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Here are the Pleasanton Weekly’s endorsements of candidates for Congress, State Assembly, Alameda County Assessor and East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors that serve the interests of Pleasanton voters. We reached our decisions after meeting with the candidates or questioning them during a public forum.

U.S. House of Representatives

Incumbent Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) is seeking a fourth straight term representing District 15. His challenger is Rudy Peters (R-Livermore), a Navy veteran and owner of a systems engineering firm.

Swalwell is the strong voice the Tri-Valley needs in Congress.

The former Dublin councilman and Alameda County prosecutor continues to be a presence throughout his district and is responsive to constituents.

He remains committed to Tri-Valley goals such as securing funds for the Valley Link rail service, supporting our innovation economy and modernizing schools. Though a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, Swalwell said he hopes to work with a more bipartisan House in the next term to complete bills that align with some stated Trump goals such as the trillion-dollar infrastructure plan, prescription drug costs, DREAM Act and reducing corruption.

Peters has a laundry list of priorities, locally and nationally, but with no prior elected service at any level, he lacks the experience and political clout needed of an effective legislator. He also argues Swalwell doesn’t focus enough on improving his district and constituents’ lives. We disagree and look forward to seeing what Swalwell can accomplish in the next two years.

Re-elect Eric Swalwell for Congressional District 15.

State Assembly

Assemblywoman Catharine Baker (R-Dublin) is running for a third term holding a key seat for the minority party in the State Legislature. Challenging the incumbent is Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), whose resume is similar to Baker’s pre-election — an attorney from the opposite party with nonprofit and school volunteer service but no elected experience.

We prefer Baker for District 16.

Over her four years in office, Baker has been persistently active in the district while also being a devoted advocate for her constituents in Sacramento. She has worked across party lines on statewide issues like women’s rights, gun control and coastal protection, but as importantly, she has achieved results to improve life in the Tri-Valley — look no further than her helping find money for a new BART parking garage in Dublin, which broke ground last week.

Bauer-Kahan, who finished 13 points behind Baker in the primary but may well benefit from a blue wave in the general election, has proven herself knowledgeable on statewide issues but we worry about her finding her independent voice within her party and to what extent she will prioritize the Tri-Valley.

Re-elect Catharine Baker to the State Assembly.

Alameda County Assessor

The race to replace retiring Alameda County Assessor Ron Thomsen features two Alameda residents: Phong La, a real estate tax attorney whose practice is based in Newark, and Jim Johnson, chief of the Assessor’s Assessment Services Division.

La’s campaign centered on experience, affordability and transparency has resonated with us — as it did with many voters in June, with La earning 38.86% to Johnson’s 24.88% in the four-candidate primary.

With experience on the consumer side of assessments (namely confronting incorrect tax bills), La wants to see the county office be more proactive with residents and businesses, including introducing informal hearings before assessment appeals, opening a satellite office in the Tri-Valley and prioritizing digitalization of the backlog of paper files to finally bring the assessor into the 21st century.

Johnson’s campaign is focused on experience, continuity and nonpartisan decision-making for the Assessor’s Office. But his core message seems to be that he has worked there for 26 years and he has the backing of the outgoing assessor. We hoped to hear more original ideas from Johnson on how he would improve the office with his own, independent voice.

Phong La is the leader the Assessor’s Office needs going forward.

EBRPD Ward 5

Longtime Board of Directors member Ayn Wieskamp from Livermore is seeking re-election to the Ward 5 seat, representing the Tri-Valley south to Newark and parts of Fremont. She is being challenged by Fremont small business owner Dev Gandhi.

We support Wieskamp.

With nearly 20 years on the EBRPD board (on top of prior service on the Livermore City Council and Livermore Area Recreation and Park District), Wieskamp remains experienced, knowledgeable and highly motivated to represent the Tri-Valley’s interests.

She pointed to recent accomplishments in Pleasanton including opening the Castleridge Trailhead access point to The Ridge and solar panels at Shadow Cliffs. And we laud her top local priorities for the next four-year term, such as creating trail access at Doolan Canyon in Livermore and Niles Canyon.

