Listen to Our Own Ron Shepston (CA-42) Today at 4pmPST!

Yesterday I wrote a diary about the importance of wrapping up the presidential nomination in order to pay more attention to all-important House and Senate races.  One of the races I mentioned was the one in CA-42, where our own fellow Kossack and all-around great guy Ron Shepston is working to defeat the über-corrupt Gary Miller.  Full disclosure: I have served and still serve as an unpaid advisor and strategist for the campaign.

Those who have been around here for a while used to know Ron as our own CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream, and remember that we had a grand online rollout for the campaign, starting with this diary and this one.  Since that time, Ron's campaign has hired full-time professional campaign and finance managers, and has hit the ground running with a full head of steam.  And now you have the chance to hear him LIVE at 4pmPST/7pmEST today in an interview with myself and with my good friend clammyc (who, btw, has a great diary today well-worth a read).

The latest news out of the Shepston campaign is the demand that Gary Miller, a real estate developer and speculator who was named one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress by the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and who has used his position of power to give earmarks and giveaways not only to his buddies but also to himself for properties outside his district (in an eerie parallel to the disgraced and replaced Dennis Hastert), reimburse taxpayers for the $1.28 million earmark to improve development Miller himself owns.  The press release is just now going out to the media, so Kossacks here get the first crack at it:

Silverado – Today, Avionics Engineer and CA-42 Congressional Candidate, Ron Shepston, called on Rep. Gary Miller to immediately reimburse the taxpayers $1.28 million for an earmark that benefited Miller's development business.

"Gary Miller should reimburse the taxpayers for earmarks that help his personal business," said Shepston.  "Like almost everyone else in this country, I work hard, pay my taxes and worry about my financial future.  I don't think my tax dollars should be used to personally enrich Gary Miller and his biggest campaign contributor."

In the 2005 highway bill, Miller inserted an earmark for road improvements to Diamond Bar Village, a residential and commercial development that Rep. Miller co-owns with Lewis Operating – his biggest campaign contributor.  According to law, Members of the House are prohibited from, "taking any official actions for the prospect of personal gain for themselves or anyone else."

Members of Miller's Congressional staff have stated on the record that "There was never a clear line between what was Congressional business and what was just business.  The expectation was that you would do both." LA Times 2.12.06

"Rep. Miller has abused the public trust.  Earmarking federal funds to pay for road improvements by developments you and your biggest campaign contributor own is not acceptable.  There is a clear line between right and wrong and Rep. Miller has crossed it.

As a Vietnam-era veteran, Ron is a Fighting Dem and exactly the sort of no-nonsense, tough candidate we need to help implement Howard Dean's and Barack Obama's 50-state strategy to compete and win in every district.  To hear more today from Ron Shepston in his own words, tune in today to listen to our show.  Better yet, please consider taking the time to donate on Ron's ActBlue page if you have any spare change burning a hole in your pocket!

And if you're interested in hearing other interviews with great progressive candidates, click on the links below!

• Betsy Markey (CO-4) - The diary about Betsy is here.  The link to her interivew can be found here
• Gilda Reed (LA-1) - the diary about Gilda is here. The link to her interview can be found here.
• John Laesch (IL-14) - the diary about John is here.  The link to his interview can be found here.
• Dennis Shulman (NJ-5) - the diary about Dennis is here.  The link to his interview can be found here.  
• Barry Welsh (IN-6) - the diary about Barry is here.  The link to his interview can be found here.
• Charlie Brown (CA-4) - the diary about Charlie is here.  The link to his interview can be found here.
• Mark Schauer (MI-7) - the diary about Mark is here.  The link to his interview can be found here.
• Heather Ryan (KY-1) -the diary about Heather is here.  The link to her interview can be found here.

We hope you have the chance to listen live; iff not, we will be posting the interview at Heading Left, which is BlogTalkRadio’s official website for progressive internet radio and podcasts.

