A Warning: The Most Right-Wing Democrat In NYC-- A Trump Supporter, No Less-- May Slip Into Congress

Hasn't the Bronx suffered enough?

If you're new around here, you may have missed our discussions over the years about Rubén Díaz., an ultra-conservative career politician in the South Bronx. As I mentioned last time, the south Bronx congressional district from which Jose Serrano is retiring, doesn't have many white Conservatives. In fact, only 2.5% of the district's population is white. And when Republicans run there, it's just a publicity stunt. NY-15 is the bluest district in America. Obama won it with 95% the first time he ran and with 97% the second time. In 2016, Trump only took 4.9% of the vote, his worst performance anywhere in the country. This cycle, though, conservatives might get lucky. One of their own is running for the open congressional seat... and running as a Democrat. City Councilman Rubén Díaz Sr., New York's most right-wing Democrat, has a chance to slip into the seat. Ironically, NY-15 is right next to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's district and Díaz enjoys telling everyone he's the opposite of her. He sure is. He's a 76-year-old, cowboy hat-wearing Pentecostal minister known for his constituent services and controversial statements on social issues and makes his path to victory clear-- a split among half a dozen progressive and mainstream candidates could leave the crackpot with a primary win.

Díaz was the only Democrat in the state Senate to vote against a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in 2011. And he has been sharply criticized in recent months for saying the City Council is "controlled by the homosexual community"; he was subsequently stripped of his chairmanship of the For-Hire Vehicle committee and urged to resign by the City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

There are 15 Democrats competing in the primary-- 11 of whom have raised at least enough money to file an FEC report ($5,000)-- and 7 of the 11 having raised at least 10 times that amount. There are also two full-on progressives in the race-- Tomas Ramos (who has been endorsed by Blue America) and Samelys Lopez.

Yesterday, writing for Newsweek, Adrian Carrasquillo warned that Díaz is poised to win. That's because all the other Democrats are taking a small piece of the non-Díaz vote, leaving Díaz with a good shot to win.

"He would instantly become Donald Trump's favorite New York congressman," strategist Eric Koch of anti-Diaz super PAC Bronx United told Newsweek, adding that Diaz Sr. would be an unreliable Democratic vote in the House caucus.

To complicate matters, he has a son, Ruben Diaz Jr., who is his namesake and a Bronx borough president many call the most popular politician in the borough. Diaz Jr. is regularly asked to comment on his father's actions, as he did disapprovingly when Diaz Sr. invited Senator Ted Cruz to visit the Bronx, but the consensus is that his son is a political plus for the reverend.

..."There's a cruel irony that a Trump Republican could represent the most Democratic district in America," said Ritchie Torres, an opponent who has raised six times more money than Diaz Sr. and has $800,000 more cash on hand, according to the latest public filing.

While outside groups bristle at Diaz Sr.'s place in the modern Democratic Party, they don't get a vote in the community where he has devoted his time and resources for decades.

Diaz Sr., who is Puerto Rican, has a background that still matters in a historically Puerto Rican part of New York, which includes Hispanic evangelicals and seniors who are his base. New York political experts said the pastor, who can be seen wearing a baby blue cowboy hat on the New York City council website, is a master of constituent services.

"He has always had a great constituent service mechanism," said Jennifer Blatus, a political strategist who interned with Diaz Jr. "He's really good at connecting with the community, he knows who his base is, he knows how to reach them, his son is wildly popular, they have the same name and half the people that vote for him might think they're voting for Rubencito."

Diaz, who said he was a victim of anti-black discrimination while in the Army, was addicted to drugs and pleaded guilty to heroin and marijuana possession in 1965 before finding salvation in Jesus Christ, ministering to people who also needed to turn their lives around, and opening senior centers in the Bronx in the 1970s and 1980s.

An analysis of his spending by The City found that Diaz Sr. had spent $31,000 on gifts before the crisis struck New York, including buying Thanksgiving turkeys, Christmas toys, and gift cards from iconic New York standby, Western Beef.

"That is what I have always done," Diaz Sr. said when the legality of such gifts was questioned. "Giving back to the people and trying to help the community. This is nothing new to me."

Blatus said Diaz Sr. has a lot of different tactics to help meet the needs of seniors, like having volunteers give older constituents a ride to the voting booth.

"He's fully bilingual, he's from Puerto Rico, he knows what hardship is, he can relate to these people," she said.

"The Diaz name has value not just because his son is the borough president, but because it has been a fixture in that community both politically and spiritually," said Hank Shienkopf, a veteran of New York politics since 1969, who grew up in the district, and helped elect Diaz Jr. as Bronx borough president.

Shienkopf said it's important to understand that local residents don't judge Diaz Sr.'s controversial statements because they feel they are the ones being discriminated against by a system that has never helped the Bronx. "If there is anything that is true about politics in New York City, it's that change is the only constant," he said. "But this is the one place where there hasn't been a change in their economic status."

That's not enough for his opponents, who believe the election falling during a crisis has helped Diaz Sr.

"You have a homophobe, misogynist, who's anti-choice and could win here but it's been hard to get people to focus on this seat," Melissa Mark-Viverito, a former New York City council speaker also running in the 15th district race to replace retiring Representative Jose Serrano told Newsweek.

His opponents are keeping score of his transgressions.

Diaz, who once compared abortion to the Holocaust, drew widespread condemnation in 1994 when the Gay Games were coming to New York City and he wrote in a column that the 20,000 athletes "are likely to be already infected with AIDS or can return home with the virus."

