The November 2010 elections are shaping up to be memorable for residents of California as top Republicans target key districts. Minority leader John Boehner hopes to unseat Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House while Chuck Devore actively campaigns for Senator Barbara Boxer’s seat.
America’s eagerness to vote out corrupt politicians has opened the field for candidates who understand the issues and promise to resist the lure of the DC power structure.
In California’s 37th Congressional District race that candidate is Conservative leader Star Parker.
Parker “is the founder and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renewal & Education, a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank that provides a national voice of reason on issues of race and poverty in the media, inner city neighborhoods, and public policy.”
The 37th congressional district includes most of Long Beach and Compton, as well as Carson, Signal Hill, and parts of other municipalities and is represented by the ethically challenged Congresswoman Laura Richardson.
Richardson, who owes her seat to ACORN friend Maxine Waters, made headlines for the foreclosure of her home and pending ethics investigations. One blogger notes:
Richardson, in the meantime, has worked a pretty good deal. She has been elected to a safe (lifetime tenure) African American seat in a Los Angeles area Congressional district, where she reaps campaign contributions from many special interests, including area defense contractors and unions. She walks away from this home and lets the lender, Washington Mutual, take the loss.
To pay for her campaign expenses and personal loan debt to HER OWN campaign she collects additional campaign contributions AFTER Washington Mutual forecloses on her equity strapped Sacramento property and takes the loss.
Her credit score takes a hit but she is an elected Member of Congress with a steady and sizable income. Richardson pays herself back from campaign contributions she accumulates over the course of her election year campaign.
Richardson’s personal troubles culminated with last October’s announcement that ethics investigations would move forward for Richardson and her political benefactor Maxine Waters.
RedCountry noted that other California Democrats began to smell blood in the water:
“According to the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office, Democrats Lee Davis, Peter Mathews and Terrance Ponchak have requested ‘Signature In-Lieu’, which allows candidates during the candidate filing period to collect signatures as a method to reducing the candidate’s filing fee.
Who would ever think that troubles for the Democrats could not get any worse in this 2010 election season?
The irony is for Democrats like Rep. Richardson who can’t stop the noise within their own tent leaves the door open for a possible Republican pickup in this Long Beach area congressional seat.
Anger is brewing throughout the country including here in Los Angeles County and we might see an unprecedented voter revolt come this November!“
Star Parker’s decision to run guarantees national attention on this so called “safe seat” which could lead to the type of national support that turned the Scott Brown race. Conversations with Parker over the weekend revealed a reluctant politician, someone who believed in public service and had spent most of her life dedicated to building a stronger America. Parker surveyed the political landscape and responded to America’s need for new leaders by deciding to run, like Allen West and Chuck Devore. In her syndicated column, Parker explores her reasons for running:
“As I wrote a little over a year ago: ‘I thought we were on the road to moving socialism out of poor black communities and replacing it with wealth producing American capitalism. But, incredibly, we are going in the opposite direction. Instead of poor America on socialism becoming more like rich America on capitalism, rich America on capitalism is becoming like poor America on socialism.’
…The government health care takeover which has just been forced on an unhappy America could not have happened without the cooperation of our large pharmaceutical firms and insurance companies. They should be ashamed of themselves…
I’m challenging a Black Caucus incumbent in a district that political pundits rate ‘safe’ for Democrats.
But this year no Democrat representing low income Americans should feel safe peddling the same plantation policies that already have produced our broken schools, broken families, and broken spirits. Now they’re bringing these bankrupt ideas to the whole country.”
Richardson’s ethics issues, support for heath care and her statements regarding “Comrade” Fidel Castro should be fresh in voters minds come November but according to Open Secrets, Richardson still is heavily union backed. The graphic below illustrates that unions have historically poured money into her campaign, big spenders like SEIU may be expected to step up the donations in order to retain the seat.
Tellingly, Parker does not appear to be concerned with appeasing big labor and explained her fundraising strategy. Parker stated that she needs:
“500 people to each get 50 friends to give $50 dollars.”
Her website Star Parker For Congress is currently accepting those donations and Parker’s campaign is creating quite a stir on the right.
With November around the corner Democrats are gearing up to fight for their political lives as viable and courageous candidates attempt to reign in an out of control government.