Vote for NORMAN SOLOMON on June 5th!
:vote1:The primary is coming! The primary is coming! It’s time to get serious about who we want to succeed Lynn Woolsey. There are only a little more than 3 months until the Primary election and, it’s time Norman Solomon became a household name in WACCOville (District 2).
I know Norman because we both lived in Inverness. I’ve read one of his books, many articles, and listened to his radio program on KWMR and, recently, I was a producer of his cable-access television show, “Making a Difference in Marin” (available OnDemand at www.CMCM.tv ) Our own Barry Chertov was once a guest on the show! (See interview here)
Norman is a progressive Democrat with a demonstrative commitment to the ending war, ending corporate governance, refusing corporation campaign donations, protecting the environment and stresses these issues: Jobs & Economy, Green jobs, Public Education, Environment, Peace and Security, and Liberty and Justice.
In my conversations with Norman both before and after he declared his candidacy, he has remained resolute and faithful to his strong progressive beliefs. He greets me with a hug instead of the wooden handshake of a mechanized politician and pays more attention to how I’m doing than his overwhelming work of running for Congress.
I’m 350 miles away from Marin right now but will be back for the primary and have switched from Green for this election in order to vote for Norman. I hope that, if you’re considering voting for one of the many other candidates, you would consider changing your mind in order to close the gap behind Huffman, who is already accepting corporate money and is holding to the “party-line”. Norman is very close behind in the polls.
It would be wonderful if WACCO could be the venue to heat up this campaign even more and bring the percentages closer before the election on June 5th. It would be ideal if Norman wins! Any suggestions WACCOvian’s?
Candidates:
Susan Adams
Banafsheh Akhlaghi
Andy Caffrey
William Courtney
Jared Huffman
Stacey Lawson
Tiffany Renée
Norman Solomon
Dan Roberts
Regional delegates of the California Democratic Party met in January 2011 but did not endorse a nominee as no candidate received 50 per cent of the vote. Huffman received 48 per cent, Solomon 37 per cent, Adams 12 per cent and Lawson one percent.
https://www.solomonforcongress.com
Monday, January 24, 2011
About Norman Solomon
Author • Policy Researcher • Public-Interest Advocate • Political Activist
Co-chair of the Commission on a Green New Deal for the North Bay
Healthcare Not Warfare national campaign co-chair, along with Congressman John Conyers and Donna Smith of the California Nurses Association
Former member of the national advisory board for Progressive Democrats of America
Author of a dozen books on media, political discourse and public policy, including “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death”
Elected as an Obama delegate from Sonoma and Marin counties to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
Now in third term as an elected delegate from the North Bay to the California Democratic Party’s state central committee
Co-founder of the media watchdog group Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)
Received the first Alex Forman Peace Award from the Marin County Democratic Party
Recent keynote speaker at the Marin ACLU annual dinner, the North Bay Labor Council COPE annual dinner, and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey’s 2010 “Honoring Local Doves” event
Organized and went on three missions to Baghdad prior to the invasion of Iraq -- including one led by Congressman Nick Rahall and former U.S. Senator James Abourezk -- seeking alternatives to war
One of the lone voices on national television against invading Iraq before the start of the Iraq war in early 2003, appearing on CNN and other major TV networks more than a dozen times to argue for diplomacy instead of a U.S. attack
Organized and went on fact-finding trip to Afghanistan in 2009
The New York Times Magazine has called him “a leading progressive activist.” The Los Angeles Times has called him “a formidable thinker and activist.”
Recipient of numerous awards including the George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language, and the Annual Ruben Salazar Journalism Award
From 1997 to 2010, as founder and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, oversaw policy research and liaison with thousands of experts on global warming, foreign policy, labor rights, “welfare reform,” economic equity, lax enforcement of federal regulations, civil liberties and a wide range of other topics related to federal, state and local government policies nationwide.
Norman Solomon’s book “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death” was published in 2005. The Los Angeles Times called the book “brutally persuasive” and “a must-read for those who would like greater context with their bitter morning coffee, or to arm themselves for the debates about Iraq that are still to come.” The Humanist magazine described the book as “a definitive historical text” and “an indispensable record of the real relationships among government authorities and media outlets.”
A full-length film documentary (narrated by Sean Penn) based on the “War Made Easy” book was released in 2007.
Solomon's book “Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn’t Tell You” (co-authored with foreign correspondent Reese Erlich) was published in 2003 by Context Books before the Iraq invasion. “Target Iraq” has also been published in German, Italian, Hungarian, Brazilian and South Korean editions.
In the introduction to the 1999 book “The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media,” Jonathan Kozol wrote: “The tradition of Upton Sinclair, Lincoln Steffens, and I.F. Stone does not get much attention these days in the mainstream press ... but that tradition is alive and well in this collection of courageously irreverent columns on the media by Norman Solomon. ... He fights the good fight without fear of consequence. He courts no favors. He writes responsibly and is meticulous on details, but he does not choke on false civility.”
One of Solomon’s other books is the 1982 classic (co-authored with Harvey Wasserman) “Killing Our Own: The Disaster of America’s Experience With Atomic Radiation.”
Solomon has appeared as a guest on many TV outlets including the PBS “NewsHour With Jim Lehrer,” CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” “Democracy Now” and KQED Television’s “This Week in Northern California.” His op-ed articles have appeared in a range of newspapers including the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, New York Times, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore Sun. His articles have also appeared overseas in many outlets including the International Herald Tribune.
