Contesting 435 Seats in 2008
by Jonathan Singer, Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 11:06:29 AM EST
One of the few disappointments of this last cycle -- and there weren't too many -- was that despite the great efforts to field Democratic candidates in every congressional district in the country California's 42nd district was among those in which a Republican incumbent was allowed to run unopposed.
To be clear, CA-42 is not necessarily Democrat country; George W. Bush carried the district with 59 percent of the vote in 2000 and 62 percent in 2004. But it is represented by one of the less scrupulous members of Congress, Gary Miller, who could have at least been held to account for his actions and perhaps even driven out of Congress this year. Local activist Mark Hull-Richter attempted to mount a write-in campaign for the Democratic nomination, which would have at least put a name on the ballot on November 7, but he ultimately did not have the time or resources to get his name out to voters (you may remember our interview with Mark back in June).
In August Chris wrote a fairly extensive treatise on why we need to run candidates in every district, focusing specifically on CA-42. I suggest you go back and take a look at it. Otherwise, this week both the Los Angeles Times and The Hill have rather scathing looks at Rep. Miller that are worth mentioning. First, The Times' William Heisel writing under the headline "Ex-aides allege abuse of power".
With community activists packed into the Monrovia Community Center one winter night in 2000, U.S. Rep. Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) implored City Council members to purchase 165 acres he owned in the foothills and turn the land into a wilderness preserve.Earlier that day, according to interviews with former Miller staff members and official correspondence reviewed by The Times, Miller asked one staffer to find a way to place one of the councilmen -- a pawnshop owner with no parks experience -- on the prestigious National Park System Advisory Board.
The aide said he was told to "make it a priority."
Miller then continued to push for the councilman's appointment even after staff members warned him that trying to secure the park board seat for the councilman could appear to be a bribe, internal memos show.
The move was one of many that Miller has made over the years in which he brought his congressional muscle to bear on personal business matters, according to the former staff members and the correspondence from Miller's congressional office -- handwritten notes, letters on Miller's congressional letterhead and e-mails.
The Hill's Susan Crabtree also details efforts, both by Miller and also perhaps on his behalf, to secure federal earmarks for the city of Monrovia to buy property that he owned. In short, this guy has a serious ethics, if not corruption problem and we -- the Netroots, the Democratic Party, and House Democrats -- were remiss for not actively recruiting a candidate to run against him this year. This mistake cannot and must not be repeated this year, either in California's 42nd district or anywhere else. There can be real debates over where the DCCC and other organizations should direct their money, but for the Democrats not to even put up a candidate with as much baggage as Rep. Miller is just not right.
Though I went to school not far from Miller's district, I'm not entirely keyed into the politics of his district. To the Southern Californians in our midst, are there any names from this Inland Valley who might be able or willing to go up against Garry Miller? And to everyone around the country in congressional districts currently held by Republicans -- particularly those in the 10 districts we did not contest this year (AL-6, AZ-6, CA-42, FL-12, LA-6, MS-3, TX-11, VA-4, VA-6, and WI-6), but not limited to them -- start thinking of some names of people you'd like to see run for Congress in 2008. Already have a name? Great. Let us know in the comments and tell us why you think they should take the plunge.
The Netroots can play an even larger role in setting the slate of Democratic candidates around the country in 2008 than ever before. But it will take a lot of effort. So it's not a bad idea to get started early.
Tags: CA-42, House 2008 (all tags)
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