Now that it’s clear Republican dreams for holding the fort in California have been drowned in a Blue Wave that penetrated as far as Orange County, Stanislaus County Supervisor Kristen Olsen has already begun seeking higher ground. Like other California Republicans, Olsen is facing the prospect of a permanently stained brand, at least within her home state. And like recently defeated Congressman Jeff Denham, Olsen is blaming the Republican Party […]
Congressman Jeff Denham
Harder for the Win
Only days before the November 6 General Election, Jeff Denham was telling journalists he didn’t think his contest against challenger Josh Harder would be close. “They’ve brought in people before…,” said Denham, before trailing off. The implication was that Harder was just another outsider brought in by the Democratic Party to offer a token challenge for an incumbent most political insiders thought invincible—and for good reason. In 2016, when Hillary […]
Still Undecided? Vote for America
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Why Jeff Denham Wants the Twin Tunnels
Jeff Denham’s California Congressional District 10 is purple—it’s almost equally divided between red (for Republican) and blue (for Democrat) voters. But despite the almost equal balance between Republicans and Democrats in his district, Jeff Denham votes with his Republican Party 97.8% of the time. Just for comparison’s sake, consider Representative Tom McClintock, Denham’s Republican colleague in nearby District 4. Even though his district leans far more heavily Republican than Denham’s […]
Want water? “Donors first,” says Jeff Denham
Ordinarily, a Beverly Hills billionaire, a Sacramento attorney, and an Oakdale farmer wouldn’t have much in common, but politics, water, and money are the ties that bind Stewart Resnick, Tim O’Laughlin, and John Brichetto to Congressman Jeff Denham. Brichetto is the only one of the three who lives in Denham’s district (CA-10), but as one of the largest independent landowners within the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID), Brichetto provides the loudest […]
Valley Water, Valley Politics: A Fact Pattern
An acre foot of water is the amount of water that it takes to occupy an acre of land at one foot deep. It’s generally assumed that a family of four in a water-rich region will use about one acre foot of water per year; two families can use the same amount if conserving water carefully. Just the facts: Because it provides water to district farmers at well below the […]