Track Palin Is Still Beating Up Women But The Right-Wing Media Is Too Busy Smearing Linda Sansour To Notice

Remember Track Palin? He's Sarah's oldest son. 28 now. He has a history of violence (while on meth)-- primarily towards women. Early in 2016 he beat up his girlfriend, punching her in the face and then kicking her while she was down on the floor. He brandished an AR-15 and eventually pleaded guilty to misconduct involving weapons and for possessing a weapon while "intoxicated" but was never charged with violence towards his girlfriend. But at least Al Franken has been forced out of public office. Palin (Track) was arrested and jailed Sunday.

This time it wasn't just for beating up a woman-- though that's part of it-- but also for burglary. Sarah is demanding her privacy be respected and right wing media is ignoring Track's penchant for beating up women and instead focusing on accusations that Linda Sarsour, one of the inspirations behind the Women’s March on Washington, has been accused of enabling the alleged sexual assault and harassment of a woman who worked for her.

Allegations of groping and unwanted touching were allegedly brought to Sarsour during her time as executive director of the Arab American Association. In response, Sarsour, a self-proclaimed champion of women, attacked the woman bringing the allegations, often threatening and body-shaming her, these sources alleged. The most serious allegations were dismissed, Asmi Fathelbab, the alleged victim told The Daily Caller, because the accused was a “good Muslim” who was “always at the Mosque.”

“She oversaw an environment unsafe and abusive to women,” said Fethelbab, a former employee at the Arab American Association. “Women who put [Sarsour] on a pedestal for women’s rights and empowerment deserve to know how she really treats us.”

...Fathelbab claims the Arab American Association was an unsafe workplace where she was allegedly sexually assaulted, body-shamed and intimidated.

Oftentimes, Sarsour was directly involved, according to the ex-staffer’s account.

The same story is being gleefully spread by Fox, The Blaze, Trumpanzee Jr and the Washington Examiner, far right media outlets highly antithetical to women, minorities and Muslims. Breitbart was too busy resuscitating Juanita Broaddrick charges against Bill Clinton and reporting on the rise of feminist witchcraft but they are expected to jump in on the Sansour story soon.

As you might have guessed the smear attack by a crackpot who was fired from BuzzFeed for plagiarizing 41 articles. Sarsour provided "BuzzFeed News with witness statements and email correspondence that offer a markedly different version of what happened after then-staff member Asmi Fathelbab accused an office volunteer of harassing her in 2009."

Sarsour said her first instinct was to dismiss the report as a hit piece, but Trump Jr.’s role in amplifying the claims made her fearful for the personal safety of her and her family.

“Anti-Semitic, terrorist sympathizer, supporter of female genital mutilation-- every week they come up with some new stuff about me,” Sarsour said of her detractors. “But when the president’s son is tweeting about me, that’s serious stuff.”

...“She called me a liar because ‘Something like this didn’t happen to women who looked like me,’” Fathelbab was quoted as saying about Sarsour’s reaction. She added that fans who put Sarsour “on a pedestal for women’s right and empowerment deserve to know how she really treats us.”

Sarsour said she’s “dumbfounded” by Fathelbab’s version of what happened. As referenced in the documents Sarsour provided, she gave ACCESS an affidavit dated Aug. 13, 2009. Sarsour defended Seif in the statement and wrote that it was Fathelbab who was creating a hostile environment by telling co-workers stories of alleged harassment.

Sarsour told ACCESS she’d looked into the claims and found “no substantial evidence or any testimonies from anyone about the alleged accusations.” Even so, Sarsour continued, she talked with Seif about the claims and asked him to stay “as far away as possible” from Fathelbab to avoid worsening the issue. Seif denied Fathelbab’s claims at the time, and he does to to this day. Sarsour said she’d considered the matter settled-- until hearing five months later that Fathelbab had told ACCESS about the claims.

Sarsour told BuzzFeed that none of Fathelbab’s claims to the Daily Caller matched the account she brought to Sarsour nearly nine years ago.

