The State of the Union Speech

​The State of the Union speech punctuated the end of the Trump Administration’s first year.  The President called for unity, but pushed a Republican agenda which Republicans predictably cheered, while leaving Democrats in the chamber looking distinctly unenthusiastic.  He unsurprisingly touted economic and job growth (trends which were well underway during the Obama Administration), the Republican tax cut claiming that members of the middle class would be better off, and the historical highs of the stock market which has gained $8 trillion in value during the last year.   Yet we know that 84% of stocks are owned by 10% of the population, inequality is growing in U.S. society, and that the overwhelming majority of the benefits of the new tax bill go to the top one percent and corporations.  The tax overhaul will drive up the deficit by $1.7 trillion, and will raise taxes on many middle class families by the end of the decade.  Moreover, those families whose healthcare costs are increasing will be additionally squeezed.  When it came to immigration reform, the President talked of a path to citizenship for Dreamers over a 12-year period, while none-too-subtly linking immigrants to gangs like MS-13 and crime.  

Congressman Joe Kennedy III was eloquent and animated in giving the Democratic response.  He spoke to unity, inclusion, diversity and the Democratic “better deal” agenda of good paying jobs, paid family leave, and affordable medical care.  He spoke at a vocational technical high school before a live audience in Fall River, Massachusetts, a former mill town setting designed to show Democrats in touch with real people.

Continuing Chaos in Washington

In the lead-up to the State of the Union speech, we have been through another chaotic month in Washington entwined in shut-down politics.  Notwithstanding that the Republicans control both houses of Congress and the executive branch, they have been unable to manage to run a budget process smoothly.  With 700,000 dreamers and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for 9 million children hanging in the balance, on January 19, the Administration and the Congress found its way through the third continuing resolution/shutdown crisis since December 8th.  It had appeared a Senate deal on DACA had been struck that the President hinted he would support, but subsequently backed away from in a cloud of expletive-deleted words which gratuitously denigrated a number of countries from which immigrants come.  Democrats voted to join the Republicans in reopening government and Congress passed a fourth continuing resolution until February 8, and concurrently agreed to six years of authorization for CHIP.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to a clean vote on DACA, but $31 billion in tax cuts related to the Affordable Care Act were also part of the deal.  But this only achieved three more weeks of continuing resolution funding ... so on February 8, we could see the continuing resolution/shutdown playout again. 
 
In the background the Mueller probe continued to loom throughout the month.  FBI Deputy Director McCabe left office precipitously, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Nunes (CA-25) has once again thrown the Committee into bipartisan divide by moving to release a confidential memo drafted by Republican staff about FBI surveillance practices over the “grave concerns” of the FBI and all Democrats on the Committee.

Upcoming Elections Looking Good for Democrats

We Democrats will be working hard around the country to win the 24 seats needed to gain control of the House, and recent polls indicate that goal could be in reach.  Eight GOP House Committee Chairs, and a total of 23 House Republicans have now announced they will not run again.  Close to home, two of the most endangered Republicans in the California Congressional delegation have announced they will not run again.  Thirteen-term Orange County representative Ed Royce and nine-term representative Darryl Issa have both decided against running in districts that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016. 

Upcoming State and County Events

We are all looking forward to the California Democratic Party Convention being held on February 23-25 in San Diego, as an opportunity to meet with our Democratic colleagues across the state, exchange ideas, and be inspired by our leaders as we gear up for the 2018 election.  The Ventura County Democratic Party Central Committee will be opening an office in the UCFW Orchid Building (where we have our DCC meetings), and I know they will welcome volunteers from our club to help staff that office.

Club Events including our Ready-to-Run Fundraiser

Our club is looking forward to holding our Ready-to-Run fundraising event on March 10 at the Channel Islands Art Studio from 1-5 pm.  I hope we will get a good group of local and statewide candidates to attend, and that many of you will also be able to support the event and attend.
I look forward to seeing you all this coming Thursday, when we will hear from Dr. Yongping Chen, PhD, Lac, and Dr. Kristofer Young, DC, about the role that Chinese medicine and functional medicine can play in the U.S. medical system. 

