+ June 2017 Newsletter CALENDAR OF EVENTS Inside This Issue Calendar of Events 1 June 1 Executive Committee, 2:00pm, NCDCC Conference Annual Democratic Gala & Auction Flyer 2 Room, at 138 New Mohawk Rd., Nevada City First Tuesday Educational Forum Flyer 3 June 1 Communications Committee, 4:00pm – 6:00pm, NCDCC NCDCC Candidate Workshop Flyer 4 Conference at 138 New Mohawk Rd., Nevada City NCDWC Flyer 5 June 3 Democratic Women‘s Club, 9:00am, 151 Union Square, Grass Valley Bridgeport Bird Walks 6 June 3 NCDCC Annual Gala & Auction, Saturday.5:00pm, at We Are Not Enemies 7-8 Love Building, Condon Park, 600 Minnie St., Grass Real Life Examples From Denmark 8-9 Valley So-Called Healthcare 10-11 June 6 First Tuesday Educational Forum, 5:30pm, at Peace The Healthcare Crisis 11-12 Lutheran Church, 828 West Main St., Grass Valley. First Tuesday Forum Summary 13 June 7 Candidate Recruitment and Support Committee, 5:00pm – A Southern Trip Travel Lessons 14 7:00pm at 138 New Mohawk Rd., Nevada City Shattered Book Review 15-16 June 14 Political Outreach Committee, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, at 138 CDP Convention Information 17 New Mohawk Rd, , Nevada City CDP Convention Photos 18-23 June 15 By-Laws Committee, 3:00pm, NCDCC Conference LaMalfa Watch 24 Room, at 138 New Mohawk Rd., Nevada City Take Part In Local Government 25 June 15 NCDCC, Conference Room (downstairs) 6:00pm, NCDCC Conference Room, at 138 New Mohawk Rd., RESULTS Workshop 25 Nevada City Opinion Editorial Instructions 26 June 16 Volunteer & Headquarters Committee, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, Pinterest 26 at 138 New Mohawk Rd. , Nevada City Facebook Instructions 27 June 26 Fundraising Committee, 10:00am – 12:00pm, at 138 New ―Someone Said‖ 27 Mohawk Rd. , Nevada City Cartoon 28 Cartoon 29 AFFINITY GROUPS: How To List Your Up Coming Events 30 Newsletter Information 30 June 10 League Of Women Voters, 10:00am, Peace Lutheran Visit Us On Facebook 30 Church, 828 West Main St., Grass Valley. Contact [email protected] June 29 RESULTS Advocacy Workshop, 7:00pm – 8:30pm, NCDCC 19002 Dog Bar Rd., Grass Valley. Contact Lisa Scliff at
Peter Minett, Chair [email protected] Nancy Eubanks, 1st Vice Chair June Brady Campaign, Call 530-432-2171 or e-mail nd [email protected] Margie Joehnck, 2 Vice Chair June Indivisible Gold Country, weekly on Monday, 1:00pm, M. Joanne Bodine, Controller Helling Library, 980 Helling Way, Nevada City – check Neil Bodine, Recording Secretary facebook page Diane L. Emmett, Corresponding Secretary June NC Indivisible Dems for Progress, contact Chris Hawkins Diane L. Emmett, Newsletter Editor at [email protected]
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June First Tuesday Educational Forum
Tuesday June 6, 2017 Presents Heidi Hall – My Transition from Candidate to Supervisor Heidi Hall worked in state government for years before deciding to run for Congress against Republican Doug LaMalfa. Although she did not win, she took many lessons with her when she decided to run for District One representative on the Nevada County Board of Supervisors. Unlike her opponent, Heidi made no secret of the fact that she was a registered Democrat, although the seat was nonpartisan. Last June, she won the election after a hard-fought, grass roots, volunteer-driven campaign. She was sworn in as a member of the Board of Supervisors in January 2017. At the next First Tuesday Educational Forum presented by the Nevada County Democrats, Heidi will discuss her experience in transitioning from political campaigning to governing and the lessons she has learned in her journey from hardscrabble politics to making decisions that affect all constituents regardless of political persuasion. How difficult has the transition been? What has most surprised her? What has most frustrated her? What is it like to be in a closed session with the Board? What is the interaction like among the Board members? How do disagreements get resolved? Find out in this informative and exciting presentation. June 6, 5:30 pm Peace Lutheran Church, 828 West Main Street, Grass Valley Pizza & salad provided. Beverages available. For more info click on: http://nevadacountydemocrats.com/ or call 530-265-3367 (265-DEMS)
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CANDIDATE WORKSHOP June 24, 2017
Our Candidate Workshop will be held again on June 24th. If you are thinking about being a candidate or wanting to be able to help candidates win, don‘t miss this workshop. The first one we did in April received much positive feedback-great information, great format, and great food, as one attendee summed it up. This one a repeat of the same program updated by some of the feedback we got. It will be on June 24th in the cafeteria room at 138 New Mohawk Rd. Nevada City, 95959.
The workshop covers basic campaign tools-timelines, finances, skills needed, pitfalls- as well as a better understanding of the role the Democratic Party plays in the process. We‘ll open registration at 8:30 am so you can get the continental breakfast and your materials and be ready to start the workshop at 9 am. It will end by 3 pm.
