Meeting in the Middle for Equality in Fresno

(Originally from my updates at OC Progressive)



I had so many questions before last weekend. And honestly, I still don't know exactly what lies ahead. However, I had many of my questions answered as I saw a glimpse of hope rising after the storm.

And yes, believe it or not, my questions were answered in Fresno!

I arrived in Fresno on Friday for Meet in the Middle 4 Equality, and I was already being blown away from the very beginning! Local LGBT civil rights activists, like Meet in the Middle Organizer Robin McGehee and Jay Matthew from Erase the H8, have clearly put together a stellar operation for this weekend. And with support from other state groups like Courage Campaign (Rick Jacobs himself was there!) and OCEC, it looked like the town was already filling up for this one-of-a-kind event.

My friend Linda and I arrived in Fresno just in time for the press conference for local media. Before the radical right could get any start demonizing all of us as "teh homosexual invaezjon army!!111!!!!1", such luminaries as Cleve Jones, Lt. Dan Choi, and Robin Tyler & Diane Olson explained that they're here in Fresno not to provoke controversy but to start dialogue on marriage equality and greater issues of civil rights. Local activists like Robin McGehee also explained that they're here all the time and they're committed to working with allies in other social justice movements to achieve equality for all in The Central Valley.

Not too long after the presser, I checked into the hotel... But only for a few minutes. I then rushed off to the other "first event of Meet in the Middle", which was the pre-party hosted by Equality Army and Erase the H8 with most of the proceeds benefitting Meet in the Middle. I connected with a few old friends, met plenty of new ones, and all around had a blast partying with my fellow queer love warriors. It was a great way to get fired up and ready to go marching the next day!

And speaking of that next day, we started off the morning walking from Selma to Fresno early Saturday morning. Yes, that's right. Hundreds of queer folks and straight (but not narrow!) folks who care about civil rights marched up Golden State Highway, many marching the entire 14.5 mile route, to demonstrate how much we want full equality for all.

We sweated together. We walked together. We jogged and ran together when necessary. But together, we all sent a powerful statement on today's civil rights struggles.

After my group marched for about 10 miles and over 3 hours, we arrived at the rally site in Downtown Fresno. We were greeted by numerous thousands of cheers! And yes, the cheering supporters far outnumbered the scattered few counter-protesters insulting us.

Once all of us marchers arrived for the rally, we were also greeted by some amazing speakers.







Charlize Theron, T.R. Knight, Eric McCormack, Cleve Jones, Rick Jacobs, Robin McGehee, Robin Tyler, and many more came to speak. But more importantly, the progressive grassroots from the Central Valley was present... And was backed up by many good activists from all over California.

I met wonderful new friends in Fresno. I chatted with old friends from Courage Campaign. I hanged with my BFFs from OCEC. It was truly a beautiful experience.

This truly felt like the start of the movement to repeal Prop H8, the start of a new way forward on securing equality in California and nationwide. I had so many questions before last weekend. And honestly, I still don't know exactly what lies ahead. However, I had many of my questions answered as I saw a glimpse of hope rising after the storm.

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to stay in Fresno for the LGBT Leadership Summit. Remember when I told you all about that Equality Summit in LA in January? Well, it looks like we've all learned some important lessons since then. Courage Campaign and Equality California are getting along better. Most activists are ready to move on from the past. And yes, we're mostly ready to build a winning campaign for 2010 and beyond!

Yep, it seemed like this time we didn't have a problem coming together. And really, that's what we all need to do in order to secure our civil rights once and for all. We've survived the mistakes of the past, so now we need to work together to build a better future.

I feel like I saw a glimpse of the future in Fresno last weekend. I saw it with the young students who are organizing their schools. I saw it with the various grassroots Equality Teams from all over the state that are committed to changing hearts and minds one door knock at a time. I saw it with the new outreach strategies that aim to educate by showing the people in our community, not hiding them. This is the future, and I hope I'll be seeing much more of it in the days ahead.

Party's Over

I'm usually not a huge Richard Cohen fan, but his column in The Washington Post today is simply brilliant. That's why I just have to shut up now & let you read the best part of what he had to say...

I can understand Obama's desire to embrace constituencies that have rejected him. Evangelicals are in that category and Warren is an important evangelical leader with whom, Obama said, "we're not going to agree on every single issue." He went on to say, "We can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans." Sounds nice.

