bao responded by pointing out that "the fight for universal healthcare is not over. While the Affordable Care Act certainly has helped in many respects, millions of Americans remain uninsured. I plan to build off the successes of Obamacare, and fight to expand healthcare until every last American family has the resources they need to keep themselves and their children healthy... The nurses who care for our families are on the front lines, keeping Americans healthy. I’m proud to have their support, and in Congress, I’ll make sure they have the resources they need to do their jobs."

The same day, just a few hours later, one of the villains of Democratic Party politics, Steve Israel, looked at the list of 5 Democrats vying for the NY-03 North Shore of Long Island seat he's giving up and, predictably, went right for the most corrupt and most conservative of the 5, Suffolk County legislator Steve Stern. Israel had previously promised the other candidates he wouldn't endorse in the race, although his staffers have all been working for Stern and helping Stern connect with Israel's shady contributors. Stern admitted publicly that Israel is his "mentor" and said he intends "to fulfill Steve Israel’s legacy."

Israel said he told Stern of his endorsement decision at Sweet Hollow Diner about two weeks ago, at a time he was lying to the other candidates about remaining neutral. But, of course, lying is a major part of Steve Israel's greasy legacy. No one ever thought he would be neutral anyway. Israel had lured poor Anna Kaplan into the race so that she would split the Nassau County vote with Kaiman (and, as it turned out, Suozzi). Abut, basically, Israel had promised Stern the seat when he thought he was going to run for Hillary's U.S. Senate seat (before Schumer told him to go sit in the corner and behave himself). Stern's wife is a real Jewish American Princess and she's always been giving Stern a hard time about being a lowly county legislator even though she comes from a family of wealthy furniture peddlers. And that brings us to the other part of Israel's disgraceful legacy-- turning the Democratic Party into a kind of plutocracy, even admitting that one of the factors that went into his decision to endorse the lazy, low-achievement Stern was that he raised the most money, neglecting to mention, that there aforementioned furniture empire have him $54,000 and that he self-funded another $68,000.

The Bernie candidate in the race, Jonathan Clarke (who you can support here) downplayed Israel's endorsement. "It doesn’t mean much. People are tired of career politicians. Israel is one and Stern is just following in his footsteps. No one is more generic than Steve Stern."

2 corrupt career politicians, Steve + Steve

Orange County Congressional Candidate Bao Nguyen Endorses Bernie Sanders

Last week Congresswoman Judy Chu announced she is backing Bao for Congress

Blue America endorsed Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen last summer when he decided to run for the open Orange County CA-46 seat that Loretta Sanchez was giving up. Wow ironic would it be that a transitional district formerly represented by the most extreme right thug in the GOP, Bob Dornan, and then by a barely-Democratic Blue Dog, is now being contested by an unabashed progressive. Bao, who is trilingual and interned for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, holds a master’s degree in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and has a certification in mediation from the Dispute Resolution Program of the Orange County Human Relations Commission, is a proud member of the LGBT community and one of the first public officials in Orange County to endorse Bernie Sanders' campaign.

His two top opponents in the congressional race, Sacramento politicians, Lou Correa (who has an anti-Choice and pro-pollution record in the state legislature) and Joe Dunn, are both significantly to the right of Nguyen. And both have major money-raising capacity because of their times in the state legislature. Bao needs grassroots support if he's going to be part of the effort to make Congress more progressive. You can contribute to his campaign here.

Bao made his endorsement of Bernie official yesterday as New Hampshire Democrats headed to the polls to elect a real FDR candidate-- and, pointedly, not elect a politics-as-usual conservative Democrat mired in Wall Street filth. "It’s going to take a political revolution in order to move the United States onto a path toward greater income equality, social justice, and universal access to higher education," Bao told his supporters and the local media. "Bernie Sanders has the progressive values and political courage that is needed to take on the status quo, and implement bold new policies that will make a real difference in the lives of middle class families. I am proud to announce my endorsement of Bernie Sanders for President, and I look forward to helping him take on the billionaire-class and shake up the balance of power in Washington."

Today Bao reminded us that although the 2 million smallest donors nationwide have contributed over $150 million so far during this election cycle, just 100 multimillionaires and billionaires have given $195 million so far to the Establishment candidates. Four of the top 6 billionaires who have given so far this year have been funneling millions of dollars into Ted Cruz SuperPACs. Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio aren't far behind. Like Bernie, Bao depends on small donors. And he's on an ActBlue page with Bernie and the congressional candidates who have endorsed Bernie. You can access it-- and I hope you will-- by tapping on the thermometer below. From what I can tell, Bao is likely to be the most progressive Member of Congress and will give Wisconsin's Mark Pocan a run for his money for that position in the new Congress-- along with Primila Jayapal (WA) and Zephyr Teachout (both of whom are also on that page. These are the candidates that represent the future of a progressive-- rather than a corporatist, conservative and corrupt-- Democratic Party. Bao:

Bernie and I are committed to political revolution: A revolution to provide universal access to free public college education; greater income equality; a recognition that we have to radically change the way we treat the environment and develop natural resources.