Gandhi, who did not respond to requests for an interview, is a technology entrepreneur who said on his campaign website that he was inspired to run to fix (unspecified) problems with local EBRPD parks, primarily Mission Peak Regional Preserve. But his candidacy seems to us half-hearted and unfocused.

Vote Ayn Wieskamp for EBRPD Board of Directors Ward 5 on Nov. 6.

Join the Conversation

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  1. Please look at a candidates past to predict how they will vote in the future. Typical politician will make you feel good around election and go back to their ways after. In my opinion a politician cannot go from threats to impeach to be non partisan. Look at his success to pass bills, only one I saw was to rename a post office. Time for a change.

  2. Can you name one accomplishment that Eric Swalwell has done for the district? I will take Peter’s experience over Swalwell’s. So far Swalwell has only voted as instructed, has never reached across the isle, and continues to add to the toxic mess that is our US house of Representatives. We all deserve better and it must start here by voting him out.

  3. What am I supposed to be impressed by Peters for? Putting “MAGA” on his website makes me question whether he is old school Republican or just another sucker trying to ride Trump’s coattails. Did he support the nomination of Kavanaugh who has more an authoritarian record than a Republican record? What is his stance on the NDAA and undeclared wars the US is involved in? As a non-partisan voter, I’m so completely sick of your ridiculous partisanism. At this point I’d rather vote in a Millennial who grew up without the opportunities of past generations than an entitled Baby Boomer or head-in-sand GenXer. Don’t tell me that cutting my taxes is going to protect me from government and that I should be happy with it while I’m still liable for all the debt you create.

  5. I’m an independent voter who has become so disgusted and appalled with what has become of the Republican Party under Donald Trump that I’m going to do what I’ve never before done in this upcoming November election: I’m going to vote straight Democratic all across the ballot to send a strong message to the Republican Party. I urge other voters to do the same.

  7. @Michael B :”The Democrat Party is dominated by the far left and is out of touch with the average person. They just want more money/control over the lives of the citizens to create their utopian fairness state (and ignoring the Constitution) …”

    Oh, yeah, we all know that the Republican Party is the party of fiscal responsibility with a President who really respects the US Constitution.

    “Federal Deficit Jumps 17 Percent As Tax Cuts Eat Into Government Revenue”
    https://www.npr.org/2018/10/16/657790901/federal-deficit-jumps-17-percent-as-tax-cuts-eat-into-government-revenue

  8. If you like low unemployment and reduced taxes do not vote for Swalwell. He voted against every bill. He is not here for us he is here for himself and his TV time. He has brought nothing to our district. There was a recall effort when he was on the city counsel where he was accused of taking bribes for votes. See these links
    https://ballotpedia.org/Eric_Swalwell_recall,_Dublin,_California_(2012)

    http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/129529/eric-swalwell#.WtaxXJch1NB

  9. Eric Swalwell is a disgrace. He is a complete idiot that votes as instructed by the leaders of the Democratic party. I have dealt with him a couple of times an issues that effect California and his canned responses from his “staff” are completely worthless. The guy needs to go….I am embarrassed that he represents our district because he doesn’t. Imagine him having Presidential asperations….give me a break.

  10. @Michael B

    Yeah, tell us about all those “law abiding” gun owners in your simplified world view of “law abiding gun owners” versus “criminals”. Here’s one statistic that you’ll never, ever, ever hear from Republicans or the NRA, guaranteed:

    “Criminals steal more than 237,000 guns from legal American gun owners every year”
    Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/criminals-steal-guns-from-legal-gun-owners-2017-11
    – – –

  12. @Michael B: “Thanks for illustrating my earlier point with your distorted sense of law and order. Perhaps we should imprison the legal gun owners instead? It was their “fault”, right?”

    What, me fault gun owners for not properly locking up and securing their guns so that 237,000 guns a year can get stolen from them by criminals? Surely you jest.

