At the Democratic Party of Orange County’s Biennial Convention in Anaheim today, Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook will challenge Congressman Dana Rohrabacher for his 46th Congressional District seat.
This is the first time that Dana will be challenged by an Orange County elected official.
I’m sure I’ll have more later.
You might want to check on that. Rohrabacher was elected in 1988 and I don’t think this is the first time he’s been challenged by an elected official. Wasn’t his initial opponent an Orange County Supervisor?
where do I sign up to volunteer? Dana is a nut job.
Good Luck. I have been no fan of Dana. Unfortunately this is yet another contest in OC distracting from the contest in the 48th. Campbell is one of the more Bushy of the gop, aside from the Corrupt Trifecta of Calvert et al. Campbell consistently voted against military pay raises and veterans benefits. He also said what SHOULD be recognized as a politically suicidal quote, that “Veterans are frauds.” -John Campbell.
I don’t believe the 48th supports this kind of evil nonsense. If we get the funds and the message out, Steve Young will hand Campbell a sound thumping.
Steve Young ’08!
Steve Young is 274k in debt
YOUNG, STEVEN $274,294 12/31/2007
Debbie is the real deal…. Steve Young is up to his ears in debt and got crushed last time. Please base your assertions in reality. The side show is Steve Young
I have two compund question for Chri and the news that Debby Cook will challenge dana warbacker – How do I make out the check? and where do I send it?
unknown should be more familiar w/ dana’s voting record…he & campbell consistantly vote against veteran’s.
And while yes campbell is an idiot, you have not been suffering under that idiot since 1988. Is there a problem w/ ousting two publican idiots in ’08?
Way to go Debbie!
Debbie has the right base to run a great campaign. This district cares about the environment and a strong economy. Debbie’s message is in line with the communities in this district and with our help is a very real possibility. This harkens back to Sanchez v. Dornan, time to take out another wingnut!
Go Debbie!
No, no problem with getting rid of as many bad GOPers as possible!
I think ALL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES in the OC should be well-funded, with ads, rallies, door-to-door action. I’m wanting to volunteer for the Young campaign. $250,000 in debt is a pittance politically, even for a House race. If the campaign would get more vigorous, and do more than just rally in Laguna Beach every 2 weeks (Young’s website), maybe they would be supported by the State Dem office or even the DCCC and other orgs.
I don’t get the relevance of Steve Young’s debt to Debbie Cook’s challenge of Dana.
On the elected official challenging Dana, I meant to say Democrat elected official.
Steve Young does not have a fighting chaance in heck. he is in debt. he is a weirdo. His Im not One Of Them message kinda creeps me out. That being said. let Steve Young Run and get his base in his own district out to support him. As far as Debbby is concerned, if anyone has a chance to beat dana its Debby.
Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook announced today her intention to run for the 46th Congressional seat held by Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.
“Our nation faces big problems: a growing energy gap, a struggling economy, global warming, the escalating costs of health care, and the war in Iraq.†Mayor Cook said. “We need new people with new passion and new ideas who have experience working across party lines to get results.â€Â
Cook faces long odds in this heavily Republican district. But Cook believes that the best and most creative solutions are coming from non-partisan elected officials at the local level, who are close to their constituents. “ We need to focus on the basics: where we work, where we live, and our place in the world.â€Â
Cook made the announcement Saturday, Feb. 2 during a Breakfast at the Democratic Party of Orange County’s Biennial Convention in Anaheim.
Cook, an attorney and a former small business owner, is serving her second term as mayor of Huntington Beach since being elected to the Huntington Beach City Council in 2000 and reelected in 2004. On the council, Cook is recognized for her common sense and her commitment to fiscal responsibility.
She helped lead the fight to prevent the Orange County Sanitation District from dumping massive amounts of partially treated wastewater into the ocean. Cook has promoted energy efficiency and other green initiatives in Huntington Beach city government.
In the 1990s, Cook led grassroots efforts in Huntington Beach that saved public parks and beaches from commercial development. As an attorney, she worked on the legal team that set precedent in protecting environmentally sensitive coastal habitat including the Bolsa Chica mesa.
Cook currently serves as Chair of the Energy and Environment Committee for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and Chair of the Orange County Parks Commission.
Cook has spoken across the country and internationally on the challenges local governments face from the peaking of world oil production. She is a member of the board of directors of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas.
Cook has ties across the 46th congressional district which stretches along the coast from Costa Mesa to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. In addition to a degree in Earth Science from Cal State Long Beach, she has an honorary degree from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa as a result of 25 years of volunteer work in the Horticulture Department. While in her 20’s she purchased her first home in Westminster and volunteered in the Fountain Valley schools and Fountain Valley neighborhood watch program.
Cook has been a resident of Orange County for more than 40 years, she is married to John Fisher, has one son and a grandson.
Chris, please tell Debbie that after the primary next week I will have some free time that could be put to use with her campaign. I look forward to making her acquaintance and likely offering to help.
This could be like Dornan-Sanchez all over again.
More information on how to contribute and contacts for volunteers will be available by the end of the week, and you will find it first at The Liberal OC.
