In retrospect, Jerry McNerney’s upset win over Richard Pombo in 2006 may have been an omen. A seven-term congressman with a high national profile and leadership credentials in the House of Representatives, Pombo’s loss to the low-key but high-integrity McNerney didn’t produce the Blue Wave Valley Democrats had hoped for, but it did show an increasing voter concern for rising corruption in government. Pombo had been tainted by a close […]
Josh Harder
Josh Harder—Leading by Example
It’s only a few months into Josh Harder’s first term as California District 10’s Congressman, but he’s already more than delivered on his promise to be available for his constituents. Somebody, somewhere, is probably counting the town halls, office hours, ribbon cuttings and meetings Harder has attended so far, but the number is not as important as the quality. Congressman Harder has been on a district-wide listening tour that has […]
Josh Harder’s Bay Area Friends
April 26, the Modesto Bee ran a story about an event Josh Harder held for Bay Area supporters of he and TJ Cox. One reader wrote he could see no difference between support from the Bay Area and support from Russia. That seems to be the view of many Valley citizens. If only John Flint were around to comment. Ed. The late John Michael Flint used to say nothing could […]
Josh Harder One-on-One
Continuing the blistering pace he set during his campaign for Congress, Josh Harder has been meeting one-on-one with constituents throughout his district since Saturday. He’s also holding town hall meetings while visiting locales from Turlock to Tracy and points between. Saturday, he hosted “office hours” at the Veterans’ Center in Modesto, participated in the Women’s March, and then held a town hall meeting in Ceres, where there was standing room […]
Valley Democrats: It’s About Winning
The midterm wave of Democratic wins in traditionally Republican California districts brought on a spate of conspiracy theories, none wackier than the one put forward by California District 1o (CA-10) loser Ted Howze. But it turns out District 10 was indeed illustrative of several factors that could well determine the future of the Democratic Party, not just in California, but across the nation. The Primary race began with a crowded […]
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 […]
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 […]
LCR Endorses Caballero, Harder
After appearances by Assemblymember Anna Caballero and congressional candidate Josh Harder, Modesto’s Latino Community Roundtable (LCR) endorsed both on September 6. Balloting for Stanislaus District Attorney resulted in a tie between incumbent Birgit Fladager and challenger John R Mayne. It appears both will receive an endorsement. Caballero is running for State Senate in California District 12 against Rob Poythress. During a speech to members of LCR, Caballero emphasized her rural […]
Bruce Frohman on Jeff Denham: Propaganda over Service
Former Modesto City Councilman Bruce Frohman followed Jeff Denham’s long political career well before he won at the federal level and ever since. Although Jeff Denham has not been a good Congressman, he’s a masterful propagandist. He’s even got a billboard praising his failed effort to help promote DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals); that’s real chutzpah. He did not express support for DACA until the law expired and his […]
At the March: Names and Stories
“This is about a profound contrast in moral vision for what America should be.” Josh Harder America is names, names and stories. The names—Madueno and Kolasinski, Nou and Tanaka, Harder and Hughes and Hernandez, Lakestani and Dashputre, Ricci and Costello and Talbott, Pallios and Nelson and Scribner—all have stories, and some of those stories were told at Saturday’s March for Families in downtown Modesto. Julissa Ruiz Ramirez told the story of […]