    —–
    “Sometimes sarcasm helps us to think more clearly.”
    -Dilbert

  13. Let me tell you about Eric Swalwell. He claimed not to take money from corporate political action committees when he ran in 2012, but ever since Swalwell has taken money from Boeing, Northrup, Honeywell, Calpine and the like. Swalwell doubly misled because he implied former congressman Stark took money from these kinds of donors, even though Stark did not.

    The corporate money gives Swalwell a war chest twice what Stark had, and which Swalwell does not need except as an implicit threat against local politicians. If a mayor criticizes Swalwell, then the mayor may have a well-financed opponent for their own re-election. I guess something similar applies to newspapers like the “Weakly”.

    The Weakly outright lies in saying Swalwell is a “strong voice” for “TriValley goals such as securing funds for the Valley Link rail service.” Governor Brown had not one infrastructure project for the TriValley on the list he sent to Washington in January 2017, even though BART had been studying environmental impacts since 2015. Swalwell was writing letters in support of BART to Livermore as late as May 2018, which was a couple of weeks before BART killed the project. In other words, neither BART nor the Governor paid any attention to Swalwell.

    But it gets worse. Under measure BB we pay sales taxes into a $400 million fund for BART to Livermore. That future money now will be spent to build a rail line over the Altamont pass in Alameda County. Once the rail gets to the county line, then San Joaquin County only has to lay a mile of track on flat ground to reach Tracy. In short, our money will be spent solely to benefit another county. This failure of leadership is typical of Swalwell. I could go on.

  16. Oh please, MichaelB. You really have no clue what you’re talking about. The Democrats are no more far left than the average Republican.

    http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/10/tribalism-exhausted-majority-centrism-david-brooks-democratic-party.html

    “But for now, the actually existing Democratic Party is a centrist organization that champions fiscal responsibility, balanced budgets, procedural norms, a civil public discourse, strong border enforcement, a globe-spanning military empire — and, like the vast majority of the American people, a more ambitious and generous social-welfare state, higher taxes on the rich, abortion rights, a path to legal status for the undocumented, more regulatory protections for consumers and the environment, and various incremental reforms aimed at increasing labor’s share of economic growth.

    The actually existing Republican Party, on the other hand, is an extreme, reactionary formation that champions procedural radicalism, nativism, voter suppression, far-right militia movements, the stigmatization of the Islamic faith, sheriffs who habitually violate the law and their constituents’ civil rights, the subordination of federal law enforcement to Donald Trump’s whims — and, unlike the vast majority of Americans, a smaller and less generous social-welfare state, lower taxes for the rich, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, fewer regulatory protections for consumers and the environment, and various reforms aimed increasing Wyatt Koch’s share of economic growth.”

  17. Swalwell is a great vote if you want a anti trump mouthpiece, go for it at the cost of helping our communities.

    Baker i like as a Republican or Democrat. May not agree with all her actions, but she is actually taking action

  18. Our wonderful law and order Republican President:

    “President Donald Trump praised Montana Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter during his campaign last May, saying “any guy who can do a body slam … he’s my guy” and made a gesture mimicking a body slam. At a Montana rally Thursday night, Trump admitted, “I shouldn’t say this,” but continued and said, “there’s nothing to be embarrassed about….”

    “…Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in June after he was convicted of “body slamming” Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian. A judge sentenced him to a 180-day deferred sentence, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management and a $300 fine along with a $85 court fee.”
    CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/18/politics/trump-rally-gianforte-my-guy/index.html
    – – –

  19. Someone remind Doug that Hillary Clinton herself endorsed the end of civility in politics..

    …Swarm my little Democrat minions…SWWWAAARRRMMM…

  20. Songbird,

    Now what does Hillary Clinton exactly have to do with comments that Trump chooses to make today all by himself?

    Get outta here with your Soviet-styled “whataboutism” propaganda technique. It’s shameful. If you sincerely want civility in politics, don’t defend Trump’s hypocrisy with brain-dead “whataboutism”.

  21. Someone with the handle of “Realist”refuses to acknowledge the FACTS of the Democratic Party

    “Soviet-styled” … lol

    It’s called pointing out hypocrisy..hope that helps?

  22. @Michael B: “There is nothing “fiscally responsible” about ….”

