If we don't regain the House, it's the fault of CA DP leaders

[genius]

The California Democratic Party and, especially the OCDP, have the opportunity to pick up a number of seats. What are they doing? Nothing. The grass roots people are out there but the candidates feel totally unsupported by the party. A couple of years ago, one candidate in a key race dropped out because of a lack of support from the party. The California Democratic Party, and particularly the OCDP, are bringing in tons of money and not spending it where it is most needed - in winning elections. Kerry is getting almost no party support out here. The grass roots and club people are doing it all. Where is the money going and why are our candidates getting no party support?

[movonne]

1. Well if the Democratic party are not doing their job it is up to the

people to see that they do... Dean is out there working his ass off to turn our party around and it is up to us to do the same.

[senseandsensibility]

2. What is the OCDP?

And which seats are you particularly concerned with?

[Touchdown]

4. I think it's Orange County.

Heavy Repug, just south of LA, where Disneyland, and the Crystal Cathedral is.

Bob Dornan was from there.:puke:

[genius]

8. Everyone I know in OC is a Dem. The Party is throwing elecitons

on purpose.

[Carla in Ca]

17. I'm an O.C. Dem

and, as I have posted several times, there is more support here now than I have ever seen. Big rally at historic Orange circle, in the city of Orange this Saturday (info in Events forum).
The head of OCDP will be there, or so I have been told.
My husband and I can see the difference here. We have a KE sticker on our car and wear KE shirts with our heads held high. Believe me, it was never like this...it has really changed.

[cheshire]

19. I feel like I am confused with this guys post. If you can't do this with

a group do it on your own. I think some folks just like to have excuses. Glad to see OC crossing over. I hope that the influx of Bay area people help me hold my head higher here in Freeperville. Ugh.

[Carla in Ca]

21. Me, too

As I said before, outside of Bill Clinton coming here in 1996, we have been ignored, written off. But it is changing.

[cheshire]

22. Yes well I'm afraid the devil reared it's ugly head with Davis recall.

I'm afraid they maybe moving in. I just don't trust Republicans after 2000 and 2002. But Genius is wrong we can fight if we want I don't need a invite.

[Carla in Ca]

24. Well, I don't mind fighting 'the other side',

I just don't need negativity from other Dems.

A little OT..The LA Times had an interesting article today. It said that Hispanics, who are generally Democratic, could help level the playing field here but a lot of Hispanic new-comers don't vote.

[cheshire]

25. I agree positive motivates, I find the mexicans here are so afraid to vote

I talk to them and it helps, I worry about making sure they all get there, will do what I can. I saw a freeway banner you posted on another tread. It was great, is that in Orange Co?

[Carla in Ca]

27. No, I wish it was, though

Great isn't it?

[cheshire]

30. I need to learn how to do that photo thing but I can't find it in meeting

room. Do you know exactly where to look.

[MontecitoDem]

28. just a gentle reminder

you probably meant americans, or mexican-americans. Only american citizens can vote.

(no offense intended, this is just one of those little things that get me going)

[cheshire]

29. My friends say to call them Mexicans I respect them.

[MontecitoDem]

31. of course you respect them.

guess people differ on this. Here in my county you get some pretty furious looks saying "mexicans" to american citizens.

as I said, I didn't mean to offend you. Thanks for the info.

[cheshire]

32. No offence at all just found it suprising that that is what they say too.

Remind me what area Monticeto,I know I spelled that wrong, is please.

[MontecitoDem]

33. santa barbara county

hitting the hay now,
catch you on another thread perhaps?

goodnight!

[Carla in Ca]

34. Whoa, I thought you two were about to get into it

n/t

[cheshire]

35. Oh It's funny how typing can look like anger. LOL

[Carla in Ca]

37. It is also your good disposition

[MontecitoDem]

36. Ha! That's not my thing

And from what I have seen, dieharderdem is a pacifist at DU. Isn't it nice when we all get along.;-)

[cheshire]

38. Ok Don't let that get out now. I have a reputation to uphold.

[Carla in Ca]

39. LOL...she has a mind, and she speaks it!

[cheshire]

40. LOL You missed my post earlier about How to do the photos, I can't find

out how or where in the meeting room. Help

[Carla in Ca]

41. I just learned myself.

cursor over pic to highlight
right-click, select 'properties' at bottom of new window
highlight entire URL address for the photo
click there and select 'copy'
then 'paste' in your reply window

Tell me if it works

[Carla in Ca]

20. Dornan WAS..

He WAS replaced by Dem Loretta Sanchez. We are working hard to break the repug spell here; it is not easy.

