Comments on: Heavy hitters helping Garamendi raise funds http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2012/08/09/heavy-hitters-helping-garamendi-raise-funds/ Politics in the Bay Area and beyond Sun, 19 May 2013 05:06:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: JohnW http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2012/08/09/heavy-hitters-helping-garamendi-raise-funds/comment-page-1/#comment-86965 JohnW Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:14:44 +0000 http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=20635#comment-86965 Re #1

We’ll put Rick K. down as “undecided” on the Garamendi/Vann race.

“An enterprising reporter needs to figure out if Garamendi had any role in drawing such a line, which has all the warning signs of a political meddling (allowing him to run either congressional district).”

First, we’re talking 2001 – ancient history. Nobody cares.

Second, you don’t have to live in a Congressional district to run for office there.

Third, it ain’t breaking news that redistricting is a blatantly political process, whether in pre-Prop. 20 CA or in any other state.

]]> By: Rick K. http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2012/08/09/heavy-hitters-helping-garamendi-raise-funds/comment-page-1/#comment-86913 Rick K. Tue, 14 Aug 2012 08:08:03 +0000 http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=20635#comment-86913 The handwriting is on the wall: “Live Shot” Garamendi is headed for defeat and he is kissing as many special interest posteriors (including that of the infamous Willie Brown) to try to save his own. Garamendi’s sordid history as a duplicitous career politician is at long last catching up with him. In the coming months, people will come to understand his incompetence/corruption as State Insurance Commissioner in the Exec Life scandal. They will at long last demand answers at to what Garamendi did as “Washington, DC investment partner” for the shady Yucaipa Companies and his political fundraising sugar-daddy Ron Burkle. UC Davis students and faculty will demand to know what role Garamendi Sr. played in getting his son John Garamendi Jr. that $210,000 a year UC job — the type of political plum that is causing UC Davis students to pay ever-higher fees and faculty and staff to cope with job losses and pay cuts. (Has Garamendi Jr. vested in UC’s generous pension plan, costing yet more generations of UC students higher fees? Let’s find out!) Kim Vann’s campaign must be having a field day sorting through “Live Shot” voluminous TV interviews over the years — surely they’re finding that he talks out of both sides of his mouth. Garamendi was “The Proven Democrat”, running for Congress as a proud Bay Area progressive just three years ago, yet now he is furiously distancing himself from many of the “progressive values” that he championed until just a year ago when the new congressional map was unveiled. Now he casts himself as “the rancher on his high horse.” And does anyone seriously believe that Garamendi had NOTHING to do with drawing the 2001 Democrat-drawn congressional map that infamously placed his “front yard” in one district and his “back yard” in another? Anyone who knows anything about politics knows that “coincidences” like this don’t just happen — an enterprising investigative reporter needs to figure out if Garamendi had any role in drawing such a line, which has all the warning signs of a political meddling (allowing him to run either congressional district). We should all be thankful that California voters wisely passed Prop. 20 in 2010, keeping career politicians like “Live Shot” Garamendi from selfishly influencing their district lines. Independent-minded voters in places like Fairfield, Vacaville and Woodland will turn against Garamendi the more that they know about him, his self-dealing and his political duplicity. Garamendi has had his chance to represent the people since his first election to the Legislature in 1974. He has compiled a record of self-service to his blood relatives and political cronies. It’s time to give someone else an opportunity to provide leadership. Supervisor Kim Vann is qualified to serve in Congress and deserves votes from everyone who cares about honest, faithful government, especially political independents and Democrats who have had enough of self-serving, special interest-catering career pols like “Live Shot Garamendi.”

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