Chad Condit, “not credible,” said Judge. We Agree

In 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Earl H Carroll ruled that Chad Condit’s testimony during a bankruptcy case was, “not credible.” Today, Condit’s claim to be a Democrat running for State Assembly is also not credible.

Condit registered as a Democrat only a few short weeks ago. Shortly thereafter, an AstroTurf organization calling itself “Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy” began a smear campaign against Jessica Self, the only true Democrat running for State Assembly in California District 22.

According to CalMatters, funding for “Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy” comes from sources including Sempra Energy (parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric), Chevron, PhRMA and Walmart. A “strong economy” for Walmart is one that keeps its underpaid workers on food stamps. For Chevron, it’s an economy that features astronomic gas prices, even while the American people are suffering lingering effects and economic devastation from the Covid 19 pandemic.

PhRMA? PhRMA lobbies on behalf of the pharmaceutical companies that overcharge the American people on most every prescription medicine they need to keep them alive, especially critical needs like insulin. According to Wikipedia,

“The organization has lobbied fiercely against allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices for Medicare recipients.^[4] At the state-level, the organization has lobbied to prevent price limits and greater price transparency for drugs.^[5] PhRMA has given substantial dark money donations to right-wing advocacy groups such as the American Action Network (which lobbied heavily against the Affordable Care Act), the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity and Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, while rarely providing some donations to centrist or moderately right-leaning groups such as Center Forward.”^”

It’s PhRMA and its fellow members of “Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy” that’s been paying for the blizzard of mailers smearing Jessica Self. In one, Self is called a “Criminal Defender.”

Actually, Jessica Self is among those valiant members of the legal profession who take on the burden of defense for people who find themselves in court without enough money to afford today’s attorney’s fees. That group includes a growing population of hard-working people who earn only enough money to live week-to-week, people like those who work for Walmart, the company that wants Chad Condit in our State Assembly. Calling her a “Criminal Defender” is like calling Mother Theresa an enabler of bums and degenerates.

Though he describes himself as a “businessman,” Chad Condit’s sketchy business history since the bankruptcy ruling has been as a part time political consultant. The rest is mysterious. At times, he’s been a Sacramento insider — some would say “hack” — and an instant Democrat only because pressing expedience dictated a political makeover. Very recently he “declined to declare.”

Chad Condit is no Democrat. That’s why Jessica Self received the official endorsement of the California Democratic Party. In fact, Chad Condit isn’t even a credible Republican.  He’s a political opportunist, pure and simple.

“Innocent until proven guilty” is an American standard held up only by our right to legal defense. Jessica Self and her fellow public defenders are all many of us have between justice for all and a world of show trials, rule by decree, and abuse of the law by the rich and powerful, including those same companies that have paid for the smear campaign against her.

Judge Carroll was right in 2008 and he’s still right. Chad Condit “is not credible.” Neither is the vile campaign against Jessica Self. Funded by price gougers, exploiters of the sick, dying, and working poor, the smears against Jessica Self represent yet another new low in Valley politics.

Chad Condit is not credible. Voters should send him back to the party anonymity and political wilderness he came from.