“The exact words were, ‘He makes me feel uncomfortable,’” Sarsour said. “There was nothing about touching or groping. There’s no evidence, no email, she can pull out where she ever gave those claims to us.”

As for the claims about body-shaming, Sarsour said, that “never, ever” happened.

“This is character assassination,” she said. “This is where we have to draw the line. I have two daughters. This is not the type of behavior I engage in.”

...“Linda did what she was supposed to do. She had a meeting, got our perspective, got our witness accounts. What else could she do?” he said. “I thought this was over and done with nine years ago.”

No mention on any of the right-wing media outlets of the letter Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Judy Chu (D-CA) have sent to the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Departmnent demanding increased accountability and transparency over claims of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment within immigrant detention facilities. Grijalva and Chu noted with alarm that "The Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security received a total of 33,126 complaints of sexual and/or physical abuse against DHS component agencies between January 2010 and July 2016, according to CIVIC’s complaint. Of the 33,126 complaints of sexual and/or physical abuse, the DHS-OIG opened investigations into only 225 of them, or 0.07%."

The Murderous NRA... And The Democrats

92% of voters-- that's 98% of Democratic voters and 86% of Republican voters-- agree that there should be universal background checks for gun purchases. Even 92% of gun owners are on board with that. 91% of gun owners also say that there should be laws to prevent people with mental illness from buying guns. This week, PPP surveyed New Hampshire voters and found only 9% opposed to universal background checks on gun buyers. In New Hampshire 96% of Democrats, 82% of independents and 79% of Republicans want background checks. So why are Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Republican Rep. Frank Guinta so adamantly opposed to background checks?

Mike Thompson, a Napa Blue Dog and gun owner, says, "The only thing standing in the way of it passing is the Republican Majority in the House... [I]f the Republican Majority would allow a vote, my bill would pass." It didn't pass; Boehner, at the behest of the gun manufacturers' lobbyist group, the NRA, refused to allow it to come to a vote

In fact, there hasn't been a vote on gun legislation on the floor of the House since 2011, and that was to hamper the feds from investigating gun crimes committed with semi-automatic weapons, an amendment that was introduced by Oklahoma Blue Dog Dan Boren (who was subsequently forced to retire from Congress or face defeat). 41 mostly conservative Democrats voted for it along with all the Republicans, and it passed, 277-149. 

Most of the Democrats who did the NRA's bidding that day were, like Boren, driven out of Congress. But not all of them. Still in the House today:

• Sanford Bishop (Blue Dog-GA)
• Jim Cooper (Blue Dog-TN)
• Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA)
• Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)
• Pete DeFazio (OR)
• Gene Green (TX)
• Brian Higgins (NY)
• Ron Kind (New Dem-WI)
• Ben Ray Luján (DCCC Chairman)
• Ed Perlmutter (New Dem-CO)
• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
• Jared Polis (New Dem-CO)
• Dutch Ruppersberger (MD)
• Tim Ryan (OH)
• Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR)
• Adam Smith (New Dem-WA)
• Tim Walz (MN)
• Peter Welch (VT)

At the time, Boren justified his pandering to the NRA by saying:

Last December, ATF published an emergency request…It asked… for the power to collect information from firearms retailers on all sales of two or more semi-automatic rifles within five consecutive business days. This would include many of today's most popular rifles used by millions of Americans for self-defense, hunting, and other lawful purposes.…I strongly oppose granting ATF this information-collecting authority for three reasons: first, it would subject responsible firearms sellers who are often small business owners to burdensome reporting requirements. Second, ATF would catalog records on Americans who purchase rifles, thereby compromising their privacy. And, finally, ATF lacks legal authority to collect this information.

