General Colin Powell (Retired), Secretary of State 2001-2005, on “Meet the Press” 08/20/08:

Meet the Press: …Senator McCain. You have met twice at least with Barack Obama. Are you prepared to make a public declaration of which of these two candidates you are prepared to support?

Powell (nodding): Uh, yes, but let me lead into it this way.

I know both of these individuals very well now. I’ve known John for 25 years as your set-up said, and I’ve gotten to know Mr. Obama quite well over the past two years. Both of them are distinguished Americans who are patriotic, dedicated to the welfare of our country. Either one of them, I think, would be a good president.

I have said to Mr. McCain that, um, I admire all he has done. I have some concerns about the direction that the Party has taken in recent years. It has moved more to the Right than I would like to see it, but that’s a choice the Party makes.

And I’ve said to Mr. Obama, “You have to pass the test of, Do you have enough experience? Do you bring the judgment to the table that would give us confidence that you would be a good president?”

And I’ve watched them over the past two years, frankly, and I’ve had this conversation with them. I have especially watched over the last six or seven weeks as both of them have really taken a final exam with respect to this economic crisis that we are in, and coming out of the Conventions.

And I must say that, uh, I’ve gotten a good measure of both. In the case of Mr. McCain, I found that he was a little unsure as to how to deal with the economic problems that we’re having. And almost every day there was a different approach to the problem and that concerned me. It’s sensing that he didn’t have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had. And I was also concerned at the selection of Governor Palin. She’s a very distinguished woman and she is to be admired. But at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don’t believe she’s ready to be President of the United States, which is the job of the Vice President. And so, uh, that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made.

On the Obama side, I watched Mr. Obama and I watched him during this seven-week period. And he displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge, and an approach to looking at problems like this, picking a Vice President that I think is ready to be President on Day One. And also in – not just in jumping in and changing every day – but showing intellectual vigor, I think that he has a definitive way of doing business that would serve us well.

I also believe that on the Republican side over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain has become narrower and narrower. Uh, Mr. Obama, at the same time, has given us a more conclusive, more reach into the needs and aspirations of our people. He’s crossing lines – ethnic lines, racial lines, generational lines. He’s thinking about all villages have values, all towns have values – not just small towns have values.

And I’ve also been disappointed, frankly, by some of the approaches that Senator McCain has taken recently – or his campaign has – on issues that are not really central to the problems that the American people are worried about. This Bill Ayers situation that’s been going on for weeks became something of a central point of the campaign, but Mr. McCain says that he’s a watchdog of terrorists. Then why do we keep talking about him? And why do we have these robocalls going on around the country, trying to suggest that because of this very, very limited relationship that Senator Obama has had with Mr. Ayers, somehow Mr. Obama is tainted. What they’re trying to connect him to is some kind of terrorist feelings. And I think that’s inappropriate.

Now I understand what politics is all about. I know how you can go after one another. And that’s good. But, I think this goes too far. And I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It’s not what the American people are looking for.

And I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign and they trouble me. And the Party has moved even further to the Right. And Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift. I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that’s what we’d be looking at in a McCain Administration.

I’m also troubled by – not what Senator McCain says – but what members of the Party say, and it is permitted to be said: such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.” Well, the correct answer is he is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian; has always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, “What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?” The answer’s “No, that’s not America.” Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be President? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own Party drop the suggestion he’s Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery. And she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards – Purple Heart, Bronze Star; showed that he died in Iraq; gave his date of birth, date of death. He was twenty years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn’t have a Christian cross. It didn’t have a Star of David. It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Karim Rashad Sultan Kahn. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey, he was fourteen years old at the time of 9/11 and he waited until he could go serve his country and he gave his life.

Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as non-discriminatory as anyone I know. But I’m troubled about the fact that within the Party we have these kinds of expressions.

So when I look at all of this and I think back to my army career, we’ve got two individuals. Either one of them could be a good president, but which is the president that we need now? Which is the individual that serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time? And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities – and we have to take that into account – as well as his substance – he has both style and substance – he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president.