Reservations are required and can be made by going to our website, NevadaCountyDemocrats.com. Deadline to register is June 19th. Space is limited.
Call Margie Joehnck, 748-5146 for more information. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/workshop?refcode=m24
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This June 3rd at 9 am we will have our monthly Nevada County Democratic Women’s Club Meeting at a NEW LOCATION 151 UNION SQUARE IN GRASS VALLEY There is an also an entrance on Mill Street. Speaker will be Jessica Holcombe running for District 1 representative against LaMalfa The Executive Board will be sworn in for the year
When: June 3rd at 9 am
151 Union Square Downtown Where: Grass Valley
What to bring: Yourself and a friend
$15 for Breakfast or $5 for coffee and speaker
RSVP to: Shanti Emerson , 530-575-2891
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WE ARE NOT ENEMIES
On March 4th, 1861, facing the possibility of civil war, Abraham Lincoln delivered his first inaugural address in which he appealed to ―the better angels of our nature.‖ ―We are not enemies, but friends.‖ he said. ―We must not (emphasis mine) be enemies.‖ The country didn‘t listen.
I am a retired documentary film-maker, educator, and disabled Vietnam veteran. I am dismayed at the fractured states of America and I‘m searching for answers.
Today we are on the brink, not of a civil war, but rather a war on civility. Too many view the other as ―enemy,‖ from the President who sees journalists as ―enemies of the people,‖ to a fractured, impotent political system, to those who have lost friends whose views they cannot countenance
Viewing the opposition as the enemy shuts off rational discourse. Having enemies invites the language of attack. Name-calling removes the humanity of the opposition. In some this descends into hatred, sometimes to the point of violence, as witnessed so recently in Berkeley
Surrounded by enemies, some seek strong ―leaders‖ to protect them. These get their power from fear. Despots and politicians have for centuries used fear to consolidate their power. Create enemies and people will follow, even into poverty, even into war. Putin, Erdogan, Kim Jong-un, and Duterte are present examples of a long line of bad people misleading good people.
Meanwhile, in our country, too many public officials sow seeds of discontent to reap voter loyalty. Too many well-paid media mavens are elevated to the level of apostles. On the street, social media is a war zone of insults hurled into the ether with impunity, anonymity, and immunity.
When citizens hate each other we become our own enemy in the proverbial house divided against itself. The need to be right is so strong we will sacrifice anything for our honor. This false honor is hostile and selfish. Honor requires being honest, not being right. Honesty requires making room for differences and respecting those we disagree with.
So it‘s about The Citizen, not The President. There are responsibilities to citizenship. We must, as the gospel hymn tells us, ―Wade in the water…‗cause God‘s gonna trouble the water.‖ With polarization at its highest point since the Civil War, how do we calm the water?
Start with civility.
Civility is not a zero-sum game where your gain depends on my loss. We all gain when we sit down to reason with one another. When was the last time you changed your mind because someone had yelled at you? When was the last time you sat across the table from someone with whom you disagreed on some fundamental issue, and listened?
Why should we respect people who don‘t share our views? Because people are much more than their politics. Before we are opponents, we are neighbors who share a community. We all want our streets clean and safe. We all want our children to learn and play in safety. We all want the local food bank, hospital, or PTA to succeed. The things that we hold dear bind us as citizens, not enemies. Our children. Our families. Our communities. Our institutions. Our great, grand, hugely blessed country.
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So I ask, can we live with the fact that we are neighbors with different views? Tension is part of living in a free society. We must argue, criticize, and debate like a great ship, constantly correcting its course but sure of its destination. That‘s how our country and its Constitution were created – men of different views, who sweated, argued, disagreed, often vehemently, stuck in a hot room for four sweltering months until they delivered the twenty-five pages that are the foundation of our government.
Our nation and its Constitution were born out of discord and compromise. If we lose that willingness to debate, listen with respect, and create, then what we call ―America‖ will no longer be, and those who search for that America will never find it.
By Mike Bloebaum
REAL LIFE EXAMPLES FROM DENMARK
Bernie Sanders mentioned Denmark, Sweden, and Norway countries as having social systems worthy of emulating. During the Great Depression average Americans saw the true face of what happens when unrestricted capitalism runs its logical course with extreme poverty and lack of opportunity. The New Deal era began when average Americans decided they had had enough, and elected progressives who over several decades established social security, Medicare, veterans benefits, and a whole set of social programs for the poor, minorities, and women, and instituted massive investments in infra-structure, education, research and development, leading the USA to become the strongest country on earth, with the wealthiest middle class. Republican politicians often supported these policies, but beginning during the Reagan era an ugly face of right-wing extremism developed in the Republican Party. It has been growing steadily and has now taken over the Republican Party in the form of the Tea-Party/Trump faction. The Republicans are now on a mission to destroy these programs, and the declining American middle class now have much less security, opportunity, and chance of a good peaceful existence than more than a dozen countries in the world.
I have some actual facts to throw into the debate because my entire family lives in Denmark, and I visit yearly.
My nephew was a builder who bought his first house in 2008. Shortly thereafter he developed severe gout. Medical treatment is free, but so is the cost of his studies to becoming an engineer. Some years later having finished his studies he began working for a supplier for Maersk Oil in the North Sea. During those years he also did a renovation of his house, doubling its size.
