Are Mary Pallant's campaign signs keeping with the motif of her website?

I have seen Gallegly and Tenenbaum, but no one else.

Gallegly has a bus?

I saw Gallegly's luxury bus parked in the Farmers Insurance parking lot next to the Simi Street Fair. It looked a multi-hundred thousand motor coach until I got closer to see it was actually lined with seats.

A sign on the side of the bus clearly stated it was not purchased with government funds.

I wonder how this hugomonous vehicle will handle all the mountainous roads in the 24th district that Gallegly said he had to negotiate with his gas guzzling SUV.

Well, I guess Elton had to buy it because it was likely made in America. No foreign made hybrid auto for him.

Must be Gallegly's version of the "Straight-Talk Express".

Must be Gallegly's version of the "Straight-Talk Express".

If Farmer's is letting him park it there it seems like a donation from a corporation.

Corporations are not allowed to donate to candidates.

I didn't know Farmers let people park motor-homes in their parking lot. I will have to put an add on Craigslist to let people know. That's very nice of them.

Maybe it is their way of giving back to members of congress without showing up on some finance report.

Anyone know how many days it was there?

Why is it people give a safe incumbent money?

I saw Mary Pallant at the Democratic debate tonight and she did great!

I can't wait to get past this primary so that we can look to a debate between Pallant and Gallegly to wake this district up.

The bus thing is so disappointing and a clear sign of how disconnected Gallegly is with the middle class. Folks are struggling to put gas in their cars to get to work. What does this do-nothing do....drive a bus for his campaign. Is that to carry the campaign signs or the donating defense contractors and oil execs?

Yeah, I think Elton very much looks forward to the debate as well. He will then have the opporunity to highlight the many things he has accomplished for this district over the years.

Pallant is simply a naysaying whiner. She has nothing new to offer the district.

The bus was there for the Simi Valley Street Fair and he had to pay a price to be there like everyone else including the Democrat and Republican booths, Strickland and Tenenbaum also had booths.

Farmers Ins. allowed the Chamber of Commerce to use their parking lot for parking and displays as a community service.

Why don't we discuss the fact that Gallegly will likely never be in the majority party again? He isn't going to get much done as he doesn't have a reputation as a moderate or as someone that works with Democrats. gallegly will sit on a back bench, collect a huge pay check, and never hold a gavel again.

He should retire.

Wow, Mongo, you really think Elton will debate? That would be a first!

How long was the bus there? I saw it Monday after the street fair if I remember correctly.

Mongo I thought you knew a few things about local politics. Elton doesn't show up to debates.

But yet Republicans keep supporting him.

It might be in Gallegly's best interest not to debate but it isn't in America's best interest for our leaders to not answer our questions.

He puts his own interest in getting elected over and over before our interest in holding leaders accountable.

I was using the word "debate" in a more general sense, in reference to the normal back and forth dialogue during the campaign. He may, in fact, choose not to participate in a formal debate with whomever the Democratic nominee is. We'll have to wait and see on that.

The bottom line is, debate or no, Gallegly is the superior candidate and has proven this time and time again with overwhelming victories over the last 22 years. This year will be no different.

Unless the Dem candidate raises enough money to hire a professional staff and campaign on the same level that Elton does, and unless the Dem candidate can reach across the isle to the DTS and Rep voters in the district, rather than alienating them and touting the Dem party line, Elton will remain the superior candidate.

With all due respect to all three of the candidates running for the Democratic ticket, Elton has proven his superiority by the mere fact that we always end up with these unfunded, sub-par candidates. All we can get are people who don't even have enough money to do basic campaigning, people that campaign on ridiculous issues like impeachment and people that feel that they can just waltz into office without so much as making a phone call or putting up a yard sign. Or Brett Wagner.

Elton chooses to not debate because he doesn't have to.

Good points, Heather. Marta can't even afford to drive to Simi Valley, for godsakes!

Good point Heather? That would be a first!

Heather,

What have you done to alter the landscape lately?

Which candidate are you supporting?

Look at the leadership of the Democratic party in the 24th District. They totally ignored the Congressional and Senate races to support "their" County supervisor candidate.

If the Democratic leadership isn't busy being defeatists; they are busy being narcissistic and self-absorbed.

Whomever wins the nomination needs to be supported by the party. If the Democratic leadership doesn't do a good job they need to be removed from power. This isn't a game or a social club lives are on the line.

The VCRCC is a wounded animal. Let's put them out of their misery by throwing Elton out of Office. It's the only humane thing to do.

I agree with nobody. I'm not sure how the Democrats will fare against Elton. Maybe they'll do better against Tenenbaum? Wouldn't it be an interesting strategy to get all the democrats to switch parties for the primary to get Elton out and make it an easier fight in November?

