Upcoming Rallies in Visalia and Farmersville

Today I want to highlight three opportunities for activism in the Tulare County area.



The first is tomorrow, Monday, at the Farmersville Memorial Day Parade. Susanne Gundy is looking for people to participate and help carry the Democratic Party banner on the march route. Lineup for the parade is at the corner of Visalia Road and Farmersville Road. Participants should arrive by 9:15 AM and the parade will be over by 11:30. Farmersville is a strongly Democratic city, so marchers should enjoy a generally positive response from the citizenry. Call Susanne Gundy at (559) 368-9464 to let her know of your interest or for more information.

Every Tuesday South Valley Civic is holding a "Replace Devin Nunes" rally outside the congressman's office in Visalia at the corner of Main and Church. It goes from 11:30 to 12:30.

This Tuesday May 30 South Valley Civic will be demonstrating outside the Gropetti Automotive dealerships, where Nunes will be holding a fundraiser for his wealthy patrons. As is customary for him, these are virtually the only people among his constituents he ever associates with. Gather at the corner of Ben Maddox and Noble Avenues. The demonstration is scheduled to go from 5:00 to 6:30 PM.

County Dems Awarded Big Grant

 This week's entry is a follow-up to last week's piece on Tom Steyer's visit to Visalia. It didn't take long for Tulare County's whirlwind effort to bear fruit. County Democratic Chairwoman Ruth McKee announced at the party Central Committee meeting on Thursday, August 18 that Mr. Steyer's Nextgen California Foundation is awarding the Tulare County Democratic Central Committee $34,700 for voter registration and get out the vote efforts. As far as extant records or anyone's memory can say, that is more money than the local party has ever had at one time. 

The time line went like this. Ruth says, "I heard about the grant from Martha Gamez of the state party on July 29. She e-mailed the pertinent information to me on that date. The grant deadline was July 30. I called Katelyn Haley (a Steyer assistant) anyway on Monday 8/1/16 and asked if they would extend the deadline. She agreed and encouraged me to submit our proposal. I submitted the proposal on Wednesday, 8/3/16. Two days later, on  Friday 8/5/16, Katelyn called me and asked me to put together a round table on 8/13/16 as Mr. Steyer was going to be in Visalia. The amount of $34,700.00 was a number that I calculated, after eight hours of number crunching. Knowing what these funds could mean to our Committee, I jumped on it."

 

I was interested in learning how the funds will specifically be used. Ruth reports, "We are currently forming a committee to manage the funds and to run the project. At this point, Nextgen is in the process of drawing up the contact for me to sign. We do have plans to locate an office to train the canvassers we plan to hire. I anticipate a major percent of the grant funds will be spend on canvassing."

 

The Louie Campos for Congress campaign recently sent out information from the County Registrar of Voters showing that Democratic registration had gained about three percent on the Republican total in the past three months. The present totals find the Dems with 45,754 and the GOP at 62,009. That's a difference of 16,255. The two-party ratio stands at 42.5% Democratic and 57.5% Republican. Indeed, the historical county records show that Democratic registration has grown by 3,000 and Republican by only 500 since August of 2014. The fact that the county is over 60% Latino and that Donald Trump is the Republican presidential nominee offers Democrats a strong opportunity to improve those numbers further. Local Democrats have always been massively outspent by the Republicans, with their ties to agribusiness and industry in the area. This grant may well prove to be a crucial element in the effort to turn the county from red to blue.

 

 

 

Roosevelt Gala

Last Saturday night was a wonderful event for me, the annual Roosevelt Gala. Named for the  groundbreaking liberal Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Gala honors those who have made a positive and progressive difference in the community over the past year. It is also the major annual fundraising event for the grassroots-driven Tulare County Political Action Committee. This year was especially meaningful for me, as I was given the Vanguard Award as someone who is on the leading edge of positive change in the community. I was told by one of the organizers that the award I received was motivated by my mentorship of the College of the Sequoias Young Democrats Club and the publication of my book, Liberally Speaking, which was explicitly written to challenge the conservative-dominated media and power structure.

With Senator De Leon, Organizers and Awardees

It was particularly gratifying to have my lovely wife Joan, our daughter Jeanette, and my dear sister Sue Ruth and her husband Kevin with us. Family, friends, and my wonderful colleagues at work, filled four complete tables of eight in attendance to support me. Thanks to the generosity of Visalia attorney Victor Moheno and 22nd Congressional District Democratic candidate Louie Campos, 16 COS Young Democrats from our club were also able to attend. Special thanks also go to my Young Democrats co-advisor Amy Pritchett. She and her husband Nick also sponsored an entire table.