Judy Chu, a Los Angeles-area progressive, spoke for almost all Democrats when she explained why she opposed Boren's murderous NRA amendment:

Thirty thousand. That's how many people were violently slaughtered by the Mexican drug cartels in just 4 short years. One of them was Bobby Salcedo, an American citizen and rising star from my district. He was kidnapped and murdered last year with a semiautomatic rifle. I oppose this amendment because it makes it harder to stop these types of violent acts. This amendment will prevent the tracing of bulk sales of the military-style rifles, popular with cartels, that have resulted in tragic murders like Bobby's. Last year, the U.S. military announced that, if the drug war continues, it could cause the Mexican Government to collapse, and the cartel war could spread over the border into the U.S. This amendment makes the drug war worse. Every day, people are dying from this war, even American citizens. We must stop it, and we can by opposing this amendment.

Almost every Republican scored a ZERO from ProgressivePunch for their lifetime voting record on gun safety. No big surprise. But today there are 4 Democrats who score that same ZERO: Bill Foster (New Dem-IL), Gene Green (TX), Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN) and Dina Titus (NV).

Last cycle alone, the NRA gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republicans in Congress and running for Congress. Again, no surprise. But the NRA also spent money on Democratic shills for their blood-soaked agenda. Many, like hideous Georgia Blue Dog John Barrow (in the video above), were defeated. But still in Congress today, taking NRA blood money and with their heads up the NRA's ass, are:

• Sanford Bishop (Blue Dog-GA)- $3,500
• Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)- $1,000
• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)- $5,950
• Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR)- $2,000
• Tim Walz (MN)- $2,000

Yes, it's easy to demonize Republicans for the gun violence in this country-- easy and appropriate-- but this is a somewhat bipartisan holocaust, even if Republicans in Congress are overwhelmingly more to blame.

Yesterday I got a frantic plea for money from conservative Arizona New Dem Ann Kirkpatrick. She's running for the Senate against the worthless John McCain. But she's pretty worthless herself-- another "Democrat" with an "A" rating from the NRA. And Schumer recruited her to run for the Senate. Why? So she can vote for the NRA's toxic, deathly agenda. Her e-mail missive said, "We could flip the Senate," but she didn't mention that she would be "flipping" it more in favor of the NRA. And she isn't the only Senate candidate Schumer recruited who is beloved of the NRA. In Ohio, Ted Strickland has been a forever supporter of the NRA, and unlike Kirkpatrick, who they rated "A," they gave Strickland an A+.

The NRA rarely endorses Democrats over Republicans but sometimes a Democrat is so subservient to them that they just go for it. And that was the case in 2010 when they backed pet Democrat Ted Strickland and his losing campaign over Republican John Kasich. Both the NRA and the Buckeye Firearms Association scored Strickland an A+ that year-- again, not an A, a much more coveted and rare A+.

What, exactly, did Strickland do to endear himself so to the gun lobbyists? Here are a few examples of his fealty to the murder machine:

• Voted YES on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers
• Voted YES on prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse
• Wrote that he opposes restrictions on the right to bear arms in a survey for the Christian Coalition in 2010
• On the 1996 National Political Awareness Test, he indicated that he supports the principle of repealing all bans and measures that restrict law-abiding citizens from owning legally-obtained firearms.

And that barely touches the surface of the mutual admiration society between Strickland and the gun industry.

Ted Strickland has a pro-gun voting record in Congress. As such, he was endorsed by both the NRA and Buckeye Firearms Association in his party primary last May. In the early days of his gubernatorial campaign in Ohio, he spoke out against a Columbus ban on most semi-automatic rifles that cost the city $20 million in convention revenue, voiced support for Ohio's two year-old concealed carry law, and told legislators they should pass a bill which would prevent municipal gun control laws and make firearms laws uniform across the state.

The progressive Democrat running for the Ohio Senate seat held by Rob Portman is Blue America-endorsed PG Sittenfeld. This morning we asked him how he would differ from Portman and Strickland on issues around gun safety.

In the Senate, I will fight for common sense gun safety measures, starting with universal background checks with no gun show loopholes. Senseless killings by people who never should have had a gun in the first place must stop, and it's going to take more senators willing to stand up and do what's right  to make that happen.