Frankly, I don't think the Democrats are smart enough to defeat Gallegly in November. They have poor leadership, an organization that's not very well run, and lack of fund-raising muscle in Ventura County.

Meanwhile, Gallegly is able to sock away almost $1 million in campaign funds, brush aside a challenge from a much lesser known opponent, and run on the strength of his record and accomplishments, despite the problems Republicans are having on a national level.

I think the Dems are going to find it a lot more difficult than they think to capture the White House too. They are already becoming lulled into complacency with their darling candidate, Obama, while the Republicans prepare a full-on assault that will be hard to combat once it's begun. This has the makings of the John Kerry II situation.

I'd call Tenenbaum anything but an easier fight in November. I'd rather take on Gallegly.

Mary Pallant has to soften her anti-war stance, otherwise she doesn't stand a chance. The military bases here are the county's largest employer.

Tenenbaum is the better Republican candidate by far but the local Republican party is doing everything it can to work against him. They should be embracing him - young, smart, Harvard educated, charming, and Jewish!! A minority in a sea of old white dudes and a few of their Stepford Wives.

I would have liked Heather Schmidt to have disclosed that she is/was a disgruntled "professional" who left Mary's campaign in 2006.

Heather's comment sounded like sour grapes to me or was that an ax she was grinding?

I wonder how many in the military in this county and their family members are sick and tired of this war? Even those pro-War in the beginning (2003) could well be weary of this 5, working on 100, years war.

Besides, do the military members really think they will be laid off if the U.S. leaves Iraq?

The servicemen I know would rather be serving in Oxnard than Baghdad or Tehran.

Will Elton support the President Bush Jr.'s threatened veto to prevent veteran benefits as outlined in the bill that the Senate (Dems and Reps) just passed? If he does not vote FOR the legislation, it provides the absolute evidence for all to see that he is the presidential rubber stamp that many of us know him to be. Beyond a lack of an independent mind or any sense of justice or a conscience, a failure to support the measure would also mean that Gallegly is a fair weather patriot unwilling to sacrifice for those who sacrifice so much for this nation.

So, Elton, what is it: wimp or no wimp? Will you prove to be a champion for our nation's veterans by supporting the measure or Junior's lackey once again?

After Mary jumped ship in 2006, I also INTERNED on Jill's campaign...2 years ago has nothing to do with the validity of my statements now.

I am not "disgruntled," just now that I am outside of the echo-chamber of campaigns I can recognize (as most people do) that the 24th Congressional district will always be in Elton's hands as long as the Democrats continue to be left with unfunded and weak candidates, garnering very little support from even the local party. This is really not a matter of opinion.

Brian, in answer to your question: I am doing nothing to get any of the candidates elected, nor have I professed my support of any one of the three Democrats running. I like all of them personally, however whether or not any of the three is viable or qualified is a much longer discussion. And I think all of them have major weaknesses that will pose serious problems in the general election. What have I done to alter the landscape? Again, nothing...volunteer work does not put food in my children's mouths, nor does working for slave wages (literally), which the Democrats locally barely even have to offer.

I am not sure what my personal life or my internships from two years ago have to do, though, with the fact that Elton is and will continue to be the superior candidate as long as the Democrats continue to put up weak candidates or pay no attention to the Congressional race, such as has been mentioned by many other people on this blog. Perhaps we should be discussing WHY that is happening.

Somebody said:

They (Democrats) are already becoming lulled into complacency with their darling candidate, Obama, while the Republicans prepare a full-on assault that will be hard to combat once it's begun.

What leads you to believe this statement?

Thanks for the disclosure, Heather.

Maybe you think that what you did two years ago is not important; others may take an equally valid position to the contrary. And, as I recall, your departure from Mary's campaign was not particularly pleasant. Should I dig up a comment you wrote on this blog a couple of years ago?

I certainly appreciate your need to feed your children, there is a very nice middle ground between getting paid and "doing nothing," it's called part-time volunteering.

As for your view of who is the superior candidate, would also have told us back in January that Hillary was the superior Democratic candidate?

SimiDad, I'm not sure what your fixation is with my experience on the Pallant campaign, but since you continue to harp on it -- my departure was not unpleasant, the experience itself was. I left that internship because Pallant's campaign was poorly managed and falling apart, and you will note that at the same time I left almost her entire staff did as well.

Again, 2 years ago is irrelevant -- it seems that Pallant has a much more professionally run campaign, now.

The Democratic Party, locally, does not know the meaning of PARTTIME volunteer, unless they are the ones wishing to do the PARTTIME work...it is all or nothing with the people that are in charge, and that is it. I have joined the ranks of every other person in this country who cares not to waste their time being treated like a pion by people that do absolutely nothing. Especially in this district.