My unmarried uncle in Denmark received $30,000 for past wages when our family farm was sold in the early 1970's. He was about 50 years old at that time. After that he worked as a gardener at Legoland, Billund, until he was 65 years old. After that he received Danish social security until he passed away at the age of 88. At that time he had accumulated close to $300,000. No stock. No investments. Just a regular savings account with certificates of deposits.
He had no children, and left my two sisters and myself about $100,000 each, after Danish inheritance taxes $65,000 each. Imagine such a scenario in the USA where wages for lower income earners have been stagnant for many decades and social security has been under constant attack by Conservatives, hoping to soon eliminate the program entirely.
I paid a visit with my last surviving aunt on my mother's side around 2006. She had been a farmer's wife and never had an outside job, but her social security at about $2000/month was more than 4 times the total monthly costs for her subsidized assisted living. She only had minimal food and clothing expenses, and joked about leaving a substantial inheritance for her 5 children, all well-employed with very good salaries.
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My father-in-law passed away at Quail Ridge(Atria now) a few years ago. The monthly cost $5000-$6000. Competent and good care like in my aunt's assisted care facility in Denmark. Much more luxury at Quail Ridge to attract the high income families that can afford to pay this amount. The US helpers are paid less than half and have a lot less required training than those in Denmark. And how many American families can afford to pay that amount of money year after year for a loved one needing 24 hour care?
When a country like Denmark develops a system where corporations and labor unions mutually agree upon the principle of wages generally following inflation, where the system provides subsidized child-care, higher education, and care for end-of-life programs everybody prospers. High poverty and crime rates are not only morally wrong but exceedingly expensive, and one way or another all citizens pay a huge price, and this is something American conservatives don't seem to comprehend.
Republicans have been waging a constant war on the poor, on minorities, on women, criminalizing huge numbers of especially minorities for minor offenses. The Republican agenda is committed to the dissolution of all social programs that have been established by both parties during this previous century, and they now officially consider all legislation not in strict accordance with the Constitution as written in 1787 either federal or judicial overreach, in effect unconstitutional.
For decades now we are witnessing an intensifying two-pronged attack on regular Americans through the campaign to dismantle the federal government by the radical right-wing. This will leave everybody at the mercy of private corporations' insatiable appetite for ever larger profits along with expanded states right to erect barriers to the one person=one vote rule which both Democratic and Republican moderates worked toward in recent US history, culminating in the 1964 Supreme Court decision.
If you haven't read Karyn Packard op-ed in the May Newsletter please do so. Jane Meyer's book: ―Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right‖, describes the demise of the open and free democracy we thought we had in the US and will remind us of the huge task ahead of us if we are to rein in the dual beasts of legal corporate bribery of politicians and individual states' right to decide who votes and who doesn't, and how and if votes cast are even counted.
We have essentially witnessed a bloodless coup since the 2008 Obama victory. Fury at the election of a black president have led to huge electoral victories in 2010 and 2014 led by Teas Party activists. And the 2010 Citizens United decision and the gutting of the 1970 and 1975 Voting Rights Acts by a radical conservative Supreme Court have led to the stolen 2016 election of Donald Trump.
By Richardt Stormsgaard
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SO-CALLED HEALTHCARE (Open letter to rep. LaMalfa)
Dear Representative LaMalfa:
On the heels of your vote for the ―healthcare‖ bill in the US Congress on May 4th, I prefer to write to you via the newspaper, in addition to directly to you. Why? Because, by your vote you demonstrated that the truth does not matter to you. To you, the evidence does not matter. To you, the logic does not matter. Compassion for the less fortunate than yourself does not matter. What matters to you?
You see, it is impossible to reason with dogmatics. Dogma, by dictionary (I quote), means ―a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as inconvertibly true.‖ Once someone is in that frame of mind, nothing else matters.
With regard to healthcare - I wrote about it before - I could tell you that every other developed country has a functioning healthcare system that works for all, rich and poor. That everyone is covered. That it is affordable. Where everyone participates, indeed must equally participate. That there is a standard of care. No ―pre-existing conditions‖ and other similar nonsense. That all of this is based on the very definition and principle of insurance, on mathematics, and logic. I could also tell you about pre-existing conditions of my daughter and granddaughter, here in Nevada County. I could tell you that compassion should be a Christian, as much as everyone‘s, value. That health and well-being of all of our neighbors should manifest itself in something more than a few dollars in the pockets of young and healthy people who ―do not need health insurance.‖ Yet, all of this and more and more along these lines, as evidenced by your vote, does not and would not mean anything to you.
Apparently, what matters to you is the ―party line,‖ a dogma created by incessant repetition of statements like ―Obamacare is in a death spiral,‖ ―we promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, therefore we must do it,‖ and so on. Do you actually understand that those consideration are not important to someone who has cancer or some other ―pre-existing condition,‖ who is seriously sick, who has to take care of the sick child or a parent? Who is on the brink of financial catastrophe due to some unforeseen health crisis? Such predicaments do not appear to be weighing in for the esteemed lawmakers such as yourself. All of you just celebrated a ―legislative victory.‖ Yep, that is all that matters. Plus, perhaps, millions and millions of dollars for some (like insurance companies executives). The party dogma rules.