Diaz Sr. also was strongly criticized for saying the city council was "controlled by the homosexual community" last year and for refusing in 2005 to endorse Michael Bloomberg or Democrat Fernando Ferrer in the mayoral race because their support of abortion rights and same-sex marriage meant "they have nothing to offer me according to the Bible."

Neither Diaz responded to Newsweek's request for comment.

Bronx United released a digital ad highlighting his previous comments that if you dare to sympathize with Trump or wear a MAGA hat you are labeled a racist.

A national coalition launched by Victory Fund last week, which backs LGBTQ candidates and supports Torres, included NARAL Pro-Choice America, Latino Victory Fund, Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and Human Rights Campaign to raise the alarm that Diaz Sr. wants to represent a district they argue has politically moved away from him.

But outside efforts over the next month may not matter. Experts said campaigning has been fundamentally changed because of the pandemic and there won't be traditional street or park events in the month before the primary. That means Diaz Sr. could be headed to Congress after all.

"The district has been devastated by the virus, but also devastated by poverty for the last 25 years, so the question is where were these people when the Diaz's were here?" Shienkopf said. "Who is standing up to scream about it? Diaz keeps proving he's the one that can yell the loudest, so that gives him some standing."

Trump To Campaign For Congressional Republicans? Kara Eastman Says "Bring It On!"

Hole-in-One by Nancy Ohanian

During the 2016 election, a putative Democrat from the South Bronx, Rubén Díaz, Sr., backed Ted Cruz for president and invited him to speak in his district. It didn't do Cruz much good. In the Republican primary, Cruz came in third-- with just 1,022 votes, in New York's bluest county. Trump won the county in the primary with 2,702 votes but in the general election, Hillary eviscerated him 318,403 (88.7%) to 34,424 (9.6%). Today, still running as a Democrat (or some kind of Democrat), Díaz Sr. is trying to sneak into the NY-15 congressional district from which progressive icon Jose Serrano is retiring.

NY-15 doesn't have many white conservatives. In fact, only 2.5% of the district's population is white. And when Republicans run there, it's usually just a vanity run or a publicity stunt. NY-15 is the bluest district in America. Obama won it with 95% the first time he ran and with 97% the second time. In 2016, Trump performance in the district was just 4.9%-- his worst results in the Bronx, in New York City, in New York State and in the U.S.A. This cycle, though, conservatives might get lucky. One of their own, Díaz Sr., is running for the open congressional seat... and running as a Democrat.

A a 77-year-old, cowboy hat-wearing Pentecostal minister known for his constituent services and ugly controversial statements on social issues, Díaz Sr. has a clear path to victory-- a split among a dozen progressive and mainstream candidates that could actually leave the crackpot with a primary win. Díaz was the only Democrat in the state Senate to vote against a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in 2011. He is vehemently anti-Choice and against stem-cell research. And last year he told New Yorkers that the City Council is "controlled by the homosexual community," which led to him being stripped of his chairmanship of the For-Hire Vehicle committee. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson told him to resign.

The best way of beating Díaz is for progressives and normal Democrats to get behind Tomas Ramos... but that isn't going to happen, especially not with political careerists like Ritchie Torres and Michael Blake. But there's another way to beat Díaz, Sr.-- and Ramos told us about it today. An Alayna Treene post at Axios over the weekend pointed out that "In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections-- buoyed by Republican control of both chambers-- President Trump viewed campaigning for the House as a lower-tier priority and instead poured his energy into rallying for the Senate. But after the GOP reckoning in 2018, and experiencing firsthand how damaging a Democratic-led House has been to him, Trump is now personally invested in helping Republicans regain the majority in November. If Trump wins re-election and Republicans are able to hold the Senate and take back the House, Trump will essentially have free rein to do whatever he wants in his second term." Tomas Ramos, like many Democrats running for Congress, hopes Trump will come to his district to campaign.

It isn't likely to happen, but a Trump-Díaz rally would be an immense GOTV moment for real Democrats in the Bronx. "This," Ramos told me, "would give my campaign a huge boost. My district consists of 98% people of color from all over the world. It would expose Rubén Díaz, Sr. for what he really is, a conservative Republican who has been running as a Democrat in the most Democratic congressional district in the country. Remember, this is the same guy who brought Ted Cruz to the Bronx in 2016."

Omaha, Nebraska is very different from the Bronx and the congressional district there, NE-02, is a quintessential swing district. It went for Obama in 2008 and for Romney in 2012. Last cycle, Hillary lost NE-02 by less than 2 points. But Trump is incredibly unpopular there now. In 2018, progressive Kara Eastman won Douglas County (Omaha convincingly). Like Tomas, she would love to see Trump come to Omaha to campaign with his Nebraska-clone, Don Bacon. "If Trump wants to come to my district-- where polls show him under water by 14 points-- to campaign for Bacon," she told me, "I say bring it on!"

Liam O'Mara is less certain what a Trump visit to Riverside County to bolster endangered Republican Ken Calvert would mean. "Trump being here could energize Calvert's base and mine. Trump won the 42nd by 12 points," Liam continued, "But remember, he was running as a populist and talking about the working class. Yes, the district has a conservative history, but many of its independent voters have a populist streak. And Republicans make up only 38% of the electorate, and falling. The answer to a right-populist is a left-populist who knows how to frame the issues well." O'Mara thinks that if Calvert campaigned in the district with Trump, he could win with a campaign stop by Bernie. "Standing with him would do the most good... and his popularity in the district is growing. His appeal crosses party lines and scoops up the independent populists more easily than Trump. It is worth remembering that about 12% of Bernie's 2016 primary voters went for Trump in the general. These are swing voters that we can only win with the right kind of candidate."