If you'd like to help make sure Sittenfeld beats the NRA's Ohio Tweedle-Dum and Tweddle-Dee, you can do that right here. Needless to say, the big establishment money is all flowing to Portman and Strickland, so whatever you can spare would be immensely appreciated. Democrats can whine about gun violence till the cows come home, but as long as the party machinery is promoting NRA shills like Strickland and Kirkpatrick, nothing will ever change.


UPDATE: Report From Congress

A progressive Member of Congress read the post above and e-mailed me that I forgot to mention someone who deserved recognition for his efforts on behalf of the NRA, "Zach Space, who did far worse than vote for NRA stuff; he actually lined up votes for it." Now a lobbyist, Space was a 2 term Blue Dog from Ohio who "won" Bob Ney's seat after Ney withdrew from the race and pleaded guilty to taking bribes from Jack Abramoff (for which he went to prison). The NRA gave Space a rare A+ rating and endorsed his reelection campaign against eventual Republican victor Bob Gibbs.

As a member of Congress, Space has demonstrated his commitment to our Second Amendment rights by cosponsoring legislation to restore self-defense rights in our nation's capital, as well as signing the pro-gun congressional amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting our individual right to keep and bear arms in the Heller case. Additionally, he is the lead sponsor of legislation to force much-needed reform of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and cosponsored the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity amendment, which would provide a national standard for carrying concealed firearms.  Space also signed a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder opposing re-enactment of the failed 1994 ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines.

Furthermore, Space voted for an amendment that ensures access to federally-owned or administered lands for hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting, as well as an amendment that allows carry permit holders to carry concealed in national parks and wildlife refuges. Most recently, he signed the pro-gun congressional amicus brief arguing that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that protects all Americans in the McDonald case.

Zack Space's commitment to preserving our right to keep and bear arms has earned him an "A+" rating and the endorsement of the NRA-PVF.

Although Space massively outspent Gibbs in the 2010 election-- $2,931,978 to $1,090,872-- Gibbs beat him 54-40% because Democratic base voters had gotten wise to Space's conservatism and refused to show up and vote for him again. Chris Hollen, then head of the DCCC was determined to save Space-- and the other pro-NRA Democrats-- and wasted $1,559,434 on the race, while allowing progressive incumbents to sink beneath the waves of a Koch brothers spending tsunami.

Will Progressive Congressmembers Stand Up To Obama And Boehner?

There are a lot of good, solid progressives whose voting records and public statements indicate they're not going to get behind the Grand Sellout of American working families that Obama and Boehner are going to present as a fait acompli is a couple weeks and then demand everyone vote for it to save us from catastrophe. The half dozen most solid progressive voting records are held by Judy Chu (D-CA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Jim McGovern (D-MA), John Olver (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Their ProgressivePunch Crucial Vote scores go from 96.80 (Chu) to 95.75 (Baldwin). There are 44 Members almost as good and a load of newly-elected progressives who will fit in there as well. But no matter how you slice it or dice it, Judy Chu has the best voting record in Congress. We first became aware of Judy in 2009 when she ran, successfully, to replace Hilda Solis in a special election after Obama appointed her Labor Secretary. Judy came across well and sounded very promising back then... but she's more than lived up to that promise since.

In the CNN interview above, Rep. Chu explains what kind of cuts progressives are pushing as part of the Grand Bargain. She wants to reform Medicare too-- and not the way people who depend of that program fear Obama and Boehner have in mind. "There should be a change to Medicare in which we can actually negotiate for drug prices. After all, we do it for Medicaid. Why can't we do it for Medicare? That would be a big savings to the Medicare program."

