A Stealthy Private Army on the Border
As anyone who has been in the Navy or the Marines knows, San Diego has a lot of military bases. But until recently nobody knew that a stealthy private army was building their own base here, right on the border.
Fortunately, Democratic Congressman Bob Filner is on the case.
… they [Blackwater] don’t like to operate under any laws, as we know in Iraq. And, you know, they shoot first and ask questions later. And people—parents of family members have had great trouble getting any truth about what went on there. And that’s what we’re concerned about. Anybody who is training private armies or mercenary soldiers is a real danger to democracy. We know that from history. So this is not a company that we trust… They have operated in this situation with great secrecy, with—under different subsidiaries and shell corporations, and we don’t know exactly what they’re really doing or where other permits may have been pulled under different names.
Leo Brown | May 3, 2008 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
Issues, anyone?
Just in case anyone has forgotten, America does have a few issues to face after almost eight years of the Bush presidency. Here are three that ought to command our attention in the upcoming election.
Paying for the three trillion dollar war
Whether we pay in debt, taxes, inflation, lost lives, or lost opportunities, we will all be paying indefinitely unless we wind down the War in Iraq. If America can’t afford decent healthcare and educational opportunities for all without crippling personal debt (see below), then we can’t afford the War in Iraq.
Bomb, bomb, bombing Iran
The danger of a McCain presidency is not only that he would prolong our presence in Iraq but that he would seek to fulfill neoconservative dreams of a war expanded from Iraq into Iran and Syria, leading to a regional conflagration. With his campaign already sowing the arguments for a wider conflict, we will not be able to say we weren't warned.
A man with a Pit Bull chomping on his leg shouldn’t go charging into a kennel of Rottweilers.
The debtor society
Americans are drowning in debt. One in every four families reports worries about how to pay credit-card bills this month. Nearly half of all credit-card holders missed payments in 2006 (the latest year for which data are available), and an additional 2.1 million families missed at least one mortgage payment. In 2006, a then-record 1.3 million families received foreclosure notices, followed by another 2.2 million families who were in foreclosure in 2007.
President Bush’s talk about an “ownership society” contrasts painfully with Warren Buffett’s warning of an impending “Sharecropper's Society.”
Did I hear anyone say, wrong track?
Leo Brown | April 29, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Jeff Bingaman Endorses Barack Obama
New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman has endorsed Senator Barack Obama. In his endorsement, Senator Bingaman said:
To make progress, we must rise above the partisanship and the issues that divide us to find common ground. We must move the country in a dramatically new direction.
I strongly believe Barack Obama is best positioned to lead the nation in that new direction.
With this endorsement, Senator Obama is now a more popular choice among his Democratic Senate colleagues than Senator Clinton by the narrow margin of 14 to 13.
Leo Brown | April 28, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Meanwhile back at the ranch: Gubernatorial Edition
Gubernatorial is a wonderful word meaning pertaining to governors. Governors do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to good government, though they generally get less press these days than senators and, of course, presidents, unless they are very good or very bad.
While the Senate contests in the West this year offer excitement and good pickup opportunities, the gubernatorial elections present a much more settled picture, with one notable exception.
Nationally 28 Democrats and 22 Republicans hold governorships. In the West the totals are seven for the Democrats (AZ, CO, MT, NM, OR, WA, WY) and six for the GOP. Nationally, there will be eleven gubernatorial contests on November 4, 2008. Six of those seats are currently held by Democrats and five by Republicans. Three of those eleven contests are in the West, namely in Montana (D), Utah (R), and Washington (D).
In Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, a star among Western Democrats, is looking strong. When Time magazine did a lengthy piece on The Democrats’ New Western Stars (Jan. 19, 2007), it was Governor Schweitzer’s photo they led with. Click here to watch Governor Schweitzer explain how elections are won in Montana.
In Utah, the GOP has held the governorship for 24 years, and Republican Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. will be hard to beat.
In Washington, however, the contest promises to be exciting, because Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire won a squeaker in 2004, complete with recounts and a court case.
Washington is a fairly Blue State. Though potentially a swing state, it has put its electoral votes in the D column in the last five presidential contests and is represented in the Senate by two Democratic Senators. Six of the nine House members from Washington are Democrats. In addition to the governorship, both chambers of the state legislature are controlled by Democrats. All politics is local, as the saying goes, but national trends--war, recession and an unpopular Republican in the White House--will be important, too. Click here for Governor Gregoire’s own website.
Leo Brown | April 27, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Meanwhile back at the ranch: Senate Edition
Seven of the thirteen Western states have Senators up for election this year: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The Republicans are defending six of these seven Senate seats. Montana’s Max Baucus is the sole defending Democratic incumbent in the group, and his seat is considered safe. Colorado, Idaho, and New Mexico will be open seats, and Wyoming will have both their Senators up for re-election, due to the death of Senator Craig Thomas in 2007.
Colorado and New Mexico look like the best opportunities for Democratic pick ups, and both states are considered swing states in the 2008 presidential contest. Our candidates, Mark Udall in Colorado and Tom Udall in New Mexico, are cousins from the long prominent Udall family.
Larry LaRocco is our Western Democrat running for Idaho’s Senate seat to replace the retiring and embarrassing Larry Craig. It would be great if red-state Idaho could turn purple.
The remaining campaigns are still shaping up. The contests in Alaska and Oregon could be particularly interesting. Senator Stevens (R-Bridge to Nowhere) is the poster child for pork gone wild and an opponent of transparency in government. The Iraq War puts Oregon’s Gordon Smith in a bind. He voted for the war and has been a Bush enabler. Yet he has broken with the Bush administration on the war, and hence will be at odds with Senator McCain on that issue.