I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the … onto the world stage and on the American stage and for that reason, I’ll be voting for Senator Barack Obama.

Strickland mailer designed to look like it is coming from Jackson.
Illegally fails to disclose actual sender.

Tony Strickland has reached a new low in his dishonest campaign against Hannah-Beth Jackson. Yesterday, voters in the 19th District received a mailing from Strickland’s campaign titled “Hannah-Beth Jackson’s Economic Plan.” Inside, the mailing contained Strickland’s predictable false charges about Hannah-Beth Jackson and taxes.

The mailing was clearly designed to look like it was coming from Hannah-Beth Jackson’s campaign.

The problem is that nowhere on the piece of mail is the actual sender (Tony Strickland’s State Senate Committee) disclosed. State election law requires the name of the committee to be prominently placed on the outside of every piece of political mail.

We know it comes from Strickland because it has his return address on the piece – postal regulations require a return address. The piece could not be mailed without one.

“Tony Strickland believes he can blatantly violate the law because he knows that the only consequence will be a fine, levied months after the election. Strickland has no regard for the law,” stated Jackson consultant Parke Skelton.

“This was not an inadvertent failure to put the proper disclaimer on the mailer, it is an obvious attempt to confuse voters,” Skelton continued.

This is the prevailing section of the State’s Political Reform Act:

§ 84305. Requirements for Mass Mailing.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), no candidate or committee shall send a mass mailing unless the name, street address, and city of the candidate or committee are shown on the outside of each piece of mail in the mass mailing and on at least one of the inserts included within each piece of mail of the mailing in no less than 6-point type which shall be in a color or print which contrasts with the background so as to be easily legible.

“We will be seeking legal remedies to ensure that this illegal election fraud is appropriately punished,” Skelton concluded.

The Republican-controlled Ventura County Board of Education’s (VCBE) contract to pay two out-of-town firms more than $396,000 to lobby on behalf of the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) has produced little more than additional bills for taxpayers and a possible partnership with a private Christian College in Indiana which could help build the college a new $8.5 million building.

Since 2007, the VCOE has enlisted the services of Anchor Consulting, LLC, of Alexandria, Va. and Capitol Venture, LLC of Sacramento. Each of these lobbying firms received $10,000 a month from the VCBE. The board majority originally voted to use money garnered from leasing educational broadband services to pay for the lobbyist expenses. Now it is using money in reserves.

According to an article in the Jan. 16 edition of Roll Call, Anchor Consulting dreamed up a plan for the VCOE to partner with another one of its clients, Grace College, an evangelical Christian college in Indiana, to obtain No Child Left Behind (NCLB) money to fund a project for at-risk youth in Ventura County.

“The biggest chunk of the budget would be a new $8.5 million building on the Grace campus that would be used to host VCOE at-risk youth for four sessions of a two-week summer camp,” the Roll Call article states. “Grace would continue to use the building throughout the year.”

Currently, no earmarks for the at-risk youth program have been placed in the re-authorization of the NCLB measure, which was stalled in the last legislative session.

“No Child Left Behind is underfunded as it is,” said VCBE Trustee Mary Louise Peterson, a critic of the lobbying contracts. “And we’re trying to take money away from a program that is underfunded to give to a private college?” she asked.

The board’s other paid lobbying firm, Capitol Venture, recently billed nearly $800 in expenses for a meeting with Wal-Mart executives to talk about a Regional Occupational Program, Peterson said. “We’re their only education client.” This bill was in addition to their monthly $10,000 fee, Peterson said.

How were these two firms selected?

VCBE member Chris Valenzano, a former legislative aide to Tony Strickland when he served in the Assembly, proposed in September of 2006 that the board consider hiring lobbyists, according to board minutes.

Records from the California Secretary of State indicate Joseph G. Yocca of Capitol Venture made a $1,000 donation to Republican Tony Strickland in October of 2006 during his failed race for State Controller. Anchor Consulting also made a $1,000 donation to Strickland’s race at the same
time. Strickland is now running for State Senate District 19, which serves Ventura County and portions of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles County.