    You need to get with the times. Forget about Republicans trying to claim the banner of “fiscal responsibility”. The Federal deficit went up 17% under Trump in the last year. The Republican Party is no longer the party of conservative principles or fiscal responsibility. It is now the party of Trump, a demagogue and self-promoter who couldn’t care less about fiscal responsibility and has the deficits to prove it.

  23. Y A W N.

    To those who think Swalwell is some socialist self-aggrandizing scum: we heard you already. Why repeat? Swalwell will win—for the reasons that PW endorses him for. You can’t change that. So why keep venting?

    We do have local problems, and need local solutions, which is why the state race is more impactful than the federal one. That being said, I suspect both candidates will represent the district well, and so the question is only whether we should vote Baker out because of her party affiliation choice. Seems like a bad reason to vote out an effective representative, especially since we’re in no danger of her party choice influencing state law. That being said, I could understand people voting against her for that choice and not being unreasonable in doing so.

    I just wish we had more opportunity to vote for issues we care about. This election is fairly meaningless for the area this time around.

  24. I’ll vouch for Rudy Peters. We both worked for the same defense contractor when he managed a major program in support of the National Intelligence Community, to the tune of many millions of dollars. I led an integrated product team which performed some reverse engineering and new software development on that program. It was classified at a level for which many members of Congress do not even possess a clearance. Myself and a few other IPTs all reported to Rudy through our engineering chain. Rudy did a fine job managing this program and I wouldn’t consider his lack of elected experience as a disqualification in this election. He’s certainly accomplished more in the private sector than our incumbent up for re-election has in Congress or elsewhere, and is well respected in the industries supporting our Intelligence Community.

  27. Rudy Peters being a hard-core defender of Trump disqualifies him from further consideration in my book. A vote for Rudy Peters is a vote for Donald Trump.

  28. Eric Swalwell tried to kiss me when we were in the 7th grade at a pool party after the Tri Valley swim meet, he had really bad breath and BO, I pushed him down and kicked him, never spoke to him again. When we started High School a little over a year later he told everyone that I slept with him that night, he ruined my 14 year old life. I had to go away to boarding school for the rest of my HS years. I sent a confidential letter to Senator Diane Feinstein, I think she’ll keep this information quiet until Eric is nominated for the Supreme Court, fingers crossed!

  29. Songbird,

    Yea, you go spend all your time hunting for hypocrisy. That’s how manipulation works. No one is keeping score or awarding you for your hunt. They’re glad you keep yourself distracted. Good job!

  30. Now to pick apart MichaelB…

    Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t run the DNC. In fact her win was a SURPRISE to them! Strike one against your attempt to say DNC is far left.

    Obamacare as policy has roots in conservative circles, including the individual mandate part. DNC embraced the ACA over a more left-leaning universal single-payer system. Strike two.

    DNC didn’t attack Kavanaugh on the more troubling features of his record on civil liberties, instead they chose some other way to attack (and keep up political appearances by distracting from the real issues with Kavanaugh) because DNC BASICALLY AGREE WITH Kavanaugh’s RULINGS. A centrist, technocratic party would find Kavanaugh’s authoritarian leanings USEFUL. A far left party would have torn into his record on how his rulings help perpetuate the status quo inequalities against the weakest members of our society. Strike three.

  32. For someone with the handle of “Realist”..you seem to be stuck in the land of the Unicorn and Chupacabra

    An honest person would have pointed out the so-called “conservatives” that had floated the individual mandate concept 30 years ago were ADAMANTLY opposed to the the ACA..the mandate as rolled out was very different than what was debated decades ago

    But go ahead, keep tossing out the half-truths to support your “Realistic” vision..lol

  33. What a joke this publication has become.

    PW has been on the wrong side of nearly every issue and its endorsement of Swalwell only continues the streak of badly informed opinion pieces.

    Basically it says “The economy and foreign affairs has never been more stable, let’s screw it up by putting the Democrats in charge”.

    Meanwhile, that little blue wave that every Lib is hoping for is quickly evaporating. Don’t look at the polls, look at the state by state registration activities and you’ll see the trend.

