Eric,

I know that your website is detailed with your views and background so I have questions related to that and other questions that I haven't seen answers to yet.

As a Democratic Party leader I know your goal will be electing more and better Democrats.

But to honor the spirit of Barack Obama's call for more bipartisanship can you name a few California Republicans you like and admire?

Hi,

I like Jim Brulte, although I don't agree much with him. Dennis Zine, the LA City Council Member is a good friend and I often to agree with him.

Eric,

Your platform calls for "Commit to Open and Transparent Operations and Dialogue".

Can you give us an example from either the California or national Democratic Party when we didn't live up to that goal?

Eric,

Because of your personal respect for Dennis Zine and his personal views would you support a Democratic candidate against him anyways because of party politics?

This statement is one that relates mostly to internal operations, but refers in part to our need to be willing to talk with each other openly and honestly. It is about a commitment to hear all views, even thoughs with which we disagree and even if disagreeing to maintain respect for the other person.

Oftentimes we get caught up in our "party-line" positions and minimize discussions that might highlight our disagreements. I think the Democratic tent is big enough to acknowledge and tolerate a wide range of opinions. I do not believe it weakens Democrats to hear alternate views and to acknowledge that there are Dems with differing views on certain topics.

Although my campaign Call to Action was written long before President-Elect Obama's inaugural plans were announced, it exactly reflects the debate about having Pastor Rick Warren do the invocation at the Inaugural and Bishop Gene Robinson at the Inaugural kick off.

Democrats should not fear a variety of views, it is our diversity in every way that makes our Party strong!

Eric,

Do you support marriage equality for gay Californians?

Many of us have changed our views in the last few years. What factors shaped your opinion?

The Los Angeles County Democratic Party did not endorse a candidate in opposition to Councilmember Zine.

As the Chair of the LA Democratic Party, it is my task to elect Democrats. If a competent, qualified and viable Democratic candidate was in the race I would support them

That said, and Dennis will confirm this, I regularly attempt to get him to reregister as a Democrat! As a Jewish man I don't proselytize, as a Democrat I do...

Eric,

Did you support a candidate during the presidential primaries? What did you learn from the major candidates that you want to replicate in California?

I support full and complete equality for all Californians (and all people), this includes the right to civil marriage for two adults who have chosen to share their lives together.

My opinion is shaped, in part, by the fact that I have spent nearly 26 years with my partner Michael, thus providing me with quite a personal stake in this issue.

Eric,

The state budget is in obvious trouble with problems obviously this year and in coming years. Many point to the contracts with state workers including pension obligations.

Within that context do you remember the last time you disagreed with the tactics, budgetary priorities, or views of any of the large state unions both public employees and private sector unions?

From the beginning of the Primary season, I gave speeches around our state that said Democrats would shatter one glass ceiling or another in the 2008 election, either electing a woman, an African American or Latino man or a down-home southerner whose dad worked in a meal (mill).

I personally supported and campaigned for Hillary Clinton in the primary. I have a many years-long relationship with the Clintons and I believed America was ready to elect a brilliant and savvy woman to the White House.

As soon as it was clear Obama would be our nominee and Hillary ceased campaigning I joined the Obama team.

Barack and Hillary proved to Democrats that we can have a feisty competition and then come together, rally 'round the winner and be victorious on E-day.

These two both showed us all we must never give up hope and give up the fight before it is over. That no bridge is uncrossable in America, no matter who you are or where you are from.

Obama calls us to our higher, better angels and reminds us that in bad times, such as we face today, Democrats (and all Americans) must stand up for the least among us, those most in need of our support and encouragement.

Eric,

I have supported more rights for gay people for many years.

In the 1990's that meant supporting DADT as an improvement for gays that wanted to serve in the military, civil union laws, and an end to employment discrimination.

A generation before in California it was a battle at the state level to protect gay teachers from being fired.

Now the battle is over marriage. Something that was inconceivable to people before. Do you remember when you realized that marriage equality is an attainable goal for California?

Will you support a candidate for governor that doesn't support marriage equality?

Do you agree that equal rights, protections, and duties for gay Californians should be a major focus of The California Democratic Party?

California's budget situation is a disgrace. This governor was elected on a pledge to "cut up the credit cards" and sweep the special interests out of the Capitol.

In the end he has done neither. Under his watch we have a far larger deficit than we did under Governor Davis and the divisiveness between the parties is at an all time high.

This governor cannot deliver a single Republican vote for his budget plan and it is so bad the members of the Republican caucus wore name tags to a meeting with him because he has so little
contact with them.

While Democrats have put compromise after compromise on the table, and even the governor has acknowledged the need for new revenues, not one Republican is willing to compromise.

This governor has failed and his Republican colleagues have sold him down the river,

As to the old saw that this is the fault of the public employee unions, you and I both know that is nonsense. This fiscal crisis began when Arnold unilaterally reduced the state's revenue by four billion dollars by cutting the vehicle license fees.

