Can Marty Do It?

Two weeks ago at the Region 21 pre-endorsement caucus, Marty Block came up two votes short of the 70% required for the Democratic Party endorsement in the 78th Assembly race. In a matter of hours, the Region 21 caucus will be meeting at CDP Convention in San Jose to vote again for the Democratic Party endorsement in the 78th Assembly race. This time threshold for endorsement is only 60%. It will be interesting to see if Marty can get the endorsement this time.

Also, on the agenda at the Region 21 caucus, will be the endorsement in the 53rd Congressional race, between incumbent Susan Davis and challenger Mike Copass. Congresswoman Davis easily won the endorsement two weeks ago, but because of a snafu on the part of the CDP, enough delegates challenged the results to force another vote at the convention.

Challenger to Susan Davis?

As the CDP’s Pre-Primary Endorsement Process winds its way to conclusion in San Jose, it appears that a democratic challenger has emerged to take on Susan Davis. Mike Copass garnered enough delegate votes to pull Davis from the consent calendar.

This is the first time I have ever heard of a sitting Congressperson being pulled from consideration locally. It’s not a secret that Davis isn’t exactly loved in San Diego. But the fact that someone from out of nowhere was able to get enough support to do this is worthy of note.

Labor Council's Delegate Fight

This Wednesday, the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council's delegates will again have a fight over whether to endorse CA-53 Representative Susan Davis.

Susan Davis was originally endorsed by the Labor Council back in 2000, when she took on Representative Brian Bilbray in his former district. Bilbray was a bad vote time and time again at both the local and the national level for Labor. So, they organized, as unions know how, and helped then Assemblymember Davis beat Bilbray and sent her to the House of Representatives.

Representative Davis made a controversial vote during her first term by voting for CAFTA. This earned her the wrath of Labor in the following election cycle. Davis made it through the election without issue. However, time and time again she comes before Labor, asks for their support and time and time again Labor never forgets and never forgives her for that vote.

There seems to be no consideration by the local unions of Representative Davis’ overall record. She has voted for minimum wage increases, Head Start funding, the Employee Free Choice Act, environmental and labor rights including in future trade deals, healthcare reform, welfare re-authorization and so forth. Even though, the sentiments among the anti-Davis folks are strong, she still continues to receive the support by some of the labor unions that make up the Labor Council. Take a look at her PAC numbers; she receives money from AFSCME, AFT, Postal Workers, Fire Fighters, Letter Carriers, SEIU, Boilermakers, Transport Workers and so forth.

Labor needs to ask themselves the hard question. Do they oppose Susan Davis yet again this year, or try to reach out to her and figure out how they can work together? Does Labor move forward or continue to look backwards this Wednesday night? I hope they look forward. TQ

Supporters of OC Toll Road Dealt Major Blow

Congresswoman Susan Davis, has inserted a "rider" in the upcoming defense authorization bill. The rider "would require the Foothill/South Toll Road project to adhere to state environmental laws."[Link] This requirement would mean that the project would have to obtain a permit from the state Coastal Commission. In September, the commission issued a report that recommended the project be denied a permit.[Link]

Davis' rider has passed the last of the procedural hurdles and is now part of the full defense authorization bill that is head to the full House for consideration probably next week. The rider effectively reverses another rider from 2000 "by three Republican Congressmen – Duncan Hunter, Darrell Issa and Ken Calvert – who used the same mechanism to specifically exempt the toll road project from state and federal environmental laws."[Link]

Props go out to the Congresswoman for taking this important step in trying to save Trestles.

Susan Davis Condemns MoveOn, Protest, Free Speech

In a direct slap in the face to anyone who's ever felt that free speech or the right to protest the government are, you know, Constitutional imperatives, Susan Davis voted today to condemn the Petraeus/Betray us MoveOn ad. That's what your congress is doing. Not ending a war. Not passing a law that will make people healthier, wealthier, wiser, or safer. Spitting on free speech. Thank you to Bob Filner and the 79 Democrats who stood with him for getting this vote right, and no thanks to the 195 Republicans and the 145 other Democrats in the House who joined Susan Davis in telling the nation to sit down, shut up, and leave governance to the grownups without passionate public input. If you think MoveOn was disrespectful to the troops by running an ad in the New York Times Ms. Davis, where exactly does paying for the troops to get shot at rank?

It's time to get angry. Congress is telling people what they're supposed to say and not say. I don't remember learning about that congressional duty in government class.

Cross posted to Calitics

Update: Prompted by a Calitics comment, I want to lay out what just happened here more directly. Susan Davis, with this vote, did not disagree with what MoveOn said. She disagreed with there being anything said at all. It's not a difference of opinion or even an objection to a certain opinion, but rather a condemnation of people expressing opinions at all. -Lucas