Tom Winter is the progressive Democrat likely to take on Matt Rosendale for the open at-large Montana House seat. He reminded me that in 2018 Trump was in Montana four times campaigning for Rosendale when he was running against Democrat Jon Tester. "One of these campaign rallies was in a state legislative district Trump had won by 11 points the previous election and the one I was running in to replace an incumbent Republican that was seated right behind him as he spoke. While that local GOP lawmaker was enjoying his VIP tickets to that rally, I knocked dozens and dozens of doors that day right across the street. I talked with my neighbors about how politics was failing the working families of Montana. I laid out my progressive policy agenda that I felt would make it more affordable for all of us to live in the place we love. With loud cheers in the background as the president complimented our incumbent Congressman, Greg Gianforte, for body slamming a reporter that had asked him a tough question, I spoke with my neighbors about the need to restore civility in our politics. Gianforte, Rosendale, and that local legislator all laughed as the president praised the assault on journalists, 'Any guy who can do a body slam is my kind of guy.' They laughed and Jon Tester and I won. We won because we had not lost faith in Montanans and laid out our cases for how we would fight for them, each in our own way. Our good Senator won that year by his largest margin ever in his three statewide election victories. So, as I run to replace that body slamming Congressman I welcome the president to stop by our great state for as many times as he'd like. He can find me speaking with my future constituents."





Other districts where Trump visits would likely kill GOP chances include seats currently held by John Katko, Peter King, and Lee Zeldin in New York; Fred Upton in Michigan; And Barr in Kentucky; Jaime Herrera Beutler and Cathy McMorris Rodgers in Washington; Chris Smith in New Jersey; Ann Wagner in Missouri; Brian Fitzpatrick and Scott Perry in Pennsylvania; Denver Riggleman and Rob Wittman in Virginia; Rodney Davis and Mike Bost in Illinois; Bryan Steil in Wisconsin; Pete Stauber and Jim Hagedorn in Minnesota; Devin Nunes and Tom McClintock in California; Mario Diaz-Balart, Ross Spano, Brian Mast and Vern Buchanan in Florida; Dan Crenshaw, Michael McCaul, John Carter, Chip Roy and Roger Williams in Texas; and Steve Chabot, David Joyce and Mike Turner in Ohio.

Four Great Congressional Candidates-- No Deadlines

Blue America is trying something new today. Usually when we write to our members, we're asking everyone to consider one candidate, most often one we just endorsed. Thing is, we've been vetting a large number of congressional candidates for the last few months and this past week we endorsed 4 of them, Robin Wilt in the Rochester, New York area, Nabilah Islam in the suburbs north of Atlanta, Tomas Ramos in the Bronx and Jim Harper in northwest Indiana. Each of the 4 is the most progressive candidate running in their race. Robin, Tomas and Jim are in safe blue districts. Nabilah is running in a swing district from which the Republican incumbent is retiring.

Let's start with Nabilah. "My mother worked for years at a warehouse picking up boxes and putting them on trucks," she told me. "Her low wages forced her to work longer hours. Those long hours eventually took a toll on her body, a toll so grave that she ended up herniating two discs in her back, a toll that nearly took her out of the workforce. Much worse than that, her employer and insurer at the time, decided they did not want to pay for one of her surgeries after it was already performed, leaving my family in a financial situation so dire that we were forced to sue the insurance company in order for the procedure to be paid for. Had that lawsuit not been successful, who knows where my family and I would be today."

No person, no family, should be put in a situation like that. America is the wealthiest country in the world and health care is a basic human right. We need to do more than fix the broken ACA that’s been gutted by Donald Trump and the GOP and we must do more than expand Medicaid. Individuals should never fall between the coverage gap and income should not preclude you from quality care. We need a universal healthcare system that affords every single American basic, comprehensive, quality coverage. Regardless of age, gender, or whether you have a pre-existing condition or not. Only sick people profit off of sick people. Healthcare, or the lack thereof, is such a deeply personal issue to me. When I am elected to be the next congresswoman from Georgia's 7th district, I vow to work tirelessly, to make sure every single person in this district, across Georgia and across the country has healthcare through a Medicare for all single payer system.

Tomas Ramos, the progressive running in the Bronx district right next to AOC's, also spoke with us about his mother. "I grew up seeing my mother struggle to pay for me to get a quality education so I know that education is out of reach if you cannot pay for it. That is why I am running-- to alleviate student debt for millions of Americans and to bring trade schools back to our communities. I saw my father deported and the toll that took on my family. That is why I am running. To reform our horrific immigration policies that have torn our families apart. I’m running to end the school to prison pipeline, fully fund our public education and fight for medicare for all."





Robin Wilt was a DNC Bernie delegate and was elected to the Brighton town council. She told us that she's "running to bring sweeping progressive change to not only the people of Rochester and Monroe County, but to the entire country. One of my biggest concerns that I plan to address in Congress is health care in America."