I usually choose careful and very respectful language, being used to it from my academic career. Therefore, I wish to state respectfully, yet unequivocally and firmly, that the so-called healthcare system in the US, in comparison to what it could and should be, is atrocious. Everyone I talk to knows it. And now, you and your colleagues, rather than improving it are making it even worse. You should know. The legal phrase is ―he knew or should have known.‖
I also respectfully and firmly state that your vote is a personal insult to my daughter and granddaughter. They suffer from a genetic disease called CMT. Yes, a ―pre-existing condition.‖ They could not prevent or affect this in any way or manner. It is an insult, especially to my granddaughter. She is only fourteen, yet already - by your law - discriminated against. And perhaps her future children, too.
I sincerely wish people in your position of responsibility would respect and heed the old-fashioned values of honor and honesty. Honor and honesty do not bind anyone to any party, any ideology, any dogma. This was the image of America and its institutions I had in my youth. This should be the image of America today - better for us Americans and the world. This ―me-me‖ mentality and party polarizations do not serve anyone - well, they serve some, those with millions and millions of dollars. Ultimately, it is the truth that should matter.
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I know, you perceive the truth ―your way.‖ This is a problem. There are causes and there are consequences. And there is causality that ties them together. There are healthcare systems that work and there is the US healthcare system full of suffering, complexity, redundancies, questionable process quality, high (in some cases debilitating) costs, and access problems (see pre-existing conditions). And there is data and truth about it. The honest and honorable truth how to make it work.
I wish you would remember and pay attention to it next time you vote.
Respectfully,
Milan Vodicka, Ph.D. California District 1 resident since 1978
THE HEALTHCARE CRISIS:
Taming Complexity While Avoiding Chaos
What does the science of complexity have to do with the question of healthcare in America? Very simply, healthcare as it is regulated, administered, delivered and financed in America is a very complex system that is not amenable to simple tweaks and tweets to keep it on track. The ongoing efforts of Congress to either ―repeal and replace‖ or ―fix‖ the Affordable Care Act will be doomed to failure so long as healthcare is seen as a tool of politicians to garner votes rather than to meet the healthcare needs of the American people.
Some forty or fifty years ago, Americans prided themselves on the quality of their healthcare. Our advances in conquering diseases and curing ailments were the envy of the world. Medical professionals saw medicine as a calling and themselves as healers. The relationship between doctor and patient was the focal point of medical practice. Payment for medical services was not the overriding concern of patient or professional that it has become today.
Times have changed in the American healthcare world, and that change has been driven primarily by greed and money. It did not come from medical professionals nor their patients. Simply put, that change came from the almighty dollar. Ambitious investors, always on the lookout for yet another path to financial gain, came to see medicine as a source of profit. True enough, the money they pumped into the healthcare system led to great advances in medicine. Ailments that were often deaths sentences are now manageable conditions. But changes came at a price, and now investors who helped drive those advances are now determined to extract their reward through ever increasing medical costs, now reflected in ever rising insurance premiums.
Congress‘ solution to the healthcare crisis is a bag of tricks, aimed less at assuring a functioning healthcare delivery system than at shifting responsibility to others. For example, the House proposes covering pre-existing conditions while allowing states to opt out of such coverage, while the Senate is considering making coverage of pre-existing conditions the responsibility of each state.
Delivery of healthcare to 300+ million Americans is no simple matter. As President Trump has acknowledged, healthcare is complicated. Seen through the eyes of the relatively new science of chaos and complexity, the American healthcare system is not merely complicated. It is complex to a fare-thee-well.
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11 of 30 Complex systems are more than simply the sum of their parts. Such systems have many active and interdependent components that interact and behave differently within the system than outside the system. Their behavior is open-ended and constantly evolving, leading to systems becoming unpredictable. Such systems do not yield to easy management because, through their many components, they constantly respond to their environments and adapt in wholly unanticipated ways. To change one component risks chaos. Controlling complex systems is as challenging as it is frustrating. More often than not, as complex systems continually evolve and change, people eventually learn the hard lesson that controlling complex systems like healthcare is not a question of control at all. Instead, it means evolving and adapting alongside the system itself.
Judged by their recent enactments, Congress has not learned the hard lesson of complex systems management. Instead, they have chosen to view healthcare not as the complex system it clearly is, but as an exercise in crass partisan politics. The aims of many in Congress appear aimed at garnering votes rather than the delivery and financing of healthcare to the American people.
In the early decades of the twentieth century, polio ravaged America. Even a future president was struck down by the disease. The solution was not politicians cooking up a scheme that played to their partisan supporters. Instead, America‘s medical researchers developed a vaccine that essentially wiped out the disease. Congress had little involvement other than finding the money to finance research. We need a similar approach to healthcare today, one that maximizes coverage for all Americans by focusing on care and costs instead of slogans and schemes aimed at winning the next election.
The best move Congress could make now to solve our healthcare crisis – and crisis it is with the possibility of 24 million Americans losing coverage – is to turn over management of healthcare, including its financing, to those trained in medicine and economics. Even then, it will be difficult work. But to leave the solution to our healthcare crisis in the hands of elected partisan politicians will only insure that the crisis continues unabated.