​Happy New Year!   Many of us look forward to 2018 as a year of opportunity after last year’s annus horribilis.   

The 2018 Congressional Elections

This will be the first chance to bring the House under Democratic control after the 2016 election and put the brakes on the stream of legislation coming from the Trump Administration, which seems bound and determined to govern and legislate for the benefit of a very small, wealthy minority of Americans.  It will only take 24 more Democratic seats to achieve this, and some current polling suggests that we Democrats could win 40 seats if the election were held today.  Mid-term elections are always hard for the party in power, and If we can win a Senate seat in Alabama, we should have confidence that we can do very well indeed. The election of Doug Jones brings the balance in the Senate to 49-51; however, of the 34 seats in the Senate up for election, Democrats have to defend 26 seats, including several with seats in districts that Trump won.

The road to winning 24 more Democratic seats in the House also runs through California.  We have not forgotten that all 14 GOP members of Congress voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and 12 representatives voted for the Republican tax bill, which raises taxes on the poor and middle classes, while providing numerous tax breaks for the very wealthy.  The California Democratic Party believes that Jeff Denham (CA-10), Dana Rohrbacher (CA-49), and Darrell Issa (CA-48) are vulnerable and are the CDP’s top targets.

A Bill of Particulars on the Trump Administration

I hardly need remind Democratic readers of the long and unpleasant bill of particulars from the Trump Administration’s first year in office.  Starting with Presidential demeanor and tweeting that is not the kind of example that I, for one, want our elementary school civics students to see, and who rarely displays the gravitas that we have come to expect over our history.  A President who has a very casual relationship with facts, truth, and science -- who publicly denigrates the media, gold star parents, members of his cabinet, and hard-working civil servants.  A President who is making us one of only two countries that is not willing to work with the rest of the world to tackle climate change.  A President who divides our people, vilifies immigrants, is not shy about wading into racial and ethnic controversy … who has left 800,000 DACA recipients under threat of deportation, and one-third of Puerto Rico without electricity four months after Hurricane Maria.  A President who appears to have good relations with authoritarians, but leaves our oldest and most reliable democratic allies unsure of our intentions.  And a Mueller probe which has already shown by guilty pleas and indictments that some of the President’s closest campaign advisors were swimming happily in the Swamp.  A President who has thumbed his nose at Presidential behavioral norms such as releasing tax forms.  The list goes on for a President that was elected by less than 50 % of the voters ... and who governs and legislates on behalf of a much smaller percentage of wealthier Americans.

State and Local Events

This year’s California Democratic Convention, is just around the corner on February 23-25, and will be attended by a number of our Club members.  It promises to be a lively and inspiring Convention as we prepare for this year’s elections.

In our county this coming Friday, January 5, Supervisor John Zaragoza will be holding a meeting at the Ventura County Board of Supervisors at 10:00 am to discuss setting up a Ventura County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Committee.  Those interested in community choice energy will want to follow the Camarillo City Council’s agenda this month, because the possibility of joining with Los Angeles Community Choice Energy (LACCE) will be on the agenda this month.

Goings-On in the Club

Meanwhile, with respect to our own Club, I am very pleased to let you know that Pat Ehret has agreed to join our E-Board as our Corresponding Secretary.  She eventually agreed to put her name forward during our December Installation Luncheon, and a unanimous group of attendees at the luncheon voted her in.  So, we have a full E-Board going into 2018.  Those who are on the Region 10 Endorsement Committee should watch their email since there will be a meeting on January 13 and January 27. 

As many of you know, because of the conflict with the January 20 Women’s March, we have rescheduled our Ready to Run fundraiser to March 10th.  Hopefully, many of you will be able to purchase tickets and attend at the lovely Channel Islands Art Studio in Camarillo, since this is a key opportunity for our Club to build up its 2018 election activity funds.  I am confident that Thom Tibor, Cathy Osgood, Maggie Curley, and their event committee colleagues will organize an exciting event!

I look forward to seeing you this coming Thursday, and hearing from our invited speaker Bob Weiss and the Ventura County Brady Committee.