Hope Patrick-Garcia opened the program with a rendition of the national anthem that may be the finest I have ever heard. President Pro Tem of the California State Senate Kevin De Leon was the keynote speaker, and he delivered a real barn-burner. I couldn't help thinking that this is a man to watch for statewide office or U.S. Senator in the future. Gage Navarro, a young local man who has appeared on the TV program "The Voice" performed marvelously during dinner. In addition to my award, Dr. Robert Aguilar and ACT for Women and Girls received the Activists of the Year Awards, and Victor Moheno received the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was a memorable evening, and a great honor to receive this recognition. My highest praise goes to Abigail Solis, Tom Chamberlin, Louie Campos and Mike Maldonado for organizing this wonderful event.

With COS Young Democrats

Roosevelt Gala

I'm inviting my friends to the 2016 Roosevelt Gala at the Visalia Convention Center on April 9. At this banquet I'll be receiving an honor for my many years of work for progressive causes and candidates, and I would love to share the evening with you. California State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon will be the keynote speaker. I've posted the flyer below. I would love to see you there! Reserve your tickets, let me know you are coming, and I will ask the organizers to seat you in our bloc of tables.

 

Republican and I Share Views at Forum

Last night I participated in a friendly and stimulating discussion at the Lindsay Cultural Arts Forum. About 40 people attended the event titled "Where's the Party?" I presented on Democratic/liberal perspectives and issue positions. My COS History colleague Stephen Tootle then presented on Republican/conservative beliefs and issue positions. Afterward, we took questions from the floor, alternating with Stephen answering first on one question and I answering first on the next. Tom Elson, a COS adjunct Philosophy Professor and retired minister, did a terrific job as moderator. His engaging personality and sparkling wit made the event a lot of fun. We supported our basic philosophies and positions, but also found areas of common ground.



In my 20-minute talk I showed my PowerPoint titled "Democratic Ideals: Meeting Human Needs with Compassion and Practicality." I discussed the values that underlie Democratic thought, things like justice, community, security and the four freedoms. (Enunciated by Franklin Roosevelt, the Four Freedoms are freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear.) Implicit in the last two freedoms is the role of a democracy in taking proactive steps to foster prosperity and security in society and for its members. That is the liberal perspective that animates Democratic thought. I also highlighted Democratic achievements in civil rights and the economy.  Stephen related the underlying conservative affinity for tradition, suspicion of government action and desire to encourage individual responsibility that are important to Republican thinking.

There were some interesting questions form the audience. Most people at the forum were repelled by the success of Donald Trump in the Republican nomination contest. When I was asked for an idea  for reducing polarization, I mentioned the need to get the big private money out of the campaign process. Stephen told of his experience that in local government problem-solving, partisanship rarely seems to matter. 

We found common ground. One such matter was gun control, where he granted that if Republicans could trust that liberals were not intent on confiscating guns from law-abiding citizens they could go along with background checks and limitations on gun types. He remained skeptical on human-caused climate change, but said he shared the goal of making the air cleaner. He proposed that we could make incremental change on issues like medical care, where Republicans might favor programs for the truly needy. Our discussion was a good model of civil discourse in these highly polarized times.


  

Join Me at the 2016 Roosevelt Gala

I'm inviting my friends to the 2016 Roosevelt Gala at the Visalia Convention Center on April 9. At this banquet I'll be receiving an honor for my many years of work for progressive causes and candidates, and I would love to share the evening with you. California State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon will be the keynote speaker. I've posted the flyer below. I would love to see you there! Reserve your tickets, let me know you are coming, and I will ask the organizers to seat us at the same table.

Positive New Jobs Numbers

The latest jobs numbers came out last Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They show a preliminary job creation number of 173,000 new private-sector non-farm American jobs were created in August. When final statistics come in that number may be adjusted up or down somewhat, but it's a good snapshot.The most important thing it shows is that positive news keeps coming in. We are currently on the longest roll of consecutive months of net positive job creation since statistics have been kept for the nation.

The other thing the stats do is underscore an important but little-known fact about American employment statistics: the strong superiority of these numbers when a Democrat occupies the White House. I went back to the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961, ran the numbers, and here is what I found: There have been 5 Republicans in office for a total of 28 years. During that time there was a net gain of 857,000 jobs a year during Republican administrations. There have also been 5 Democrats as president from JFK to now, for a total of a little less than 27 years. During that time a net average of 1,844,000 jobs have been added every year during Democratic administrations.

The numbers are stark and remarkable. More than twice as many jobs per year have been created under Democrats as under Republicans, almost a million a year more! Why Democrats don't trumpet this to the skies every election cycle is beyond my understanding. Maybe they ought to start doing that.