    2019 will be fantastic.

  34. @Michael B :”Longing and wishing for the “good old days” under Obama when fewer people were employed,more people received government assistance programs…”

    “Fewer people employed”? The unemployment rate has been steadily dropping for the last 10 years since the last recession, the one that Obama had to deal with on Day One when he first stepped into the White House thanks to a Republican administration. The number of people on government assistance has also been steadily dropping for the last 10 years. Trump didn’t do anything.

    I would like everyone reading this post, including you, to take a look at a timeline graph of the unemployment rate for the last 10 years at the following link. The time period under Obama and the time period under Trump are clearly marked in blue and red, respectively. Now does anyone see any significant change in the unemployment trend between Obama’s time in office and Trump’s time in office? How about you, Michael B? I challenge you to explain why Trump deserves any credit for an unemployment rate trend which shows no change from the rate that existed before he entered office. Answer the question directly. If you try to be evasive, deflect, or change the subject, everyone here will know what you’re doing and why.

    MSNBC : Graph of US Unemployment Rate over the Last 10 Years: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/unemployment-trump-was-born-third-base-thinks-he-hit-triple
    – – –

  36. DKHSK, I don’t know if you’re really that stupid or if it’s just that you think that I’m stupid, but after reading so many of your posts I suspect the former.

  37. Nice response Doug.

    Didn’t read because the list is too long, huh?

    I wonder what Swalwell list of accomplishments look like?

    Guess we’ll never know.

  38. “I don’t know if you’re really that stupid or if it’s just that you think that I’m stupid“

    Since YOU asked, I’ll tell you:

    I think you’re stupid.

    Dan

  40. Asking for a comparison of accomplishments between Trump and Swalwell is like comparing Hitler to a regular person. One caused the deaths of millions and ruined millions more lives and the other couldn’t do anything because he was in the minority. I’ll take the guy who didn’t do anything, thank you very much!

  41. Asking for a comparison of achievements between Trump and Swalwell is like comparing Hitler to a normal, regular person. One ruined millions of lives, the other didn’t do much because he couldn’t. I choose the guy who couldn’t do much, thank you very much.

  42. False argument again Dan. Comparing Trump and Swalwell’s achievements is like comparing Hitler’s to a regular person’s. Hitler ruined millions of lives while the regular guy didn’t. Swalwell’s been blocked by Republicans on everything he tried while Trump has been supported by the same majority. I will vote for the guy that has NOT ruined millions of lives, thank you.

  43. You are making another false argument again Dan. Comparing Trump’s achievements to Swalwell’s is like comparing Hitler’s to a regular person’s. Hitler ruined millions of lives while the regular guy didn’t. I’ll vote for the guy who did NOT ruin lives every time, thank you. Also Swalwell has been blocked by the Republican majority and leadership on everything he tried. It’s like holding someone down by force and saying “This guy isn’t getting anything done, he’s useless”

  45. Obama brought the unemployment rate down feom 10% to 5%. But you are more proud of Trump bringing it from 5% to 3.7%. As I said, you are simply a dihonest person to your core.

  47. I have no problem with anyone’s opinions, even if I don’t agree with them. I have a problem with lies and half-truths (same as lies). …and this guy is full of them.

  48. Jim D,

    Fact: Obama presided over the worst recovery in US history.

    The economy recovered DESPITE Obama, not because of him.

    I’ve asked this question before but no libs answered it, so I’ll ask you, Jim: If Obama is the reason the economy is so good right now, if it tanked tomorrow, would you then still claim that it was Obamas economy? Why or why not?

    Let’s see how honest you really are.

    I’ll await your answer.

  52. Your question is framed wrong sir. Macro-economics doesn’t have that much to do with the president. Government provides the basic frame with the laws they make and enforce. Republican administrations have labeled the government as “the problem” and refused to enforce regulations which protect the common people from white collar criminals who will gladly steal your retirement pensions and savings. Now they are coming after my social security and medicare. And for what? Because they gave it to thier donors, the 1% with a ridiculous tax cut.

