Here in California, we had a congresswoman who used to support the war.

[robinlynne]

Her name is Jane Harman. She has been in her cozy congressional seat for years. One day some DEMOCRATS got together and decided it was really time for all DEMOCRATS to be against this war,to act like democrats, and to represent the real interests of their people. A coragious friend from Progressive Democrats of America ran against Jane Harmon in the 2006 congressional race. with no money. no name recognition. She (we) went door to door talking to the people in the district. Guess what; THE AMERICAN PEOPLE are against the war.
She did not win the election, but she got a hell of a lot of votes, enough votes so that Jane Harman stopped acting like an owner of power, and started listening to what Marci had to say. And when that happened, Marci opened the doors of those meetings to the public, because government is supposed to belong to THE PEOPLE.

The result of this story is positive. Jane Harman now consults more with her constituents. She listens a little bit more to the base, because she learned that she can be uprooted, and that her job is to represent her PEOPLE.

This is a good, positive change.

This is what is supposed to happen in politics.

I think Cindy is saying that Pelosi needs to listen a little louder. I really doubt that Cindy actually wants to be a congresswoman. She wants change in the way our representatives act, which is what WE ALL WANT.
The war will end, and BushCheney will be impeached and democracy restored only when the American people demand it. Then "the votes" will be there. The votes will have to be there.
This is the process. What Cindy is doing IS THE PROCESS. the democratic process.
Thank-you Cindy, for bringing the American dialog one degree closer to the truth.

[rwenos]

1. Look a Little Deeper

I live in Jane's district too, California 36. Jane has held her "cozy" district" in half a dozen elections where the margin of victory was less than 500 votes. In one (I believe 1992), Jane LOST the election on election night to Susan Brooks, a RW Palos Verdes Republican, and the Democratic-majority Rules Committee ordered a recount certified that Jane won by, I recall about 120 votes.

In 2006, I attended a candidates' forum in Wilmington to ask the opposition "Are you NUTS? Going after a sitting Democratic MC, when you could be giving money to the Dem in Texas 22, or someplace else where you might see a swing from Repub to Dem?"

California 36 has probably the highest concentration of defense contractors of any district in the country, other than San Diego and DC. The fact that a centrist Democrat has held it for all but 2 years of its existence (created in 1990 after the census) is AMAZING.

Yet there are some who prefer ideological purity to taking back the House majority. Unbelievable.

[MADem]

6. All politics is, indeed, local. To quote Tip O'Neill

The concerns of constituents are a factor. And Defense contractors aren't without clout. She's got to have a tough job walking that line...

[robinlynne]

7. ideological purity vs taking back the majority? THAT is not what is at issue here.

I see your position as being one of "purity". Cindy is moving the dialog to the left. That is what she's doing.
As a matter of fact, there are 13 other congressional seats where the elections were challenged by the democrats. 13 chances for investigation of election fraud. 13 Congressional seats which most probably should be in our hands, and yet Republicans are sitting in them. 13 chances to expose fraud.
The group who made the decision NOT TO INVESTIGATE...centrist democrats. (3 Dem's and 2 republicans)

OF course the majority was the most important thing for us in 2006, but only a tiny handful of democrats (congress and senate) are using their mandate.

[KeepItReal]

11. We didn't ask for "ideological purity" - we simply asked for Harman to speak for us, too

Harman has been a day late and a dollar short on just about any issue of import for the last few years I've been in her district. Just look at her press releases (or lack thereof) on her website.

Winograd gave Harman a challenge and a wakeup call that was needed.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Her name is Marcy Winograd...

She ran a tough, clean race...

I was lucky enough to meet her....

And she impressed the hell out of me...

I supported and voted for her...

I didn't think she had a snowball's chance in hell, but I still wanted to get that vote out...

It seemed to me that at least we could scare Jane Harmon....

And I believe we did just that...

K&R

:patriot:

[robinlynne]

3. The reason I wanted to tell Marcy's story is because of all the anger towards

Cindy for doing EXACTLY what needs doing to make change!!!!!