By Dick Sciaroni
TH JUNE 14 IS FLAG DAY
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FIRST TUESDAY EDUCATIONAL FORUM
May 2, 2017 Summary Re: Debate on proposed Centennial Dam:
The cost for the Centennial Reservoir that would place a new dam on the Bear River versus the wisdom of alternative options were points of disagreement in the course of a very civil discussion about how to provide our area with water in the future given the threat of climate change.
NID (Nevada Irrigation District) general manager, Remleh Scherzinger, and NID board director, Nick Wilcox, debated with Otto Wollan, a former Placer County water official, and Traci Sheehan, coordinator of the Foothills Water Network. Each side provided a power point presentation.
Mr. Wollan estimated that the dam would exceed $1.2 billion. Wilcox wanted to know how the opponents of the dam can make cost estimates when they have completed no formal analysis. NID argued that all costs have not been determined because aspects of the project remain in flux. However, Mr. Scherzinger stated the price of the dam itself ($259 million) as well as the Dog Bar Road bridge ($54 million) are known.
NID argues that climate change is reducing snow pack (the district‘s largest reservoir) and weather changes are affecting the intensity of rainfall to the extent that the district cannot capture the water it needs. They have determined that the best place to capture that water is by means of The Centennial Reservoir located between the existing Rollins and Combie reservoirs, a project that has been discussed for 100 years.
Nick Wilcox expressed a willingness to examine any alternative that could provide the 110,000 acre feet of water that the proposed dam is forecast to hold.
It was proposed that dredging Rollins Reservoir would be a better idea but Wilcox claimed that mercury from past mining would be discharged in the process and negatively affect the food chain. Furthermore dredging would require an empty reservoir and there is no place to put the water except Centennial Dam, if built.
Tracy Sheehan stated that NID could gain 110,000 acre feet of water through infrastructure fixes and conservation. She suggested the water district fix leaks, raise the height of Rollins Dam, modernize its canals, adopt best practices and conserve residential water instead of building a new dam. She also reminded us that such a dam would flood campgrounds, swimming holes and Nisenan cultural sites while enabling the growth of unwanted sprawl. Many would be forced from their homes and those not ready to sell would be made subject to NID‘s exercise of eminent domain. (NID officials have said that such measures will not be known as necessary until the release of an environmental impact report.)
Mr. Wollan stated NID had already spent $4 million and likely would need another $20 million for property purchases. He also asked where NID would get the $30 million needed for cultural mitigation for Native American sites.
Ms. Sheehan said it‘s important that people ask questions about the project given NID presents it in a positive light. Regarding cost analyses, that is the responsibility of NID not environmental groups.
By Michele Spencer
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A SOUTHERN TRIP Travel lessons
I just returned from a nine-day trip to the American South, specifically South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. While born and raised in California, I have Southern ancestry from both sides of my family, and for that reason I feel a connection to the South. I enjoy the friendliness and politeness of the people, the delicious food, the slightly slower pace of life, and the sense of tradition and community that has slowly weakened in many other parts of the country.
I don‘t relate, however, to the South‘s reputation as a stronghold of conservative values and a region where church and state are sometimes melded into one. As I was preparing for the trip, I was reading about the ongoing conflict over the proposed removal of Confederate memorials in Louisiana, and the opposition to displaying a statue of Clarence Darrow in Tennessee, the site of the famed ―Scopes Monkey Trial‖ in the 1920s. I have been in the South before, but not since Donald Trump was elected. As a progressive, I wasn‘t sure how I would find the Southern culture or even how honest I could be in professing my social or political beliefs without risking an argument or an unpleasant scene. This was, after all, a vacation.
While I found the South politically, socially, and religiously more conservative than California, I didn‘t find it a bastion of arch-conservative racists or Bible-thumping fatalists, at least in the areas where I traveled. I noticed some Trump-Pence posters and bumper-stickers, but not in much greater number than Nevada County. Confederate flags were few and far between, and there were left-leaning books in the bookstores. I was somewhat chagrined to discover that another guest at one of the inns where I stayed was not the conservative Republican I had assumed him to be, but rather a progressive Democrat with political and social views similar to my own. When he initially told me he was retired from working at the Kentucky State Legislature, I erroneously pegged him as a member of ―the other side.‖
I realized I am guilty of what I don‘t like in others, i.e., making an immediate judgment about a person – or a region -- without knowing the facts.
Unfortunately, the current administration is also guilty of this offense. President Trump‘s offense is greater than mine, because he influences and sways millions of people. Trump is a surface-level thinker, with little interest in searching out the truth or reflecting on any issue that he doesn‘t see as black or white. There is little nuance to his way of thinking. He judges people quickly and reacts accordingly, using language of the school yard (―nasty woman‖) and refusing to spend the time and intellectual effort to seek out common ground or acknowledge that gathering facts might prove beneficial. He jumps to conclusions, much as I did with the other guest, based on little information, and then charges forward with no regard for the damage caused or missed opportunity to improve a negative situation. President Trump‘s position makes his behavior doubly dangerous, as he not only impacts national and international relations and reputations, but he also serves as a detrimental role model for vulnerable Americans who don‘t recognize atrocious conduct, even when blatant.