It has worsened as out economy has tanked and our outmoded tax system has been unable to maintain any balance. My goodness, more than 52% of our state's revenues come from personal and business taxes, the most volatile possible source.

Yes, our state employees are reasonably compensated and they work hard for their money. And yes they are willing to talk about reasonable compromises to help out in this crisis. But those who are our highest earners and our largest businesses should pay their fair share and we should close every ridiculous tax loophole that we have extended to the wealthy, like the yacht tax loophole.

Finally, there are only four ways to close this budget deficit - cutting spending, raising revenue, borrowing and reforming the system, for real. Democrats are willing to do all of the above. Republicans need to get with it...

What national, state, and local political blogs do you read?

Eric,

Do you support the California Democratic Party getting more involved in nonpartisan local races by helping train, recruit, and fund candidates?

Sometimes these tasks have been up to central committees but in some areas the resources for training candidates and campaign staff are scarce.

Do you think the Democratic Party and California will be better served in becoming more involved in nonpartisan contests?

First, the Democratic Party's mission is to assure that every American is treated equally and fairly under the law and that each has the opportunity to climb the ladder of success we call the American dream.

That said, of course the Democratic Party should fight for full equality for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgener) people.

As to the issue of marriage equality and when I began to believe it was achievable, now that's a tough one. Bear in mind I was out there quite alone in attempting to defend President Clinton in 1996 when he signed DOMA. It was extraordinarily difficult for me because I knew well that it was a political decision and it was a terrible policy decision and it disenfranchised a key constituency of his. I was never willing to say he did the right thing, only willing to explain why he did it and what his reelection meant to gay folk across the nation.

And I was there with Gray Davis from the early days, delivering the LGBT community's vote to him, even though he was the most conservative of the three Dems running. But just as I had campaigned for him, the old adage proved true - his record demonstrated we could count on him - and he delivered - signing the first Domestic Partners bill into law on October 2, 1999 and expanding it each year until 2003 when he signed AB 205, the law that granted Domestic Partners virtually every right and responsibility provided to married couples.

I am not sure when I realized just how far Californians had moved on this issue, but even in the wake of the oh-so-narrow passage of prop 8, you see the difference. In March of 2000, prop 22 passed with 62%, prop 8 with less than 52%. Times are changing.

And as history proves, civil rights are won in the courts, never at the ballot box.

I will need to end with this question.

I believe that candidate recruitment and training should be a local responsibility... but that comes with a caveat. The State Party should assist by providing resources, leader-training and trainer-training to make this easier, more efficient and more effective.

The CDP cannot do it all in a state as large as ours and frankly these kinds of activities are best run by local activists and leaders who know the lay of the land.

In Los Angeles, where I am serving my ninth year as chair, having been elected five times, I engage with our local leaders, Democratic clubs and local electeds to help train and recruit candidates. We provide serious resources in many cases and work with our grassroots activists and local candidates to help them succeed.

I have exported our program for this type of campaign activity that we use in our red areas (we call it our Red Zone program) to many areas around the state.

If I am elected the Vice Chair of the CDP, I will be focusing on helping those in Red and Purple areas recruit high-quality candidates and put together winning support programs for them.

I am proud to have the support of Democratic Party leaders from across the rural north, central valley, central coast and inland empire because of my commitment to growing the Democratic Party in every corner of this state, fighting to win every possible election and investing in our Democratic future.

As the leaders of the Democratic Party in your beautiful county of Buena Ventura will tell you, I am their partner and colleague and will continue to be so as the Vice Chair of the California Democratic Party.

Brina, this has been great, thank you for inviting me and I hope you'll invite me back...

Since it was the Los Angeles County portion of Senate District 19 that lost the race for HBJ, where do you get off claiming to have put together winning programs for Red areas? If you had done your job and put some effort into the tiny little section of the district in your county, we'd have a Democrat in that seat instead of Strickland.

Red Zone Failure:

Good point.

I didn't see any media coverage or Calitics blogging-entries touting Eric Bauman leading a coordinated effort of precinct walkers to knock-on voter's doors on behalf of Democratic candidates in the Santa Clarita portion of his very own home county.

Let alone in Ventura County's three East County cities (Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley) were Tony Strickland's winning vote margin nearly wiped-out all of HBJ's winning vote margin in the whole of Santa Barbara County?

General Patton said that no good military decision ever came from the seat of chair. That's especially true in politics, where the best campaigns are lead in the field, or more precisely, the precincts, not the hallowed-halls of the LACDCC.

Eric, you'd better start walking the walk on behalf of Demo candidates in Red Zones instead of just talking the talk. And...you do soooo like to talk!..

DonkeyBoots

Feel free to keep discussing this interview but Eric Bauman was only here for a live interview Thursday night.