Health care is a human right. I have been active in the fight for universal, single-payer healthcare since observing how the Army’s single-payer system made it possible for my brother to recover and thrive after being severely injured in Iraq. For over a decade, I worked hard with other single-payer activists to encourage Louise Slaughter to co-sponsor Medicare for All. When my opponent took over Louise’s seat, our district lost a co-sponsor of Medicare for All. We must take this seat back and get our district back on track with its progressive values. When I am elected to Congress, I will immediately sign on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1384, Expanded and Improved Medicare For All. Besides making every American eligible for Medicare, H.R. 1384 would expand Medicare to cover dental and vision services, mental health, and substance abuse treatment, and long term care.

Indiana's first district is more like an extension of Chicago than a part of Penceland. The district has been the domain of centrist Democrat Pete Viscolsky, who's retiring. Obama won the district with over 60% both times he ran and even Hillary beat Trump 54.1% to 41.5%. Over a dozen Democrats are running but Jim Harper, who ran a credible race for Secretary of State in 2018-- and won decisively in all three counties that make up IN-01, Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties-- is the most progressive as well as the most electable.


He told us that "as a public defender, I am committed to criminal justice reform. I have seen how the war on drugs has ravaged communities and disproportionately impacted communities of color. During my time in the New Orleans public defender’s office, for instance, one client was sentenced to twenty years in prison simply for possessing a small amount of marijuana. Instead of continuing to support his family, my client was forced to spend years in prison for activity that is legal in many states. In Congress, I will fight to legalize marijuana, abolish the death penalty, and end private prisons. But these reforms are just the beginning. Despite attempts to reform our sentencing laws, the United States still has the highest incarceration rate in the world. This is both immoral and counterproductive. I will work to reform our sentencing laws to decrease our record-high incarceration rate in the world and prioritize treatment and alternatives to incarceration. I will also support increased funding for public defender systems to ensure that the right to counsel applies to everyone."





So four really excellent candidates this week. Is there one of them who you really connect with and want to help get elected to Congress? Give at the link just below. Alternatively, you can also split your contribution-- evenly or otherwise-- between all four candidates at the Blue America 2020 congressional ActBlue page. We need more members of Congress like these four, not more Blue Dogs and New Dems. Here's an example of why that's so, so important for all of us, no matter what state or district we live in:

Congressional Candidate Tomas Ramos Creates First Ever Technological HUB Inside of A NYCHA Community Center

-by Tomas Ramos
candidate for Congress, NY-15

July 2016, that was the first time that I entered Bronx River Community Center-- while I was excited about the prospects of being a community educator and organizer, little did I realize that this moment would alter the rest of my life. As I toured the center, I was in awe of this beautiful space that was located in the middle of one of the largest public housing developments in the Bronx. I had an immediate vision, to combine my interest and love of technology to transform the center itself. I envisioned a technological hub that would inspire the many families and youth that I provided services to. Just as I was once inspired by technology, this was to be the impetus of how I would give back, through technology itself.

Bronx River Houses is home to over 5,000 residents, it is a small representation that is the melting pot of the Bronx, a large and complex community with various ethnicities-- Puerto Rican, Dominican, African-American, central American and a multitude of others. While the residents’ cultures may separate them, there is one thing that they have in common, they bear the brunt of poverty. My goal to combat this poverty is to use technology as a tool that would become the great equalizer for this culturally rich and diverse community.

My initial thoughts were “it is possible for us to create sustainable programming to help break the cycle of poverty through innovative educational structures.” When I expressed this vision to DYCD (the city agency that funded my program), they thought I was insane. I spoke in depth about retrofitting Bronx River with high end technology and designing a community center where young people would have the opportunity to learn coding (for video games and web design), create applications, learn about software and engineering, just to name a few. This was going to be the space where ‘Google meets Apple’, more importantly though this was going to be the place where people of color (from the housing projects, nonetheless) were going to get the necessary training skills they needed to succeed in the corporate tech world.

All children, regardless of their socio-economic status deserve equal access to resources. In NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) communities though, the overwhelming majority of our youth are marginalized, they do not have the same access points to resources in order to appropriately navigate the world. That is why I made it my goal to create the infrastructure and implement the much needed technology that would make it possible for the next generation of Elon Musk’s and Bill Gates’s to come out from the Bronx River projects.

My vision, often times was far-fetched and incomprehensible to all of the governing agencies whether it be DYCD, NYCHA, DOE (Department of Education), etc. But it seemed to be out of reach to the resident stakeholders as well. My battle was twofold, I found myself being discouraged by the varying levels of city, state and federal bureaucracy to implement my ideas, however, I often found myself trying to convince the community at large (as well) that this vision would be actualized.

Rather than being discouraged I fomented a coalition of dedicated stakeholders who would help me achieve my vision. Through this collaboration, two other Directors (from the Sotomayor and Soundview NYCHA Community Centers) and I began to lay the framework for using our centers as alternative spaces for educational learning as it pertains to technology. Specifically, each Director had a very specific niche, which we reasoned could be leveraged across all three centers - Sotomayor would specialize on multimedia/video editing; Soundview would focus on computer programming/coding. And, Bronx River since it was one of the birthplaces of hip hop, was going to focus on music production. We were then going to create a peer to peer system across all three sites where classes would be taught electronically and where folks would be able to access the record for any class that was conducted.

Our conclusion was simple, rather than relying solely on the DOE to create opportunities we would use our community centers to fill the stop gaps in education. However, we would also be able to attract the most marginalized youth, those who did not see education as a real means of upward mobility. We would be able to create opportunities for them to re-enter the educational system in a non-conventional space, our NYCHA Community Centers. 