Record is Clear: Economy Thrives Under Democratic Governance

Democrats need to do a better job of touting their economic record. If the American people knew the truth about the effectiveness of the two parties in office it's hard to see how the GOP would win many elections. Let’s compare the economic results of the past 80-plus years under Republican and Democratic administrations. First, the Republicans. From Hoover to George W. Bush Republican administrations produced an anemic average growth rate of only 1.68% a year, with an unemployment rate of 7.3% and an average inflation rate of 3.9%.* Under the Democrats from Roosevelt to Obama economic growth averaged 5.1% a year, unemployment averaged 7.2% and inflation averaged 3.4%.  The Democrats, the more liberal party, outperformed the Republicans, the more conservative party, in all three areas, as you can graphically see in the figures below.  

All Administrations, 1929-2014, including the Great Depression.

                        Years      Growth  Unemployment  Inflation

Republicans       40        1.68%           7.3%            3.9%*

Democrats         46         5.07%           7.2%            3.4%

But what if we exclude the Great Depression as an anomaly? Even without Hoover, the other 36 years under GOP control from Eisenhower to George W. Bush have produced the following stats: an average growth rate of 2.53%, unemployment rate of 6.1%, and inflation rate of 3.9 %. If you don’t count the first four years of Roosevelt’s time in office, when the country was digging out from under massive unemployment figures accumulated by his Republican predecessor, the Democrats averaged a 4.22% growth rate (and remember, we’re not counting the excellent growth rates Roosevelt compiled in the New Deal years) with only 5.1% unemployment and a lower 3.7% inflation rate than under the Republicans. Put another way, for the last 73 years, the economy has grown 68.8% faster and unemployment has been 19.6% lower when a Democrat ran the country. Whichever way you slice it, liberal policies have produced consistently and decisively better results for the American people over a very lengthy period of time. The figures below make it clear.   

Administrations, 1942-2014, not including the Great Depression.

                          Growth            Unemployment           Inflation

Republicans       2.53%                    6.1%                       3.9%

Democrats          4.22%                   5.1%                       3.7%

GOP Represents 1995 America, Dems Represent 2045 America

Democrats often like to say that their party is the party of the future and the Republican Party is the party of the past. An interesting statistical analysis in the Wall Street Journal shows that the adage is pretty close to being literally true. In the newly-elected 114th Congress the population profile of the typical Republican-represented House district mirrors the American ethnic profile of 1995, while the typical district represented by a Democrat looks very much like what the Census Bureau anticipates the American population will be in 2045.   

 

See the graphs below.  Click here to go to the original. Blue is the white share of the population, gray is African-Americans, green Latinos and purple Asians. Today's GOP district averages 74% white, 8% black, 12% Latino and 3% Asian. For the Dems it's 49% white, 17% African-American, 23% Latino and 7% Asian.

1995 America was 74% white, 12% black, 10% Latino and 4% Asian, remarkably close to the present average makeup of the typical Republican district. 2045 America, as the Census Bureau projects current population trends, will be 49% white, 13% black, 25% Latino and 8% Asian. That's close to spot-on for how the typical Democratic district shakes out right now.

 

The good news for Democrats is that these population changes promise to swamp the Republican Party in a demographic tidal wave. The good news for Republicans is that they may have some time to change their policy approaches before this effect fully sets in. As it is now, their strategy appears to be to double down on pleasing their white conservative base no matter how much it antagonizes minority citizens. 

Wall Street Journal Washington Wire

Democrats and Republicans in the 114th Congress represent two very different Americas that show a 50-year gap. Republicans represent a group of voters that look like the country in 1995. Democrats represent a group of voters that look like the country as it is projected to look in 2045.

White non-Hisp.

Black non-Hisp.

Hispanic

Asian

2045 America

50

Asian

100

114th House GOP

114th House Dems

1995 America

2045 America

Source: U.S. Census, WSJ Analysis 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Democrats Lost, and How They Could Have Won

As promised last time, here is my post-election wrap-up.  Republicans won a solid victory in Tuesday's midterm election, adding 9 senators, 12 representatives and 3 governorships to their roster.  But in my view, the bigger story was not that Republicans won, but that Democrats lost, and why they lost.  Democrats lost because they never gave the American public a coherent reason to vote for them.  Consequently, they failed to arouse their own base and to persuade moderates and independents to support them.   

Everyone who follows the political scene knows Democrats have a hard time winning the "midterm" elections, the ones that come two years after the last presidential election and two years before the next one.  The 2014 cycle was particularly difficult because of the 6-year cycle of Senate races.  This year's crop included a lot of Democrats elected in normally Republican states in the 2008 Obama wave election, states that were going to be difficult to defend.  In addition, there is historical precedent: the president's party almost always loses seats in an administration's 6th year in office.  It even happened to liberal icon Franklin Roosevelt and conservative maven Ronald Reagan.