As for Hillary, I never really thought she was a "superior" candidate...and I never have supported her. Hillary, such as many of our local Democrats, has baggage.

Okay, okay.

Heather, it's just great to know that you were political active (oh, that's irrelevant, sorry).

It's also great to know how highly you value loyalty and commitment.

I also want you to know that I completely understand how hard it is to work with someone who doesn't agree with you and will not do what you want. It is indeed very frustrating.

And I am glad to see that you are a real joiner; it is very important to stand, I mean sit out, with others who think like oneself.

Finally, I applaud your concerns about not wasting your time. A professional certainly needs to be efficient. There is no doubt about that.

Hey, Heather, as Eddie Murray once said, these is just jokes...just jokes.

SimiDad, your argument would be much more legitimate if you used your real name.

And you have sufficiently skirted away from the ACTUAL issue OTHER than my personal decisions, and that is why there are no viable candidates around Ventura County for the Democratic Party and why, even if there are, none of them or their races are being supported by the local Democrats?

Heather,

And, as a registered Dem and voter in this county for approximately 30 years, I have found some local Democratic candidates that have and do inspire lots of experienced, dedicated volunteers. For the those that do not, mercenaries alone become the backbone of their election campaign efforts.

Right now, as evidenced by some of what is going on in several primary races, some of the babel on this blog and some local Democratic club politics, internal strife between factions for party leadership and control seems to be the main obstacle to success. To be sure, some of this involves huge egos bumping into one another. Worse yet, some of it is spawned by the view of the primacy of ideology and the incredibly stupid position that party victory might have to take a back seat to unity of point of view.

The local Republicans have had to contend with this second problem, too. Right now, one extreme faction locally runs things as they captured the party apparatus a few years ago. Their problem - as they keep eating their own and purging the so-called RINOs (including dome of their own elected officials) - is that they are largely responsible for the emergence of the 20% of the voters in the district that are classified as "decline-to-state" and these folks are becoming increasingly resistant to their influence.

P.T. Barnum said: "The big top gets the crowd, the side show gets the overflow." Increasingly and to their ultimate demise, both parties in this county are determined to turn themselves into sideshows.

Uh oh, Heather is starting to freak out again. Be careful. Her immaturity and hyper-sensitivity is what caused her to jump ship from the Dennert blog last time. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't want that on my conscience.

Poor dear...

What does my name have to do with the substance of my argument, huh, jokes, huh argument?

The ACTUAL issue, as you identified it, to my mind, was (1) the lack of volunteers for local Dem candidates, (2) the obsession of campaign "professionals" or "interns" as compared with "mere volunteers" (as you concluded two years ago) with their own personal agendas rather than party or Dem candidate success and (3) "professional" and "intern" conclusions that Dem candidates are not viable before the Dem voters even get a chance to vote in the primary and the nominee gets a chance to campaign for the general election.

Maybe local Dems are waiting to see who the nominee is. Maybe you could help rally Dems for the general. If you only want to volunteer a few hours a week, I am very confident I could put you in touch with a local Dem leader who would respect that time commitment and offer you some important work for you to do.

I truly doubt that I skirted any issue. If I offended you in any way, I apologize. That was not my intent at all.

Heather, hint, that last paragraph was something I stole from Hillary's apology today. It was just a joke as was Hillary's apology.

I'm not offended at anything or starting to "freak out" Somebody, I was just stating that I'm not entirely sure what my personal life has to do with anything.

SimiDad, I think the REAL issue is that no viable candidates come forward in the 24th Congressional District, mainly, because the Democratic party members, leaders, etc do no support the candidates -- whether they are viable candidates or not, winners of a primary, certified candidates, whatever. This has been evidenced in 2005 when so-called leaders of the Democratic Party launched a full-out assault on the only candidate at the time, and in 2006 when it was people that knew absolutely nothing about the local Democratic party that did all of the general election campaigning/volunteering.

I am not saying that there are no volunteers...I think there are a lot of volunteers, but locally many of them generally become dissolutioned when they show up to help and find nothing but infighting, backstabbing and a bunch of people wanting to take positions of leadership to do nothing. It is hard to be a volunteer, intern, professional, whatever when there is always someone there trying to make sure that you don't gain any "power" on whatever they feel they have and when you do a lot of work and the "party people" do nothing.

I have nowhere near the experience that Harold has, but he seems to have hit my observations right on the nose -- "internal strife between factions for party leadership and control seems to be the main obstacle to success. To be sure, some of this involves huge egos bumping into one another."