At the same time, Progressive Caucus Co-chairman Raul Grijalva was taking another tact. Sunday, on This Week With George Stephanopoulos he explained why Congress should be working on job creation now, not long-term debt reduction. "Part of this whole crisis we’re talking about is about jobs and the ability of this government to generate jobs and put Americans back to work and in a secure place for their families... We’re ignoring the loopholes. We’re ignoring the subsidies. We’re ignoring all the [tax] breaks that have happened over a decade-plus. And now we’re asking the middle class, the elderly, the poor, to carry the brunt of mistakes that were made ten or twelve years ago.”

Everyone has seen the consistent flow of national polls showing that Americans, by overwhelming margins do NOT want to see cuts in benefits to Medicare or Medicaid (let alone Social Security). Yesterday a PCCC poll of Virginian's showed that even in that state, which sometimes elects far right-wing Republican lunatics like Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli and usually votes right-leaning Democrats statewide, that Virginia voters are adamant about now benefits cuts-- so adamant that they'd consider ousting any Democrat who backs the Obama-Boehner Grand Sellout.

A few interesting findings that jumped out at me are: 1) Bob McDonnell within 4 points of Mark Warner for U.S. Senate in 2014; 2) any support by Sen. Warner for cutting Medicare and/or Medicaid, including raising the retirement age, would make 33% of voters "less likely" to vote for him (vs. 22% who say "more likely"); and 3) Virginia voters believe President Obama's mandate in this election is far more to focus on jobs (46%) than on the debt (22%). Let's hope our leaders are listening...

New Poll Results:

QUESTION: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Democrat Mark Warner is handling his job as US Senator?

Approve ..........................................................54%
Disapprove...................................................... 36%
Not sure .......................................................... 11%

QUESTION: If the election for Senate were held today, and the choices were Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Bob McDonnell, who would you vote for?

Mark Warner ................................................... 50%
Bob McDonnell ............................................... 46%
Undecided....................................................... 4%

QUESTION: If Senator Mark Warner supported any cuts to Medicare and Medicaid benefits, including raising the retirement age or reducing cost of living adjustments, would that make you more or less likely to vote for him, or would it make no difference to your vote?

More likely....................................................... 22%
Less likely ....................................................... 33%
Wouldn't make a difference............................. 39%
Not sure.......................................................... 7%

Meanwhile, President Obama's partner in treachery against the America people, the House Republican leadership, is not getting very good grades from the American people. A new Gallup Poll released yesterday shows that trust in the Republican congressional leaders to handle the so-called "fiscal cliff" has fallen even more this week-- down to 26%. [In contrast, Democratic congressional leaders get a 38% positive rating and President Obama gets a 48% positive. 64% of Americans disapprove of the way Boehner, Cantor and Miss McConnell are handling the negotiations. I bet they would approve of Jerry Nadler (D-NY), though. Listen below where he explains it's what's in the deal not that there is a deal. That is most important to him. "I won't vote," he states right from the git-go, "for any deal that cuts Social Security or that reduces benefits to Medicare; I hope that no one else will either." Blue America will be there with you, Congressman Nadler.

Judy Chu Had A Lot Of Reasons To Endorse Jay Chen-- Here's Her Guest Post On Them

Rep. Judy Chu-- We need more congressmembers like her

Even among 100 or 200 or 300... or 435 there got to be one person who is the very best. Or maybe two people tied for very best. But in this case, it isn't a tie, A former Blue America endorsee who won her congressional seat, Judy Chu, has the single best Progressive Punch crucial vote score-- both for her entire career and for the current 2011-12 session. Here's the top 10:

Judy has been a real leader in Southern California politics as well, helping to elect independent-minded progressives like herself. She's endorsed all three of the California Blue America candidates, Lee Rogers, Alan Lowenthal and Jay Chen. Yesterday she sent us a guest post about her reasons for supporting Jay. Please give it a look and if you back Judy's ideas, consider making a contribution on the same Blue America page that first helped send Judy to Congress.

Guest Post

-by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)

When I was elected to Congress in 2008, I stayed up until 6 a.m. casting my first vote on health care reform. Since that time, Republicans have been doing nothing but trying to shut down critical programs, and every day I have to work harder to defend them. I need an ally in Congress. I need someone who shares my views, and is not afraid to do what is right. That is why I support Jay Chen for Congress.