We began to use our extended networks to attempt to locate additional funds that would provide the needed capital to purchase the equipment. Finally, there was an opportunity with the Bronx Borough President’s office that would provide a one-time grant that was in line with our vision of technology.

However, I understood that in order to truly eradicate poverty my approach has to be a multi-pronged strategy. We partnered with a professor from Lehman College who had written a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to pioneer an innovative effort-- college professors would teach college level courses at Bronx River Community Center. Again, the center was at the precipice of piloting a much larger initiative. The NSF grant would provide college level courses at the community center which would fit in line with the idea of educating in non-conventional spaces. The pilot program would allow students to enroll in a three credit course on music production. This would allow the marginalized youth an access point to possibly seeking higher education which could create a pipeline for full time college enrollment.

We also focused on diversifying the classes by offering courses such as: architectural design and graphic design, SAT prep, GED prep, software development and engineering were among the many others. The final part of the strategy was to establish partnerships with tech companies to create a pipeline of skilled workers for high paying jobs.

We submitted the proposal and received our award letters toward the latter end of Spring 2017. The monies was released to NYCHA on July 1, 2017. Our expectation was that we would receive the monies in the of Fall of 2017-- just in time for after-school programming. In the meantime, my coalition and I incorporated a nonprofit organization. Our plan was to create, implement and sustain technology (and its infrastructure) and programming to the NYCHA centers in the Bronx and then slowly expand, citywide. We were going to rely on our pilot sites as examples of our success. That was not the case.

After a year, NYCHA was incapable of releasing the funds, the bureaucratic foundation of the agency was devoid of providing any solution to the problem. During the Summer of 2018 the coalition and I started a petition and acquired over 1,000 signatures. It gained enough traction which some politicians wanted to endorse, a press conference was held. However, the politicians were unable to apply the needed pressure to NYCHA, in short there was no viable solution.

After another year and a half of petitions and working the levers of bureaucracy we were able to hold another press conference which was the final nail in the coffin as we were granted the funds to purchase our technology. A few of the items include: iMacs, 3D Printers, 4K Video Cameras, Apple and Smart TV’s, which are all connected by wireless connectivity.

The entire Community Center is Wi-Fi capable and connected to a single network. The flat smart TV’s allow parents and youth to view upcoming programming content, as well as pictures and videos from past events. The computer lab has 20 iMac computers with a maker space to create 3D printing objects. The classrooms are fully equipped with an iMac with a smart TV and apple TV attached to it. Our make-shift recording studio is now complete with state of the art engineering software and a fully soundproof booth. Parts of my vision have been realized, while we can live stream workshops, and residents can watch it from the comfort of their homes.

While Bronx River is fully automated, it is somewhat perplexing to think that in 2020 this is the first NYCHA Community Center in New York City with this type of technology and programming. This just goes to show the enormous challenges that marginalized communities are faced with.

Automation is the wave of the future, with each passing day, jobs are being phased out in favor of speed and efficiency. Because the workplace now requires highly skilled individuals with a vast array of skill sets. More often than not lower income communities of color are unable to access the same resources as their wealthier white counterparts. Without basic access to technology, such as broadband and internet access, our communities will be further marginalized. Coupled with harsh living conditions and with the lack of opportunity for upward mobility it makes the cycle of generational poverty inevitable and that much more difficult to eradicate.

As I begin my quest to the House of Representatives one of my key advocacy points will focus on technology and the infrastructure for it to be installed in as many community centers in my district, as well as the rest of New York City and beyond.

We live in the capital of the world, and in the wealthiest country in the world, our families deserve better, the time is now!

Will The Bluest District In America Elect New York's Most Bigoted Democrat?

Tomas Ramos and Ruben Diaz, Sr-- NY-15

In a sermon blog post yesterday, If White Conservatives Loved All People The Way They Do Embryos, Rev. John Pavlovitz noted that, for all the tears and showy garment-rending over women's Choice, the conservatives stop caring about embryos who turn into people: "these supposed life-lovers often don’t treat them like they’re at all human. Nine or thirteen or thirty-two or sixty-five years later when they show up in their communities and in their emergency rooms and along their borders, in need of food or refuge or healthcare or compassion-- they’re no longer something sacred or beautiful. Unless these lives conform to the narrowest and most stringent of criteria (usually being white, Republican), they’re more often treated as threats to be neutralized and adversaries to be destroyed."

Embryos that grow into LGBTQ teenagers aren’t worthy of their protection now. In fact, they receive their contempt, bear the brunt of their jokes, and absorb the full damnation of their brimstone sermons. They can’t get married or use a public bathroom or get benefits for their partners without being assailed at every turn by these “lovers of life.”

Embryos that become terrified migrants fleeing crime and poverty and pressed up against the most urgent desperation, don’t merit the passionate defense once within their borders they might have received while inside the womb. Instead they sustain their scorn and suspicion and every bit of their malicious, wall-building bitterness.

Embryos that become sick middle-aged adults fighting metastasizing tumors, facing astronomical chemotherapy bills, and desiring healthcare that will not drive them to bankruptcy-- don’t elicit a shred of the empathy they’d have garnered when they were still microscopic.

Embryos that one day stand in need of Government assistance to keep the lights on or food on the table for their children because they have endured unthinkable adversity along their journey—will not be met with tearful embraces by these so-called life-lovers. They’re derided as lazy and irresponsible, and told to pull themselves up by their boot straps, while never having the benefit of boots.

