Eloise Reyes

As you probably noticed, progressives have been up in arms because Steve Israel and the DCCC have recruited Jennifer Garrison, "the Sarah Palin of Ohio," to run for Congress… as a Democrat. Most of the complaints have come from women's groups over Garrison's fanatic anti-Choice history and from LGBT groups because of her similarly fanatic history as an anti-gay crusader. Having been in the state legislature she has a long and sordid record on these, as well as environmental and ethical issues.

The new 31st congressional district, which runs south of L.A. from Upland and Rancho Cucamonga out to San Bernardino, Colton, Loma Linda and Redlands, was carved out of Democratic-leaning areas that were once represented by Jerry Lewis, David Dreier and Joe Baca, 3 conservatives who are no longer in Congress. It's the bluest district anywhere in America with a Republican congressman. And that congressman, Gary Miller, isn't just a standard, garden variety Republican; he's a far right ideologue and has been for his entire sordid career.

Becerra, Grayson, Ellison-- actual leaders, not money-grubbersI'm never really comfortable with a corrupt out-of-touch Beltway committee parachuting into an American congressional district and telling the Democrats there who their candidate for Congress should be. In the old days, even the worst DCCC chairmen-- think Rahm Emanuel-- used to tip-toe, at least publicy, around interfering in primaries.

Fred Upton's Monkey CourtOn Wednesday, the House voted 292-122 to gut a significant portion of the Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection law. Irresponsible banksters addicted to risky gambling will once again be able to take those risks knowing that if they get into trouble, the taxpayers will be forced to pick up the tab.

Ros-Lehtinen (FL) and Denham (CA), 2 Republicans in favor of immigration reform... unlike Gary MillerGary Miller, a multimillionaire, crooked Confederate Civil War reenactor from Arkansas was always an odd pick for the new Inland Empire district carved 2 years ago out of the districts of retiring congressmen David Dreier and Jerry Lewis and defeated Blue Dog, Joe Baca.

Many progressives fear that conservative Democrats are working with Boehner, McConnell and the Republicans to undermine the inviolability of Social Security-- the Third Rail aspect-- by including Chained CPI in a so-called "Grand Bargain" which would see the GOP give a tiny bit on taxes-- raising taxes on the rich slightly which could be easily lowered as soon as they regain power-- in return for forever decoupling Social Security from the Third Rail.

I can picture DCCC Chairman Steve Israel, an "ex"-Blue Dog from Princesses: Long Island, drooling when he saw the MoveOn/PPP survey a couple weeks ago for CA-31, the new Inland Empire district southeast of L.A.

I've been wondering if all the strum und drang over the typically glitchy launch of the Obamacare website isn't just a shiny object moment to distract attention from what the conservatives among our ruling elites have in mind for us.

This week the Blue America team met with Colton attorney Eloise Gomez Reyes who's running for Congress in California’s 31st District. This is the only deep blue district in America with a Republican incumbent. The reason right-wing extremist (and carpetbagger) Gary Miller won last year is because the new jungle primary functioned badly and resulted in the two top vote getters both being Republicans.