But what we do not "hold in common" is the dehumanization of homosexuals. What we do not hold in common is the belief that gays are perverts who have chosen their sexual orientation on some sort of whim. What we do not hold in common is the exaltation of ignorance that has led and will lead to discrimination and violence.

Finally, what we do not hold in common is the categorization of a civil rights issue -- the rights of gays to be treated equally -- as some sort of cranky cultural difference. For that we need moral leadership, which, on this occasion, Obama has failed to provide. For some people, that's nothing to celebrate.

The party's off.

The Battleground in My Backyard

Nervous yet? I know I am. It's crazy enough having to follow the Presidential Election 24/7. But for me and my friends & family here in California, we have even more on our minds!

We have a Congressional race to win. We have an evil, discriminatory
ballot initiative to defeat. And of course, we have a community, a county, and a country to take back!

Let me tell you about what I did last weekend to make all of this happen.



On Saturday, I met with some hard-working union friends in Costa Mesa to walk a neighborhood for Debbie Cook. As always, the pre-walk rally was great! Debbie fired up the crowd as she talked about what she would do to actually serve us in the district. Local labor leaders talked about what we can do to translate enthusiasm for Obama into votes for local Democrats. All in all, I felt quite good about what I was about to do to help Debbie win.

I also felt good about going out and talking to voters about Proposition 8. For all of you unfamiliar with California politics, we often govern by initiative because of our dysfunctional state government. Unfortunately, the radical right has used the initiative process to try to pass horrible legislation that wouldn't otherwise see the light of day in Sacramento. Prop 8 is one of these horrid radical right power plays that would overturn marriage equality in California and reinstate a Plessy v. Ferguson style segregation that treats gay and lesbian couples as inferior to straight couples. The polls on Prop 8 are close now, so we can't take anything for granted. That's why I included Prop 8 in my walk.





After the rally, I walked with a friend from the local Young Democrats club in a Republican leaning area near the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa. At first, I was disheartened by all the "Yes on 8" and "McCain-Palin" signs I saw on the street. But as I began talking to the voters on our list, my experience wasn't so demoralizing. In fact, I found a few undecided Republicans, two houses with Debbie Cook signs up, and a beautiful 90 year old woman who smiled as she told me she was voting for Debbie Cook and against Prop 8! All in all, that's not so bad for a "Republican stronghold"!

On Sunday, I shifted to the small southwestern portion of Santa Ana that lies in the 46th Congressional District. Specifically, I walked the neighborhood across the street from mine which has sizable Latino and Vietnamese populations. And while this neighborhood is less Republican than the Costa Mesa neighborhood I walked the previous day, I knew it would still be an uphill battle here. So what happened?

I was in for some pleasant surprises! I met a wonderful 80 year old woman who was glad to hear about Debbie Cook and was already voting no on 8. I met a fantastic 60+ couple who have been volunteering for MoveOn.org, so they were very receptive to what I had to say! I found a couple more undecided Republicans and some young voters who appreciated my last minute reminder to vote. So again, the final results weren't as bad as I had originally expected.

So what does this all mean? Hopefully, this means that we can win if we work for it! Despite all the talk of whether or not Obama will "win by a landslide!", we can't be sidetracked into post-election punditry when we still have an election to actually win! And despite all the talk about California being "safe", it's NOT! It's not safe for marriage equality, but on the other hand it's also not safe for corrupt Republicans.

So what can we do in the next week? We can donate! We can volunteer! We can do all we can in the next week to win and WIN BIG! So don't just stand there, but go out & help win this election! :-D

CA-46: Live from the Battleground!

OK, so I see that our friend Todd at MyDD covered it. I know some some Andrew Davey person also talked about it. Still, I need to talk with you about it. I need to talk with you about a very competitive, very close race that we can win.

Is it in Ohio? Florida? Virginia? Colorado? Nope. I'm talking about California's 46th Congressional District!

Debbie Cook is running a very competitive campaign against the 20 year Republican incumbent, Dana Rohrabacher. Dana never felt like he was in danger before, so he never really felt the need to the job that voters here hired him to do. He has never brought home the resources that local communities need to stay safe and healthy because he doesn't believe in effective government. Dana doesn't believe in representing his own constituents because they care about taking on the climate crisis, ending the Iraq Occupation, fixing the economy, and protecting women's reproductive rights... While he'd rather worry about asteroid attacks and RFK Assassination conspiracy theories. I'm not even kidding, and that's why Dana is so crazy, so silly, and so scary!