I got my start in politics on the Garvey Unified School Board and education remains near and dear to my heart. As a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, I see all the problems that our public education system faces today and shudder at the thought that so many want to get rid of the Department of Education. Public education is the key to our nation’s success and it is crucial to strengthen our schools. This is something Jay Chen understands. He currently serves on the school board of the same district he was raised and taught in.

I know that Jay will work hard to heighten our education quality and standards, as well as making learning more accessible. As a Hacienda La Puente school board member, Jay pushed for Mandarin and Spanish language immersion classes at the elementary school level and understands what our kids need to compete in a global economy. He has created free SAT-prep workshops and college preparation classes in order to offer everyone a fair chance at higher education. Jay has a proven record of creating higher student achievement-- all without teacher furloughs or layoffs. Though at times he has faced Republican backlash for doing so, Jay has gone above and beyond his role in the school board to serve the 39th district’s public schools and education staff.

I joined the small business committee because small businesses are the heart of our economy. It goes without saying that there are problems in a growing and complex industrial society. As a businessman himself, Jay sees business as a source of positive, progressive change. He is committed to bringing jobs back, supporting small businesses and preparing our children to compete abroad are common-sense solutions to strengthen America during this uncertain time.

Right now, Congress has taken the wrong direction by attacking worker’s rights. Our country is built on the sweat of our construction workers, farmers, nurses, cooks and retail cashiers. I support working with labor to solve problems, build stronger workplaces and give working families a real voice-- and I know that Jay will be an ally in this movement. As a staunch supporter of the Employment Rights Act, Jay has shown his dedication to the rights of workers and the jobs that drive our country forward.

I am currently the only Chinese American in Congress and know that we need our Congress to better represent those that it serves. If elected, Jay will be the second member of Chinese-Taiwanese descent in Congress, and will represent one of America’s fastest growing minority communities within his district. A son of two Taiwanese immigrants, Jay has seen first-hand what the American Dream means for our millions of individuals who come to our shores, and the difficulties they face in achieving that dream. I know Jay will fight for equality and cultural tolerance. He stood alongside me when I advocated the Statement of Regret for the Chinese Exclusion laws, discriminatory laws adopted 130 years ago that imposed severe restrictions on Chinese immigration and naturalization.

The 39th District of California deserves a representative who is on the right side of the issues, who intimately knows the district, and who is well versed on issues of national security. As an intelligence officer with the U.S. Navy Reserves, Jay Chen is uniquely qualified to make important decisions regarding the safety of our homeland, and to address issues that directly affect our servicemen and women.

This is why I support Jay Chen’s bid for Congress this November. Jay Chen is a strong progressive who stands for accessible education, empowerment for disenfranchised communities and human dignity for minorities regardless of socioeconomic background or sexual orientation. That is why I ask you to join me in supporting his bid for Congress this November.

Congratulations Congresswoman Judy Chu

After she won what started out as a long shot bid to replace Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis as the congressmember from the largely Hispanic 32nd CD, centered in the San Gabriel Valley, it was almost a certainty that Judy Chu would win a run-off against a token GOP candidate whose only hope was in the confusion that she could cause because her name is also Chu. Not enough people were confused and strongly progressive Judy Chu beat the pants off the reactionary Betty Chu in a two to one landslide. As the San Gabriel Valley Tribune pointed out, Betty Chu is a typical Republican creep. She started calling herself Betty Chu for the sake of the campaign and her "campaign has a propensity for doctoring photographs of opponents in its mailers, adding facial moles and bad dentistry, as she did to Monterey Park council candidate David Lau and to Judy Chu in May."

It was an extremely low turnout but the right-wing Chu, who was also caught cheating on fundraising reports during the campaign, didn't manage to break a third of the vote. Judy Chu is the first Chinese-American woman ever elected to Congress.