Not long after, in February of 2007, according to board minutes, VCBOE member and Ventura County Republican Central Committee member Dean Kunicki said he was considering six lobbying firms for the County Schools Office. He did not provide costs at the time he presented his recommendations. In March of 2007, a majority of the board voted to pursue contracts with these two lobbying firms. No other firms were presented for the vote.

The $396,000 contract is one of the largest expenditures for educational lobbyists in the state. Only a handful of other county offices have hired lobbyists.

Capitol Venture was also involved in work on a failed bill authored by Assembly member Audra Strickland last year. According to the Ventura County Star, AB911, introduced on behalf of the VCOE, would have equalized the amount of money counties receive for students in Regional Occupational Programs. The bill would not have helped the local schools, former Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Charles Weis told the Star, “It would have taken money away from us.”

Recent online reports filed on behalf of the Ventura County Board of Education for the 2007-08 state legislative session show no lobbying activity reported in the second, third and fourth quarters. A report from the lobbying firms presented to the board blamed partisan politics for the lack of activity on behalf of the county schools.

Two candidates currently running for seats on the Ventura County Board of Education will bring much-needed change. Dr. Mark Lisagor is running for District 3, which serves Camarillo, Somis, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru, Meiners Oaks, Oak View, Ojai and Wheelers Springs. Dr. Ramon Flores is running for District 5, serving Oxnard, Colonia, Ocean View and El Rio.

“The unwarranted spending by the current board on dubious lobbyists with little or no accountability must stop. As a trustee, I will be an effective advocate for public education in Sacramento and our nation’s capitol,” Lisagor said.

Jan. 16 Roll Call article:

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_79/news/21585-1.html?type=printer_friendly

The Ventura County Democratic Party has launched both a new website and Facebook Group in time for the November election. The website (http://www.VenturaCountyDemocrats.com) and Facebook Group (Ventura County Democratic Party) helps local Democrats and Progressives connect, share information and build friendships with like minded individuals.

The new website, VenturaCountyDemocrats.com has a modern look and many features to distribute information on party and club activities. There is a list of candidates running for office from the Presidency to local candidates for most of the cities in Ventura County. There is a calendar of events for people who wish to attend a political rallies, campaign fundraisers, club meetings or other functions. There is information on the various Democratic Clubs, links to other information sources, lists of elected officials and, of course, a place to make donations to support the Democratic party in Ventura County.

Facebook is has become a significant way for people with shared interests to connect and grow relationships. The Ventura County Democratic Party Facebook Group helps the party reach new activists. Most existing activists are adults, many of whom are retired and have the time to be involved. It has been hard for either party to recruit new, younger activists as reaching has been traditionally difficult. Facebook’s youthful user base helps the Ventura County Democratic party overcome this problem. The Ventura County Democratic Party Facebook group provides a place for its members to share information, stories and thoughts with existing and new friends. There is a calendar of events for those who wish to attend political rallies, campaign fundraisers, club meetings or other functions. Facebook users will be able to invite their friends to join the group and get involved working on issues important to their communities.

The Ventura County Democratic Party works hard to help local Democratic candidates get elected to public offices. These people makeup the backbone of our communities filling positions on our local School Boards, City Councils, Water Districts, Harbor Commissions, and performing Mayoral duties. These are the offices that keep communities going. These are also the offices that prepare our many of our Senators, Governors, and Congressmen to govern, providing them with their first elected offices. The Ventura Democratic Party helps indentify these candidates and get them elected. Donations to the Ventura County Democratic Party are pooled to supprt the races of these little-known candidates wishing to serve their communities in these important positions. Please donate today at http://www.VenturaCountyDemocrats.com.

The Ventura County Reporter has an article in this weeks Paper and on its website about Democratic Congressional Candidate Marta Jorgensen written by our own Susan Zannos. Here is an excerpt.

“An unlikely David has taken the field to challenge the hugely financed, long-entrenched Republican Goliath, Elton Gallegly of California’s 24th Congressional District. Marta Jorgensen, the diminutive Democratic candidate in the upcoming November election, was as surprised as anyone else when, without enough funding for much more than a slingshot, she won the Democratic primary in June.

