Rumors & Lies for CDP Chair

On Sunday morning, Eric Bauman sent an email to let folks know he’s closed in on the number of committed delegates needed to secure the nomination as the next chair for the California Democratic Party.  But he buried the lede.

Bauman revealed he and his husband Michael are the subject of rumors that they engage in “inappropriate behavior” with teenage boys.  The bigotry that exists even in the present day that Gay Men are somehow pedophiles just reared it’s ugly head….again.

I’ll republish Bauman’s letter and a response from his chief opponent Kimberly Ellis in a second, but let’s be clear about one thing.  Bauman never points the finger at anyone in the Ellis camp for making this accusation.

Ellis issued an email about two hours later “to express her outrage and sadness” to Bauman and did so via voice mail.  She denounces this sort of behavior (everyone does; if we be remarkable if she said anything other than what she said).  Her note in a moment.

Both Bauman and Ellis recently addressed the DPOC Central Committee — Bauman in March and Ellis in April.  It’s hard to gauge how the DPOC would vote as their are local party camps for both candidates.  It is telling that our state party will soon be led by an openly Gay man or an African-American woman (I believe Lenore Albert is running primarily for statewide party name recognition which isn’t a bad idea, but she doesn’t have much of a chance).

During the Q&A in March, Bauman faced a tougher line of questioning from those DPOC members more closely aligned with US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).  I found Bauman answered questions without hesitation or quibbling.  One was about what he’s to do with his “lobbying business” if he became party chair.  Bauman explained it’s not a lobbying business that works with elected officials, but a political consulting firm that represents ballot issues and outreaches to voters.  That all said, Bauman firmly stated if he won the state party chair, he’d close the business.  Selling a business where Bauman is such a critical piece just isn’t a good practice in this case.  But the business would shutter its doors.

In April, Ellis spoke.  I liked her style in speaking with a handheld microphone from the floor rather than the podium.  She spoke at length about “getting big money out of the party.”  Misha Houser was sitting ahead of me and has decades of government relations and policy experience, and asked a question along the lines of “so a big check from the millionaires and billionaires in Silicon Valley would be turned away?”  Facebook, Apple, Google, Uber and Oracle, among others, have oodles of millionaires who are very progressive and want Democrats to succeed.

Ellis nodded and turned to the crowd and answered saying we need to keep dark money out of the party.  She said we should not accept money from Big Petroleum, Big Banks, or Big Pharma.  Misha and I then shouted to Ellis, “you’re not answering the question.”  Ellis wouldn’t budge from the “Dark Money” position and at that point, she lost me.  I’m reminded of a media training tactic most don’t teach anyone because its not ethical; “you get a question you don’t like, reframe it to a question you do and answer that second question instead.”  Most media wouldn’t challenge the tactic.  College basketball coaches do this all the time….

When Ellis concluded, I wanted to ask her Misha’s question directly.  I was cut off by a staffer who wouldn’t let me get near her and Ellis was surrounded by supporters.

“She never answered the question,” I said.  “She did,” he responded.  “We need to get Dark Money out of the Party.”  I replied “that wasn’t the question asked.  Well, guess Bauman gets my support.”  To which he repeated “What about Bauman’s Lobbying Business?”  “He said he’d close it,” I answered.  “No he won’t,” the staffer replied.  “His husband will take it over.  You believed that?”  I said “I believe Eric because he answered a direct question definitively.  Ellis did not.”  And with that, I went back to my seat.

So as far as the rumors about Bauman that surfaced this weekend, I don’t think the Ellis camp is behind them.  But I have no trouble believing one of her staffers might be.

As far as Dark Money staying out of the party goes, yes it should.  Perhaps she can asked Senator Bernie Sanders about his new political organization “Our Revolution” which is a 501(c)(4) organization that can collect large donations from anonymous sources without disclosing them; something Sanders railed against on the campaign trail.  I’d like to know if she plans to take direction from Senator Sanders as he is not — and never has been —  a registered Democrat and pretty much 86’d the “Unity Tour” with DNC Chair Tom Perez.

Here are the letters:

Fellow Democrats,

I had been planning to distribute a very exciting email this morning announcing that I just closed in on the number of committed delegates needed to win the California Democratic Party Chair’s race.

My encouragement was overshadowed by the shocking and horrible news I must share.

I am outraged about the latest tactic in the politics of personal destruction that have infected this race for CDP Chair.

Last Thursday evening, my phone bank team started hearing from some delegates that they had “heard” that I have been engaging in inappropriate behavior with 14 and 16 year old boys. When I first heard it, I could not believe it and I brushed it off. Then, we heard it again on Friday and I became really angry. I’m a pretty tough guy and I can take the attacks, lies, distortions, and mud that has been slung at me pretty well.

But to accuse me of child abuse, especially of this nature, is beyond the pale and 100% unacceptable.

Yesterday afternoon, as I was speaking with delegates, this issue came up again, this time, in the form of a delegate who knows me and is supporting me, who said to me, “You won’t believe what I heard…”

The truth is, I lost it. I became so enraged that my hands were shaking and I did not know what to do, where to turn, how to react.

I spent much of my evening sobbing, literally sobbing – a 58 year old man, inconsolable. Finally, my husband Michael convinced me to go with him for a long walk with the dog so we could talk and I’d be distracted.

I want to say plainly: we Democrats cannot, must not accept or tolerate the spreading of despicable lies like this. It means we are no better than Trump with his character assassination tactics. WE MUST REFUSE TO ALLOW PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE DEMOCRATS TO GET AWAY WITH THIS TYPE OF HEINOUS AND OBNOXIOUS BEHAVIOR!

I have dedicated 30 years of my life to this Party. I do NOT deserve to be accused of being a pedophile in the name of trying to win an election. It is simply intolerable and unacceptable and each and everyone of you, whether you support me or not, must help put a stop to this hateful, reputation-destroying rhetoric.

I will be a strong Chair, who fights for equality for all, for rights of working women and men, and to help those in greatest need and those at greatest risk. That’s what our Party stands for and requires – but the members of Party cannot go around acting like Donald Trump and his alt-right gang of thugs and expect voters to see us differently.

Eric C. Bauman

 

Dear Dan,

Just like you, I was shocked to read the email Eric just sent out.

I called Eric to express my outrage and sadness. I was not able to get him live but left a message and hope he will return my call when he is able. 

These rumors are despicable and there’s no place in our politics for such outrageous behavior and I denounce any such type of cruel maligning of someone’s character.

While Eric and I have substantive differences, we also have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time together on the campaign trail. Though there’s certainly a lot of passion on both sides, I’m proud of the mutual respect and courtesy we’ve show each other in our interactions.

My plan for the next two weeks of this campaign is to talk about the future of this Party. I hope Eric will join me in doing so too.

Kimberly Ellis