[rwenos]

4. You Scared Jane and Delighted Karl Rove

Great job.

[KeepItReal]

5. Winograd got my vote last time around! Harman got a real wake-up call.

Hope Winograd runs again.

[rwenos]

8. Winograd's Prospects Poor in Cal 36

I hope Winograd runs again too. She'll get crushed. You guys want to think California 36 is made up of hippies from Hermosa Beach and Venice. The district is pretty close in Dem/Repub registration, and could easily go Red in any Congressional election. The southern half of California 36 used to be represented in Congress by DANA ROHRABACHER, for God's sake.

Jane, deliver us from the Thought Police.

[KeepItReal]

13. Jane Harman deserves no cakewalks - nor does any politician.

She has been an empty suit from my perspective for the last few years I've been in her district and I enjoyed seeing her challenged in the Primary. It proves the system works.

[rwenos]

15. You Overstate

I never said Jane deserves a cakewalk. I said it's a purple district, and Jane has survived several elections by the skin of less than 500 votes. I also said there are probably other places to run an ideological campaign, that help the Team more than going after Jane Harman.

Are you arguing fair?

[KeepItReal]

16. I don't give a flip about other races. Harman is *my* Congressperson.

As a registered Democrat in CA-36, I wanna see Harman challenged in a Primary by someone representing some of my positions - which is exactly what Winograd did (hence the no cakewalks comment).

Last time I checked, the GOP agenda is less and less popular, so maybe CA-36 is bluer than you think. Last Congressional election, the Democrat (Harman) won with 63% of the votes.

http://www.vote.ss.ca.gov/Returns/usrep/3600.htm

[robinlynne]

21. And that's with a republican texan registrar of voters who won't let our SOS

check the source code of the machines that count the votes....
(a registrar who was once indighted for election fraud already...)

[robinlynne]

9. Winograd does not want to be in congress; neither does Cindy Sheehan.

The point is the DIALOG. the words impeach and Cheney are being uttered in the US for the first time this week on NBC/CBS. That is the point.

[rwenos]

10. Listen to What You are Saying

Marci Winograd IS an impressive candidate -- LA County Democrat of the Year in 2005, I believe -- and an impressive person. But why shoot at a candidate in a purple district?

And to say Winograd "doesn't want to be in Congress" is rather poor salesmanship for your position, eh?

[robinlynne]

12. I am not here to sell anything, much less a position.

You are looking at one minute detail, the possibility that votes will be taken away from a democrat. (a year and four months from now) That is, of course, an important issue. but it is not THE ONLY issue, nor is it the BIG iSSUE in our country right now. What needs to happen, here, now, in 2007, is to move the political dialog of the entire country towards ending the war and getting rid of BUsh/Cheney. You want to wait for another election? and only use your vote as your voice, in a country wrought with election fraud?

[rwenos]

14. The Big Issue is?

We all have our own view. Certainly the War is a big issue. For me, the biggest issue is the Court. Without the Congress, the Court gets even more conservative than it is now. So I confess to being a pragmatist.

I also confess to being a father with a 14 year old daughter, who doesn't want to get a call from a sobbing friend from a back alley.

We all have issues we care about most. For me, it's the Court AND the War.

[KeepItReal]

17. At least we agree on the issues.

:shrug:

The War, the Courts, and Election Fraud... Damn I miss the good old days of Bill and Al.

[robinlynne]

20. I agree with you there. And I have no problem with pragmatism, but what we (meaning we the dems)

have been doing for the past 6 years is not working well.

[calimary]

18. And thank you for mentioning Marcy Winograd. She would have been

great as a Congresswoman, but at the very least, she pushed Jane Harman back from the depths of knuckle-dragger land. There IS a noticeable change now.

:thumbsup:

[sandnsea]

19. Nancy's so-called "cat fight" with Jane

had absolutely nothing to do with any change in Jane's demeanor, nah, not a thing.

If there's even been one, which I doubt. She just doesn't strike me as the kind of person who is going to change their views all that much.

[rinsd]

22. Good point (nt)