Like Bernie Sanders, I am passionately committed to social justice issues. Together, we will establish full and equal rights for women and LGBT people, comprehensive immigration reform, universal healthcare, and a minimum wage that guarantees our nation’s workers won’t live in poverty.

I’m committed to ending the power of the billionaire class.

My campaign, like Bernie’s campaign, is an insurgency. I’m up against two entrenched political players who are long time members of the political establishment. They have served the state well, but now it is time for a new generation of leadership. I’m a candidate for the future not for the status quo.

I am committed to working with Bernie Sanders to bring about a nation that recognizes the worth of all Americans, sees strength in compassion, and value in equality and justice.

You can contribute to Bao's campaign by clicking on the thermometer:

Bao Nguyen: GOP Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Is Despicable And Divisive

With Loretta Sanchez running for the U.S. Senate, Orange County's 46th Congressional District is be an open seat in 2016. It's a solidly blue district (D+9), and Obama won it with 59% in 2008 and with 61% in 2012. The district includes Santa Ana, Anaheim and Orange, and the voters are overwhelmingly Hispanic-American and Asian-American. Although there may be as many as 10 Democrats interested in running, Blue America has endorsed the most progressive of the lot, Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen, an openly gay Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in this country when he was just three months old. 

I asked him what he made of the anti-immigrant mania sweeping the Republican presidential race. This is what he had to say.

As an American immigrant it disgusts me when I hear how Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, and the other Republican Presidential candidates have been talking about immigrants. It’s despicable, and disgraceful. Immigrants are the backbone of this country. They built this country and continue to add to it in so many ways. I was born in a refugee camp, and came to this country when I was three months old. We didn’t have much-- let’s be honest, we were just poor. But we found a welcoming and supportive community of all nationalities and backgrounds, and with help and hard work, I was able to build a life here in California. But my story is no different from that of millions of immigrants who came to America in search of a better life-- who knew they needed to work hard and play by the rules in order to get a fair shot at the American Dream. We need to celebrate the accomplishments of our immigrant neighbors, and we need to bring everyone out of the shadows, so they can be full participants in the American Dream.

But instead, Trump and the rest of the GOP Primary Clown car have started to bang the drums of fear and hate to alienate and divide our nation and it's CITIZENS. As the discourse has gone more and more into the gutter, even the relatively ‘moderate’ GOP candidates have joined this chorus of hate. You may have heard the derogatory term "anchor babies" returning again, as it has in past debates about immigrations. Sadly, Republicans have resorted to an age old tactic to galvanize the extremist fringe of their party, by calling for stricter crackdowns on undocumented immigrants, primarily from Latin America, who they claim are trying to take advantage of America's policy of birthright citizenship under the 14th amendment.

Recently the party favorite, Jeb Bush was criticized for using the term "anchor babies" during a conservative radio interview. Governor Jeb Bush has doubled down, telling reporters that he does not believe the term is offensive. "Nothing about what I've said should be viewed as derogatory towards immigrants at all," he said Monday in McAllen, Texas. "I think we need to take a step back and chill out a little bit."

I just want to restate, an "anchor baby" is a term to used to define an undocumented immigrant, coming to America with the intention having a baby specifically to take advantage of the Constitution-- it IS a disgusting and derogatory term, period.

Bush clarified further, saying that he used the term "anchor babies" specifically to refer to fraud in a "specific targeted kind of case" involving mothers who travel to the U.S. only to win citizenship for their unborn children.

"Frankly, it's more Asian people."

I know that Jeb is just trying to back track his xenophobic statement and not lose the elusive Latino demographic his party hopes to gain in the general election. Let me give some clear and direct advice, all Americans, no mater if their ancestors came from, Latin America, Western Europe, and yes Americans of Asian descent, find your divisive rhetoric abhorrent-- no matter which group of people you are slinging mud at for your own political gains. This is exactly why we need to bring  more people to Washington who can tell the story of the very people that Jeb Bush and Donald Trump are trying to silence. I hope you will support me in my campaign to be that voice.

Bao, who is trilingual in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, earned a B.A. from the University of California Irvine and while attending college interned for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. He also holds a master’s degree in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and has a certification in mediation from the Dispute Resolution Program of the Orange County Human Relations Commission. He will offer a unique and valuable perspective on Capitol Hill. 

When I asked him about the Iran deal, he told us he would vote for it.

