CA 25: A Lost Cause
The race for California's Congressional District 25 is an interesting clash of personalities, but not much of a race.
California's Congressional District 25 has a strange shape stretching from just north of Mono Lake along the Nevada border for several hundred miles and then making a westerly turn to encompass the mountains north of Los Angeles and the high Tehatchapi desert. Its most wester numb covers Santa Clarita which is a distant cheap-gas suburb of Los Angeles. When I was young, it was no such thing.
As you might guess, lacking urban areas and being mostly desert land, this area is a Republican strong-hold. Since 1992 Buck McKeon has held the seat, winning in 2004 by nearly a two-to-one margin.
McKeon is a Morman, having matriculated at Bingham Young University. He votes almost a strait party-line. Planned Parenthood gives him a zero rating. If you look at that last link you can see that the Advocacy groups he scores highest on are Christian groups. He gets mediocre marks from the fiscally conservative groups and slighly higher marks with the more blanket conservative groups that focus on the family. He participated in an abomination of a House vote which opened at 3am and lasted 3 hours. (the longest in history). This led his opponent to decide to try to take him on.
Robert Rodriguez is a young, principled blue-collar Mexican-American. He calls for a tax-cut for the middle class but obviously the details have not been worked out. Nevertheless, he represents a more populist side of the Democratic party that I think will resonate pretty well. Now, have a look at him speak...
This may be a futile campaign for Rodriguez. Mono County liberals would "love to get rid of Buck." Mr. Rodriguez, however, is probably not going to make that happen. Perhaps at least he will make a better showing than Buck's last opponent.
California's Congressional District 25 has a strange shape stretching from just north of Mono Lake along the Nevada border for several hundred miles and then making a westerly turn to encompass the mountains north of Los Angeles and the high Tehatchapi desert. Its most wester numb covers Santa Clarita which is a distant cheap-gas suburb of Los Angeles. When I was young, it was no such thing.
As you might guess, lacking urban areas and being mostly desert land, this area is a Republican strong-hold. Since 1992 Buck McKeon has held the seat, winning in 2004 by nearly a two-to-one margin.
McKeon is a Morman, having matriculated at Bingham Young University. He votes almost a strait party-line. Planned Parenthood gives him a zero rating. If you look at that last link you can see that the Advocacy groups he scores highest on are Christian groups. He gets mediocre marks from the fiscally conservative groups and slighly higher marks with the more blanket conservative groups that focus on the family. He participated in an abomination of a House vote which opened at 3am and lasted 3 hours. (the longest in history). This led his opponent to decide to try to take him on.
Robert Rodriguez is a young, principled blue-collar Mexican-American. He calls for a tax-cut for the middle class but obviously the details have not been worked out. Nevertheless, he represents a more populist side of the Democratic party that I think will resonate pretty well. Now, have a look at him speak...
This may be a futile campaign for Rodriguez. Mono County liberals would "love to get rid of Buck." Mr. Rodriguez, however, is probably not going to make that happen. Perhaps at least he will make a better showing than Buck's last opponent.
posted by Praguetwin at
10:06 PM
5 Comments:
Like Francine Busby, many of the repubes privately admit they are sick of the BUsh agenda but afraid of the dem's history of tax and spend..so the asshats vote red anyway. Shows you what is important to them...their wallet and nothing but.
By
Unknown, at 1:23 AM
Ok, the tax part of that equation I can understand, but spend? No one has spent like this president and this Congress.
By
Praguetwin, at 8:45 AM
You have told us many details about Buck. How about a more detailed analysis of his opponent?
By
Anonymous, at 3:11 PM
Well Arch,
As I mentioned, he doesn't have a lot of experience so it is hard to gather information on him.
I know he grew up in the central valley and comes from a "blue-collar" family. Several of his family members were in the military. He worked in Washington but in what capacity, I don't know.
Check out his website: the link is there.
If you try to research him on-line you won't get far since his name is very common and he shares a name with a famous director who has worked with Quinton several times.
By
Praguetwin, at 3:23 PM
Ooops..
Quentin.
By
Praguetwin, at 3:25 PM
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