But that is no excuse.  The nation knew exactly where the Republicans stood, and their message was universally communicated by all their candidates across the nation: The nation is in sorry shape,  Democrats, especially President Obama, are to blame, and Republicans have a plan to make things better.  The plan is tax cuts, spending cuts, deregulation, and repeal Obamacare.  No matter who the  "out" party is, the first part of their campaign message practically writes itself.  The "ins" have messed things up and the "outs" have a plan to fix them.

What was the Democrats' message?  Does anybody know?  That's why they lost.  The "in" party's strategy has to be to defend their record.  Otherwise their base doesn't turn out to preserve what they see as the party's accomplishments, and the undecideds see no reason to vote for them.  The opposition defines your record if you don't do it yourself.  The Democrats didn't use President Obama much because his poll numbers have been down of late.  They didn't talk about health care because its numbers are upside down as well, though people like its component parts.  They didn't talk about much that might offend people.  People read that as a party that doesn't have confidence in its own president and its own principles.  If the Kentucky candidate for U.S. Senator herself won't enthusiastically say, "Yes, I voted for the leader of my party and I was proud to do so!" then why should anyone else want to vote for that party?  The figures tell the story: In 2012 20 percent of the electorate was 18 to 29 years old and 25 percent was over 65.  The result was a resounding Democratic win.  In 2014 only 12 percent of the electorate was under 30, and 40 percent was 65 or older.  Wow.  No wonder the Republicans did so well.

If I'd been running the Democratic campaign it would have focused like a laser on the economy.  Every ad, every speech, every surrogate would have delivered a litany like this: The screen begins with the word THE ECONOMY in bold letters.  We see shots of people in unemployment lines, houses with "Foreclosed" signs in the front yard, and scenes of panic on Wall Street.  The spokesperson begins, "When Democrats took office from the last Republican administration America was losing 800,000 jobs a month.  The unemployment rate was 10%.  The Dow Jones Stock Average had fallen to 6,500 and the American auto industry was on the verge of bankruptcy.  In 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney promised that if elected he would get the unemployment rate under 6% by 2016.  Well, under Democratic leadership, the economy has created 10 million jobs, including 52 consecutive months of job growth--that's a record in the entire history of the United States--the Dow Jones Stock Average is at 17,500, the American auto industry is making record profits, and it's only 2014 but the unemployment rate is already under 6%.  We're Democrats, and we're not running from our record, we're running ON it!"  A representative group of about 30 happy Americans of a wide variety of ages and ethnicities comes on and says in unison, "We're proud to be Democrats!  The Democratic National Committee approved this message!"  In this second segment we have been watching scenes of people moving into new homes, workers busy, dynamic bustle on Wall Street, and children playing happily.  The spot ends with bold letters announcing: DEMOCRATS: JOBS, PROSPERITY, FREEDOM (fade to black.)

I would have prepared a similar spot defending the Democratic record on health care, another on women's, gay and minority rights, and a third on defense and security.  I would have used the economic message the most, but they would all have played nationally, and often.       

You can't beat something with nothing.  If you want to win elections as the "in" party you have to control the message and make it about defending your record, a record of accomplishment.  You have to be proud of that record and hammer it home.  If you won't do that, not only will you fail to win, you won't even deserve to.      

National Appeal Can Help Hold the Senate

What do Democrats need to do to hold on to their majority in the U.S. Senate this year?  Much of the national political speculation for 2014 centers on whether Republicans will be able to gain a majority.  The present membership includes 53 Democrats and 2 independents who caucus with them, versus 45 Republicans.  The Reps therefore need a pickup of 6 seats to swing the upper chamber (a 50-50 split favors the Dems, since Vice President Joe Biden can cast a deciding vote in case of ties.)  The map below shows the national field this year.

Here's what the map means: Dark red are Republicans running for re-election.  Pink are Republican-held seats in which the incumbent is retiring.  Dark blue are Democratic senators running for re-election, and light blue are Democratic seats in which the incumbent is retiring.  Of the 36 seats up for election this year, 21 are held by Democrats and 15 by Republicans. The bottom line is that the Democrats are vulnerable since they have more seats at risk than the Republicans, and because quite a few of these are in conservative states.  I'll get into some state-by-state analysis on this in a later post, but right now I want to suggest a framework for a national appeal.