Now contrast "Crazy Dana" with Debbie Cook. Unlike Dana, Debbie has a real record of real results. She stood up against corruption and waste in the Huntington Beach City Council. Without her, we wouldn't have a protected coastline and coastal wetlands stretching all the way from the Bolsa Chica Wetlands to the mouth of the Santa Ana River. Because Debbie Cook actually cares about the well-being of the community enough to fight for more effective government, the people of Surf City USA are better for it.

The choice couldn't be clearer. That's why we're seeing attitudes changing and votes changing, even in places like Costa Mesa.

Over the weekend, I walked two distinct neighborhoods in Costa Mesa, a kind of "bellwether" city in the Orange County part of the district. On Saturday, I walked the more working class and Latino heavy west side that has been hit hard by both the economic crisis and by the Republican controlled city council's attempts to kick out the working poor so big developers can profit off "gentrification". The voters here were quite receptive to Debbie Cook's message of real change to help real working people. And because Crazy Dana has a horrible record of scapegoating everything on immigrants, many people here will be glad to see him gone!

On Sunday, however, I switched to a neighborhood in the more upscale and lily white east side of Costa Mesa. Over here, the glamorous Newport Harbour is within sight and the McMansions here sometimes make me wonder if I really have crossed the Newport Beach city limits. Honestly, I was a little concerned about finding any Democrats here. But to my surprise, I found them! And better yet, I also found Republicans and Independents who were ready to cross over!

Believe it or not, Costa Mesa and other Orange County towns in the 46th District are not as Republican as the Republucan Party wants us to believe. Democrats have won here before. And yes, Democrats can win here again!

All we need are the resources to do it. Will you please help? We only have two weeks left. And with your help, I know we can win! So will you please help this Orange County local dump Crazy Dana and elect a Congressperson we can all be proud of?

CA-46: Crazy Dana Walking Precincts... WHERE??!!

My contribution: $

(Proudly cross-posted at Swing State Project)

Ah, how I love me the right-wing blogs! Sometimes, I find it amusing to simply lurk over there and see the vile garbage spew out of their keyboards. But to my surprise, I found out today that some of my recent diaries have been featured on an infamous local right-wing blog.

Apparently, Debbie Cook is foolish for actually talking to voters. I mean, why should she actually take time to talk to voters? "Crazy Dana" Rohrabacher obviously doesn't. I have yet to see one neighborhood outreach walk, volunteer phone bank, or any other kind of voter outreach activity happening with his campaign.

Well, I guess it's Crazy Dana's loss that he doesn't talk to voters while Debbie Cook does. The more voters here in the 46th District find out about him, the less they like him. And as they learn more about Debbie Cook, the more they like her for her hard work to protect our quality of life as well as her plan to make real change that benefits real people.

 

 OK, so Dana doesn't want to earn his votes? And he'd rather continue with his extreme right-wing agenda than listen to the more moderate voters in his own district? So be it.  

I just hope Dana's ready to face the consequences. From what I understand, voters don't like to be ignored. And if Dana keeps ignoring his own voters, he may have a tougher November than what he's planning for. I just wonder if he & his GOP buddies have actually thought this through.

Whatever. I shouldn't have to worry about Crazy Dana & his far-right GOP pals. We have enough work to do ensuring that great Democrats like Debbie Cook get elected this fall.

Barack Obama (President)	$
Hillary Clinton (President)	$
Debbie Cook (CA-46)	$
Jeanne Shaheen (NH-Sen)	$
Kay Hagan (NC-Sen)	$
Jeff Merkley (OR-Sen)	$
Dina Titus (NV-03)	$
Linda Stender (NJ-07)	$
Darcy Burner (WA-08)	$
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01)	$
Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15)	$
Debbie Halvorson (IL-11)	$
Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24)	$
Martin Heinrich (NM-01)	$
Dan Maffei (NY-25)	$
Jon Powers (NY-26)	$
Charlie Brown (CA-04)	$
Jim Himes (CT-04)	$
Gary Peters (MI-09)	$
Glenn Nye (VA-02)	$

Are you with me? ;-)

CA-44: What’s Cheney Doing at “Nixonland”?

(Proudly cross-posted at The Liberal OC)

In case you missed it, something really frightening is coming to Orange County this week. Believe it or not, The Lord of Darkness (aka Dick Cheney) will be coming to here to raise some money for a good friend of his. He’ll apparently be holding a fundraiser at Richard Nixon’s beloved Casa Pacifica (how fitting!) in San Clemente for CA-44’s own Ken Calvert.