My personal conclusion that some of the Democratic candidates are not viable right now is based on their history as candidates (not personal history) and how far they have positioned themselves to beat GALLEGLY. Because that is what is about, right? If a candidate cannot even afford the gas right now to come to the other end of the district, or if a candidate thinks that she is just going to walk into the nomination, how will that candidate beat Gallegly when he has money, volunteers, name recognition and a superior platform (in terms of identifying with the voters of this community)?

I thought Heather had moved away. Now we have to suffer through her telling us how important she is all over again. I had heard she married Osborn. I guess Osborn is smarter than I thought. Heather, your promised to move away. Can we help with a bus ticket?

She's freakin' again, folks. Be careful. Osborn's wife is going off again. Poor dear...

My suggestion to local Democrats would be to start small and build up an organization.

Stop trying to defeat incumbents at the expense of contesting open seats.

Heather, why aren't you helping Hannah Beth Jackson? You could volunteer from home by writing letters of support and joining her on myspace.

Neither of those ideas cost much time or money.

I think Pallant is the strongest candidate in this district. Instead of all the petty nonsense, it would be best for folks to get together in make this work. Either we want to get rid of Gallegly or not. Given in his history in Congress, clearly he does nothing for this district or the nation at all.

As far as not speaking about the war, what does having bases locally have to do with war. We have a military, that doesn't need they need to be used for pre-emptive strike. Having a military and the Iraq occupation for oil clearly have nothing to do with each other. The statement was illogical.

Wow my English goes down hill by the end of the week! To sum up the mess I made above:
-If we want to get rid of Gallegly and help to turn the economy and endless pre-emptive strike risk around, we need to get Democrats in Congress.

-Having military locally doens't mean they must be used for pre-emptive strike. They are for defense. The idea that they WANT to vote against a peace candidate is ridiculous. Do you think they are folks just dying to sign up and get shot at? The pre-emptive idea was written by Rumsfeld, Libby, and Cheney many years before Iraq......about 8-10, I think.

Give me fifteen minutes with Heather and I could convince her to vote for Mary Pallant.

I hate to say it but this county will go Republican like it or not. The incumbbants have drawn the lines in order to make sure of it. That being said...I think we should really try to get Gallegly off the ballot in Novemeber and give Tenenbaum a shot. He is so obviously better educated, and qualified to deal with federal laws. Gallegely wastes his time on stupid bills. We need someone with fresh ideas. Gallegly talks about being tough on immigration...then why has it not gotten better over the last 22 years? Any good ideas he may have had should have been tried in the last two decades. Let's gets someone new in there!

Mary,

Well, here's a clue as to why the immigration problem hasn't gotten better in 22 years - Democrats! They have blocked every single bill Elton has proposed that would do something meaningful to address the immigration issue.

Tenenbaum's a newby who wouldn't hold nearly as much sway over the legislative process as Gallegly. He doesn't have the support on the Republican side to win the nomination either.

Just what great legislation has he had that he was unsuccessful with? This has got to be a great story!

Mon Flame,

Gallegly has served a majority of his 22-year stint in Congress serving under a REPUBLICAN MAJORITY. Six of those twelve years with a REPUBLICAN majority and a REPUBLICAN in the White House when his seniority should have counted for something. What has he accomplished? Flowers for the freeway and harsher federal penalties for cockfighters aside, his legislative record is not exactly a dossier on profiles in courage.

Even his consistent record on immigration is suspect. Why did Elton's 11 or 12 bills on immigration suddenly get written when the Dems took office in 2006? The timing seems more like politics than any real desire to resolve immigration problems.

Mary Pallant on the other hand is personally involved in understanding the needs of farmers and farmworkers in this county and inland Sta. Barbara. Gallegly must know that 50-60% of all the illegal or should I say, undocumented farm labor in Ventura County reside here as our permanent neighbors.

Does Elton really want to put agriculture at risk by carrying out his sinister legislation or is it all for show?

Tenenbaum is an interesting character, he strikes me like a Kennedy without a conscience.

1) Hey Brian, mind taking down the slanderous comment about medication a few posts up? Thanks.

2) In terms of who I am voting for in the Democratic primary, I don't think anyone needs 15 minutes with anyone regarding anything. While I think that all three of the candidates are weak against Elton, I think that it is obvious who is superior in this race, especially after the numerous candidates forums the Democrats have had.

Speaking of -- everyone come to Drinking Liberally forum for the Congressional candidates on Wednesday at 7 pm at JJ Brewsky's in Camarillo!

Heather, when you get a chance - send me an email at katieteague@verizon.net. Thanks.

Heather's bitterness is symtomatic of many who would venture into the pit of vipers otherwise known as Ventura County politics. As Obama is fond of saying, you aren't considered worthy enough to affect change until all the hope is boiled out of you. Of course, once all the hope is gone, you've been transformed into a self-loathing, Republican-lite, Democrat. Democrats will never win locally until they stop apologizing for being Democrats.