Leo Brown | April 8, 2008 | Comment on This Post (2 so far) |
Dave Freudenthal Endorses Barack Obama
Wyoming’s popular Governor Dave Freudenthal is the second Western governor to endorse Senator Obama in recent weeks. While not saying anything negative about Senator Clinton, he views Senator Obama as "incredibly smart" and someone who gives honest answers instead of scripted responses.
Senator Obama is the Democratic candidate with the openness, honesty and skill to end this vicious cycle of business as usual.
Openness and honesty, skill and intelligence, and a no nonsense approach to government are some of the values we like to see at here at Western Democrat.
Leo Brown | April 5, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Bill Richardson Endorses Barack Obama
Barack Obama has been going through a rough patch of late. How fast and how well he can recover may well determine the 2008 presidential election.
So the endorsement by Bill Richardson comes at a critical time. Governor Richardson is a important leader in the West and in the Democratic Party, and he has been one of our favorites here at Western Democrat. His resume is very impressive. His appeal in the Southwest is obvious.
Governor Richardson joins Senator Dodd among 2008 candidates in endorsing Senator Obama. His speech suggests four reasons. First, the delegate math is such that it is now time for the party to come together around the clear leader. Second, Senator Obamaâs speech on race touched a chord with Governor Richardson and with Hispanic voters generally. Senator Obamaâs poll numbers have been going up (!) in California. Third Governor Richardson's biography has paralleled Senator Obama's. Fourth, and very interestingly, we learned that Senator Obama quietly tossed a lifeline to Governor Richardson during a presidential debate.
In a tough campaign, such endorsements arenât easy, but they may break the logjam before the convention.
Governor Richardson is clearly on the short list to be Vice President or Secretary of State. Regardless of what the future holds, Senator Obama knows that a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Leo Brown | March 22, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Race and the American West
Race is part of America’s story. But the West is neither the South nor the East. The racial picture is different and more varied, with large American Indian, Asian, and Hispanic communities. With its vast distances, the American West could never be a monolithic entity on racial matters. Moreover, Out West is where many people went to escape what was going on Back East or Down South. As Bill Gwaltney put it “The West has always been seen as a place of opportunity. And this was certainly as true for people of African descent as for anybody else.”
That the West, like the rest of America, sometimes grappled badly with issues of race is a matter of historical record. That matters are better today than in much of the past, is also part of that record.
So Barack Obama’s speech on race in America, “A More Perfect Union” will be read with interest in the West, and also read differently than in other parts of the country. It will be read differently in the barrio and on the Rez, in the cities and urban campuses and on the ranches and farms. How it is received may well determine who will be the next president of the United States. It is a thoughtful and personal speech. Some will find it overwhelmingly positive and powerful. Some will dismiss it out of hand. Some will compare it to Mitt Romney’s speech on religion. Both speeches deserve to be read, and will be part of the legacy of the 2008 campaign, regardless of who becomes president.
A campaign is more than speeches, but the best speeches give us a unique window into the soul of the speaker. The reaction to some speeches can also give us a window into the soul of America. This is such a speech. I hope you will all read it.
Leo Brown | March 18, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Three Elections
Wyoming was part of Barack’s Rocky Mountain firewall. And now Mississippi voted for Barack as well. Very different states, same result. And it is really hard to think of these two states as latte-sipping boutique states.
However, I would like to call your attention to a third recent election, this one in Illinois.
I live in California, in the land of earthquakes, but I was born in Illinois and lived in the Chicago suburbs for about 25 years. So when Denny Hastert’s old congressional seat flipped from R to D, I took notice. This is 6.0 on the Richter Scale. A strong one. This is also a validation of Barack’s strategy and message.
Sen. Barack Obama could bring out a huge turnout if he's the Democratic presidential nominee. Others have noted this as well.
Obama's effect on the Foster race is emblematic of why Democratic Super Delegates are beginning to break for Obama. Not only is Obama the most electable Democratic candidate for President this fall, he's also the candidate that will help elect more Democrats to the House and Senate. And the effect the presidential candidate has on House and Senate races - as well as races for State Legislature - will be a big factor in determining who Super Delegates support. If you don't believe me, pull aside virtually any Member of Congress who represents a tough swing district, and ask privately who he or she wants to head the ticket. The verdict is virtually unanimous: they all believe that Obama's nomination will be far more helpful to their own candidacies than Hillary Clinton's. The same goes for candidates trying to take Republican seats. You hear four reasons for this assessment: 1). They believe that Obama will turn out large numbers of new Democratic voters that simply won't show up if Hillary is the candidate. This is doubly true when districts have sizeable minority populations. But it is true of young people across the board. 2). They believe that Obama will appeal to independents and some Republicans -- and create an environment more favorable to their own candidacies among those voters. 3). They think Obama will be much more helpful at raising money for their own races than Clinton. 4). Most importantly, many think Clinton's presence on the ticket will galvanize the right wing base. They simply don't want to run on a ticket headed by Hillary Clinton, and many say they would not campaign with her in their districts.We’ve noted previously that Clinton would be a drag on Western Democrats.
One key advisor to a prominent Democratic congressional candidate, who asked not be to identified discussing tensions within the party, went even further. "It's a disaster for Western Democrats," he said. "It keeps me up at night."
Leo Brown | March 11, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Meet the Udalls
Outside magazine has a great profile on cousins Tom and Mark Udall. Go read it and learn more about one of the great Western Democratic families.
While you're at it, please give Tom and Mark Udall some of your spare change, to assist their campaigns to bring more and better Democrats to the Senate (and more and better Udalls).
Click here to contribute to Tom Udall's campaign to take back Pete Domenici's seat in New Mexico.
Click here to contribute to Mark Udall's campaign to turn Colorado bluer than it already is.
kencamp | March 10, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