As to the comments regarding one contest distracting from another, that’s really a short-sighted view. In this election year, every race that becomes competitive helps every other race not only locally but nationwide.
Last year Dana Rohrabacher was confident enough to send $250,000 of his campaign funds back to the NRCC, and make additional contributions to guys like Pombo and Bilbray.
One of the reasons to run a strong candidate in every district is to tie up Republican money.
The dem perty will loose this year. Neither a woman or a black can win the prez!!
Debbie Cook is indeed the real deal. She is smart, tough, and experienced. If anyone can dethrone Dana, she will be the one. 2008 is the year to do this since “Do Nothing Dana” doesn’t have his GOP majority cronies to hide behind. Go get
’em, Debbie!
A new Debbie Cook campaign = Tim Geddes employment.
Cook may cause Dana to have to actually campaign. Something he hasn’t had to do in some time. And as was pointed out, he won’t be able to send as many resources to other candidate in more contested races.
Matt — since you read these, the Cook-Dana race is like Sanchez-Dornan not from a registration standpoint, but from the standpoint of a having an electable female Democrat against an rightwing blowhard incumbant whom the conventional wisdom feels is untouchable; add to the massive groundwell of support for Democrats statewide and the significant uptick in Dem registrations statewide, and this race might be closer than it seems, At least Debbie doesn’t have a spouse who was convicted on anything….
Dan,
“At least Debbie doesn’t have a spouse who was convicted on anything….” That seems to be a common theme in the OC GOP. Van Tran’s wife was indicted…and so was Mike Carona’s wife. This must be their idea of “family values.”
Dan:
Rhonda plead out to get D.A. Mike Capizzi’s political persecution over with. I don’t know if you were around then when Capizzi was giving new meaning to the term prosecutorial abuse.
But Capizzi was subsequently defeated for re-election, and then defeated in a bid to be elected judge, and now languishes in deserved obscurity somewhere.
Rhonda is happily married to Dana with three children
So ultimately, some justice was served.
As for your Cook-Dana ruminations, dream on…dream on…
Actually Mike Capizzi left the DA’s office to seek the GOP nomination for State AG, which he lost. He was not defeated for re-election for OC DA.
It is funny the Reeps loved Mike Capizzi when he was DA Cecil Hicks deputy and prosecuted Democrats. However when he applied the laws to Reeps they screamed foul.
I am glad to hear Rhonda and Dana are happily married, but lets not forget Rock Hudson was happily married too.
Actually, the Rhonda case was the first political scandal I came across when moving to OC in the Spring of 1997; innocent people don’t cop a plea.
But just so we’re clear; Dana is a rightwing nutjob and I guess anyone who took money from Jack Abramoff, like Dana did, can’t be all bad.
innocent people don’t cop a plea.
Yeah — and innocent people are never wrongly convicted. Don’t be naive, Dan. Yes, innocent people do cop pleas.. When ground down and faced with bankruptcy, they do.
Actually Mike Capizzi left the DA’s office to seek the GOP nomination for State AG, which he lost. He was not defeated for re-election for OC DA.
You’re right, Sean. I got my Ccapizzi defeats mixed up. He was defeated in that race in large part due to his overzealous political prosecutions. And it was Capizzi’s hand-picked successor to be D.A., Wally Wade — one of his key henchmen in the Doris Allen recall prosecutions — who was beaten by Tony Rackauckas.
It is funny the Reeps loved Mike Capizzi when he was DA Cecil Hicks deputy and prosecuted Democrats. However when he applied the laws to Reeps they screamed foul.
Maybe that’s because those Democrats were actually corrupt, whereas the 1995 prosecutions were petty and ridiculous.
I am glad to hear Rhonda and Dana are happily married, but lets not forget Rock Hudson was happily married too.
If you’re going to be a sleazeball, Sean, be up-front about it,
Matt — do some advanced searching on this case. Lots of newspaper coverage with lots of details on what Rhonda admitted to doing. I think there was plenty of evidence that she was involved in election shenanigans. If she was innocent, Dana could have covered her defense.
Dan:
I was around then. The people involved were my friends. I think you should do some advanced searchin and find out the exact nature of these “shenanigans” and whether they merited the full fury and resources of the D.A.’s office.
Just because they are your friends doesn’t make them innocent. Did she or didn’t she have involvement in falsifying an election document?
And per the sleazeball comment directed at Sean above, Barry Jantz has this ditty over at Flash today in a column on McCain:
“Maybe McCain will try to fight back by confirming Hillary’s well-known bisexuality and her lesbian affair with her beautiful assistant, Huma Abedin. Google “Hillary” and “Huma Abedin” and you’ll get almost 6,000 hits. Turns out Huma is a Moslem who grew up in Saudi Arabia and is strongly suspected of working for Saudi intelligence.”
Actually, Barry’s a little off; I got 25,700 hits. Will you be venturing over to Flash to comment to Barry that he’s being a sleazeball?
I think you should do some advanced searchin and find out the exact nature of these “shenanigans†and whether they merited the full fury and resources of the D.A.’s office.
