then have I got a no-brainer for you.
Imagine a Democratic office holder with a long track record of being a progressive on issue after issue.
Now imagine someone who just because s/heia entitled to take the office of that good progressive Democrat, just because s/he wants to be in Congress.
You don't have to imaging, because if that second person wins it is a nightmare for progressives and we lose a great champion.
Mike Honda is the current Democratic Congressman from California's 17th District. Born in 1941, as a Japanese American he was interned during World War II, but has never lost his faith in this country. As one can read in his entry in Wikipedia, instead
This experience shaped much of his career and political work, and compelled him to fight for those less fortunate than others, to provide opportunities for all Americans regardless of race, religious preferences, or sexual orientation, and to prevent injustices like this from ever occurring again. According to Honda, it was during these years spent within the camp that he learned being of Asian descent carried with it negative connotations in the United States, and that minority citizens, even legal, law-abiding ones, face a constant struggle for equality.Mike represents the only majority Asian-American congressional district in the nation. He has served with distinction.
His opponent is a man named Ro Khanna, who has served in the Commerce Department under Obama, and who is in bed with Silicon Valley types who might be okay on social issues like marriage equality but who are anti-union, undermine the public schools, and worse.
Khanna has being trying to get into Congress for a while. He lost a primary to Tom Lantos. He was waiting for Pete Stark to retire to run for his seat, but Lantos lost a primary.
Oh, and he is a nasty piece of work - to ensure he made the runoff against Honda in Califonria's top two open primary system, it is pretty clear he funded several people to get into the race to split the Republican vote. One of those he funded was disqualified, although Khanna escaped charges. Then Khanna's supporters had the audacity to file an ethics complaint against Honda.
I will be blunt. I am not that actively involved this cycle. I have a new teaching job, working for a principal who is a personal friend, and I am putting most of my energy into that - and will write more about that in the near future. Helping my wife as she continues with living with her cancer (now thankfully in remission) is the only thing that takes priority over my teaching.
But I know Mike Honda personally. I have had occasion to talk many times with him about education - he was long personally involved in public education. There is NO REASON anyone claiming to be a Democrat should be going after Mike Honda. Khanna could have chosen to try to flip a Republican seat instead, but is using his contacts with big money in Silicon Valley for this self-aggrandizing exercise.
So let me be clear. Even were we to take back the House this cycle or next, were we to lose Congressmen of the caliber of Mike Honda to the likes of Ro Khanna, what would we have gained?
This is dedicated to electing more Democrats. Khanna will argue that he is a Democrat, and on paper that is true. But it is also devoted to electing better Democrats, and in this race it is absolutely clear who that choice is.
It is Mike Honda. So if you agree with me, perhaps you might go to Mike's campaign website and throw a few bucks his way. If you can, volunteer, lobby friends in the district, make some phone calls.
Keep a Social Security champion in Congress. Chip in $3 for Mike Honda today.Voting by mail is convenient, easy, and defeats the best of the GOP's voter suppression efforts. Sign up here to check eligibility and vote by mail, then get your friends, family, and coworkers to sign up as well.
Mike Honda is one of the very best we have. We do not want to lose him.
Peace.