Elton Gallegly has defeated all comers to retain his seat in the House of Representatives for the past 21 years. During his long tenure in office, Gallegly has distinguished himself primarily by not distinguishing himself. During the current Congress, Gallegly failed 92 times to show up to vote. ”

Go to the VCReporter website at Marta Jorgensen: A champion for the 24th Congressional District and read the article.

Marta Jorgensen is holding a fundraiser this weekend:

Time: Saturday, October 18 at 4:00 PM
Duration: 4 hours
Host: Mike Weston
Contact Phone: 805-647-5578
Location:
Home of Barbara and Ted Jakubanis (Simi Valley, CA)
591 Pinecliff Place
Simi Valley, CA 93065

You also may see our ads to “Help Obama bring Change to Main Street ad.

Jackson secures endorsements from vast majority of Police and Deputy Sheriffs Organizations

The Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) that represents thousands of Deputy Sheriffs in Los Angeles County endorsed Hannah-Beth Jackson for State Senate. The 19th Senate District includes a portion of Los Angeles County in the Santa Clarita area.

With ALADS, Jackson has secured endorsements from the vast majority of police and deputy sheriffs organization throughout the district including: Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, Ventura County Professional Peace Officers Association, Santa Barbara Deputy Sheriffs Association and the Santa Barbara Police Officers Association. This is in addition to every Firefighter organization in the 19th District. For a full list go to: www.Jackson4Senate.com .

Jackson has a proven record as an effective crime fighter both as a former prosecutor for Santa Barbara County and during her tenure as a State Assemblymember. Jackson was able to pass laws to protect families from violent criminals, assist victims of crime and punish those who break our laws. Jackson was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for passing a law to more severely punish drunk driving and by the Junior League of California for passing laws to prevent domestic violence.

Republican Sheriff Bill Brown from Santa Barbara County agrees: “Hannah-Beth Jackson is a former prosecutor who understands that we need supportive leadership in the State Legislature to be effective in the fight against crime and violence. She was an effective member of the Assembly with a strong public safety record. That’s why I support Hannah-Beth Jackson for State Senate.”

Police Chief Pat Miller from the City of Ventura also agrees: “Time and time again, Hannah-Beth Jackson came through in making sure we had the laws we needed to arrest and prosecute violent criminals. She will be a great champion for public safety in the State Senate.”

State Senate District 19 Democratic candidate Hannah-Beth Jackson will square off with Republican Tony Strickland once again in a town hall-style event on Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Ventura College Cafeteria. The event will be sponsored by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and the Ventura County Star. It is free and open to the public.

Jackson, the former Assembly member for the 35th District, demonstrated just how capable a debater she is with a strong showing against Strickland at a forum held Sept. 21 at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks.

The former deputy district attorney effectively challenged her opponent’s ballot designation as a “renewable energy businessman” after the forum moderator announced the environmental records of the two candidates.  The California League of Conservation Voters gave Jackson a 98.8 percent rating vs. Strickland’s 1.67 percent. Strickland immediately went on the attack against the organization.

Jackson countered, “Rather than defame an organization that’s been held in high esteem in the environmental community for decades, let’s look at the bills they were talking about.” Strickland even voted against a bill which would’ve helped the renewable energy industry, she said.

Jackson also excelled at a Sept. 24 forum co-sponsored by the Star and the California Association of Political Centrists. Citing issues with the bipartisan group co-sponsoring the forum, Strickland declined to participate.

Jackson spoke about why she decided to go into politics. “I’m an eternal optimist and that’s what brings me into the political world.”

Her advice for negotiating next year’s budget: “Stop this ideological posturing. Politics is the art of compromise.”

The Ventura College Cafeteria is located in the CSA building across from the gymnasium, 4667 Telegraph Road, in Ventura. Parking is free. For more information, call the Ventura Chamber of Commerce at (805) 676-7500.

The next forum between Jackson and Strickland will be hosted by the League of Women Voters and will be held Oct. 10 from 4-5 p.m. at Cal Lutheran University’s Oxnard Campus, 2201 Outlet Center Drive, Suite 600, in Oxnard.