•  tips

  for helping out our great netroots candidates.

  by thereisnospoon on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 03:31:39 PM PDT

•  I would much prefer diaries like this...

  These are people that will REALLY help us get the country right.

  by Los Diablo on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 03:34:14 PM PDT

  •  yeah....seriously

    like this or the one I wrote that is linked here will get the notice they deserve?

    They don't mention Obama or Clinton once.

    by clammyc on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 03:38:17 PM PDT

    •  They probably WON'T get the notice they deserve.

      But they do get noticed.

      One good thing (perhaps the only good thing?) about the civil war going on here is that, while trying to avoid the ugliness I've found myself more and more focused on the Congressional races.  I've become increasingly convinced that we won't see much progress toward improving things in this country without a stronger, more solidly D/democratic Congress, whoever ends up in the Oval Office.

      There are some fine people running for office who deserve all the time, cash, and good old moral support we can send their way. Diaries like yours--and spoon's--have helped me, at least, to see this more clearly.

      by slksfca on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:08:55 PM PDT

  •  maybe I should have added

    "burn, hillary, burn" to the diary and it could have gotten more attention.

    Oh well!

    See, this is why this nomination battle needs to end.

    by thereisnospoon on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 03:57:27 PM PDT

•  Spoon? How are Ron's chances against

  Gary?  I don't know much about that district.  Just curious. I'm happy Ron is challeging him.  As they say, we need more and better Democrats. Also, let us know what we can do to help.  Phone banking, precicnt walking, whatever, and I can get out info to local Dem clubs to see if any members want to help with his campaign.

  Thanks for keeping us informed.

  by santamonicadem on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:17:20 PM PDT

  •  it's a tough district, but we've definitely got a

    good chance.  Gary Miller is incredibly corrupt, and the district is rapidly changing--and the housing/economic crisis is hitting this district hard.

    Plus, A lot of upper-middle class folks vote Republican when it looks like everything is going well, but find their progressive souls when their own dinner tables are at risk.

    A few big news stories about Miller's corruption combined with some good grassroots organizing could easily allow us to swing this one.

    by thereisnospoon on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:55:29 PM PDT

    •  I just spoke

      to someone who went to a meeting with Mimi Walters, the Republican Gary will be running against.  He said she flat out would not answer some very simple questions.  Parents were frustrated and angry about the California budget cuts to education and the laying off of thousands of teachers in Orange County alone.

      She wouldn't say where her kids went to school and she supposed told them that 60% of the California budget went to Education.  Just not true, it's 35% and that lumps in all construction and modernizations.  California is in the bottom five of all fifty States on our spending per child.  It's an outrage.

      And it was strange to hear that Walters would not address the issue outright.  I hope many of the Republicans in my district and area in South Orange County realize that people are not going to automatically vote Republican anymore, or at least I Hope not.

      I look forward to helping Ron in any way I can as well as Steve Young, running in my district another really tough fight.

      by Ellinorianne on Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 11:15:48 AM PDT

•  psst, it's P *D* T now

  What is the status of the investigation into Miller's questionable Sec. 1033 transactions?

  by FoundingFatherDAR on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:23:37 PM PDT

  •  ssshhhhhhh....

    ;-)

    by thereisnospoon on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:55:44 PM PDT

•  Yeah, I just realized he was "on air". Maybe

  he'll answer us when he gets thru with the interview.

  by santamonicadem on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:28:07 PM PDT

  •  question answered

    :-)

    by thereisnospoon on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:56:40 PM PDT

    •  Thanks :-) And, I'll help out when I can!

      by santamonicadem on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 05:23:28 PM PDT

•  this just proves that ...

  Hillary should step aside.

  Took a long time to find a diary where I could be the first one to say that.

  ... and just for that inecusable snark, I owe Ron a jackson.  Off to ActBlue.

  by klondike on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:51:02 PM PDT

  •  thanks, klondike!

    every little bit helps!

    by thereisnospoon on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 04:56:15 PM PDT