Embryos that one day worship in Muslim communities around these white Christians, aren’t afforded any passionate defense and aren’t celebrated with effusive social media soliloquies. They’re branded as terrorist sympathizers, their religious freedoms ignored and their very existence resented with checkout line coldness, airport side-eye stares, and travel ban exclusion.

And perhaps most ironically of all, embryos that grow into women who desire the final say regarding their own bodies-- will find their lives and wills are now of little concern. They will be legislatively subjugated by those who’d have once declared them precious.

...I wish white Christian Conservatives had the same passion for migrant children, school shooting victims, sick toddlers, young black men, Muslim families, LGBTQ teens, the environment, and women’s autonomy over their bodies that they have for embryos.

Then they’d actually be pro-life, and then we’d all be able to go about the work together of caring for humanity wherever there is need to do so.

Yes, white Conservatives love embryos.

Disparate human beings who bear little resemblance to them—not so much.

The South Bronx congressional district from which Jose Serrano is retiring, doesn't have many white Conservatives. In fact, only 2.5% of the district's population is white. And when Republicans run there, it's just a publicity stunt. NY-15 is the bluest district in America. Obama won it with 95% the first time he ran and with 97% the second time. In 2016, Trump only took 4.9% of the vote, his worst performance anywhere in the country. This cycle, though, conservatives might get lucky. One of their own is running for the open congressional seat... and running as a Democrat.

Yesterday, Alex Rogers, warned CNN.com readers that City Councilman Rubén Díaz Sr., New York's most right-wing Democrat, has a chance to slip into the seat. Ironically, NY-15 is right next to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's district and Díaz enjoys telling everyone he's the opposite of her. He sure is. Rogers calls him "a 76-year-old, cowboy hat-wearing Pentecostal minister known for his constituent services and controversial statements on social issues" and makes his path to victory clear-- a split among half a dozen progressive and mainstream candidates could leave the crackpot with a primary win.

Councilman Ritchie Torres-- the first out gay person to hold elected office in the borough and a likely competitor in the race-- told CNN, "Rubén Díaz Sr. is the most vicious homophobe in New York State politics."

This is anti-Choice maniac Ruben Diaz, Sr campaigning with anti-Choice maniac Ted Cruz

Díaz, a self-proclaimed "conservative Democrat" is out of step with the national party's views on abortion and same-sex marriage. He was the only Democrat in the state Senate to vote against a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in 2011. And he has been sharply criticized in recent months for saying the City Council is "controlled by the homosexual community"; he was subsequently stripped of his chairmanship of the For-Hire Vehicle committee and urged to resign by the City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

...But Díaz, who previously served in the New York State Senate for 15 years, is viewed as a strong contender in the campaign with a proven base of support, especially among senior citizens, ministers through his New York Hispanic Clergy Organization and taxi cab drivers.

"No one should underestimate Rubén Díaz Sr.," said US Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who has not endorsed anyone in the emerging race. "The voters know him."

Díaz is set to face Torres and Assemblyman Michael Blake, a vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee who will officially announce his campaign at a rally Sunday, in the primary.

Torres told CNN it is "extremely probable" that he will run for Serrano's seat. He said he would focus on issues like increasing federal investment in public housing, building on his work as the chairman of the relevant committee in the City Council.

In a separate interview, Blake said his record on criminal justice reform issues-- including boosting efforts to raise the age of criminal responsibility, banning commercial bail and helping charitable bail organizations assist poor people-- can't be beat.

Yet, they both turned their sharpest comments for Díaz Sr. In calling out his controversial statements regarding the gay community, Torres said Díaz Sr. should be running in the Republican primary instead. And Blake called Díaz's rhetoric "absolutely unacceptable," "divisive," "hateful" and "not at all becoming of someone that should be running for Congress or quite frankly an elected office."

...Díaz Sr. boasts multiple advantages in a congressional race, from sharing the same name as his son, Rubén Díaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, to having a defined constituency in a multi-candidate race. And more may come besides Torres and Blake: Marlene Cintron, the president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, told CNN she was considering running and will make her decision in June or July.

"If it's more than two candidates running in the same race that he's in, I'm afraid that he is going to be the next member of Congress from that district," said Gerson Borrero, a NY1 political commentator, told CNN. "He does have a base, which is a problem with this guy."

...All of these factors are on the minds of some of the Democratic members of Congress from New York. In interviews, they generally praised Torres and Blake-- who worked on Barack Obama's 2008 campaign and then in the White House-- while noting others could also join the race. But the conversation turned sour when asked about Díaz Sr.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat said Torres is "one of the good candidates" and Blake is "also a worthy candidate." When asked about Díaz, Espaillat said, "We'll leave that one."

Ocasio-Cortez, who serves the neighboring district, said it was "unfortunate" that Díaz entered the race. "He has a disturbing track record towards the LGBT American community," Ocasio-Cortez told CNN. She said she would "absolutely not" support his candidacy. (Díaz has claimed he is the "opposite" of Ocasio-Cortez.)

...To be sure, there will be other issues in the race besides Díaz's candidacy. Torres called for a congressional investigation into Trump administration's "almost willfully starving" of Puerto Rico. And he has straddled ideological lines, supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential primary, without embracing that candidate's signature issues like single-payer health care or the Green New Deal. Torres calls himself a "pragmatic progressive" that wants to "maximize" renewable energy and supports "at a minimum" providing a public health insurance option. He notes all the hospitals in the area and says he wants to hear from the unions before considering more sweeping overhaul of the health care sector.