In summary, I believe, we both as individuals and as a country, need to reflect more, generalize less, and make concerted endeavors to gather facts before judging. This will continue to be difficult under the current administration, but if we make the effort, we‘ll be in a better position when the next administration is elected, hopefully one that will focus on what is important, such as life quality, fairness, and opportunity, and not one that views the United States as a giant reality show. By Jackie Finley
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Inside Hillary Clinton‘s Doomed Campaign Authors: Jonathan Allen, Amie Parnes Crown Publishing 2017 - 318 pages
Jonathan Allen, former Washington bureau chief for Bloomberg News and White House bureau chief for Politico, and Amie Parnes, Senior White House Correspondent at The Hill, come together again after their previous literary collaboration, HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton. Their first book together presented an extremely sympathetic portrait of Clinton‘s years as Secretary of State. The previous relationship with the Clintons supported the authors‘ commitment to researching this book during the campaign, with an agreement that none of the material they gathered would appear in print before the election. It is obvious, they had extraordinary access. I‘m guessing that when they took on the project, they felt they would be documenting the path to victory for the first woman president in the US.
Allen and Parnes interviewed hundreds of staffers and political cohorts, while they were ―in the thick of things‖. Shattered, is a compilation of information that is presented chronologically, in a straightforward manner. One reviewer found it ―gripping‖. I did not; however, the question ―why‖ is intriguing. Why did a candidate that was so well prepared to be president lose to a billionaire with a shady past, no experience, and an outrageously brash style? I trust that in time the scholarship of historians will build on this information and evaluate the question in relationship to other issues. This book may find itself positioned as a bridge to that scholarship. For our authors, in retrospect, Clinton‘s loss suddenly made sense of all the reporting they had been doing for a year and a half. There were foreboding signs.
Most recently, we have heard from the candidate herself, reflecting on the reasons for her 2nd unsuccessful attempt to be our President: Obama didn‘t share his information about Flynn in a timely manner, James Comey sent a letter to Congress about Clinton‘s emails less than two weeks before Election Day, Russia meddled in the election to help elect Trump, or more broadly misogyny. To these we could add Brexit and the growth of populism world-wide, but Allen and Parnes tell us that there is more to the story.
The authors give us an opportunity to look more deeply at the whole campaign and even the candidate herself. Nearly everyone in the business of politics thought she would win, including many of Trump‘s own people. There is no big-reveal, no shocking answer in Shattered. Instead we get a slow-building case against the concept and execution of the Clinton campaign, with plenty of fault falling squarely on the candidate herself.
Let‘s look first at the campaign. My impression from media accounts was that Hillary‘s campaign was well- funded, organized, and politically sophisticated. Per this accounting, none of my impressions was accurate. The authors present a wildly dysfunctional and ―spirit-crushing‖ campaign that embraced a flawed strategy (based on Back To Home Page flawed data) that failed, repeatedly, to correct course. Clinton‘s campaign manager, Robby Mook was trusted by Hillary. Even when others questioned his direction, she kept him on. He was committed to ―data analytics‖ (information about voters, given to him by number crunchers). Others, especially Bill Clinton and John Podesta, wanted the more old-fashioned methods of polling, knocking on doors and trying to persuade undecideds, especially in Middle America. Her campaign team was made up of denizens of ―Hillaryland‖ that cared more about their standing with Hillary, or their future job opportunities, than getting her elected. No one in the campaign would ―speak truth to power‖. Her myriad speech writers worked independently. They competed with each other rather than working together. Panels of writers might be pouring over the same message right up to the time of her delivery. Is it any wonder her speeches often sounded disconnected and rambling, without a real central rationale for why Hillary was running for President? They did not lead to a clear message.
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The authors paint a frustrating picture of Robby Mook. He is committed to his data, but underestimates the impact of Bernie Sanders or the importance of the voters in the Rust Belt. He declines to use pollsters to track voter preferences in the final three weeks of the campaign, despite pleas from advisers in crucial states. He never had enough organizers on the ground, or money for the materials those organizers might need to do their jobs. From the authors‘ research, it seems that he had plenty of money to spend, but didn‘t spend it wisely. It is always easier to evaluate after the fact. But in Shattered , we see a large fractured team who have competing agendas and difficulty working together.
Allen and Parnes contend that the worst blows Clinton suffered were self-inflicted. She never seemed to define herself. Interestingly, the text leaves us exasperated with Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton‘s longtime confidante. It seems, she took it upon herself to protect Hillary from information, advice, and other relationships. This may have made Clinton less approachable/knowable to staff and possibly to the voters as well. Shattered describes staffers in Brooklyn or in local offices as seldom seeing Bill and Hillary. When they were present, there was shouting, name calling and blame assignation.
The authors of Shattered write that Clinton ―bears the blame for her defeat‖. They name her actions before the campaign (setting up a private email server, becoming entangled in the Clinton Foundation, giving speeches to Wall Street banks) for ―hamstringing her own chances so badly that she could not recover‖. These were bad moves in a time when many Americans had lost faith in institutions and the people who run them.
Why did she lose? Obviously, there isn‘t a simple answer. After reading Shattered, it seems to me that the authors got inside the campaign, but not inside the candidate herself. One wonders, given our political process, just how well we really know our candidates before they move into the White House.
