Orange County

There was mixed news out of the California Democratic Convention in San Diego yesterday. On the one hand, the bell was loudly tolling for the Ancien Régime as a majority of state party delegates clearly told neoliberal incumbent Dianne Feinstein that it was time for her to retire. The progressive in the race, state Senate President, Kevin de León, took 1,508 votes (54%) in the endorsement process to Feinstein's 1,023 (37%).

The last time I spoke with Dana Rohrabacher was on a staircase in Pasadena. We were talking about how Ted Lieu, who is helping Democratic candidates for Rohrabacher's Orange County seat hone their messages, was working with him on a bill to legalize marijuana.

If CA-39 is any indication, the perennial losers at the DCCC appear ready to give up on the House.

4 inches-- what if she had worn sneakers?Señor Trumpanzee signed the budget deal this morning that the House passed 240-186 at 5:32 AM, ending Rand Paul's evening government shutdown. I wonder if he would have signed it if it included a couple of lines about not deporting DREAMers.

Hans-- a congenital liarOne of the problems with the DCCC pretending not to be a bunch of scummy politicians and recruiting "clean" non-politicians is that politicians who have been coming up in the ranks are usually well-vetted by the voters. The garbage candidates the DCCC digs up from under rocks invariably have a little something horrible they've been hiding-- perfect for GOP opposition research firms to find.

The Republican lottery winner who already spent $243,798 and got 1 vote for his efforts (one)This is too funny to pass up. Various factions at the the DCCC have been working against each other and recruiting sundry terrible candidates to run in Orange County congressional districts. In CA-48-- Rohrabacher's district-- one goof-ball (Kyle) recruited New Dem Harley Rounda while a more powerful goof-ball recruited the other New Dem, Hans Keirstead.

America needs REAL Dems to push us forward, not more corrupt New DemsOne of the ways the Democratic establishment-- usually led by the DCCC-- advantages its corrupt conservative candidates is by clearing the field.

Kia with his old boss, Senator Sherrod BrownKia Hamadanchy is a friend of mine running for Congress in Orange County's 45th Congressional district. The incumbent is Trump rubber stamp Mimi Walters who lives on the ocean in Dana Rohrabacher's district. Although Obama lost the district in 2008 and 2012, Hillary beat Trump there, 49.8% to 44.4%. The PVI went from as forbidding R+7 to a much blue-friendlier R+3.

-by Sam JammalCandidate for CongressThis week our grassroots movement retired Ed Royce. It’s a huge win for our community and country. We have had 24 years of Ed voting to attack immigrants, cut education, attack women’s rights, undermine our health care and do the bidding of the wealthiest special interests.But while we retired Royce, we have not won the war. This is still a must-win seat for taking back the House.Everything we believe in is still at risk. As a Californian, there isn’t a day that Donald Trump doesn’t attack our state.

No reason to settle for crooked GOP-lite candidates in primaries when you have solid progressives like Laura Oatman and Kaniela Ing runningMany of the people who have ever even heard of Doug Chin just know him from the Rachel Maddow show where she celebrates anyone who hates Trump without ever giving any context.