That appeal would focus on highlighting the difference between what the Democrats and Republicans have been standing on and voting for in the past few years.  A vague sense of impatience with the pace of economic recovery and a sharper frustration with gridlock in Washington is working against the Democrats as the incumbent party.  But an effective appeal would highlight the idea that Democrats have been promoting policies the people actually want, and that Republican obstruction is  the reason they aren't getting passed.  An appeal to the voters ought to go something like this:

Republicans oppose raising the minimum wage.  They think $14,500 a year for full time work, an income that qualifies you for food stamps, is too much.  Do you agree?  Really?  Republicans have voted to repeal health care 50 times.  You're going to vote to take health care away from 15 million people who now have it?  Really?  They even shut down the entire government over it.  Do you feel that was a pretty smart move?  The Republican budget passed in the House caps Medicare and turns it into a voucher program.  Is that something you would like to see in place when you retire?  Republicans have voted against every bill to require equal pay for a woman doing the same job with the same performance review as a man.  You're going to vote for that?  Really?  Republicans still stand opposed to marriage equality for gays and lesbians.  They've been fighting it for years.  Are you going to vote against that?  Now?  Really?  Republicans won't even bring the immigration reform that's passed the Senate up for a vote in the House.  Are you for keeping 11 million people in legal limbo in our country, for denying U.S. veterans a path to citizenship, for keeping our agriculture from procuring legal labor, and for making it difficult for America to retain the foreign students who earn advanced degrees at our universities?  And Republicans blocked sensible legislation to require background checks to make sure felons, terrorists and the violently mentally ill can't walk into a gun show and buy an assault rifle.  After all the mayhem and mass shootings in our country over the past few years, do you think that's in the best interest of the safety of the American people?  Do you really?

This isn't theoretical.  It's not just rhetoric.  These are all demonstrated positions the Republicans have not only advocated, but actually voted for.  Is this the America you want to live in?  Really?           



  

Ricardo Perugorria Memorial Scholarship

Ricardo Perugorria Memorial Scholarship

 

Ricardo Perugorria was a committed humanitarian, respected executive and dedicated Democratic activist.  Ricardo’s friends at the Visalia Democratic Club established the Ricardo Perugorria Memorial Scholarship in February, 2013 to carry on his work on behalf of the students of College of the Sequoias.  Each year one student will be selected to receive the scholarship for the fall semester.  If they maintain enrollment and pass their classes it will be continued for the spring semester.  First priority will go to a member of the COS Young Democrats Club. 

Ricardo Perugorria was born March 8, 1948 in O’Brien, Argentina, a small town about 70 miles west of Buenos Aires.  He died on October 19, 2012 in Visalia.  Ricardo attended seminary in Buenos Aires and graduated with a B. A. in Theology.  There he learned the values that led him to work throughout his life for the betterment of society.  In the early 1980s he worked to help rescue people who had been targeted for death by Central American militia groups.  He always remained a student of history, sociology and music. 

Ricardo immigrated to the United States in 1983 and became a citizen in 1992.  He worked as a newspaper editor and then as a Senior Business Analyst for Anthem Blue Cross in Visalia. 

Ricardo became involved in politics in Kern County, serving on the Democratic Central Committee there.  When he moved to Visalia he was elected to the Tulare County Democratic Central Committee, serving as Treasurer and Parliamentarian for many years.  Ricardo was a tireless worker in many election campaigns.  When the College of the Sequoias Young Democrats was formed in 2008 Ricardo gave generously of his time, guidance, and financial support. 

Ricardo’s strong belief was that youth represented the hope for the future, and he wished to do his part to help COS students enjoy the opportunities he felt he had so richly blessed him in America.  This scholarship is dedicated to his memory and his dream.

Conventioneering in San Diego

Over the weekend of February 10-12 I went to the California Democratic Party Convention in San Diego.  I attended as a delegate and also went with nine students of the College of the Sequoias Young Democrats Club.  We came down in two vans; two faculty colleagues, Lisa Greer and Sandy Valenzuela, came with us and drove the other van.  This was the club's fourth consecutive annual state convention, and mine as well.  In a recap today at the club meeting, President Jerry Lopez said the experience helped get him energized and eager to help campaign in 2012 for issues and candidates.

Governor Jerry Brown and Senator Dianne Feinstein represented the voices of experience.  Brown understands state government like few others and laid out a clear vision of priorities centered on economic growth, investment in necessary infrastructure and education.  He is keenly aware of limits but realizes there are down payments on the future that must be paid.  Feinstein was the voice of reason in national affairs.  As befits what needs doing in a recession, her focus is jobs now, deficits later.

Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Kamala Harris seemed like the leaders of the future, statewide officers who will be the ones to contend for the top posts when the old guard changes.  Newsom, the former San Francisco mayor who was briefly able to legalize gay marriage in the city, has done a great deal of work on a very comprehensive development plan for the state over the next few years.  In addition to his strong speaking skills, the ladies never fail to mention his leading-man good looks.  Former prosecutor Harris was flush off her tremendous performance in the national negotiations over financial malfeasance.  Despite heavy pressure to settle for easy terms, Harris demanded and got a nine fold increase in the penalties assessed to the five biggest banks in the lending and foreclosure crisis, a total of $25 billion, $18 billion of which is coming to California.  She gave a rousing speech on consumer protection and income and tax fairness that brought down the house.     