From what I have seen this is the only option on the table that keeps Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and at the same time keeps American lives out of harms way. If this deal fails there are fewer non-military options since the international sanctions that were in place are no longer available to us. Frankly, I am disappointed with Republicans who only continue with their policy of opposing anything supported by Obama with no response to what they would do other than sending more Americans to war in the Middle East.

Please consider helping Bao get his grassroots campaign into position to win this race. One thing I can assure you about him-- he will never be a wishy-washy Democrat. He's a fighter and, truth be told, reminds me in some ways of Alan Grayson! Even Joe Scarborough is laughing at the Republican racists!

New Blue America Congressional Candidate-- Bao Nguyen

Today Blue America is endorsing progressive Democrat Bao Nguyen for the Orange County congressional seat being abandoned by Blue Dog Loretta Sanchez as she runs for the U.S. Senate. CA-46, once a deep red GOP hellhole represented by right-wing sociopath Bob Dornan, has changed drastically over the last couple of decades. The PVI is now D+9, and Obama beat McCain 59-39% and Romney 61-36%. When Sanchez first won the seat from Dornan in 1996, she squeaked in with 984 votes, 47-46%, in what was considered a stunning upset. Last year she was reelected against Republican Adam Nick, 58.6% to 41.4%. It's the only blue congressional district in Orange County and has a two-thirds Hispanic population. The main population centers are Anaheim, Santa Ana and Orange, and it includes Disneyland.

Bao was elected mayor of the City of Garden Grove in 2014. He was born in a Thailand refugee camp after his mother, eight months pregnant, escaped a war-torn Vietnam. He arrived to the U.S. at three months of age and was raised in Orange County, and eventually earned a B.A. from the University of California, Irvine. While attending college, Nguyen interned for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Mayor Nguyen made his first public statement coming out as a gay man while thanking Ted Osius, the first openly gay U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, for his positive influence. When asked about it he said, “It’s not news. I have always been openly me, and I think everyone should be free." 

Prior to his election as mayor, he served on the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education for three years, including a term as vice president, and last year he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the Orange County Fair Board of Directors, California 32nd District Agricultural Association. Nguyen also holds a master’s degree in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and has a certification in mediation from the Dispute Resolution Program of the Orange County Human Relations Commission. He is trilingual in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

I asked him to introduce himself to DWT readers on a day when he was consumed with the Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and prosecute the revolting war against women. Please read this, and if you'd like to help his campaign, you can contribute here.


In Defense of Planned Parenthood
by Mayor Bao Nguyen

As you have no likely heard, Republicans in the House and Senate are trying once again to defund Planned Parenthood. However, despite what some may believe, this action is not new and has nothing to do with a poorly edited video. There has been a constant effort of the Republican Party to use Planned Parenthood and women's health issues as a political football for decades.

Presidential candidates are using it as a fundraising tactic. Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul are both urging donors to "chip in a contribution" to defund Planned Parenthood. Jeb Bush recently said he would like to “Defund Planned Parenthood” because he is "not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues.” Moving past the begging question of, how much IS appropriate to spend on women health? What former Governor Bush is referring to is the $528 Million tax dollars received by Planned Parenthood which is used primarily for STI/STD Testing and Treatments, Contraception, cancer screening treatments, and other women health services. These make up 97% of the services Planned Parenthood provide, and not a single federal cent is used for abortion, as has been the case since a law ensuring this was passed 1976. These subsidies are the reason that for many low income women all across the country, planned parenthood is their only option to get the health services they need.

Planned Parenthood is the most trusted women's health care provider in this country, and has been for nearly 100 years. It's clear this is a part of a decade-long campaign of deceiving the public, making false charges, and terrorizing women and their doctors, all in order to ban abortion and cut women off from care at Planned Parenthood.

For nearly 100 years, Planned Parenthood has been the nation's leading women's health provider, and they have extremely high standards. When there are questions, they look into them, and if there are problems, they fix them. That's not what this is about-- it's an extreme political agenda. It's no surprise that what was edited out of that video is how deeply Planned Parenthood providers care about the patients they serve, and the fact that they do this even in the face of hate, hostility, and threats.

That's what this campaign is really about. These are the politicians who have tried-- and failed-- to push an unpopular agenda that would take away access to birth control, do away with evidence-based sex education, and defund Planned Parenthood and the care we provide. Now they're hoping this video will give them some cover, to swing far to the right without the political ramifications they've faced in the past. We should call this latest attack campaign what it truly is-- part of a decade-long campaign of deceiving the public, making false charges, and terrorizing women and their doctors, all to ban abortion and cut women off from care at Planned Parenthood.

I want to ask you to get involved and make your voice heard. As a community organizer I know that the most powerful force for change in our county is the power of the people. So stand up and make your voice heard and say that women's health is not a political football it is not a tool for fundraising, it is a matter of life and death and I know I wont sit on the outside and watch this happen, I hope you will join me.