And you know this how exactly? What makes you the final word on what is or isn’t a valid case that warrants the investigative powers of the DA’s office?
Yes, innocent people do cop pleas.. When ground down and faced with bankruptcy, they do.
Whoaaa there podner. Clinton cut a plea deal during the Jone’s case. Could it be the same reason Ronda cut hers? Or is there a different standard in place since it was Clinton and not one of your friends?
Just because they are your friends doesn’t make them innocent.
Again, you are arguing with statements I never made.
Actually, Barry’s a little off; I got 25,700 hits. Will you be venturing over to Flash to comment to Barry that he’s being a sleazeball?
No, I won’t. Barry didn’t make that statement. It’s one line out of a looooong article Barry re-posted. I wouldn’t have done it myself. But it’s different than Sean going out of his way to insert an insinuation for the sole purpose of sliming Dana.
What Rhonda did was sign her name to the bottom of a candidate signature page swearing she had gathered all the above names, when she hadn’t collected all of them.
No reasonable person thought that was worth years and millions of dollars in DA resources to prosecute, Dan?
As for RHackett: please, please a) know what you are talking about before speaking and b) stop comparing apples to oranges.
Hey Jubal,
Was the surfboard Dana gave to Romney hidden in his closet too?
But I’d argue what Barry did was no different than what Sean did, yet only Sean is a sleazeball. Weak.
I believe the fine print in the document outlined what the penalty was for not being truthful about what you’re attesting to when you sign. So she did break a law. Ah, but itsonly a boilerplate and nobody should enforce it right?
Back on track, Dana has other probelms to worry abouy starting with Abramoff donations and moving to dinofarts. And let’s not forgot the whole negotiation with the Taliban thing he did without the authority of the federal goverment.
I hope Debbie can raise about 5 million bucks. Look at how Jim Brandt has done twice in a row and how every Dem has done running against him.
Granted, Debbie has better name recognition and the benefit of having an elected official title on the ballot, but that does not change the numbers in the district.
If Debbie is to be successful then she needs to raise tons of cash, get a great consultant, hope for the DCCC to throw tons of money her way, and pray for the huge Dem. Turnout in November.
Sounds like too many stars need to align before I can say Dana’s obituary.
As for RHackett: please, please a) know what you are talking about before speaking and b) stop comparing apples to oranges.
I do know what I’m talking about. Clinton pled out, just like Rhonda. If Rhonda pled out to avoid being wiped out financially after being ground down why isn’t Clinton afforded the same consideration? Every woman that accused of him harassment has since been discredited or recanted. Willey and Broderick (http://www.samsloan.com/janedoe5.htm) were viewed as either unreliable by Ken Starr.
It is amazing what some will do with their moment in the sun. Elizabeth Gracen (http://bellescan.mine.nu/B1/B_101_Elizabeth_Gracen.jpg) was so traumatized by her alleged tryst with Clinton that she parlayed it into a Playboy spread. Willey took a book deal. Gennifer Flowers took her notoriety and tried to transmute it into fame with a New Orleans nightclub. At the end of the day, just about all of them took their time in the spotlight as an opportunity to make a buck. No wonder they hung around the Clintons.
Yet conservatives love to make the claim that Clinton was a sexual predator because of the since discredited claims by these same women. So I ask again. If it’s okay for you to judge Rhonda Rohrbacher as accepting a plea deal as a result of an overzealous prosecutor (which one can easily say about Ken Starr) why isn’t the same consideration afforded Bill Clinton?
p.s. Don’t click on the Gracen link if you don’t want to see her Playboy pic.
So will Jubal agree that the DA going after Linda Moulton Patterson for a similar clerical error is also a waste of resources?
And perhaps she, too was innocent.
Anyone?
LC,
In this case he will say it was because it fits his argument. On the other hand he does not feel the millions upon millions upon millions of dollars wasted on the Clinton witch hunt was wrong.
When will Democrats learn that we need to support each other because all boats rise together? No one applauded louder than I on Saturday morning when Debbie announced her candidacy for congress. A strong candidate in the 46th helps me in the 48th.
The real issue is how do Democrats win. Why do you think Jubal reads these posts, and continues to stir the pot? Democratic discord benefits Republicans like Dana and John (Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb).
p. s.
I am not $250,000 in debt. I lent my campaign $250,000. I did not borrow money, nor do I need to.
Well said Steve, Well Said. I am in the 48th and you sir already have my vote!
I hope all Democrats do well here in the OC and that we shake GOP complacency.
I have read the other posts on here about you and I think people in the 48th are hungry for a different kind of politics, and a different kind of person in the House seat. Campbell has been a do-nothing disaster, a real Bushy thru and thru. What was said about veterans couldn’t have shocked me more. I will tell people I know to support Steve Young, there are Republican friends I know who will turn when they hear that Campbell said “Veterans are frauds.” Veterans deserve respect and funding for things such as VA, body armor, equipment, rest, and military pay raises. What Campbell has done since elected is unacceptable.
Around where I am at, there are Obama signs everywhere! I wouldn’t have thought it was possible at an earlier point in time. We can do great things in November!