Last Sunday, Silicon Valley Kossacks had their first meet up right in the hub of Downtown San Jose, where plutocrats, technocrats, and college students gather over local brew. The patio of Gordon Biersch was the setting of our open air meeting that would give cause to our newly formed group and inspire us to reach out to voters about progressive candidates and policies.
From L - R Back Row: fiercefilms, Senor Unoball, esquimaux, madhause, navajo, Glen The Plumber, Lusty Front Row: Mrs. Senor Unoball, slowbutsure, norm, remembrance, TheLIttleOne
After a delightful lunch in the heat and humidity, wrapping our hands around a glass of ice, we paused to discuss the real issues: What is the focus of Silicon Valley Kossacks, and what is our plan to move our agenda forward?
Someone from the Mike Honda campaign who had seen Glen's original meet up diary contacted him and planned on attending our meeting. We were going to discuss how we can support Congressman Honda to win his reelection bid against former Obama staff, and now District 17 candidate, Ro Khanna. But, at the last minute, he was unable to attend.
No worries. In his eloquent pitch, Glen shared his three point plan to motivate voters to turn in a ballot in favor of Rep Mike Honda this November.
1). Write a diary every one to two weeks until the election to draw attention to and support Mike Honda.
2). Increase voter turn out by walking the precincts.
3). Frequent communication with Mike Honda staff to include promotion of an Ask Me Anything type open thread for Mike Honda on Daily Kos.
Discussion turned to his challenger and the frustration felt by many of his choice to run in the 17th district instead of in a redder district. Having lost the support of many Democrats and the CA Dem Party, Ro Khanna faces an uphill but not impossible battle to win this congressional seat. But, I'll save these illuminating facts and his story for another diary.
This LTE was published a few days ago in the San Jose Mercury News. It was written by a friend of ours.
Honda-Khanna debate wouldn't add much
We all remember how compelling effective rhetorical skills are to winning elections. Compare our President, Barack Obama's debating performances with his opponents. Yet, as inspiring as Obama has been, even he had a bad debate. We have become so used to marketing the politician that even the Mercury News is calling for a debate (Editorial, Aug. 14). While acknowledging Ro Khanna's skills, I strongly disagree a debate is in the voters' interest. At the League of Women Voters event, there was no daylight between Mike Honda and his opponent. The huge difference is the track record vs. the sleight-of-hand. Mike Honda is a dedicated legislator for all his constituents. His sponsorship of bills, his public stance on difficult issues, and his energetic handling of solutions for the 17th District speak for themselves.
Jan Dietzgen
If you live in the 17th, 18th, or 19th district, please join Silicon Valley Kossacks. If you are not a Daily Kos user but would like to work with us, please make a user account and leave us a comment below. You can follow our group by clicking on the ♥ at the top of the page.
Mike Honda's ActBlue Page