What an incredible past few days for California political news. First, the fundraising disclosure reports were unveiled, state budget deliberations ongoing, and a surprise development in a targeted Congressional seat.
In what clearly was the harshest week for freshman Democratic Congressman Jerry McNerney (CD 11), McNerney learned that he continues to frustrate his strongest base of supporters: the far-left grassroots activists and liberal internet denizens who last November helped the political neophyte topple 7-term incumbent GOP Congressman Richard Pombo in one of the nation’s most shocking Republican Party defeats.
Earlier, McNerney angered his supporters and donors when he voted against Congressman James McGovern’s proposal to order an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. On Democratic Party-affiliated websites, former supporters and campaigners for McNerney blasted the frosh lawmaker for “voting with Bush enablers on Iraq.” Although subsequent votes on Iraq policy may have soothed ruffled left-wing feathers; last week, McNerney cast a Congressional vote that further distanced himself from his liberal army of donors and supporters.
McNerney was the only Bay Area-based Dem to vote against a bill that would prohibit federal enforcement against medicinal marijuana – and the far-left netroots that helped propel the upstart Pombo challenger to victory last Fall are none too pleased. Over at extreme-left website Calitics, members of that site blasted McNerney’s stance on marijuana by stating “Jerry, I worked my ass off to get you elected. I hope you understand just how betrayed I feel at this moment.” Not a good sign to be heading into a targeted contest with your supporters gunning for you. Read more here.
While those supporters McNerney may have left may point two these two Congressional Roll Call votes as evidence of an independent streak, an episode occurred on the Floor of the House that brilliantly underscores how attached to Democratic leadership McNernet truly is.
McNereny was at the center of a Congressional vote scandal last week. Thanks to this outstanding first-person report by Congressman John Campbell, many Flashreport readers are familiar of the shenanigans of Speaker Pelosi’s management of a proposed bill that would have barred illegal immigrants from receiving food stamps and subsidized housing. McNerney originally cast a sensible vote in favor of a GOP-authored measure. However, as this legislation was strenuously opposed by Congressional Democrats, last-second arm-twisting by Pelosi’s leadership was needed to ensure the bill’s defeat.
The Congressional Democratic leadership knew exactly who to turn for a quick vote switch: McNerney. McNerney made a last-second change under highly questionable parliamentary maneuvers, and the bill was defeated.
Now, Flashreport readers shouldn’t be surprised by this turn of events. After all, it was this website that reported how McNerney literally changed his original responses to 55 questions on a questionnaire published by the non-partisan Project Vote-Smart prior to the November 2006 General Election. McNerney is clearly skilled in deceiving voters, and now his own (former) supporters and constituents are feeling the blind ambitions of a Congressman who changes his positions and stances on important issues on a minute-by-minute basis, or when it is politically expedient.
Compounding McNerney’s woes was news last week the State Assemblymember Guy Houston will not challenge former State Board of Equalization Member Dean Andal for the GOP nod to take on McNerney. Of course, it’s not that Houston would not have made an excellent member of Congress; Houston’s decision avoids an expensive intra-party battle between two Republican heavyweights. Without a Houston candidacy, Andal becomes the de facto Republican Party nominee in CD 11, and that is bad news for the liberal incumbent, as Dean Andal is a proven campaigner against serious Democrats.
Consider: In 1991, Andal beat the wife of the then-Insurance Commissioner for an Assembly seat – a seat that had been held for nearly twenty years by Democratic politicians. In 1992, Andal won his re-election in a year when Bill Clinton carried California by 18 points (when Andal was a top DEM target), and in 1994, Andal beat legendary Inland Empire Democrat Robert Presley for a BOE seat. In other words: Dean Andal is clearly among the strongest Republican Congressional challengers in the nation so far.
State Budget Watch: How is Senator Abel Maldonado’s vote on the proposed state budget playing with Democrats?
Last week, State Senator Abel Maldonado broke with every one of his GOP colleagues and joined every Democratic senator in voting to support the proposed budget.
So how do Democrats view Maldonado in light of his decision to vote with his Democratic counterparts?
Here’s a sample of how Democratic activists in Maldonado’s constituency see the senator’s position, as written by a Democratic activist on Calitics.com. Read it here.
“Well, Abel, you’re going to lose reelection because we on the Central Coast are sick of Roadblock Republicans. Which is what we saw last night, as Maldonado’s vote for the budget was still not enough.” – “Robert in Monterrey”
Despite Senator Maldonado voting with Senate President Pro tem Don Perata and the entire Democratic Caucus on the proposed state budget for 2007-08, Democratic partisans are still gunning for this seat. Now, Flashreport correspondent Mike Spence made an interesting point here in questioning whether Senate Republicans should continue to support him with the resources needed to win this seat. However, the real predicament for Maldonado’s supporters is this: On budget matters, whether the senator stands with his Caucus on budget matters or not, whether or not he adopts independent or moderate positions; no matter how often he breaks with GOP leadership, the Democrats still want Senator Maldonado to lose. Irrespective of the issue, Democrats are still working to defeat Abel and replace him with a partisan of their own choosing.
Coming soon: an update on two Congressional races brewing in San Bernardino County, as Democrats turn to fringe candidates in an effort to replicate the “Pombo Strategy” in two Southern California Congressional districts.
**There is more – click the link**