[Dickie Flatt]

5. Orange County dems [n/t]

[Gyre]

3. I'm close to Sacramento

and I'll help turn some heat up if you can provide me with some specifics, and I agree with your conclusions.

Gyre

[genius]

9. Mike Byron, Jim Brandt and Cynthia Mathews are close to winning

over Issa, Rohrbacher and Drier. There are also other races we could pick up. They even have disgruntled Republicans on their side and the military - as well as Democrats. These candidates are Kucinich-style liberals, particularly Mathews and Byron. But none of their funding is coming from the party. The OCDP is pulling in a lot of money and as far as I can tell it's going to internal struggles (fights against liberals within the party) and to vanity parties and events. They are also devoting resources to oppose some Democrats in non-partisan races. The higher ups are hinting to or outright telling a number of Democratic candidates that they are just in the race for show. A number of candidates for the state and federal government are unhappy with the party - especially since they could easily win with a little help. Also, two years ago a co-chair of the CDP resolution committee and the partner of the OCDP chair endorsed Republicans Rep Royce over one of the Democratic Party's best and most progressive candidates.

[cheshire]

6. I was just a a Union meeting where the state treasurer talked, I think you

are not getting the whole pic. The union and many leaders are behind Barbara Boxer, and reps for the house which are in seperate districts voted for by that group of people. The union is strong here at I think we are doing better than your post implies. I will double check though. Too imply that the state of CA is at fault is a typical republican stance, to blame others. I think that is non productive and shows that genius is just your name.

[genius]

10. It's not the state. It's the party.

[Lexingtonian]

7. I'll disagree

You're raising a couple of different issues here with answers and histories that are sort of long to explain. Basically, the best overall explanation for what you're seeing is that there is a generational (and quasi-ethnic) internal division among California Democrats and in the Democratic electorate that is close to its maximum at the moment. The best concrete illustration of it is/was the recall election. California's swing electorate in internal elections is middle aged to elderly white women, who lean liberal but balk at certain kinds of things. In short, it's a Democratic electorate in national races- certain national Republican policy points are simply unbearable among the large sectors of Californian society- but it's an electorate in evolution/maturation in state races as whites become the population minority but remain a majority of the electorate (due to age and participation rates).

Your problem is that OC is perhaps the worst possible place -at this political moment- to try to create a standard Democratic coalition of young professionals, elderly white voters, and Hispanic ones (of all ages) together and keep it together. Republicans know the weak point- paying for public schools- that wedges elderly white Democrats off. So

In OC the House district that should be the next to go Democratic is Rohrabacher's, but the demographics will only get there around 2008 iirc- which is roughly when he's due to retire. The House district closest to Democratic takeover in California by voter demographics is actually Gallegly's, Thousand Oaks/Simi Valley, which should nonetheless be a 52% Republican hold and Gallegly's for another two or four years.

As for why you're not seeing much of a Kerry campaign in OC- on one level it's simply far cheaper and easier to get all the votes necessary to win the state out of LA Country and the Bay Area, so that more money can ultimately go into the efforts in the swing states. On the other, it's that Orange County Democrats don't have a highly visible presence or organization or latent voter pool that would create "synergy", i.e. local and national political appeal/money adding up to a winning combo that neither can get on its own. (An example would be what the Salazar brothers and K/E are trying to get done in Colorado.) Sadly, the appearance of success breeds success in this game.

So I'm sorry if this reading of the situation gets you down, and I'm not too sure it's correct, but it seems the most plausible reading from afar of what I've seen/heard lately and remember from my days in the area (well, Pasadena).

[genius]

11. In my county, half the registered Dems voted for Arnold.

Figure that one out. We don't have to win the Republicans though that would help. People are leaving our party in droves. Recently, I ran into some third party members who used to be on OCDP. Our party is driving its own people away.

[cheshire]

12. I am a Calif. Dem and so are you so is it your fault?

[genius]

15. Liberals were told they would not be allowed to work against the recall.

There was a major division in the OCDP last fall.

