San Bernardino

Speaking about her inspiring life story in her first TV ad, Eloise Reyes talks about the hard work and perseverance it took to go from topping onions as a small child and working her way through school and law school to the middle class and now running for Congress. "I made the journey," she says, "but for people these days, that journey has become so much harder." Eloise isn't a Republican or a corporate tool like her opponent, Pete Aguilar.

After huge endorsements for Inland Empire progressive Eloise Reyes from Southern California progressive leaders Rep. Xavier Becerra, Rep. Lucille Roybal Allard, state Senator Ed Hernández, and ex-Secretary of Labor/former CA-31 Congresswoman Hilda Solis, the DCCC's Steve Israel was forced to back away from his love affair with corrupt conservative empty suit Pete Aguilar. He added the district rather than Aguilar to the Red-to-Blue list. Perhaps that was enough of a signal for Rep.

Drunk? Stoned? Stupid? Draw your own conclusion but Steve Israel likes what he seesMore than a few congressmembers have been pissed off enough about Steve Israel's shady behavior to mention it to me. Maybe it's just the ones who I talk to but there sure does seem to be a consensus among normal Democrats that they guy is a one sleazy, untrustworthy character. And everybody just wrings their hands.

Pete Aguilar, another Steve Israel recruitLast cycle, Israel managed to do the seemingly impossible., losing a majority Latino D+5 district, CA-31 (the Inland Empire) in a spectacular debacle. President Obama won the new district 118,043 (57%) to 83,822 (41%) but on that same day-- thanks to Israel's bungling incompetence-- those 118,043 Obama voters had no Democrat to vote for on that same ballot-- just two unsavory right-wing Republican corporate whores, Gary Miller and Bob Dutton.

Republicans won 51.8% of the vote in a jungle primary because Steve Israel backed a candidate Democratic voters can't relate to. And he's doing it again this year.The Beltway committees like the DCCC and NRCC get their information about America from the Cook Report and the Cook Report gets its information from the Beltway committees like the DCCC and NRCC. It's a closed loop of cluelessness.

Corrupt Inland Empire conservatives rally around their boy Pete Aguilar, including his pal Jerry Lewis,  Bill Emmerson,  Mike Morrell  and, of course, Gary MillerFriday I was busy blaming Steve Israel of the DCCC-- and his counterparts at the NRCC-- for the fact that more than half the Members of Congress are millionaires.

Conservatives always ignore history and always want to reargue their issues. Today we're hearing the same tired, discredited arguments for why the rich should be the focus of government largesse and why helping the poor is a waste of money.

Take a look at those poll results above that PPP found when they surveyed CA-31 (the Inland Empire). The very extreme right Republican incumbent, multimillionaire Gary Miller, has one of the most dismal job approval ratings of any incumbent in any district in America-- 27%. If the election were held today-- with no campaigning at all-- he would lose to any Democrat 48-39%.

Last night I was at a fundraiser for Eloise Reyes thrown by the Mexican American Bar Association PAC. It was wonderful watching the candidate speak from her heart to a roomful of successful attorneys about preserving Social Security by raising the cap and preventing any president-- be it a Republican or a Democrat-- from imposing Chained CPI.

Yesterday I went to see my doctor, Dr. Vicky. She is the bomb! And she wrote me a prescription for 4 weeks of Doryx (200 mg). The pharmacy said the cost is $786.00/week. With Medicare insurance the price is $25/week. That's why seniors-- at least the ones who are awake-- react so badly to reactionaries like Paul Ryan and Ted Cruz who want to "ease out" Medicare and undermine Obamacare.Also yesterday, when I got back from Dr. Vicky's office, I spoke with Matt Moore, one of the Democrats intent on taking on Don Young for Alaska's single, giant at-large House seat.