Mary Pallant's position on the Iraqi Occupation is exactly where the emphasis should lie. We need to be resolute about moving on an exit strategy and not keep making excuses for remaining there for the next hundred years. The Iraqis in power are laughing at us while happily squirreling away billions of our tax dollars in Swiss accounts. Our troops and our military are being used as political pawns in a war against a phantom enemy. The enemy is not Islam, it is against terrorists who by all accounts are retooling in Pakistan and resurging in Afghanistan. Iraq is about dominating or influencing a region awash in oil and making sure the pipelines are pointed in the right direction. Bush and Cheney should be impeached for abusing their power and sending more than 4000 of our bravest men and women to die in an illegal and unnecessary war.

Typical liberal responses. The party of tolerance and diversity is completely intolerant of anyone expressing ideas that don't fit with their far-left ideology. A great example is how the lefties on this blog treat Heather every time she says anything that hasn't been scripted for her by local party leaders. Heaven forbid that some democrats actually think for themselves rather than reciting the typical DNC talking points over and over. Which, by the way, is precisely why the local democratic party doesn't have a prayer in winning the 24th congressional district anytime soon.

Bitter I am not....what an odd thing to say.

All I said is that there are really never any viable candidates against Gallegly! Perhaps you guys should talk to some ACTUAL VOTERS who feel the same way...maybe that is why Gallegly has been in office for 22 years.

I know that there is going to be attack both left and right on this, but since you guys attack and slander me for every little thing I say on here, I agree with Bubba. I am by no means bitter and I think that the attacks on me because I do not tout the party line 24/7 are just a little bit ridiculous. All you do is the point that Democrats are not as all-inclusive as they say they are.

Tenenbaum a "Kennedy without a conscience"? At first I thought that was a bit harsh but then I kind of see what you mean: there is something about him that bothers me, like he is not quite there but rather playing a role -- kind of disconnected and a bit too polished. I don't know about "without a conscience" but definitely sort of robotic and disconnected without much realness behind the charming smile. And I don't get why he would attack Gallegly on his IBS legislation. Is he opposed to federal funding of medical research? Gallegly is the opposite: a dumb but warm grandpa figure. Tough choice. I will be sitting this one out.

Right on, Bubba. Heather is being scapegoated for all the inconsistencies and false promises promulgated by the Democrat Party. She sees this and has the guts to speak out against it and is, therefore, being criticized for it.

This party is awash in contradictions and self-loathing. They have figured out how to lose another presidential election that was delivered to them on a silver platter.

R.J., two words for you regarding your rant on the war. This war is, in fact, against Islam (radical Islam) and the sooner you stop with the denial the better off you'll be.

Heather,

If not bitter, disenchanted perhaps. You're right, I just can't see you clinging to guns or religion.

At least you complicitly agree with me about the pit of vipers.

It is still a good fight because the cause is worthy. The right message can nullify a million dollars in a hurry.

Communication is key, but the means of communication are few and the tools are rather ignorant and limited in our socially dysfunctional and gerrymandered district.

This is the greatest challenge, uniting people of like minds who may not actually like each other.
I'm working on it.

You can't silence me about our conduct in Iraq, or the Middle East, or in the war on terror.

My "denial" stands in stark comparison to your willingness to fight a religious war with the blood of somebody else's son or daughter.

On Memorial Day no less, have you any shame?

Hell, five years ago maybe 2% of the population, Owen excluded, could have told you the difference between a Sunni and a Shi'ite and now you're willing to throw this nation into a religious war?

Osama bin Ladin is a criminal and should be killed or captured. Your paper tiger paranoia plays right into the hands of our enemy.

Keep movin' those goal posts, Mongo, until you get your desired Armeggedon.

Peace out.

Oh, stop with the high drama, R.J. You cannot stand the thought of the truth being told on what's behind this war. It would fly in the face with your endless rants about "the war for oil, the war for oil." Give that one a rest already, please...

The real issue here is the deep conviction by radical Islam that it can and should dominate the world. This is the same philosophy that Hitler and the Third Reich preached. And your buddy, Obama, wants to meet face-to-face with such honorable characters as Ahmadinejad (who, incidentally, is supporting the slaughter of our men and women in Iraq, on Memorial Day, no less) to try and dissuade him from this stated goal. That would be like meeting with Hitler to try and talk him out of invading Poland. Please...

Bubba,

Heather must really appreciate you coming to her defense.

She is right that to win local Democrats need to be organized. But I don't know anyone that disagrees with that statement.

Bubba, do you already know how you will vote if the primary and the general election for congress?