[cheshire]

16. I don't mean to sound like a dolt but I really need you to give me more.

I feel like I missed the whole thing. I'm usually involved in knowledge if not helping. I have to say that whole recall thing suprised the hell out of me. I just knew Davis would win. I'm still pissed I didn't see that coming. So who said Dems couldn't help and what can we do about the thing in Orange County? Thanks

[genius]

43. You want names?

Susan Freeze, the office manager, told people from the Kucinich campaign she did not trust the Kucinich people to work on the recall and she refused to let liberal elected Democratic officials on the committee take part in any official party work against it. There were others but she took a stand against allowing the liberals to participate in front of a roomful of people.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. Wylie Aitkin has done a great job with the OC Dem party

It is because of him there IS an OC Dem party. Many of those events keep money IN the party...I also noticed that out of the three races you cited, only one is even IN OC.

[genius]

14. Those are just a few examples. There's Louis Vandenberg's race,

Tilman Williams race and John Graham's race. People I've spoken to in areas considered Republican are going to overwhelmingly vote Democrat - even though they don't like the Democratic Party. There are also Bea Foster, Kathleen Calzado and Randall Doherty, each of whom could win with just a little help.

[cheshire]

18. Thank you I was so confussed. I say if your a dem in Pub. land go fight

some place where you can. I don't need help I just do it. Can you tell me if there was anything we could have done to retain Davis?

[Lexingtonian]

42. tough call

I'm not quite sure exactly why, but Davis worked his way back up in the polls yet stalled out at 47% a week before the election day. There was just a Democratic voter subset that refused to forgive him for the appearances to how he governed/campaigned throughout his term(s).

Davis never quite realized why the princely, optimistic, hustlerish part of the governor job was important, I think. He was definitely the right person/sort of politician to finish off the Pete Wilson era and he did OK as governor with that ruthless hard-edged style- as long as California was doing really well. But when the dot com and infotech bust and then the Bush recession kicked in, people looked to him for optimism and distractions from their misery- but he couldn't deliver any of it, and in fact he just put more problems (the state budget/overspending and the electricity gouging problem aftermath) in front of them. That's the crime he was convicted of and an movie actor who could put up an optimistic, faux aristocratic (i.e. Maria Shriver), hustler demeanor got voted in.

His earlier reelection in 2002 was an ugly affair, really. There is no way Bill Simon could have been even slightly competitive if Davis hadn't already been running into serious sales resistance from Democrats.

I guess the answer to your question is: he probably couldn't be saved. Davis reached his own limitations as a politician in 2001/2002 and he probably fulfilled the tasks he was elected to get done (cleaning up after Pete Wilson's Republicans, reprioritizing state spending to some degree) in his first two years in office. He didn't quite understand what sort of things to make into an agenda/rationale for a second term in 2002- but what that needed to be is pretty clear: dealing with the great Central Valley problem (which takes social, economic, and political forms) by much greater economic integration of the central parts of it with the Bay Area.

[MontecitoDem]

23. Look, it's easy to complain and not easy to coordinate campaigns

What do you think they're doing, working for the repubs? The truth is if someone doesn't have a chance, you can't afford to blow the little you have on their race. Now Matthews may actually have a chance, given the current stuff swirling about Dreir. But as of July 1st, she had $24k to his $770k. Money isn't everything, of course, but it is significant. You just can't get your message out if you can't even the odds.

Same goes for Byron and Issa. Byron had $50k to Issa's $540k.

It's not like the OC dems want to keep a Repub congress - so let's try to do what we can and understand that everybody is working their butts off and making hard decisions.

One race that may be getting closer is Wagner vs. Gallegly. If you have to choose where to send money, and we do since we aren't rich like the Republican party in Cal, you have to send it where it will do the most good, I think.

I honestly understand your frustration, but think you are wrong on this one.

[quaoar]

26. This is why Dean needs to be named head of the party

There is too much "pragmatic" thinking in the party and not enough vision. Dean has vision.

We need vision now, not a bunch of hacks telling us that seats are unwinnable. We can take the House back. Frankly, I'm tired of listening to all the naysayers who say it is a waste of time to even try.

This is the year of the Perfect Storm. This is the year that we win the White House and both houses of Congress. It can happen if we want it badly enough.

I have already donated to House candidates in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas to do my part to make this happen.

We can do this. I am absolutely convinced of it. We can even beat Tom DeLay. Can you imagine anything sweeter on Election Night (other than a Kerry victory) than hearing that DeLay has lost?

So why not give Richard Morrison a hand:
http://morrisonfor22.com/contribute/contribute.php