Judy Chu had been endorsed by DWT and by virtually all the media in the district. Last week in their endorsement, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune said the choice couldn't be clearer. And they pointed out that "She has the backing of virtually every other city council member in the diverse district in part because of her obviously solid credentials and in great part because her local service ensures that she understands the crucial needs of our cities. And before that, equally importantly, she served on the Garvey School Board."

In the highly Democratic district, it wasn't a surprise that it was a Democrat-- Judy Chu-- who took the highest plurality of votes in May. But political observers did watch with interest to see how much mere ethnicity seemed to matter in the 32nd, which is 51 percent Latino, and 30 percent primarily Spanish-speaking. About 7 percent is Chinese surnamed, with another 7 percent Vietnamese surnamed, and something on the order of 5 percent Filipino.

Three of the major primary candidates were Latino, but clearly many voters paid more attention to other factors than a person's race--- and that's a great sign for electoral politics in America.

CA-32 Looks Like A Progressive Victory-- Judy Chu

With less than a quarter of the votes still to be counted, Judy Chu is well ahead of Gil Cedillo in a race to replace Hilda Solis in CA-32. The L.A. Times has the most up-to-the-minute results and they're showing Judy with 32.8%, Gil Cedillo with 24.2% and Emanuel Pleitez with 14%. Betty Chu is leading among Republicans with 10.1%. Final results in the morning.

Judy Chu was the favored candidate of the progressive community and had the most endorsements from unions, grassroots groups, local legislators. We covered her campaign in mid-April and, like most netroots activists, have been hoping that she would be able to stop Cedillo. It appears that she has done just that and will be in Congress soon, joining the Progressive Caucus and working towards implementing President Obama's change agenda, and pushing him-- where needed-- in a more progressive direction. Emily's list explained their endorsement:




UPDATE: It's Official-- Judy Won!

With all votes counted it breaks down like this:

Judy Chu (D)- 15,338 (31.9%)
Gil Cedillo (D)- 11,244 (23.4%)
Emanuel Pleitez (D)- 6,509 (13.5%)
Betty Chu (R)- 5,016 (10.4%)

And statewide, the rejection-- rightly-- of a series of ill-defined budget measures, is being looked at as a complete rejection of Arnold Schwarzenegger and as proof of a dangerous and severe state of dysfunction in the Golden State.

[V]oters in the special election refused either to extend new tax hikes or to cap state spending. They also declined to unlock funds that they had voted in better financial times to set aside for special purposes.

Nearly a century after the Progressive-era birth of the state's ballot-measure system, it is clear that voters' fickle commands, one proposition at a time, are a top contributor to paralysis in Sacramento. And that, in turn, has helped cripple the capacity of the governor and Legislature to provide effective leadership to a state of more than 38 million people.

Clogged freeways, the decline of public schools, an outdated water system and a battered economy are just a few of the challenges demanding action by state leaders. Instead, they are consumed by yet another budget crisis, one that voters worsened Tuesday.

"No one's really stepping back and confronting the harsh realities that face our state in a critical sense, because of constraints put on our elected leaders," said Mark Baldassare, president of the Public Policy Institute of California. "We're unable to focus on the long term and the big picture at a time when we desperately need to do so."

The results Tuesday fit Californians' long-standing pattern of demanding what is ultimately irreconcilable, all the more so in an economic downturn: lower taxes and higher spending.

...The public's contradictory impulses were laid bare by a recent Field Poll. It found that voters oppose cutbacks in 10 of 12 major categories of state spending, including the biggest, education and healthcare. Yet most voters were unwilling to have their own taxes increased, and they overwhelmingly favored keeping the two-thirds requirement for tax hikes.

Who To Vote For In The CA-32 Congressional Election Tuesday

There are two great candidates to replace Hilda Solis in CA-32 this Tuesday, Judy Chu and Emanuel Pleitez, both of whom we had as Blue America guests (at the links above). Chu probably has a better shot at winning the seat but if a song and YouTube could determine the outcome...

