Old dogs know old tricks

You would think that, after getting a shellacking that surprised no one outside the circle of beltway bloviators, that Richard Pombo would seek to run his current campaign in a new way. Fortunately for the voters of the 19th district, Pobmo is falling back on the same old issues that lost him the election in 2006 and building his war chest from the same old sources.

Let's sort through this in a logical manner. One of the complaints against Pombo was that he was too closely associated with Jack Abramoff and the sleazy deals surrounding Chinese criminal control of the Marianas Islands government. Often cited were the many trips to Marianas resorts taken by Abramoff associates, Republican Congressmen and their staffs. So, who is in the forefront of Pombo fundraising? None other than losing Colorado Republican Bob Schaffer. While Schaffer was in Congress, he earned the nickname "Sponge Bob" for soaking up Marianas perks like a sponge. Why anyone thinks that two losers equals one winner is beyond me.

Add to that, the theme of this fund=raising event, an attack on the Endangered Species Act by petroleum industry money. This is a return to a 19th Century Robber Baron thinking… well maybe a continuation of old ways that we no longer need in the 21st century. We might have learned a bit over the years. It is clear that the people who run some of these big companies have not, using easy promises of jobs for all in order to allow them to accumulate riches for a few. But more on that later%hellip; as te race heats up, so will the pace of posting.

Democrats Can Take Charge In CA-19 -- With Your Help!

Okay, so here's the deal. Every article to date about CA-19 has been full of the conventional wisdom about this district: It's Republican; it's a lock; Democrats need not apply.

And to reinforce this wisdom come the statistics (all pdf): Boxer lost in 2004 by nearly 13 points (to local favorite Bill Jones); Dianne Feinstein lost by less than 2% in 2006; Obama lost by 6 points to McCain in '08. So, according to the statistics, this is a seriously Republican district. You'll read it in all the articles -- CA-19 has a 6% Republican advantage in registration (Safe Republican).

But what the conventional wisdom won't tell you about CA-19 is this: Although the November 2008 voter registration numbers from Fresno County (the largest population center for CA-19) show a 163K-153K Republican advantage (nearly 2 1/2%) in registration and, just eight months ago, in the latest online report from the California SoS (May '09), that advantage was still around 8,000 or 2%, things are changing fast. You can see where the conventional wisdom might coming from -- historical data.

Here's the new reality. The California Democratic Party has targeted the Central Valley over the last year or so. And during that time, the Fresno Democratic Party has held numerous voter registration events -- as in "We're serious about this."

So where do we stand today? Well, here's the news that you won't read from the DC-centric media. According to the Fresno Registrar of Voters, as of last month, a mere 468 voters (or about 1/3%) separate the Democrats from the Republicans in voter registration. That's right. From an 8,000 voter difference to 468 in nine months' time.

Think this is too good to be true? Well, come out to help Fresno Democrats register voters next weekend. Here's the info:

• Volunteers will meet at 1304 East Olive Avenue in Fresno at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 16
• Walk until we hit our goal (or until 5:00 p.m.)
• You can RSVP to James Williams at jamesdean19662000@yahoo.com.

This is NOT necessarily a Republican district -- especially if we work to lay the groundwork right now!

Pombo "Scrounging" For Work

So, if you believe Richard Pombo (something you should never do), he's running in CA-19 only because he wants to serve the residents of the Central Valley.

Earlier this year, Fresno County agricultural interests frustrated with Radanovich contacted Pombo about running. Pombo said he declined at the time because he did not want to challenge a sitting Republican.

But with Radanovich’s announcement Tuesday that he will retire after this term, Pombo said he is now seriously considering a run for the seat.

“I don’t miss the politics,” Pombo said. “I miss the policy side of it. Obviously California needs some help.”

That's right. Pombo's just running for Congress so that he can help Californians. But this nugget from Politico in November 2008 sort of casts another light on Pombo's purported altruism.

The mood at the Republican Capitol Hill Club last night was low.

Very low.

People were depressed about the elections, we're told, including recently defeated Reps. Robin Hayes and Ric Keller. Also there was former Rep. Pombo, defeated in 2006, along with his sidekick Steve Ding, "scrounging for business" we hear. (Emphasis added)

What's that? Sounds like neither the former seven-term Republican Congressman/rancher nor his former chief of staff, Steven Ding, could manage to make much of a living away from the government teat.

According the the SF Chron

Pombo's chief handler Steve Ding sent a note to GOP friends Monday asking for support and telling folks he's putting together the team. Says the Dinger: "Richard has already been working the new district and lining up support."

Sounds a lot like scrounging, doesn't it?

Return Of The Zombies

In a scene straight out of Night of the Living Dead, Richard Pombo has pulled himself out of his political grave and is lurching back to Congressional politics.



This time, though, he's planning to feast on the brains of the innocent residents of CA-19. CA-19 is a rural district that encompasses the southern San Joaquin Valley and Sierra. Rumors swirled last week that Pombo was contemplating a run to replace retiring Rep. George Radanovich. Well, according to Hotline OnCall, Pombo will make it official tomorrow.

The former 7-term congressman, who once headed the House Resources Committee, will run for the seat being vacated by Rep. George Radanovich (R), who announced last week that he will not serve another term. Radanovich's 19th district is next to the 11th district, which Pombo lost to Rep. Jerry McNerney (D) in '06.

Pombo will make the announcement tomorrow, sources tell Hotline OnCall, after speaking with several incumbent members of Congress and supporters back home. He has reached out to donors in recent days, as well as to Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R) and Devin Nunes (R), two incumbents who hold neighboring districts.

For those of you wondering just where the heck CA-19 is, here's a map. You'll note the supreme irony that Pombo is seeking to represent a district that contains the crown jewel of the National Park system -- Yosemite National Park.



But never fear. Richard Pombo isn't the only zombie in this game. SNTP will rise again -- and there's only one brain on which we intend to feast.