U. S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis represented President Obama's administration.  She reminded the convention of Obama's many achievements and commitment to keep fighting for initiatives that foster jobs and opportunity.  Access to higher education, labor rights, tax policies that incentivize creating and keeping jobs in America were some of her main themes.

It was a long drive but San Diego is a beautiful city and the Young Democrats got to enjoy a rare close-up glimpse of prominent officials, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who pointed out that a gain of 25 seats in the election could once again make her Speaker.  The YD's also got to run their own show and held their own convention from 4 to 7 on Saturday night.  Besides Jerry, our other attendees were Chelsea Velasquez, Rebecca Salgado, Samuel Diamant, Edith Pedraza, Erin Hitchcock, Jovani Lemus, Evann Peterson and Jonathon Sosa.  (Yes, I got those spellings right!) Most remarkable, COS Young Democrats member Louie Campos was named "Democrat of the Year" for California Region 11 (Tulare, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties)!  It is great to see our young people take an interest in public affairs and work to make a difference.  

Lifetime Achievement Award

Last Friday my wife Joan and I attended the annual Rose Ann Vuich Award Dinner. It's the main local Democratic Party social event and fundraiser, named for California's first woman state senator, a local woman who served from 1977 to 1993. I was surprised and grateful to be awarded the Tulare County Democratic Central Committee's Lifetime Achievement Award for my service to the party. There are many others here who have done much more over a longer period of time than have I. I received the Award from Central Committee Chair Carol Clarke and was greeted by Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, the event's keynote speaker.

We moved to Visalia, county seat of Tulare County, in 1999. The area is heavily Republican and we were unaware of much Democratic activity in the area for quite some time. After a few years, we heard of a group called the Visalia Democratic Club that met monthly at the China Garden Restaurant, and that was my initial introduction in the area.

I have been on the Tulare County Democratic Central Committee since 2008, when I was appointed to fill a vacancy. I was subsequently elected to one of the five Visalia committee seats in the primary election of June, 2010 for a 2-year term. On the Central Committee I have served on the Bylaws, Grievance and Inaugural committees, served as Parliamentarian for the meetings, have emceed some community events, served on panels and have done basic precinct work. I have been a delegate at the Democratic state convention in 2009 and 2010 and will be again in 2011. I am convinced the region will sooner or later return to the Democratic majority it once enjoyed. Tulare County is now more the 50% Hispanic, and Hispanics have been supporting Democrats better then two to one. Their registration and participation proportions are quite low, though. Once they are signed up and gotten to the polls (or vote by mail) in large numbers the local Republican ascendancy will be history. It is our task to hasten that day.

Probably my biggest contribution has been my tenure as faculty advisor of the College of the Sequoias Young Democrats. That group got its impetus from the Obama fervor among young people, forming in fall of 2008 that year. We have taken several students to the California Democratic Convention each year since. This year we have eleven signed up. The students register voters, issue forums, signature and petition drives, walk and call for local candidates and fund raise for worthy causes and to go to the convention. This year, for instance, the Club made a contribution to the Red Cross for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan. They have even scheduled a debate with the campus Republican club this year. Ten Young Dems served at the dinner, checking in guests, ushering and helping with the silent auction. Current COS Young Democrats President Victoria Chung received an award as Young Democrat of the Year.

It is a pleasure to be involved in a civic cause for the betterment of the community and to help kindle interest among the young in service to others.

National Tide Dissolves at California Border

Unlike the national results, Democrats did exceptionally well in California. They captured every statewide office from Governor to Insurance Commissioner and dominate the state legislature. Democrats control the Assembly 52-28 and the Senate 25-15. What is more, by voting for Proposition 25, California's electorate has given Sacramento the power to pass a budget with a simple majority vote instead of the two-thirds requirement that has produced gridlock in recent years.

The new dynamic will give the California Democratic Party a golden opportunity to stand as a national example. With Jerry Brown in the governor's chair and Democrats fully in charge of both houses they will be able to work their will without having to cater to Republican sensibilities at all. If they solve the state's budget mess and help usher in a recovery in the country's most populous state their example will be held up by liberals nationally as a blueprint for the rest of the country to follow. If they fail, of course, you can have no doubt it will be picked up by conservative media as validation of their criticisms elsewhere and across the U.S.A.