Scared yet? I guess the GOP is. I mean, really… They’re bringing in the only person in DC more unpopular than Dubya himself? And this is supposed to attract big $$$$ for Calvert? Oh my, the GOP is in hard times!

Well, we Democrats need not be. We’re making big gains in the 44th District. The partisan gap is narrowing fast, and we’re blessed to have a terrific candidate in Bill Hedrick. Unlike Calvert, Hedrick isn’t a Bush-Cheney acolyte. And unlike Calvert, Hedrick won’t put personal profit over the best interest of the people of the 44th District.

Calvert may have Bush & Cheney on his side, but Hedrick has us… All of us! Let’s show the GOP big wigs that our people power beats their dirty money.

Are you ready to show Dick Cheney & Ken Calvert what we think of their “heckuva job”?

Andrew Rice (OK-Sen)	$
Tom Allen (ME-Sen)	$
Annette Taddeo (FL-18)	$
Bill Hedrick (CA-44)	$
Julie Bornstein (CA-45)	$
Steve Young (CA-48)	$
Nick Leibham (CA-50)	$
Michael Montagano (IN-03)	$
Sam Bennett (PA-15)	$
Judy Baker (MO-09)	$
Kay Barnes (MO-06)	$
Christine Jennings (FL-13)	$
Betsy Markey (CO-04)	$
Gary Pritchard (CA-SD-33)	$
Al Franken (MN-Sen)	$
Jill Morgenthaler (IL-06)	$
Dan Seals (IL-10)	$

CA-46: Better Leaderhsip for Our People & Our Planet

(Proudly cross-posted at Swing State Project & MyDD)

I live in Orange County, CA. I'm used to seeing scary Republicans that care nothing about environmental justice. But of all the crazy Republicans here, none can be crazier than "Crazy Dana" Rohrabacher. He's consistently voted against the best interests of our people and our planet, and it's time we do something about this. That's why I'm so glad to see some good friends of ours take real action for real change.




Here's the big announcement from the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV):

“We’re proud to support Debbie Cook because she has shown time and again her commitment to protecting our coastal resources,” said CLCV’s Southern California Director David Allgood. “Mayor Cook has a long record of achievement on environmental, public health and other issues important to the people of the 46^th District.”

Huntington Beach Mayor & Democratic Congressional Candidate Debbie Cook has worked so hard to do so much to protect the California coastal environment. She successfully sued the state Coastal Commission to protect the ecologically sensitive Bolsa Chica Wetlands. She successfully convinced all the Republicans on the Huntington Beach City Council to join with all the Democrats on the council in unanimously agreeing to sign the city onto the US Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. And today, she's working to stop a dangerous desalination plant that would harm the regional coastline while fueling more exurban sprawl.



(photo coutresy LA Times) 

Debbie Cook truly is the people's environmental champion here in Orange County, CA. And if we elect her to Congress, she can be a champion for all of us. So will you please join the League of Conservation Voters in supporting Debbie Cook?


I've come to know Debbie Cook pretty well as I've helped out with the campaign. She's the real deal. That's why she's earned my full support. I hope she can earn yours as well. :-)

Barack Obama (President)	$
Hillary Clinton (President)	$
Debbie Cook (CA-46)	$
Jeanne Shaheen (NH-Sen)	$
Kay Hagan (NC-Sen)	$
Jeff Merkley (OR-Sen)	$
Dina Titus (NV-03)	$
Darcy Burner (WA-08)	$
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01)	$
Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24)	$
Linda Stender (NJ-07)	$
Christine Jennings (FL-13)	$
Martin Heinrich (NM-01)	$
Gary Peters (MI-09)	$
Charlie Brown (CA-04)	$
Glenn Nye (VA-02)	$
WesPAC - Securing America's Future	$

It's Not About "The Race Card", or "Celebrity", or Even "Moses"

(Cross-posted at MyDD)

Apparently, everyone in the corporate media elite is chattering over whether John McCain's new attacks on Barack Obama are working. All I heard on the talk shows today were "discussions" over "the race card", "Paris & Britney", and McCain "defining" Obama. If one were just to watch the teevee, one would believe everyone cares about whether or not Obama is an "uppity, elitist celebrity".

But you know what? I don't think most people really do care about all the crap. Maybe if the corporate media elite were to look outside their Beltway Insider bubble, they'd see that the American people have more important things to care about.



I live in Orange County, CA, a place known to "lean Republican" (though we're not as strongly GOP as some would believe). If there's ever a place to see what the rest of America outside the Left Netroots thinks, it's here. So one would think that I'd hear all about these attacks on Obama in my recent neighborhood walks.