CNN went out of its way to ignore the grassroots progressive candidates who aren't part of the establishment-- several running AOC-type campaigns. Remember, this is a district that has had some of the lowest voter turnout for congressional primaries. People there are going to need a progressive candidate that will inspire voters of all ages to go to the polls. So far the one we see most likely to be able to accomplish that is a local activist Tomas Ramos. Take a look at this introductory video:





Yesterday I asked Ramos which issues are going to motivate voters in the district and get them ti turn out for him. He told me that these are the three big ones that he's running on:

The 1994 omnibus crime bill allocated $30 billion worth of funds that in essence decimated communities of color which in effect accelerated mass incarceration. The bulk of the funds were dedicated to punitive measures and not toward rehabilitative or preventative services. In an effort to turn the tide to adopt and implement therapeutic jurisprudence I currently oversee an alternative to incarceration program. It diverts low-level offenders away from the criminal justice system by offering them a space which is focused on illustrating how crimes affect the community as a whole. This is the type of reform which is needed in the justice criminal justice system.

The Gun-Free Schools Act accelerated the school to prison pipeline. The law mandated yearlong suspensions for students that were caught bringing a weapon to school. When states  started interpreting "weapon" very broadly it lead to zero-tolerance policies which increased suspensions and expulsions. These suspensions have affected a disproportionate number of black and Latino students. This type of ‘broken windows’ policies in schools has lead to an increase in out of school suspensions. With the adoption of such policies, resources are catered toward policing students rather than creating alternative educational career pathways such as an investment in vocational trade institutions.

The Reagan era decimated most of the social safety nets which low-income Americans had come to rely on. With this type of disinvestment on the federal level, HUD was reduced to being a reactive entity. Succeeding administrations have failed to ensure that the agency receives adequate funding. NYCHA, which is the country’s largest public housing entity has felt the effects of this disinvestment. It is estimated that NYCHA will need at least $32 billion over the next five years to repair its crumbling infrastructure. With a myriad of needs HUD requires a higher level of funding to ensure that its housing stock and voucher programs remain intact to serve its most disenfranchised Americans.

Is he for Medicare-For-All, the Green New Deal, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, free public colleges, women's Choice, gender equality...? Of course, all of the above. But he knows his district and he is certain the people who live there want to talk about the issues he's emphasizing, even above and beyond the more national issues. If you'd like to contribute to his campaign-- and help stop Rubén Díaz Sr.-- please click on the DWT ActBlue thermometer above.

Can A Right-Wing, Anti-Choice, Homophobic Maniac Get Elected To Congress From The Single Bluest District In The U.S.? Short Answer: Yes

Diaz says he's "the opposite" of AOC-- and he sure is!

There are 435 congressional districts in the country. VA-10 in the DC suburbs is the wealthiest one-- #1 out of 435, with a median income of $114,566. If there's a #1, there'd also got to be a #435, right? There is and it's NY-15 in the South Bronx. The median income there is $25,213. The ethnic make-up of the district is 65.9% Latino (many from Puerto Rico, but also immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Central America), 28.2% Black, 2.5% White and 1.8% Asian. The PVI is D+44. How does that manifest itself? Mitt Romney got 3.0% of the vote in 2012 and 4 years later Trump got 4.9%.

Last year the long-time Democratic incumbent, José Serrano, beat his Republican opponent, Jason Gonzalez 124,469 (96%) to 5,205 (4%). Earlier this year, Serrano, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, announced he would be retiring at the end of this term. He's a special kind of congressman. In 2008, when every single member of Congress from New York City voted to bail out the banksters, Serrano was the one "no" vote. Criticized by his colleagues-- who he embarrassed-- he shot back that he couldn't see showering taxpayer money on the millionaires and billionaires whose greed and avarice caused the financial collapse. The Bronx machine politicians have never been fans and are certainly happy to see him go.

Everyone has expected a tough primary. The first candidate in was 31 year old City Councilman Ritchie Torres, the first openly gay Bronx elected official and a solid progressive. The second one is another city councilman, New York's most viciously homophobic politician, 75 year old right-wing sociopath and anti-Choice fanatic, Rubén Díaz, Sr. In February the City Council took away Díaz's committee chairmanship after he refused to apologize for telling a radio audience that the Council (he later added the state government in Albany as well) is "controlled by the homosexual community." When he declared for the House seat last week, Díaz made sure to announce that he's "not progressive, I’m a conservative Democrat," that conservative Democrats have no voice and that he's "the opposite" of AOC. Díaz is certainly not a Democrat in the way normal people understand what a Democrat is. Aside from his perverse obsession with homosexuality, he campaigned for Ted Cruz in 2016 and later said he likes Trump too.

Others considering a run for a rare open congressional seat are state Senator Gustavo Rivera, Assemblyman Michael Blake, Tomas Ramos, Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, Jonathan Ortiz and Ocasio-Cortez ally Samelys Lopez, a community activist. A close friend in the Bronx told me today that "If the primary is crowded with progressives, Díaz will absolutely win the Democratic nomination. You don't need a majority-- just the most votes. Let's hope that if that does happen, the Working Families Party will have a good, strong progressive on the general election ballot.

