Once upon a time there was an America people believed in. Like most things people believe in, part of the power of the belief was based on myth. Myths are stories that don’t have to be factual to be true. Consider the myth of George Washington and the cherry tree, for example. The anecdote—little George confessing to chopping down his father’s cherry tree—may or may not be factual, but the […]
Politics
General Election Guide for CA-10
Few midterm elections have been as consequential as this year’s. Most observers are calling the elections a referendum on Donald Trump, but off-year elections generally do reflect on the president, no matter who’s in office. While we believe Donald Trump is wrong for the Valley and wrong for the nation, we think the focus now should be on our local candidates as much as possible. In some cases, we can’t […]
Jeff Denham’s True (Water) Colors
Assistant Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt doesn’t get much attention. He probably likes it that way. If more people knew about his previous job as a high-priced lobbyist for Westlands Water District, there might be more publicity about his attempts to influence California water policy. As it is, the people getting credit for the Trump administration’s western water policy are Jeff Denham, David Valadao, Devin Nunes and Kevin McCarthy, all […]
And You Can Kiss Your Water Good-bye
From Restore the Delta: “Congressman Denham, who claims to be against the Brown Administration’s WaterFix tunnels, has, however, also voted for and helped to advance the controversial Calvert and Valadao riders in the Department of Interior House Appropriations bill. The Calvert rider would strip Delta residents of due process rights by blocking their ability to litigate over the tunnels project, while the Valadao rider would block Delta residents from being […]
Jeff Denham’s Bay Area Connections
A while back, Modesto Doctor C.V. Allen wrote that election time is, “a season in which truths die by the thousand, hyperbole reaches its apex and most Americans plug their ears and wait for it all to pass.” Dr. Allen was writing in response to a, “Jeff Denham hit-piece mailer suggesting Josh Harder’s health plan would ‘make you sick.’” Dr. Allen felt compelled to write because he’s among that shrinking […]
Frank Damrell: Ready and Able to Serve Now
Stanislaus County’s Supervisors’ District 4 includes a large swath of the City of Modesto. It’s by far the most urban district in the entire county. It’s also the district most impacted by homelessness and crime. The incumbent supervisor, Dick Monteith, is by all accounts a good man, but no one thinks of him as pro-active. Now in his mid-eighties, Monteith has been a throwback to the supervisor of old, a […]
Jeff Denham’s Supporters: Analysis by Bruce Frohman
No matter what Congressman Jeff Denham says or does, the politician has a dedicated cadre of supporters who cannot and will not be swayed to vote for anyone else. They are proud of their loyalty and may defend their opinion to the point of incivility. Mr. Denham’s supporters are not deplorable. They are not evil people. They are not stupid. They have a viewpoint that they strongly believe in. They […]
Lies About Harder Nothing New for Denham*
Republican Laura Perry will never forget how Jeff Denham campaigned in the 2000 California Assembly Primary. Denham’s campaign achieved new lows even then: “They told out-and-out lies,” said Perry, who later became a Gavilan College Trustee. “It was a very dirty primary. He had no experience. He didn’t even know that a bond wasn’t a tax.” Denham’s dirty tactics surfaced again in his 2002 campaign for the 12th District’s California […]
Legendary Modesto Doctor Slams Denham’s Lies
From the very beginning of the establishment of first-rate health care in Modesto, Doctor Charles (CV) Van Allen’s Mayo Clinic credentials provided guidelines for the highest medical and ethical standards. He was a founding member of Modesto’s non-profit Memorial Hospital, today known as the Memorial Medical Center. Over the years, Dr. Allen has written periodic educational OP/ED pieces for the Modesto Bee about the state of health care in the […]
Harder Rolls Denham
Jeff Denham came into the room shouting and left the room shouting and no one knows why. A big man, maybe Denham thought he could intimidate Turlock native Josh Harder, his opponent in the race to represent California’s 10th Congressional District in Washington DC. But Harder was on his home turf and seemed to grow more and more comfortable as the debate between the two went on at Turlock’s Carnegie […]