Brian, all I'm saying is that she has a right to express her opinion like anyone else. If democrats want to get serious about winning the 24th congressional district then they need to find mainstream candidates and positions on the issues that represents the values of local voters, and that will require some new ideas. Some of the local liberals around here seem to think that the same ideas that will get you elected in San Francisco will somehow work in Ventura County.

As far as the primary and general election is concerned, I have a pretty good idea of how I will be voting.

Flamo Retardant,

Your perception that Iran and bin Ladin are allies is false. Iran, in fact, was willing to assist the U.S. in the capture of bin Ladin but was rebuffed.

Iran - Shi'ite, bin Laden - Sunni, get it?

I would call references to Hitler and the Third Reich as being qualified as high drama. Iran is not planning to take over the world. They want to be a bigger player in the Middle East, but they have no ambition to invade Iraq let alone take over the world. Charles Manson had a plan to take over the world too, and like bin Ladin, didn't have an army or a country. At least we didn't overreact in the 1960's and invade Canada because we thought that's where the LSD's were.

If that scenario sounded pretty ridiculous, you get a sense of my own bewilderment when we invaded Iraq in 2003.

Ahmadinejad is greeted openly and warmly in Baghdad by the Iraqi government, Bush travels in secret to Iraq and wears a kevlar flack jacket. You tell me who is winning this war. To exit Iraq necessitates negotiating with the players in the region. It makes sense to isolate Iran and defang Hezbollah but that will never happen with the cowboy crew we have running things now.

Obama will at least have the brains and the guts to try and get us out of this Gordian Knot of death and delusion.

Which of the following is out of the mainstream?

Martinez? Pallant?

What about Tenenbaum?

Do you think it really matters who Democrats nominate in this district?

Starting in 2004 the number of registered Democrats in the county increased substantially, while the number of Republicans began to decline. This trend continued until March of this year, when Democrats became the majority party in Ventura County for the first time in over 20 years.

In 2006 Democrats picked up 3 "non-partisan" local seats from the Republicans.

In 2008, we're focusing on more local races and poised to pick up a few more "non partisan" seats as we "grow the farm team".

Regarding the Congressional and Assembly seats, as Timm Herdt pointed out very clearly in his article the other day, in districts where just 4 years ago the Democrats used to have to beg someone just to put their name on the ballot, there are now competitive primaries.

Ventura County is also going to be ground zero in the General for what is predicted to be a big political dogfight in the State between Dems and Reps for Senate District 19.

I'm unclear as to what part of the above information indicates the party is falling apart or disorganized. Are there growing pains? Of course. Is the sky falling? Hardly.

Mongo,

I didn't see you address Recovering Republicans response to you saying the democrats are to blame for the immigration problem. He had the majority in the house and senate and white house for how long and accomplished nothing?

Please explain this.

You say that Tenenbaum will have no pull cause he would be new....well obviously Gallegly doesn't either or something would have been accomplished by now!

Also if he has so much pull then why was he passed up 11 times for Chairman of committees?

Gallegly has accomplished plenty, just nothing on the immigration front because he's constantly rebuffed by the Dems in Congress. Look it up.

I'm sorry, 6 Kudos to RJ for making a funny... "Flamo Retardent" ... now that is funny.

Now seriously...I don't think anyone REALLY wants to hear what my opinion is of this whole non-partisan deal, so I will just stop there.

Heather,

You're so right. This R.J. guy is brilliant. I've heard my third grader come up with better funnies than that.

I think you're easily amused, girl. Poor dear...

Mongo,

When you say "Poor dear," you sound like my Grandma, who has been saying "Poor dear" since she found out I registered as a Democrat in 2004.

You're right, though ... after reading diatribes about Iran and Shi'ites and I believe Hitler was brought up, I will think anything is funny.

Hey, back to seriousness -- how do the Democratic candidates for Congress in the 24th CD feel about this whole non-partisan focus business?

Heather,

Judging by their comments during the campaign, the Democratic candidates are not into non-partisanship at all. They seem to be using "the country is mad as hell at Bush, so let's throw all the Republican bums out" approach. That certainly doesn't strike me as non-partisan.

Maybe Laura Winchester, Ms. Non-Partisan herself, would like to comment. Eh, Laura?

Heather, once again I have to agree with you - "Poor Dear" is an aging grandma kind of thing - not that there is anything wrong with that. Afterall, maybe Mango/Somebody is an aging grandma.

Yeah, I get that whole Republican-Bush-bashing thing, but what I mean is how do the Dem candidates feel about the fact that the DEMOCRATIC PARTY is rallying around non-partisan races and focusing on those rather than the actual Democratic races?

Oh wait, there is a DEMS V REEEEEPS State Senate race...is there any sort of determining factor as to which race to put all of the efforts in, now that Ventura County is Blue?