And guess what? People don't care about that stuff! So far, I haven't run into one voter in my neighborhood walks that has asked me about "Obama playing the race card" or "Obama acting like an elitist snob". No, they actually have to worry about keeping their homes out of foreclosure and jobs from being lost. These people actually have to worry about their relatives in Iraq and their kids breathing polluted air. Basically these regular people have real life problems to think about, so they're not obsessing over stupid crap like the faux scandals generated by the media.

So why is the media letting McCain get away with these ugly attacks on Obama? And more importantly, why are they allowed to spread these smears when the American people want to hear about what these two candidates will actually do about the issues that really matter? When I talk to voters, they don't go on and on about "the race card" or "celebrity". So really, why is the media obsessing over the same old garbage?


Well, we're not totally helpless. If the corporate media won't talk about the real issues that real voters care about, that won't stop us from doing so. Let's go out, spread some truth, and fight the smears. Oh yes, and let's go out & talk to our neighbors about the real issues. Believe it or not, they care about the real issues as much as we do.

Get Local, Get Active, Get Democrats Elected

(Cross-posted at MyDD)

Yesterday, I had a chance to see my friend Ellinorianne at a very special event. You see, her husband is running for State Senate here in Orange County, CA. And since running for office isn't a cheap thing to do, he was asking folks to donate so he can keep fighting the good fight and defeat a wacky extreme-right GOP establishment fixture who could care less about the people who actually live here.

But anyways, I'd like to tell you more about what happened last night, so why don't you follow me downstairs for more...





Everyone had a great time at this lovely house on top of a hill in Anaheim Hills. The candidate himself played some great tunes with the band. People were enjoying the good food & drinks. Oh yes, and everyone was also happy to see the special guests.

There's nothing that cheers me more than seeing Democrats supporting other Democrats, so I was thrilled to see other local candidates attending to help Gary Pritchard. We had our local school board candidate, our candidate for Superior Court judge, one of our water district board candidates, and the Executive Director of the county Democratic Party. All in all, it was amazing to see so many great Democrats together to support one of our own.

There are so many challenges facing us in this nation, but not all of them can be solved by the President. That's one reason why it's important for us not to forget local races like this one. Here in California, we have Republicans in the Governor's office and the State Legislature preventing the Democratic majority from passing a fiscally responsible budget. Closer to (my) home, we have incompetent GOP school board members who put far-right ideology over our kids' education. We have Republican-appointed judges who care more about partisan politcking over applying equal justice under the law. Basically, we're in a mess and we need some good people to clean it all up.

I'm sure my area isn't the only municipality with corrupt GOP politicos running the show (to the ground). There are probably some in your area, too. So come on, you know what we all need to do.

Volunteer with your local party & your local candidates. Donate to good local Democrats. Whatever you do, just don't forget that change begins with us & change beings locally! :-)

Real Democrats. Real Platform. Real Change.

(Proudly cross-posted at Democratic PartyBuilder & MyDD)

How many of you attended your local Platform for Change event(s)? I did... As well as a reporter from my own local paper and several dozen local Democrats. Oh yes, and so did one of our terrific local Democrats running for Congress.



But despite what you may think, there were no signs of "elitism" or "talking down". If anything, we were all contributing our thoughts and ideas to our final proposed platform that will be presented to the DNC. Want to take a look?






There was a genuine diversity of thought on all the issues we discussed at our platform meetings. But in the end, we all seemed to share one common progressive vision of a better & stronger America. And if anything, that helped us all forumate a strong and coherent platform.

We all agreed that the Iraq occupation must end, but we each had different proposals on what our next foreign policy priorities should include. We all agreed on the principle of universal health care, but we all had ideas to add to the table on how to get there. We all agreed on the need to solve the climate crisis, but we all had something to say on what to do to solve it. And we all agreed that our economy needs fixing, but we all had something to add on what to do make the economy work for working people.

In a very democratic way, we all contributed. And in the end, we mostly reached a consensus on what we want the Democratic Party's vision of the future should look like. I'm still amazed that our little group in Orange County, CA, came up with a strong, coherent, and smart platform advocating great policy.

I'll leave you with our group's platform in full:

Our meeting group met twice to discuss four subjects: the environment,
healthcare, the economy, and international relations. Following an open
discussion, each attendee completed a brief survey where they ranked the
importance of issues and policies.


