East Bay Express asks, "Who's left?"
From Will Harper at the East Bay Express:
It's a shame Pete McCloskey didn't switch parties and run as a Democrat against Republican Richard Pombo of Tracy, the congressman in the cowboy hat who wants to sell off national parks, open up the coasts to offshore oil drillers, and gut the Endangered Species Act. The Democrats would have a much better chance of beating the powerful Pombo and taking back the House if they'd enlisted McCloskey — a lifelong Republican. But he's not just a regular Republican. McCloskey, who co-wrote the Endangered Species Act as a congressman in the early '70s, is himself something of an endangered species: the liberal Republican.
Yes, there is such a thing. At least there used to be. Shoot, by today's political standards, Richard Nixon's domestic policy would qualify him as a hippie tree-hugger — albeit one with a paranoid, authoritarian vibe. Don't forget, Tricky Dick created the Environmental Protection Agency and signed the Clean Air Act. McCloskey, cochair of the first Earth Day, was to the left of Nixon — which would put him to the left of many of today's leading Democrats. The point is, with his liberal ethos and Republican cred, the 78-year-old McCloskey would have significant crossover appeal in a general election against Pombo in the Republican-leaning District 11, which stretches from the Central Valley to East Bay suburbs like Pleasanton and Danville.
Instead, McCloskey chose to take on Pombo in the GOP primary. He got clobbered, of course, but he still captured 31 percent of the vote — suggesting that maybe even people in Pombo's own party aren't so pleased with their man. Last week, McCloskey endorsed Pombo's Democratic opponent, wind-energy consultant Jerry McNerney. The real surprise, at least to Feeder, was that McCloskey comes off more like a lefty than McNerney, who was recently snubbed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for allegedly being too liberal for the district.
When a reporter asked McNerney if he supports Fremont Congressman Pete Stark's recently introduced universal health-care bill, the Democratic candidate cautiously stated that he hadn't had a chance to read it. He didn't even capitalize on the question as an opportunity to voice support for universal health care. Not so the savvy McCloskey. The Republican chimed in that it was an "injustice" that we don't have a national health-care plan. Afterward, Feeder asked McNerney spokesman Tor Michaels for clarification: Does the candidate support universal health care or not? The answer: "It's not a yes or no question for us." Arrggggg! Are these people taking speech lessons from John Kerry?
After the press conference, McCloskey described himself as being more critical of the Bush administration than McNerney regarding the war in Iraq. When Feeder pointed out to McCloskey that he sounded more liberal than many Democrats, he chuckled and said, "Part of that has to do with the uncertainty of the Democratic Party of who they are." Democrats such as Congresswoman Anna Eshoo from Palo Alto, he added, would probably make fine moderate Republicans. So why didn't McCloskey run as a Dem? No one asked him, he said, and, well, he never considered it an option. "I've been a Republican for too long," he reasoned.
It's a shame Pete McCloskey didn't switch parties and run as a Democrat against Republican Richard Pombo of Tracy, the congressman in the cowboy hat who wants to sell off national parks, open up the coasts to offshore oil drillers, and gut the Endangered Species Act. The Democrats would have a much better chance of beating the powerful Pombo and taking back the House if they'd enlisted McCloskey — a lifelong Republican. But he's not just a regular Republican. McCloskey, who co-wrote the Endangered Species Act as a congressman in the early '70s, is himself something of an endangered species: the liberal Republican.
Yes, there is such a thing. At least there used to be. Shoot, by today's political standards, Richard Nixon's domestic policy would qualify him as a hippie tree-hugger — albeit one with a paranoid, authoritarian vibe. Don't forget, Tricky Dick created the Environmental Protection Agency and signed the Clean Air Act. McCloskey, cochair of the first Earth Day, was to the left of Nixon — which would put him to the left of many of today's leading Democrats. The point is, with his liberal ethos and Republican cred, the 78-year-old McCloskey would have significant crossover appeal in a general election against Pombo in the Republican-leaning District 11, which stretches from the Central Valley to East Bay suburbs like Pleasanton and Danville.
Instead, McCloskey chose to take on Pombo in the GOP primary. He got clobbered, of course, but he still captured 31 percent of the vote — suggesting that maybe even people in Pombo's own party aren't so pleased with their man. Last week, McCloskey endorsed Pombo's Democratic opponent, wind-energy consultant Jerry McNerney. The real surprise, at least to Feeder, was that McCloskey comes off more like a lefty than McNerney, who was recently snubbed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for allegedly being too liberal for the district.
When a reporter asked McNerney if he supports Fremont Congressman Pete Stark's recently introduced universal health-care bill, the Democratic candidate cautiously stated that he hadn't had a chance to read it. He didn't even capitalize on the question as an opportunity to voice support for universal health care. Not so the savvy McCloskey. The Republican chimed in that it was an "injustice" that we don't have a national health-care plan. Afterward, Feeder asked McNerney spokesman Tor Michaels for clarification: Does the candidate support universal health care or not? The answer: "It's not a yes or no question for us." Arrggggg! Are these people taking speech lessons from John Kerry?
After the press conference, McCloskey described himself as being more critical of the Bush administration than McNerney regarding the war in Iraq. When Feeder pointed out to McCloskey that he sounded more liberal than many Democrats, he chuckled and said, "Part of that has to do with the uncertainty of the Democratic Party of who they are." Democrats such as Congresswoman Anna Eshoo from Palo Alto, he added, would probably make fine moderate Republicans. So why didn't McCloskey run as a Dem? No one asked him, he said, and, well, he never considered it an option. "I've been a Republican for too long," he reasoned.
posted by PF at 12:03 PM
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