Katie, if you and I were standing next to each other, there would be no mistake as to which one of us would look more like an aging grandma.

And it wouldn't be me, honey...

I just found my first premature wrinkle...I may too be an aging Grandma before my time!

Poor dear, poor dear!

Shall I add the issue of party support to the list of questions for the Democratic candidates (including Marta!) on Wednesday at Drinking Liberally? Pseudonym Sally, Katie, Bubba, Brian, RJ ... will you all be in attendance???

Well Mango, one is only as old as one feels....and speaks......

Maybe Laura Winchester can enlighten us on which upcoming local races the Dems are supposedly focusing on. I don't see this happening at all.

I know for a fact, however, that there are a few Republican candidates for Ventura City Council that already have party support for their yet unannounced runs in 2009.

As usual, the Dems are being outdone and outfunded by the Republicans in this County, despite the gains in voter registration. This is quite evident in the Strickland race. Sounds like business as usual to me.

How did Democrats register more voters than Republicans?

Brian,

The answer to that is dependent on who you talk to.

Laura Winchester and Tom Mullens contend (in their election for VCDCC) that they did.

The VCDCC claims that it did.

Vote Blue and Das Williams claim that their crack teams and high-paid consulting dollars did.

The CDP says that when it sent people to Pedro's district, it did.

The truth is that enough people became frustrated by the Bush administration, that more and more as volunteers like the hardworking Camarillo Democrats and other volunteer groups went out to register voters, people went Decline to State or Democrat. As DTS numbers rose, Republican numbers went down. Republicans are not that far behind and because there are so many DTS voters in the county now, it doesn't mean much.

Does anyone have the actual, current, numbers?

Just to point out, in the two Board of Supervisor races, all 5 candidates are Democrats.

5th District:
John Flynn
John Zaragoza
Denis O'Leary

3rd District:
Kathy Long
Socorro Lopez Hanson

VOTE JUNE 3rd :)

Heather,

I agree it was a combination of many groups and the larger public anger towards the Republican Party.

How did you help? Were you a part of Vote Blue if I remember correctly?

I must admit to being perplexed and dumbfounded by the amount of money that can be thrown into a municipal proposition like Measure B in Thousand Oaks or a State Assembly seat while federal candidates go begging for money and support. I'm optimistic though because Mary Pallant has a million dollar message that could catch fire before November and catch Gallegly and the Republicans with their collective pants down and $100.000's still sitting in their coffers.

There isn't any doubt that we will need money to win in November but I question whether it is necessary to spend a $1,000,000 to win a seat in Congress. You also raise pertinent points in your observations of the status quo in county politics. They are generally not enthusiastic supporters of candidates willing to take on the likes of Elton Gallegly because while we all like to take potshots at the congressman and mutter curses under our breath, no one has been able to mobilize a coalition large enough to threaten him from his perch. The candidates have historically been so weak that it has been arguably difficult to get people that excited and involved. Mary Pallant is not just another such candidate. She is dynamic and different and has the ability to move people off their couches and put down their remote controls and start believing in themselves and their ability to make a difference in their communities and their country. The old guard is slow to recognize this but if they want to survive (and they are, if anything, survivors) they will ingratiate themselves to the cause.

The inertia within the party can only be overcome with new blood and new ideas. It has to reach a point where the old gaurd will have to be forced to jump on the bandwagon or be left in the dust. After emerging victorious in the primary, there will be many opportunities for people from all walks of life to energize this campaign and be a part of history. There is a perfect storm on the horizon and his name is Barack Obama.

Heather, I am tempted to attend Drinking Liberally at some future date but my energies are better spent these days phone banking for Pallant as well as participating in an Awards Night ceremomy on Wednesday for my students at Hillside Middle School. Thank you for the invitation. I would be happy, in a sober kind of way, to co-mingle with other kindred souls or serve as a Pallant proxy or spokesperson at one of your events.

We're not in Kansas anymore! GOP incumbents all over the country, in solidly red districts and states that have been sure bets for the Repubs for decades are either being tossed out on their asses or are lagging in the polls. The latest is Minority Leader McConnell and there's a good chance Gallegly will get a pink slip as well.

How did I personally help?

I volunteered with a lot of the really great groups, including the Camarillo Democrats who are out every Saturday. I also did a lot of fair time with the VCDCC and the Young Dems did a precinct walk voter reg day.

Oh, yes, when I was working for the unions I did voter registration almost every day and did a lot of presentations in high schools to register students and I worked for Vote Blue; however, the experience was not one to remember. I did not do much voter registration for them at the time, I did other work like graphics, candidate research and website development (they referred to it as "secretarial") but since I was already working about 60 hours a week for a less-than-minimum wage stipend, I did not do voter reg with them more than probably 1 day. I did, however, analyze the first 1/2 of the last voter registration campaign that Das Williams did for them.

