Debra Bowen, California's current Secretary of State, is running to replace Blue Dog Jane Harman in California's 36th Congressional District. Harman resigned last month and a special election using California's new 'top two' primary system will be held sometime this Spring.
Bowen is running against Janice Hahn, a Los Angeles Councilperson, Marcy Winograd, who primaried Harman last year but lost, Paul Whitehead, a former Republican turned Democrat, and three Republicans: Mike Webb, Mike Gin, and Kit Bobko.
2008 Profile in Courage Award |
Cook PVI: D+12 |
Bowen has her
campaign website up, and with it
position statements on various issues:
- A Woman's Right to Control Her Own Body
- Consumer Protection
- Democracy for All, Right Here in America
- Education
- Environment
- Health Care
- Jobs & The Economy
- Marriage Equality
- Social Security and Medicare
- Transparency in Government
- War Spending
Past the cut for some excerpts.
In California, I supported State Senator Sheila Kuehl's legislation, vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger, that sought to establish a statewide single-payer universal health care -- and would have cut out the middlemen in the insurance industry who add tremendous costs. This needs to be revisited at the national level.
On LGBT and other civil rights issues:
Marriage equality is very personal to me, as are all civil rights issues. Slavery, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of Japanese America citizens, the separation of troops by race in the military, and the assertion that a woman wearing tight jeans is asking to be raped are just some of the very unfortunate chapters in our nation's history that were corrected only by people using our democratic process to advance the cause of equality.
If I am elected to Congress, I will be a strong vote in favor of marriage equality and legislation like the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, and against discriminatory policies such as the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.
On Afghanistan and Defense spending:
One of my most important priorities as a member of Congress will be to end the war in Afghanistan as safely and quickly as possible... America cannot afford to spend over $100 billion a year on a war that has now lasted nearly a decade. We need that money here at home to create jobs, to improve education, to invest in the R&D that will again bring us prosperity in the future, and to support other crucial priorities... We must have a strong national defense, but our engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq are not contributing to our homeland security.
On Social Security and Medicare:
Social Security and Medicare are not just the cornerstones of the social safety net. They are promises that must be kept. That means Congress must ensure the Social Security and Medicare systems are there for the people who need them...
...We need to seriously evaluate whether we should raise the payroll tax on high-income earners (currently, the tax is paid only on the first $106,800 a taxpayer earns in a year. Those who make more than that pay no Social Security tax on their additional earnings), adjust the formula for cost-of-living increases in benefits, and increase benefits for low-income retirees. Raising the age for eligibility to receive benefits does not make sense right now, and I oppose efforts to privatize Social Security and slash benefits.
On Energy and the Environment:
I helped pass AB 32, the groundbreaking Global Warming Solutions Act that phases in a cap on greenhouse gas emissions to reduce them to 1990 levels by 2020, a 25% reduction...
...As a member of Congress, I will continue to stand up to the special interests that threaten the quality of our air, water and coastline. I will fight for a stronger national energy policy focused on conservation, alternative energy development, and green jobs. And I will bring a common sense approach to Congress that recognizes our environment as a resource that needs to be protected not just for environmental reasons, but for economic and public health reasons as well.
On Jobs, the Economy, Energy and the Environment
Maximizing our energy independence, which is critical to our national security, will also create California jobs. We need to continue to press for renewable energy -- it's clean, it doesn't contribute to climate change, it saves money for households and business alike, and it does not distort our foreign policy decisions.
Summarizing:
Health Care: Supports single-payer. (yeah!)
Civil Rights: Supports marriage equality, ENDA, DOMA repeal. (yeah!)
Afghanistan: Supports ending the war as safely and as quickly as possible (half yeah!)
Social Security: Opposes raising retirement age, privatizing, etc. (yeah!)
Energy, Environment: Conservation, Energy Independence, Alternative Energy, Green Jobs (yeah!)
If you like what you see, and would like to help Debra Bowen make it to Congress:
Act Blue for Debra Bowen
Other candidates:
As a comparison, here are Janice Hahn's position tabs:
- Economy and Jobs
- Organized Labor
- Innovation and Green Technology
- Education
- Immigration
- Women's Issues
- Janice Hahn on Equality
Hahn does not have any position tab on Afghanistan and Defense, or on Social Security and Medicare.
Hahn provides a position on Immigration, implying she would support the Dream Act, while Bowen does not as yet have any statement about Immigration policy.
Hahn lists support for Organized Labor as an item, which Bowen does not. Bowen does provide a video on her website of a rousing endorsement of labor she gave recently.
Marcy Winograd's website is still under construction and has no issues page.
I could find no website for Paul Whitehead.
Why I support Debra Bowen:
More than her positions (all of which I am in pretty solid agreement with) Bowen strikes me as a principled person. Along with that, she seems sensible, logical and hard-working -- someone who will work to understand an issue and evaluate it. And she's a self-proclaimed geek!
If you think the same way I do, and would like to help Debra Bowen make it to Congress:
Act Blue for Debra Bowen
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Note: I do not live in the 36th Congressional District, nor do I have any relationship with any of the candidates or their campaigns. I do live in California.