By Rev. Karyn Packard
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Delegates Elect New Party Leadership
During Convention, delegates cast their ballots in Statewide, Regional Director, and E-Board elections to elect new Party leadership to continue moving California forward.
Congratulations:
Chair, Eric C. Bauman Female Vice Chair, Alexandra Gallardo-Rooker Male Vice Chair, Daraka Larimore-Hall Secretary, Jenny Bach Controller, Daniel Weitzman
For full results including Regional Director and E-Board Elections, please visit our website.
California Democrats Pay Tribute to John Burton's Progressive Legacy
California Democrats paid tribute to outgoing Chairman John Burton: Watch California Democrats say thank you for his years of service.
Delegates heard from dozens of our elected officials and progressive leaders including U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Adam Schiff, Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and many more on how California can continue to lead the way!
To watch select Convention speeches, visit our YouTube channel.
Recaps of the 2017 Convention, visit the 2017 Convention Website
Twitter with the hashtags #CADEM17 and #CaliforniaLeads
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The photo below is, Eric Bauman, the new CA Dem Party Chairperson, with his supporters.
The photo below, from the left: Kimberly Ellis at podium, with supporters
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Margie Joehnck, outgoing Rural Caucus Northern District Vice Chair and Mike Smith, incoming Northern District Vice Chair at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento May 18-21, 2017 Photo by Diane Emmett
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Above from left: Diane Emmett, Dave Jones, current CA Insurance Commissioner, Candidate for Attorney General, 2018, Margie Joehnck, Eric Robins, Cynthia Ellsmore, Chair, Sierra County DCC Photo by Mike Smith
Above from left: Diane Emmett, NCDCC delegate and Margie Joehnck, Assembly 1 delegate and Assembly 1 executive board representative Back To Home Page Photo by Mike Smith
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Above from left: Bob Krueger, Hilary Hodge, Nancy Eubanks, & Janet Reynolds Photo by Ellen Macdonald
Above from left: Ricki Heck, Nicole Lutkemuller, Heidi Hall, and Monica Laughter. Photo by Ellen Macdonald
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Above from left: Itara O‘Connell and Bob Branstrom Photo by Ellen Macdonald
Above from left: Rosalie Adduci & Margie Joehnck Photo by Ellen Macdonald Back To Home Page
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Above center from left: Eric Robins and Hilary Hodge
Photo by Ellen Macdonald
Left: Bob Branstrom and Shanti Emerson
Photo by Ellen Macdonald
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LaMalfa
Watch
March 2014
How many of these bipartisan regulation adjustments could have been make under the Obama administration if the Mr. LaMalfa and the Congress had been willing to give Mr. Obama a win.
H.R. 1367 VA Hire and Retain Physicians and other employees passed 412-0 LaMalfa voted Yea Intended to improve the ability of the VA to hire and retain high-quality employees.
H.R. 372 Health Insurance Reform Act passed 416-7 LaMalfa voted Aye Ensures that health insurance companies are subject to laws against price fixing, bid rigging, or other collaborations detrimental to consumers.
H. Res 221 Waive the requirement of a 2/3 vote to allow consideration of a certain resolution, only on March 27, 2017, to be considered on the same day it is presented to the house.
S.J. Res. 34 Congressional disapproval of a rule regarding internet privacy passed 215-205 signed by the President LaMalfa voted Yea This joint resolution overturns a late term rule put in place by the Obama Administration that places privacy requirements on all Internet browsing data, such as search performed and app usage, as if all data was sensitive or private personal information.
H.R. 1431 EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act passed 229-193 LaMalfa voted Aye Requires that board members be knowledgeable about scientific and technical information and report financial and professional relationships and interests. Requires board to seek and encourage public comments. Requires the Board to avoid making policy determinations or recommendations.
H.R. 1343 Encouraging Employee Ownership Act passed 331-87 LaMalfa voted Yea Changes from $5m to $10m the size of corporation that must register securities used to compensate employees with the SEC. The theory being that if a corporation can give bonuses to employees with company stock then that employee will be more likely to make the corporation successful; and registering the securities with the SEC is a major sticking point.
H.R. 1304 Self-Insurance Protection Act passed 400-16 LaMalfa voted Yea Amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude stop-loss insurance policies from the definition of Health Insurance Coverage; even though this stop-loss insurance is designed to cover a companies employee health insurance.
H.R. 1219 Supporting America’s Innovators Act passed 417-3 LaMalfa voted Yea An attempt to free up more investment dollars for small business by allowing up to 2,000 investors before a company must register with the SEC.
H.R. 1694 Fannie and Freddie Open Records Act passed 425-0 LaMalfa voted Yea Makes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
H.R. 1695 Register of Copyrights Selection passed 378-48 LaMalfa voted Yea Makes the Register of Copyrights an offices appointed by the President and confirmable by the President, changing the jurisdiction of the office from the legislative branch to the executive branch.
H.J. Res 99 Continuing appropriations passed 382-3 LaMalfa voted Yea Continuing resolution to keep the government funded through May 5, 2017. By Robert Provenzano
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TAKE PART IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The Candidate Recruitment and Support Committee invites you to participate in local government through appointment to a local board, committee or commission. There are many opportunities to serve our local community, with terms running from one to four years. You will meet other leaders in our community and learn more about the workings of local government.
