California Congressional District 52: Approach Bipartisanship With Care
In case it isn’t obvious, the 52nd Congressional District is now a Democratic enclave.
Let me start out by saying if you live in this district, you should vote for incumbent Democratic Congressman Scott Peters. You might want to hold your nose while you cast your ballot, but cast it none-the-less.
Peters is no ogre. He isn’t going to endorse locking children up in cages, opposes the destruction of the US Postal Service, and plays a role as part of the movement to restore and expand voting rights. You can work with the guy on many issues and his staff does a good job of constituent service. But there are limitations.
He suffers from a political affliction known as bipartisanitus. Once upon a time, so the story goes, smart politicians got stuff done by wheeling and dealing across the ideological aisle. There’s a lot of political mythology wrapped up in that belief.
Historically speaking, the longest period of bipartisan cooperation on the legislative side of Washington was from the 1930s into the 1970s, when a “conservative coalition” of Republicans and Southern Democrats worked together to form majorities.
And if you dig down far enough, you will discover most of the gains of the era were achieved at the cost of preserving and protecting Jim Crow. A large number of other New Deal programs in the 1930s were purposefully altered by Southern Democrats so they both "brought much needed funding to their poverty-stricken region while protecting the character of [the South's] racial arrangements."
The original GI Bill, while seemingly race-neutral in language, was subverted by the bureaucracy it created.
From The Military Times:
As historians Kathleen J. Frydl, Ira Katznelson and others have argued, U.S. Representative John Rankin of Mississippi exacerbated these racial disparities.
Rankin, a staunch segregationist, chaired the committee that drafted the bill. From this position, he ensured that local Veterans Administrations controlled the distribution of funds.
This meant that when black southerners applied for their assistance, they faced the prejudices of white officials from their communities who often forced them into vocational schools instead of colleges or denied their benefits altogether.
The so-called bipartisanship of the 1990s was, as we now know, the fruition of a scheme started by Newt Gingrich to move the political consensus to the right. Regardless of which party controlled the presidency (a lot happened under Bill Clinton), the legacy of that era was the War on Drugs, the Defense of Marriage Act and functionally restricting the legislative branch of its oversight powers on the executive branch.’
My point in saying all this is not to disparage Rep. Peters for wanting consensus; it’s to say that what passes for concurrence these days is tainted by the rightward shift of the Overton window, i.e., the range of policies considered acceptable to the mainstream population.
Someday, when Republicans are allowed to read books, acknowledge science, and study history, this reaching across the aisle stuff might make sense. Right now, what’s left of the GOP is too busy spreading conspiracy theories and approving of whatever random nonsense appears on the presidential Twitter feed.
Much of what passes for moderation in recent days has the underlying effect of weakening the social, environmental, and political fabric of the country. That's not moderation; it's being led to slaughter.
Saying you are for Obamacare while simultaneously sponsoring legislation to undermine its financing (on behalf of a specific industry, which Peters did) has nothing to do with consensus and everything to do with a profits-before-people point of view.
I’ll wrap up this analysis by reposting a bit of my article on the primary races in the 52nd in relation to the Green New Deal:
Peters’ point of view encompasses what he calls bipartisan solutions, including bills already under consideration by Congress. For all his concerns about practicability, almost none of the nearly 300 bills (on a variety of topics) passed with bipartisan support by the House of Representatives will ever make it off Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s desk.
Here’s the deal, in my opinion: you can’t save the planet without fundamentally changing the economy. Way too much of this incrementalist environmentally-oriented legislation relies on smoke and mirrors. As I‘ve said before, giving corporations carbon credits because trees are getting planted in Wakanda isn’t going to cut it.
Opposing the Green New Deal really means opposing the very idea of a transformative (like Roosevelt’s New Deal that inspired it) agenda. Lots of parts of Roosevelt’s vision didn’t make it, but the fact that he had a vision gave the different parts gravitas they would not have had if dealt with piecemeal.
Getting back to where I started, vote for Congressman Scott Peters on November 3rd.
The other guy on the ballot is a spineless Trump suckup. Based on his past history of political donations, he might have passed for moderate at one time. In today’s world, running as a Republican for federal office requires fealty to Dear Leader. Don't reward such behavior.
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Scott Peters
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: After a 15-year career as an environmental lawyer, was elected to the San Diego City Council, becoming City’s first City Council President. In 2001, was appointed to the Commission on Tax Policy in the New Economy, and in 2002, appointed to the California Coastal Commission. He was also chairman of the San Diego Unified Port District – a major economic engine for the region.
Education: Undergraduate degree from Duke University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), New York University School of Law.
Relevant experience: Incumbent congressman since 2012. Currently serves on the House Committee on the Budget and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
A significant accomplishment: Ranked the 4th most independent Democrat in Congress by the National Journal.
Politics in a nutshell: Liberal
$$$$
Aggregate fundraising for Scott Peters: $1,515,377.30
A sampling of links concerning Peters:
Local Leaders Rally in Support of USPS Amid Heightened Concerns Over Future
Local Congressional Delegation Introduce Border Water Restoration Act In House
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Jim DeBello
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: Born in San Diego, Technology company CEO who developed the software allowing consumers to conduct banking transactions via smart phone. Was a Rotary Scholar in Singapore, lived and worked in China. Claims expertise on foreign trade and US China relations.
Education: B.A. and M.B.A. from Harvard University
Relevant experience: Management at the international corporate level.
A significant accomplishment: Co-inventor of mobile check deposit app.
Politics in a nutshell: Probably a moderate Republican; it’s hard to tell these days of Trumpanoia.
$$$$
Aggregate fundraising for Jim DeBello: $308,945.00
A sampling of links concerning Jim DeBello
GOP's Jim DeBello Changes Climate in Race to Unseat Rep. Scott Peters
North County Republicans say voters don't like leftward drift
GOP's DeBello Was Courted for Mayor Before Making Bid for Rep. Peters Seat
Wednesday: Dem vs Dem in CD 53
Voter Guide – You’ve Voted for President, what’s next?
I’ll be writing about many ballot measures and candidates between now and the end of September. That work will be condensed into a handy-dandy voter guide just in time for your mail-in ballots to arrive. I’m the guy who coordinated San Diego Free Press’s Voter Guides over the past decade, so this won’t be my first effort. Stay tuned.
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