We believe our nation does
not need a New Deal, we need a BETTER DEAL. Government waste is crippling the
fiscal budget. Test-centric and bureaucratic education systems are contributing
to a decline in innovation, the catalyst for change and a key component of
American values. Subsidies and tax breaks are no longer focused on job-producing
sectors. Bureaucracies, grant programs, and policies are not evaluated for
effectiveness. Often these programs lack specific goals from the
onset.

The Better Deal must include:

TAX REFORMS: Tax
incentives and subsidies must be directed to industries that are creating jobs
and improving our environmental footprint. Tax incentives for the wealthy must
be repealed. Agricultural subsidies must be overhauled and significantly
reduced. Tax incentives for alternative energy, retrofits, and waste reduction
should be considered for both individuals and corporations.

ENERGY
INDEPENDENCE THROUGH PUBLIC WORKS: Now more than ever our nation needs
significant investment in our infrastructure to enable alternative energy.
Moreover, the technology now exists for high-speed long distance trains as well
as light-rail systems in suburban environments to reduce our dependency on the
automobile. Now more than ever we need decent jobs, both problems can easily be
solved with the Better Deal.

BUREAUCRACY REFORMS: Every federal
grant, program, or administration must have clear goals and objectives and be
closely evaluated against these goals to ensure effectiveness and reduce
government waste. Antiquated cash-basis accounting must be replaced with
accrual-basis accounting, and Performance Management Systems must be put in
place.

EDUCATION, INNOVATION AND THE ECONOMY: Federal support of
university-level research has declined, and graduating students are facing
insurmountable debts. Our education system at all levels is not focused on
innovation: on the contrary a test-based system has taken creativity out of the
classroom. We need innovation to solve critical environmental problems and to
keep our economy moving forward.

HEALTHCARE: Healthcare must be
available, affordable, and cost-effective. Federal medical research should be
increased, with the caveat that new treatments discovered with federal funding
must have 'public domain' patents. Pharmaceutical patents must be reformed to
reduce the cost of medications. Patients must have the right of a second opinion
from a doctor for every diagnosis and procedure, or every Diagnosing doctor
should agree to not be the Treating doctor to avoid conflict-of-interest (the
surgeon has monetary incentive to perform surgery). Technology must be advanced
to eliminate the inefficiency and high cost of medical billing. Nurse
Practitioner clinics should be encouraged as a low-cost way to treat minor
ailments and injuries.

PARTNERING WITH THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY:
Global warming is real. The crisis in Darfur is real. Third world countries
around the world are in need of the American Peace Corps not just to aide in
economic development but to share the American spirit and restore faith in the
American people. We must be ethical Global Citizens, and we must strengthen our
relationship with the United Nations, NATO, and other international
organizations dedicated to world peace and prosperity for all.

President Obama Isn't Enough

(Proudly cross-posted at Daily Kos, Democratic PartyBuilder, & MyDD) I know so many of us are excited about the Obama campaign. I know we all want to see Barack Obama become President next January. But you know what? This isn't enough for me. OK, OK, so what the hell am I talking about? President Obama won't be enough to solve the climate crisis. President Obama won't be enough to make universal health care happen. President Obama won't be enough to advance equal rights for all. Believe it or not, President Obama will need help from a Democratic Congress. Don't believe me? Well, you should. Presidents don't get everything done all on their own. They need Congress to work with them to make things happen. So why am I dwelling on this? I want you all to remember to support good Democrats running for Congress in addition to whatever support you're providing Barack Obama. If we have not just a Democratic majority, but a strong progressive Democratic majority, we can turn our dreams into reality. So who should we support? Let me start with some good candidates running in my neck of the woods, working hard to turn Orange County, CA, blue. Bill Hedrick is a Corona school board member looking to oust one truly corrupt Rethuglican still in Congress. And believe it or not, his district is looking increasingly competitive. If you can, please support Hedrick as he's a great progressive who will support President Obama's agenda. Also, let's not forget Debbie Cook. She's an amazing progressive Democrat, an accomplished Huntington Beach Mayor, and a brilliant energy policy wonk who is challenging a complete and utter disaster of a CReepy incumbent. She's someone we need in Congress... We should support her. OK, so you don't like my suggestions? That's OK. Give to the party to keep the "50 State Strategy" successful. Give to HillPAC so Hillary Clinton can help more Democrats win. Give to PAC for a Change to help Barbara Boxer help more Democrats. Just give to Democrats, dammit! Remember that President Obama isn't enough... We need more & better Democrats to truly win! :-)