Nevada County Boards, Committees, and Commissions.
Some of the available openings are on the:
Adult and Family Services Commission Area 4 Agency on Aging Advisory Council Fish and Wildlife Commission Historical Landmarks Commission Nevada Cemetery District Nevada County Sanitation District No. 1 Advisory Committee Penn Valley Area Municipal Advisory Council (new council—seven positions need to be filled) Truckee Cemetery District
More information about serving and a listing of all current openings is available at the Nevada County website: http://www.mynevadacounty.com/nc/bos/cob/Pages/Committees-and-Commissions.aspx
This month‘s featured Democrat who has served on a board or commission is Bob Branstrom, who is currently serving on citizen oversight committees for the Nevada Union High School District and the Nevada County Library. If you‘d like to discuss his experience serving our community on these committees, give him a call (510-459-5879) or send him an email ([email protected]).
Submitted by Bob Branstrom
RESULTS Advocacy Workshop
Thursday, June 29, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
RESULTS Advocacy Workshop hosted by Lisa Schliff (volunteer group leader)
19002 Dog Bar Road, Grass Valley
RSVP Lisa Schliff: 510-385-4268
Make a difference in the world and join us in ending poverty everywhere!
For more information: [email protected]
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OPINION EDITORIAL INSTRUCTIONS
If you read The Union online, keep a lookout for Letters to the Editors or OpEds from our very own NCD members! And be sure to make a comment and post it online. It is vital to support the positions of our fellow Democrats in social media. There will inevitably be adversarial comments from Republicans and others, so let's give the more accurate impression that there are many of us in Nevada County that are Blue.
As a member of the NCD Communications Committee, I learned that our little group is busy writing Letters to the Editor or OpEds (Opinion Editorials) to The Union. Recently Jackie Finley and Dick Sciaroni got their letters and editorials into the paper. In July my letter in support of Hillary Clinton's candidacy was published as well.
These efforts disseminate our point of view as well as facts and information about candidates and issues that we feel strongly toward. The public can accept or reject our viewpoints, but the fact that they read them is important in shaping public opinion and keeping an ongoing conversation going in the community about these candidates and topics. That's what a democracy is all about.
Here is how to post an online comment (it's easy!):
Go to http://www.theunion.com/. Click on the word "Opinion", located top left underneath the words The Union. You will see a list of names and letters to the editors or OpEds. Scan them to find one from a Communications Committee Member and anybody else who writes in support of our Democratic candidates or issues. If you find one, click on "Learn More" at the bottom of that entry. It will open up the entire letter or OpEd. Click on the tab "Comments" at the top of the letter or OpEd. You will see "Add a Comment" Click in that box and start typing. Click "Post" when you are done.
There is a time lag due (I believe) to editorial review before anything is posted. Wait for an hour or so and then check to see if your comment was accepted and is now visible to the public. By Lisa Schliff
Pinterest link is now available on our website. Look for it in the upper left hand corner of the home page. As most of you know, Ellen is our great photographer. Now we can all enjoy her many pictures. If you would like to add photos, please send them to Ellen Macdonald at [email protected] She can then ―size‖ the photos to fit. Nancy Eubanks
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It is really very simple. Log onto your Facebook account and search for Nevada County Democrats in the ―Search Facebook‖ bar at the top of your page. You will find our NCD Club Facebook Page with postings, photos and even videos. Your job: Post a comment. Adding your two cents, point of view, constructive criticism, and especially support for the postings of our fellow Democratic members is worth its weight in gigabytes.
As a member of the Communications Committee, I was taken aback when I visited the NCD Facebook Page and saw postings with very few or no comments posted. Comments are important for educating, livening up the page, inviting others to participate, and ultimately, to make us more visible to the general community.
The same goes for ―Likes‖. Simply click on that word under the posting and you will be counted along with others who support a member's posting to Facebook. Of course, if there is something posted that you don't like, don't be shy. Post a comment and be sure it is constructive, diplomatic and respectful. Even better, you can start your own topic with an original post (a photo or chart, if possible, adds appeal). So please check into the NCD Facebook page at least once a week and work that social media!
By Lisa Schliff
Someone said…………………………
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. —Lao-Tze When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. Now I‘m beginning to believe it. —Clarence Darrow The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking. —A. A. Milne We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. —Aristotle A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends. —Baltasar Gracian Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else‘s can shorten it. —Cullen Hightower
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By By Charles Green
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By Charles Green
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LIST YOUR UPCOMING EVENT HERE!
Email the following information about your upcoming charitable or social event, and we will include it in our next newsletter: · Name of organization · Contact info (email, phone, etc.) · All about your event (flyers, etc.)
Email: [email protected]
YOUR NEVADA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC NEWSLETTER!
Contribute to your Nevada County Democrat Newsletter. Send us your Democratic stories and pictures so that we can include them for all to read. Send us ideas that we can write about. We will be improving our newsletter over the next several months to help keep you better informed about what Nevada County Democrats should know. Email your stories, pictures and thoughts to: [email protected]
Visit us On Facebook at Nevada County Democrats. Share your thoughts and interesting articles you have read.
http:http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/355077870274/?ap=1//www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/355077870274/?ap=1
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