Poor dear

Notice all the groups or campaigns Heather once worked for or with, that she now bashes and trashes. Slave wages, too much time, they didn't recognize her brilliance, her leadership skills, they were disorganized, egotistical, they didn't pay enough attention to ME ME ME.

Back the f-ck off, "poor dear"! You and everyone else who feel the need to pick out a target to bully. Heather's stood up pretty damn well on her own defending herself against some perceived wrongs (real or imagined) and she deserves a heck of a lot of credit for doing so with a lot more class than we would have shown. It's time to stop the bullying.

GS, having a bad day? Heather has never been one to hold back on attacks. She does have a trail of unhappy associates in a number of organizations with which she has been associated. She is always rather self serving in her comments and never takes blame for what goes wrong around her. As I recall, she even went over to the Osborn camp when the Dems were tired of her. "Poor Dear" was a bit harsh, but Heather it thick skinned.

I don't agree with Heather idealogically but I think she should be supported. She is young and she has enough backbone to post under her real name.

I'm really tired of the attempts to bully her into submission. It isn't going to work and it drags down the thread.

So what if she disagrees - she is allowed to disagree.

Personal attacks are never called for and I find it very coincidental that they are lobbed at Heather because she is 1) young and 2) female and that they are ALWAYS made by people hiding behind a fake screen name.

No one said anything about only rallying around people running for non-partisan seats instead of, or versus the candidates running in partisan races.

It's not an either or situation. The Democratic Party has one goal - to get Democrats elected.

Many Democrats support and encourage people to run for local "non-partisan" seats. This is not only a common sense approach that helps the Presidential, Congressional, Senate, and Assembly candidates running for office, but it is also a mandate from the CDP and helps to build the party infrastructure over the long term. Many of the canidates running, including Hannah Beth Jackson, seek out support from people elected to "non partisan" seats and community leaders. It's the smart thing to do. All politics are local.

The more Democrats you have running and elected at all levels, the more people you have carrying the Democratic message into the community. Volunteers for a candidate running for VC Board of Education can carry the materials and message for our top of the ticket candidates, as well as their own, and vice versa. It's a win-win situation.

I think it's going to be great year for all of our Democratic candidates!

Gee, no one gets outraged when I'm targeted and personally attacked. Just because I'm an old hag with green skin and a broomstick doesn't mean my feelings don't get hurt.

My opinion is if Heather doesn't have the maturity or demeanor to accept a few roundhouse punches when she deserves them, she shouldn't be blogging. Katie Teague is famous for cold-cocking people like Mongo and Bubba, but when someone does it to "Poor Heather", she immediately jumps to her defense and throws the "gender card" out there.

Politics is a bloodsport and political blogging ain't for sissies. No mercy, says I.

Poor dear...

Laura, thanks for enlightening us on some of the Democrat Party's strategies for future local elections.

Are there any specific offices the Dems will be targeting to fill from folks within the party - say the next series of City Council elections, or the next Board of Supervisors race?

Like I said - hiding behind a fake screen name.

And Laura - I did defend you when Mike Gibson made a painfully derogatory remark. Shall I dig it up from the archives?

Laura, I have called you a harpie. But in fairness, I also offered to let you get even by tying me up with my little red necktie.

I know you did Katie and I appreciate it. I was trying to lighten the mood and wasn't referring to you specifically, just the general hammering that I and many others, yourself included, take on a regular basis.

Wow, there goes Katie attacking fellow Republicans again. What a traitor!

I'm sure she did defend Laura Winchester against Mike Gibson, since Laura in plainly unable to defend herself and Katie is hell bent on attacking solid Republicans like Mike Gibson who was probably just reacting to a Winchester rant.

Why don't you do a re-wind for us all to give us a sense of the banter, huh Katie?

Pretty funny, Lock and Load but I can't imagine Mike Gibson ever saying anything close to that. Too nice of a guy...

Speaking of Mike Gibson, are you aware that his sister is a top executive with The Phillip Morris Co.? Didn't they contribute $50K to the Strickland campaign? The plot thickens.

Philip Morris (now Altria Group) has been lobbying to get states & feds to stop their efforts to prevent tribes from selling non-taxed cigarettes from tribal lands. They spent over $1M on renting Sacramento lawmakers in one year to make sure CA doesn't put the screws to these illicit sales...as has NY state.

No big surprise there. Gibson has long been linked to the Stricklands, with previous campaign contributions and money-funneling efforts.

I'm sure there is some quid pro quo expected as well.

The 24th district loves it's open space. The voters misunderstood what "housing developer" meant on Jill Martinez's ballot designation. That's what cost her the race.

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