A problem exists, however, in other ballot propositions passed by California's voters as well, measures that severely restrict the state government's options for dealing with the current difficulties. The 2/3 requirement is still in effect for any tax increases, and now also for fees, thanks to Prop 26. The state cannot borrow from funds earlier committed to transportation or local government, thanks to Proposition 22. And it isn't getting back some $1.5 billion in corporate taxes, cut as the Republican price for agreeing to last year's budget, thanks to the failure of Proposition 24. So without the ability to increase revenues at all, the Democratic prerogative will consist mainly of making the cuts they prefer instead of the ones Republicans would have favored.

Still, it's a start. They will be held accountable now, as they should be. And with a Redistricting Commission now in charge of drawing election districts instead of the legislature itself, there are certain to be more competitive state legislative races than in the past. So between that and the national implications of the publicity generated by their success or failure, the Democrats who will now chart the Golden State's course will have a strong impact on whether the party will quickly recover nationally--or whether another lengthy period of Republican dominance is before us.

State Convention

I went to the California Democratic Convention in Los Angeles over the weekend in two capacities, as a delegate chosen by the Tulare County Democratic Central Committee and as faculty advisor for the College of the Sequoias Young Democrats.

If you've never been to a political convention, they are a whirlwind of activity. The principal purposes are to showcase the candidates running for office and to energize the attendees so they go out and work hard to help get those candidates elected. There are innumerable booths to get literature, buttons and what have you for candidates, ballot propositions and causes. Candidates and their supporters, from high-profile heavy hitters like Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom and Janice Hahn to people you have never heard of circulate around pressing the flesh and trolling for support. There are workshops on operations like using voter databases, contacting voters, getting out the vote and recruiting and coordinating volunteers.

Some 1,900 delegates attended, as well as over 500 California Young Democrats. There are caucuses of various groups, such as labor, Latinos, rural, progressives, women, education and environmentalists. The California Young Democrats, of whom we sent five to this convention, had several of their own meetings, including a personal session with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. One of our Young Democrats, Esmeralda Castro, is the official Democratic candidate running for State Assembly in the 34th District! There are luncheons and dinners. I paid an extra $60 for the Saturday lunch featuring a tribute to Congresswoman Diane Watson and a speech and question-and-answer event with Arianna Huffington. Huffington has a degree in Economics from Cambridge University, I was rather impressed to find out. She's no dummy.

At the General Sessions Saturday and Sunday we heard from party speakers, had awards and recognitions and conducted business such as endorsements and platform votes. Some of the noteworthy speakers included Speaker Pelosi, Senator Boxer, Attorney General Brown (running for governor) and Lieutenant Governor candidates Gavin Newsom and Janice Hahn. Fierce contests were waged for the convention's endorsement for Lieutenant Governor and for the 36th Congressional District. Newsom edged out Hahn 52% to 48% but got no official endorsement since 60% is required. My Young Democrats got a good picture taken with him. For the 36th CD, incumbent Jane Harman withstood a challenge from the left from Marcy Winograd who was attempting to overturn Harman's successful endorsement from her locality.

On the ballot propositions, the convention decided as follows: (To see the Ballotpedia descriptions click here.)

Proposition 13 To exempt seismic retrofits from increased property taxes due to the required work. YES. This is only fair.
Proposition 14 Top Two Primary. NO. This would hold open, cross-party primaries in June. The top two vote getters would meet in the general election in November. This would result in Democrats fighting Democrats and Republicans fighting Republicans in many races in November, and would take minor party candidates totally off the ballot in November.
Proposition 15 Public Financing. Would use public financing for the Secretary of State's race. YES. The state's top election official should not be beholden to special interest money. This could be a test case to expand the practice to more offices, such as Arizona, North Carolina and Maine do.
Proposition 16 Two-thirds citizen vote required to set up municipal electricity companies. NO. This is a blatant special interest grab by Pacific Gas and Electric to preserve its monopoly.
Proposition 17 Auto Insurance Regulations. NO. This measure would potentially reduce some insurance premiums but would allow bigger increases, too.

CA State Convention

I went to the California State Democratic convention as a delegate for the first time this past weekend. It was a fascinating kaleidoscope of speeches, events, issues, meet and greets, caucuses and votes. There are a myriad of booths for various causes, groups and candidates. I went with a colleague, Government Professor Amy Pritchett, and 12 students from our Young Democrats club. Three of them were official Convention Delegates too. Our Central Committee delegation was also there.

Upon arrival Friday my most interesting session was with the Progressive Caucus. It was a massive gathering of perhaps 1,500 people. Progressives are definitely in the driver's seat in the party these days, at least at the state convention level. There were many reports. I joined and paid the $10 so I could vote for Karen Bernal in the election for chair. The caucus took so long I wasn't able to attend the CTA or Labor Caucuses. Amy went to CTA for both of us.