Two Good Progressives Are Retiring From Congress

Tom Udall and Jose Serrano

Yesterday, Congressman José Serrano (D-NY) and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) both announced they would be retiring next year at the end of their current terms. Both have been excellent members of Congress and both have strong "A" grades from ProgressivePunch.

Serrano, who has described himself as being "to the left of the left," was first elected in 1990, bucking the corrupt Bronx Democratic machine. In 2008, when every single member of Congress from New York City voted to bail out the banksters, Serrano was the one "no" vote. Criticized by his colleagues-- who he embarrassed-- he shot back that he couldn't see showering taxpayer money on the millionaires and billionaires whose greed and avarice caused the financial collapse.

His south Bronx district-- which goes from Port Morris and Mott Haven up to the Bronx Zoo and Belmont-- is poorest congressional district in the whole country. Ethnically, it is 66.1% Hispanic, 28.1% Black and 2.3% White. It is also one of the bluest districts. Serrano was never reelected with less than 92% of the vote-- despite the Machine trying to oust him-- and Democrats always fare well there. In 2008, Obama beat McCain 95-5%. The voters like what Obama did and in 2012 they rewarded him a 96.7% to 3.0% win. Hillary trounced Trump-- 93.8% to 4.9%. The PVI is D+44, the best in the whole country. The last Republican presidential candidate to win the district was Calvin Coolidge in 1924; they were smart enough to have learned their lesson. NY-15 has been a haven for immigrants from Latin America, who have, in recent years, turned around the deterioration and put the area on a forward path.

In a press release, he said he is "living with Parkinson’s disease. After my diagnosis, I initially planned to continue my work representing the people of the South Bronx far into the future- a responsibility that brings me great joy. Although this disease has not affected my work in Congress, over the last few months I’ve come to the realization that Parkinson’s will eventually take a toll, and that I cannot predict its rate of advancement. Because of this uncertainty, I do not intend to seek re-election in 2020. I do intend to serve the remainder of my term in the 116th Congress."

“I plan to spend the rest of the 116th Congress fighting for the progressive values that I learned in the South Bronx. I will use my role as Chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee to fight for climate change research, a fairer justice system, and an accurate 2020 Census count. There is still a lot of work to be done to stop the harmful policies of the Trump Administration, and I am proud to help lead in that effort as an Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman.

As I start to take stock of my career, I am extremely proud of the work we did to revitalize the Bronx River, to bring billions of federal dollars to our borough, to expand access to the ballot for language minorities, to increase STEM resources for minority students, to end the bombing of  Vieques, to make our immigration policies fairer and our foreign policies better, to provide legal services for the poor, and to push for a fair and accurate Census. 

I always tried to speak for those who are marginalized in our society-- to give them a voice and a vote here in Washington. Together, we fought to empower our community by seeking social justice and speaking truth to power.

I pledge to my constituents that I will be here fighting for you until my last day in office and beyond. I am grateful to all my colleagues for their dedication to our community, and for the years we spent working together on so many important issues. To my constituents-- it has been the honor of my life to serve you. To have gone from Mayaguez, to Mill Brook Houses, to the New York State Assembly, to the halls of Congress is truly the American Dream. I am honored to have had your trust over the years.

There should be a tough primary fight in this district (which borders on AOC's district). Serrano's son, also José Serrano, is a state senator but the only declared candidate so far is City Councilman Ritchie Torres (photo on the right), the first Bronx elected official from the LGBTQ community, who was gearing up to primary Serrano. I guarantee there will be more candidates tossing their hats into the ring.

On the Senate side, Tom Udall has been the most progressive of New Mexico politicians in Congress since being elected to the House in 1998 and then the Senate in 2008. New Mexico has been trending blue in the past couple of decades. When I was growing up, Republicans kept winning presidential elections there. After the Barry Goldwater debacle in 1964, Republicans kept winning-- Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Bush I. Because of a relatively big vote for independent Ross Perot in 1992 (165), Bill Clinton beat Bush. Clinton won again in 1996 and it's been all blue since then, with the except of Bush II in 2004. Even Hillary managed to squeak out a plurality-- 48.26% to 40.04%. Both senators are Democrats. All three House seats are held by Democrats, even the red-leaning one. Democrats have majorities in the state House (47-23) and state Senate (26-16) and control all 6 statewide offices-- governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state auditor and commissioner of public lands. Hector Balderas is extremely popular-- generally the state's top vote getter. This may scare Cheri Bustos but he was first elected to the state House by defeating a conservative, anti-Choice/pro-gun Democrat (Benji Regensberg) in a primary. The Beltway insider candidate is Ben Ray Luján. It would be awesome to see him give up his House seat and then get beaten by Balderas. The Republicans will probably put some crackpot up who will get around 40%.

In a message to New Mexico voters, Udal wrote:

When I first ran for Senate, I promised that I would give my all for the people of New Mexico. And I reminded myself that this Senate seat is not my seat. It is New Mexico’s seat.

I was proud to serve as New Mexico’s Attorney General, then in the U.S. House, and now two terms as your senator. I’m confident that we could run a strong campaign next year to earn a third term, because of all the work you and I have done together, along with my wife, Jill, and my incredibly dedicated staff.

But the worst thing anyone in public office can do is believe the office belongs to them, rather than to the people they represent. That’s why I’m announcing today that I won’t be seeking re-election next year.

Too bad it wasn't some of the ones who do believe the office belongs to them-- fossils who plan to die in office like Feinstein (85), McTurtle (77), Grassley (85), Shelby (84) and Inhofe (84).