For those of us who lived through the outrageously racist days of Republican domination of Orange Country politics, the celebration in 2018 when Democrats controlled every inch of US congressional delegations was long awaited. We lost ground in 2020, but thought Orange County had matured beyond it's racist past. We no longer lived "behind the Orange curtain," but it seems we have a way to go.
California CD 45, where Michelle Steel is running, encompasses much of former CD 48, the one occupied for years by the infamous Dana Rohrabacher, a continuous embarrassment to OC. A racist, homophobe, anti immigrant, war monger, and alarmingly pro Russian before TFG made it cool for Republicans to be Russian agents. The district is also an area where, in the early 80s, the Republican party of OC hired armed, uniformed thugs to monitor polls to suppress Latino vote, resulting in California passing some of the strictest voter intimidation laws in the country.
In the wave election of 2018, Harley Rouda was able to finally oust Rohrabacher.
But it didn't last. In 2020, along came Michelle Steel, Corrupt County Supervisor , who sent unfounded mailers, in Vietnamese, to "Little Saigon," the largest concentration of Vietnamese Americans in the country, suggesting Rouda had ties to Mao and was too pro Chinese. It worked, she got elected.
The 513 page Steel Dossier
DCCC
2022, different candidate, same tactic. Her opponent this time is Jay Chen, America born of Taiwanese descent, former Navy reservist who fought in active duty. The first attack she leveled was that Chen made fun of her accent and was therefore racist against AAPI. Chen, of Taiwanese descent is racist against Asians? Interestingly, her attack in an Orange Country Register editorial, a Fox Noise assault, and Kevin McCarthy's incoherent babbling, were well coordinated.
The Vietnamese mailers worked before, so the corrupt Steel is back at it. She sent mailers to "little Saigon" claiming Chen is pro China, pro Mao, left leaning, a Bernie bro, and involved with BLM. Everything Republicans consider anti real American. Again, a Navy reservist, who risked his life, anti American? The LA Times called her out, for "Red-Baiting".
Then the LA Times Endorsed Jay Chen.
If voters want a representative in Congress who will protect their rights, fight for their fair share of federal funding and bring a pragmatic, collaborative approach to governing, Chen is the best choice for the 45th District.
They pointed out that Steel is carpetbagging in this district because she didn't want to run against Katie Porter in CD 47 where she lives, that her attacks on Chen (a veteran who served in the mideast) as a communist and anti Asian racist are illegitimate. They also pointed out her anti abortion stance, and her votes are right wing Republican.
Steel also refused an invitation to meet with the Times editorial board.
Orange County has a long history of this type of bad behavior, and it is time for the County to grow up and move on. Let's hope 2022 will be the year we do. If you know a Democratic CD 45 voter, encourage them to vote, this is going to be a close one.