Saturday was packed. The morning session featured speeches by prominent people such as Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Gubernatorial Candidate San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General and possible gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown. Newsom gave a very polished speech. Brown spoke extemporaneously and was impressive. The guy has still got it. He clearly sees how seemingly disparate items are all part of an integrated whole.

I'd paid $60 to go to the leadership lunch. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Congressional Delegation Chair Zoe Lofgren were the headline speakers over chicken and pasta. The eight people at my table were most interesting to talk to. They were all veteran activists. One was a former mayor of Palo Alto, where Stanford University is located. These folks had a great deal of interesting experience.

After lunch was our regional election meeting. Only three of 21 state regions were having contested elections for Regional Director. Our region 11 was one of those. It was fairly contentious between some of their supporters. The challenger Paul Scott outpolled the incumbent Bob Conaway 40-29.

Saturday afternoon featured the treat of hearing some more interesting speakers. among these was a joint appearance by a nephew of Harvey Milk, also gay, and Harvey's campaign manager. But the big splash was Nancy Pelosi. She is the prime Republican target these days, but of course was received warmly at this event. She extolled the achievements so far of the Congress and Obama administration, such as equal pay for women, children's health, banning torture, passing the stimulus and budget and getting ready to focus on energy, health and education. Having one of the state's own as Speaker of the House is unprecedented. Many delegates I talked to marvelled about living to see the amazing sight of a woman Speaker and black President. After Pelosi's speech I and a couple of our YD's hustled into a line to get the Speaker's autograph on our copies of her book "Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters" that had been included in our materials. She was most gracious to me when my turn came up, spending a bit more time than she needed to in exchanging pleasantries. The glowering secret service types flanking her behind the table did not seem to be having much of a fun day at all.

Next it was on to the old Governor's Mansion for a tour and a meet and greet with Jerry Brown. After dinner in Old Twon with some friends it was back to the Convention Center to drop in at the Hospitality Suites. The Raoul Wallenbeerg Jewish Democratic Club had great ice cream sundaes. Gavin Newsom and Darrell Steinberg showed up to shake hands and schmooze. Amy and I got our picture taken with Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. He mentioned he had gotten the 55% budget requirement for community colleges passed.

We didn't go to the dinner for outgoing state chair Art Torres, which cost $125. Our Young Dems earned their floor passes by putting John Burton for State Chair signs on every seat in the hall.

Sunday opened with a few more speakers before getting down to business. The star of these was former National Chair Howard Dean. This brilliant fellow was certainly instrumental in the Democrats' tremendous electoral successes in 2006 and 2008. His organizing acumen and "50-state strategy" was certainly vindicated by the congressional, presidential and state government results across the country. Listening to his intellect was an invigorating experience.

The Convention ended with voting on endorsements for the California ballot propositions for the May 19 election, and the platform planks. The Propositions are part of the budget settlement that ended an 8-month deadlock in the legislature. Because of the state's idiotic requirement of a 2/3 vote to pass a budget, a handful of Republicans can hold everything up. The two sides finally made a settlement that needed voter approval for provisions of the final package. Party leaders such as Sen. Steinberg argued strongly for endorsement of all six Props, 1 A-F. Some activists argued against. The majority of delegates voted in favor of all six, but since a 60% vote was required for endorsement only three overcame that threshold and secured party endorsement. They were 1B, 1C and 1F. 1A, 1D and 1E fell short. This is because the mostly liberal activists who make up the convention do not like to compromise and felt the settlement was not good enough. I supported the leadership on the grounds that if we scuttled the deal there is no guarantee the GOP legislators will be willing to compromise again. There is every reason to expect them to dig in their heels, provoke a crisis until the money runs out, and then watch Governor Schwarzenegger mandate draconian cuts unilaterally in the absence of a budget. That is just what the Republicans would love to see. Then next year the party could try to pass an initiative to get rid of the 2/3 requirement. I tried to get the debate coordinator to see that this argument was made to the floor, but she brushed me off. "We have it covered." Uh huh. Then 1A went down. Now it will be up primarily to CTA to appeal to the voters to pass the Props anyway.

Finally, the platform items. Every recommended resolution was passd, though some only after debate. The most prominent were to oppose an open primary system, and in favor of a moratorium on the death penalty, the repeal of Prop 8 that denied same-sex marriage, an oil severance tax used to support higher education, requiring only a majority legislative vote to pass a budget, single payer health coverage, and a call for impeachment investigations of "Judge Jay Bybee and Others for Their Role in Allowing Torture as Part of 'Enhanced Interrogation.'"

All in all the Democratic Convention was a fascinating spectacle and experience. I talked to several old timers who said it was a far cry from the old days when a few party insiders pretty much controlled everything. The rank and file majority is much more driving the bus these days, they all seemed to agree. It's not that hard to attend. Those interested in the process ought to give it a try in their states if they get a chance.