Meet Judy Chu, A Progressive Candidate For The East L.A./San Gabriel Valley Congressional Seat Vacated By Hilda Solis

Once the Republicans stopped obstructing the confirmation of southern California Congresswoman Hilda Solis to the Secretary of Labor post Obama had nominated her, the special election for her overwhelmingly Hispanic and overwhelmingly Democratic (PVI is D+15 and McCain received less than a third of the votes) got under way. CA-32 includes parts of East L.A., Monterey Park, Rosemeade, El Monte, Baldwin Park, Azusa, Covina and West Covina; it's 62% Hispanic and 18% Asian. The Republicans haven't bothered to run a candidate there since 2002. The multiparty primary is scheduled for May 19 and the general election will follow on Bastille Day (July 14). There are an even dozen candidates but political handicappers say it all comes down to 4 progressive front-runners: state Senator Gil Cedillo, state Board of Equalization member Judy Chu, former Solis deputy district director Benita Duran, and ex-Obama transition team member Emanuel Pleitez.

Blue America hasn't taken a stand on the race because all 4 front-runners seem like good choices. We had Emanuel Pleitez over for a live blog session at FDL in early March and today we'll be meeting Judy Chu at Crooks and Liars at 11am (PT). Judy posted about why she's running for Congress at Calitics this morning.

People who wrote off Judy Chu's chances in such an overwhelmingly Hispanic district missed the fact that Judy has represented the district in various elected capacities for 2 decades and that many of the Hispanic elected officials in the district have endorsed her (as has Hilda Solis' family and both the SEIU and the L.A. County Labor Federation). You can check out her stands on the important issues facing the district at her website, where you can also donate to her campaign. But first, please join us in the C&L comments section for a free-ranging chat with Dr. Judy Chu.

Meet Emanuel Pleitez, The Other Progressive Candidate Running To Replace Hilda Solis In CA-32

When Obama nominated longtime Blue America fave Hilda Solis for a cabinet position, I got a call from another Blue America alum, Roberto Rodriguez, who had run against GOP crook Buck McKeon in a district northeast of Los Angeles in 2006. Roberto wanted to introduce me to an old friend of his who is running for Congress in CA-32, the East L.A./San Gabriel Valley district that Hilda has represented. There are three Democrats in the race and all are solid progressives: State Board of Equalization head Judy Chu, state Senator Gil Cedillo, and Roberto's friend, Emanuel Pleitez, straight off President Obama's transition team. Judy and Gil are both very well known to people who follow Los Angeles and Sacramento politics. Emanuel is well known in the district but unknown outside. We invited him to join us today so we can talk about his very DIY grassroots campaign. He'll be live at Firedoglake today between 11am and 1pm (PT).

When I spoke with Emanuel on the phone he talked more about Wilson High School, where he was a starting quarterback (and had 19 varsity letters) than about graduating from Stanford. Fellow Stanford graduates aren't going to elect anyone to office but Brown graduates are-- and El Sereno and City Terrace are his base. But even in the San Gabriel Valley segment of the district countless people-- or their parents or grandparents-- were Brown students and moved from East L.A. Emanuel was one of the founders of the Wilson Alumni Foundation.

He's the local boy in the race. Many people from outside the district don't realize that Gil Cedillo doesn't represent any of CA-32. He represents Downtown L.A. The district is over 60% Hispanic and almost 20% Asian. Hispanic elected officials from inside the district have tended to line up behind Judy and Hispanic elected officials from outside the district are behind Gil. Wilson High graduates are lining up behind Emanuel. He has a small army of volunteer staffers and his field program has been in operation for over a month. That's the only way you win low-turnout special elections.

At 26 years old, Emanuel would be the youngest member of Congress if he's elected. His playbook seems straight from Obama's campaign. He represents the new kind of Obama politics and public service. You can learn more about the campaign on his website and by speaking with him directly-- in the comments section below at FDL.