A tenacious critic of media bias, Solomon wrote the weekly syndicated column “Media Beat” from 1992 to 2009.
Solomon co-authored “Unreliable Sources: A Guide to Detecting Bias in News Media,” published in 1990. A review in the Washington Post concluded that the book “makes a worthy addition to the library of any student of American news media, social structure and political science.” Kirkus Reviews said that the book provides “an extensive record of recent media distortions.” Publishers Weekly said that Solomon and co-author Martin A. Lee “make a compelling case for the contention that newsmen and women distort current events.” The San Francisco Chronicle reviewer wrote: “Their command of information is matched by committed, eloquent writing that plumbs the psychological and political complexities of mass-mediated experience.” Utne Reader called the book “an essential text.” USA Today columnist Barbara Reynolds described it as “a thinking person’s book.”
Fundraising event hosted by Colleen Rose and Dale Sorensen
Sun. March 4th : 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Novato
Concert to Benefit Norman Solomon for Congress in Point Reyes Station
Fri. March 9th : 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Point Reyes Station
San Rafael House Party hosted by Anna Rogers and Dan Monte
Sat. March 10th : 6:59 PM - 8:59 PM
San Rafael
Re: Vote for NORMAN SOLOMON on June 5th!
How interesting to read this glowing & convincing testimonial for Norman Solomon shortly after being swept off my feet by Jared Huffman. Jared said very strongly this evening that "All my opponents are good people running for their own good reasons." To have a variety of good choices in an election is a rare luxury & a dilemma. As the primary approaches, I'll look not only for who understands the issues & is loyal to all I care about, but also for who has experience, savvy & allies to most effectively get things done. As a longtime idealistic artist, I'm finally learning how important are the leverage points to put ideals into the world in a form that actually changes things.
Re: Vote for NORMAN SOLOMON on June 5th!
To me, the issue of accepting corporate PAC money is tantamount. During the debates, he admits to it but says it is not influencing him. My opinion is that Huffman's slick. I've met him, too. Shook his hand.
Respectfully,
Peggy
You Tell Us: What do You Think of Huffman's Donations from Lobbyists?
Federal rules allow Sonoma lobbyist Darius Anderson to contribute to Huffman's congressional run, even though he's barred at a state level
https://sonoma.patch.com/articles/yo...ted=1329948998
When he ran for State Assembly, Jared Huffman was unable to take campaign contributions from lobbyists.
Yet he has already accepted two pledges from state lobbyists for his congressional campaign, including a $4,999 pledge from Sonoma lobbyist Darius Anderson, the Sacramento Bee is reporting.
The practice comes under a legal loophole for Huffman, who represents southern Sonoma County in California State Assembly District 6 that allows federal law to dictate campaign contributions, even if the candidate is a seated official. State law bars lobbyists from contributing to state campaigns, under the theory that such donations create a “pay-to-play” influence on elected officials. However, federal law holds no such restriction, even if candidates are still seated in local office.
The inconsistency is a problem according Meredith McGehee, an expert in campaign finance law with the Campaign Legal Center.
"At the state level, the message is, 'We think these contributions tend to be corrupting when they're given to state employees.' But somehow when they're given to a federal candidate, they're not?," McGehee told the Bee.
If Huffman, or other officials who take funds from lobbyists, is not elected, or chooses not to run, the donations raise concerns that politicians may be tied to lobbyists when vote locally.
Currently, Huffman is leading the pack in contributions, with $415,974 raised for his campaign; lobbyists contributed just under $6,000. Darius Anderson, the Sonoma-based owner of Platinum Advisors, has donated over $99,000 to federal campaigns, according to the Bee.
In 2010, Anderson shelled out $500,000 to the State of New York to settle a corruption probe from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who was investigating claims that financial workers paid off officials to win New York state pension investments.
But Huffman is taking heat from Norman Solomon, a West Marin anti-war activist and author running against Huffman for the North Coast Congressional District seat, who called on Huffman to return the funds.
"We deserve better," said Solomon in a release. "He can start by returning all lobbyist contributions today and refusing any lobbyist money in the future."
Federal law is split on the subject: similar bans in Connecticut and North Carolina were challenged last year, with opposite outcomes. (Courts struck down Connecticut's legislation, yet upheld North Carolina's ban, saying it was a tool for preventing corruption.)
What do you think of the practice? Should California law be shaped more like the federal rule, or does the federal stance need a change? And should Huffman answer Solomon's call to return the money?
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by sandoak:
How interesting to read this glowing & convincing testimonial for Norman Solomon shortly after being swept off my feet by Jared Huffman.
Re: Vote for NORMAN SOLOMON on June 5th!
Back when Huffman was first running for the Assembly, he criticized Pamela Torliatt for taking a donation from the NRA. He said that if that check had been sent to him, he would send it back immediately -- with an irate note. Looks like now the shoe is on the other foot... or something like that.
Huffman is a good guy overall, but he truly is the Candidate of The Establishment. And the fact that he is taking donations from the likes of Darius Anderson means that he has crossed the line into professional politico and has been in public office for too long.
It also seems that he would be no improvement over Lynn Woolsey as far as strength or effectiveness in the House of Reps. Solomon is my choice for this race too.
