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A pox…
I wrote yesterday that I would not sign the petition to overturn the endorsement votes in CA-45 for Dave Min or in CA-48 for Hans Keirstead, but that I would consider voting to overturn the endorsement in either if the petition effort was successful. I don’t think that the anti-Keirstead petition was successful, based on the lack of lobbying activity outside of the General session. The anti-Min petition was successful, and I will support it.
I heard last night that, as the petition was circulating, Dave Min and his supporters spotted and surrounded the wife of candidate Brian Forde to keep her from asking delegates to sign petitions. (Ironic punchline — she wasn’t doing so.). I told this story to Kia Hamadanchy who was handing out the attached flyer outside the conference hall. (Irony: NOTHING in this flyer, although much of it doesn’t appeal to me, would have been enough to make me sign the petition on Saturday night, nor would it — on its own — have been enough to make me vote to reverse the vote of the CA-45 delegates.)
However, when I heard the story about Forde’s wife, Kia said “no, it wasn’t her — that happened to MY SISTER!” (He gestured towards Camilia, who was standing next to him.). She WAS petitioning — and was surrounded by Min supporters who DID block her access to delegates, one of whom, a Min campaign staffer, she says shoved her.
Well, I’ve always found Kia completely credible — he’s only wrong in saying that that Forde’s wife wasn’t attacked, as of course it could have been both — and that moment lost Min my vote. These stories have plenty of company with other reports about Min that — absent a firsthand report — I have been reluctant to credit.
UCI Law Professors Dave Min and Katie Porter have both shown themselves to be TEMPERAMENTALLY unfit to represent the party in Congress. Dave Min’s actions — about which the endorsers could not have known, but which are in keeping with stories I’ve been hearing about him for months — are completely unacceptable and he does not deserve the advantages of a CDP endorsement, nor should party committee members who favor other candidates have their hands tied.
This is not a brief for Katie Porter, whom I will oppose on grounds other than this. She lost any chance of my support and that of many others when she viciously attacked DPOC Vice Chair Farrah Khan after the earlier pre-endorsement vote. She showed herself to be the temperamental OPPOSITE of her mentor, Senator Elizabeth Warren. That act was foolish, unjustified, disgusting, disgraceful, and frankly stupid.
I am fine with nominating Kia Hamadanchy or Brian Forde. They may have less money to spend than the Poisonous Professors, but they probably have a better chance to win because neither will have the campaign of vengeance wreaked against them.
This is not about ideology — contrary to some political attacks on me by local meatheads, I’m fine with supporting moderates in moderate districts if they’re a much better bet to win AND IF THEY ARE HONEST. The problem with CA-45 is that it has had a deeply conservative electorate — and to some extent we just have to accommodate to that.
But Min and Porter’s vicious feuding appears to have driven one another pretty much nuts. I understand the desire to clear the field, but it’s not going to happen here BECAUSE other candidates will are able to see that Min and Porter are destroying each other — and that’s a GOOD REASON for one or two of them to stay in the race. The likelihood of an R-on-R runoff was quite high if Greg Raths were to enter the race, but for whatever reason it doesn’t look like he will. So far as I’m concerned, if Min OR Porter are nominated, I will oppose the party putting even a cent of its own money into the race — I don’t even want us to put our limited number of door hangers there, with such pressing needs elsewhere — and Min and Porter need to sit out for a couple of years and take a long look at themselves and whether they can get along with each other.
For now, they should BOTH drop out of the race and let more suitable candidates compete. My vote to pull the endorsement to win is simply a step towards making such a happy — although obviously unlikely — outcome possible.
Katie Porter fans, don’t thank me for my vote. I will balance it out by shedding light on her, and I PROMISE that you won’t like it.
To hell with Min and Porter both. We’ll have to beat Mimi, if we can, another way.
Note that the above post was written and published prior to the vote on the petition to overturn the endorsement vote. Since then, three speakers — candidates Katie Porter, Kia Hamadanchy, and Brian Forde — spoke in support of the petition. Three speakers — my relative DPOC North Vice Chair (and my in-law) Jeff LeTourneau, DPOC Chair Fran Sdao, and State Controller Betty Yee — spoke in opposition. Thuggish pretender to the Chair Eric Bauman help a voice vote “even though I don’t think it will work” — and declared that the “ayes” (in favor of retaining Min’s endorsement) had prevailed. I stood and called for a division of the vote. Bauman pretended not to here me and said that anyone with business could move the the microphone. Bauman moved onto other business, rendering my point of order moot by parliamentary rules. (This could be challenged, but that would have been pointless even if allowed.)
So, Min is endorsed, my lobbying effort here failed, and I am no longer allowed to oppose Min or even derogate him without putting my membership in both the state and local parties at peril.
Melahat Rafiei of the DNC is now coming up to speak, so it’s time for me to leave.
Mr. Diamond, do you not think your x’ed out picture is not derogatory? The best thing you could do for the Democratic party is… become a Republican!
I created the xd out pic to go with the story. I got no opinion on CA45
Oops, too many nots.
Piss off, by the way.
I was standing next to Brian Forde’s wife when Dave Min accosted her in a threatening manner, for absolutely zero reason. He ALSO allegedly accosted Kia’s sister. At Min’s direction, his volunteers and staffers acted belligerently to stop anyone from collecting signatures.
As a correction to your post – Brian Forde actually has raised more money in this race than Dave Min, Katie Porter, Kia Hamadanchy, and most importantly Mimi Walters. He’s a viable, progressive, experienced candidate with integrity.
Thanks. If you are able to share a direct link to the FEC report that makes your case here, I suspect that people would appreciate it. Links to bolster the assertions in your final sentence (he’s an experienced candidate — meaning that he’s run for office before?) would also be welcome.
According to this article the endorsement dispute reflected ” the competing ideological wins of the party.”
https://theintercept.com/2018/02/27/contested-endorsement-california-democratic-party-convention/
I’ve worked with Katie in various neighborhood things, have heard her speak several times, and as a progressive, feel totally confident supporting her. I know people who worked closely with Forde at the WH and do not feel comfortable supporting him.
Too bad you’re anonymous. You could say anything and can’t be cross-examined or held accountable for any defamation. I’m not saying that you’re wrong, but just that you’ve chosen a path that leads to the discounting of your testimony.
I don’t know who to support. I like Porter’s stances, but bottom line: I want to flip CA-45 blue – for me it’s about who has the best shot at doing this. Porter is probably too liberal for the district, and I’ve learned that “you can’t always get what you want”, voting strategically is necessary.