Blue Dog Jane Harman has been doing everything possible to avoid bumping into Marcy Winograd, much less debating her.
But during the recent California Democratic Convention, at the meeting of the Progressive Caucus (which Marcy helped to found!) Jane had little choice but to finally face her progressive challenger.
Well, that is until Harman decides time's up! Gotta run!
Perhaps she was off to find some of those evil insurgents hiding out in Yemen.
!?!
Yup. Yemen.
The debate offered a rare chance to see the two candidates of CA-36 on the same stage. I haven't seen these videos posted yet, and I thought they're important enough to share.
Winograd, a teacher by trade in South LA, is a compellingly earnest Progressive Democrat running against "the best Republican in the Democratic Party" Jane Harman in the Democratic Primary
in California on June 8th.
(and yes, that was Jane Harman's description of herself!)
Marcy was called in last minute to re-join this panel-turned debate. You may see Jane stiffen when she notices who has joined her onstage along with Jane Hamsher, Norman Solomon, Jim Hightower and CA Sen. Loni Hancock at the meeting of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party, April 17, in Los Angeles during the California Democratic Party Convention.
Pt. One (Fiscal-Schmiscal Responsibility)
Pt. Two (Middle East Malarkey and the Continuing Kerfuffle)
Winograd is running a common sense Jobs not Wars campaign and shouting out to progressives everywhere to "save the soul of the Democratic party."
Meanwhile, Harman admits that "solving problems is hard" and does her best to keep things complicated and quiet...at least while she's on the phone. (Insert snarky wiretap joke here.)
Better yet, let Jon Stewart handle that here.
Jeffrey Blankfort wrote about the Winograd/Harman race this week in Counterpunch, in a piece entitled: "The Last Democratic Primary Worth Watching"
Given Jed Lewison's front page post yesterday about the perception that Democrats are on the side of corporations, this can't help:
When it comes to her donors Harman is clearly cherished by the Military Industrial Complex but she is not averse to playing the field. While the top two suitors are Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, the entire list of her contributors reads like a Who’s Who of corporate America. At the same time, a review of the 765 companies listed in the vast investment portfolio...may explain her devotion to the Bush and Obama bailouts, with a marked preference shown for investment houses, banks, pharmaceutical industries, arms manufacturers, and real estate interests across the globe. At the head of the Harman list is UBS in which the couple have invested between $12 and $47 million. Not surprisingly, Goldman Sachs is there with between $1 and $2 million...
Blankfort covers all the 'highlights' of Jane Harman's record, and his piece is well worth the read.
Even though Marcy's campaign is many miles away from my backyard, what she says to me crosses all district and state boundaries.
Better Democrats.
She sees what is wrong and is infuriated by the lack of leadership.
I see that as central to this "anti-incumbent" year.
Harman is, imho, a perfect example of the failure of leadership, and that's what moved me to help Marcy out with some phone banking.
I really, really want better Democrats. Now.
The biggest job in the last month before the June 8 election is to get the word out in the district. You can be a part of phone banking too, from anywhere in the country, and now is the time to do it!!
As the co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of PDA, Marcy can count on
Progressive Democrats of America everywhere -- she has certainly won the hearts of us here in Chicago. PDA Illinois Chair (and bon vivant) Bill Bianchi hosted a super fun phone party for Marcy:
Phone bank for Winograd--Contact Bill@WinogradforCongress.com (it's really easy!)
Find out more about Marcy Winograd at WinogradForCongress.Com
And help a sister out with a donation here!
UPDATE: PDA-IL will be having another phone bank party May 26th at Bill's abode. Join us on the phones!