  53. JimD and Doug,

    You guys sound like a couple children when confronted with facts. President Trump is doing a great job again the Democratic Brownshirt Nazi’s or mod.

  54. Well, this thread reminds me of something very important that underscores the danger of the times we live in.

    The left criticizes the right for what they’ve DONE, and the right criticizes the left for who they ARE.

    When you begin to hate people for who they are, what they believe in, how they want the world to be, then you’ve gone down a very dark road that there may not be any recovery from for you personally, or for our democracy.

    Now, the left is trying to get into purity tests too, but this thread shows that the bulk of it is on the right. The right seem to think they are not just better than the left, but that the left is “retarded” (via “libtard”, itself also deeply offensive because of the root word’s use as a slur against people with developmental conditions), subhuman, beyond contempt. That’s dangerous and thuggish. And some of you who have posted here should be deeply ashamed of yourselves. It’s fine to be testy and annoyed at the state of the world, and at the party you don’t belong to, but it’s not okay to revile them, to despise them. That’s immoral.

  55. And Grumpy just re-emphasizes the problem with the left.

    I’ll say it again: The left has been maligning the right since Nixon, but it got worse under Reagan and just accelerated through both Bushes, all Republican candidates, right up until Trump.

    Every candidate and President is Hitler. Hell, even I’ve been called Hitler MANY times on these threads.

    As we speak, leftist Brownshirts are hounding Republican politicians out of restaurants. Sanders supporters are attempting to assassinate Republican politicians. Numerous acts of public destruction are being committed by far-left groups like ANTIFA and BLM.

    What did the Right do to deserve all this?

    Elect a Republican as President AND an EFFECTIVE Republican President at that.

    So what is the Right doing now? We’re fighting back. We’re using the same tactics that the left has been using and Leftist like Grumpy, Jim D, and Dougie can’t stand it. You all don’t understand that the rules YOU’VE put in place are now being used against you. You’re just too blind to see it.

    You all thought that after the last 8 years of Obama that you would rule forever and you now are faced with a lesson in humility that you still have yet to learn.

    That sting you’re feeling is the knowledge that I’m right in everything I’ve said above.
    You’ll continue to come on these boards and insist that the Democrats have an answer to the 289 accomplishments of Trump, and when that answer is “Obama”, you’ll continue to get the disrespect you deserve.

    Keep it up.

    Dan

  56. Dan, you’re emoting a lot but not making much sense.

    I didn’t call you Hitler. I also think the Democratic Party, as a party, is borderline incompetent. I also didn’t really care for Obama.

    But the fact that you think you know me, and already hate me, demonstrates my point all too well. You don’t know me. But you do know hate. And you seem to be unable to control your emotions.

    I think it’s embarassing for you, and I think it’s immoral too. You need to look inside and figure out what life choices got you to the point where you hate your political opponents rather than just disagree with them. You have a right to be grumpy (and now you know the origin of my handle, as it’s an inside joke), but you don’t have a right to call leftists “brown shirts” or thugs. You just don’t. It reflects poorly on you.

  57. Yes, folks, unbelievable but true. The Obtuse One doesn’t see the extreme irony of using the term “leftist Brownshirts” IMMEDIATELY AFTER he condemns people for using “Hitler” comparisons!

    OK, I’m done here. Any semblance of a rational discussion goes completely out the window when this person shows up in a forum.

  58. Kathleen, well said. We’re nowhere close to evil. We’re supposed to disagree. That’s the point of a democracy. But to think the other side is evil…

    I fear for our country. We need a healthy two party system to survive. But we’re losing that healthy system of disagreement to one of hatred. I’ll agree with people like George Will and say that it’s unbalanced, that one party is intentionally self immolating. But that doesn’t help us find a solution. I may not be terribly conservative, but I value real conservative thought in the debate and worry for its loss.

    In the same way that I am right handed, and yet feel an obligation to take care of my left hand, I believe we have an obligation to take care of our political opponents. When did that foundational American thought become out of fashion?

  59. enforcing border laws, working for fair trade, avoiding unecessary wars, making a meaningful attempt to forge peace on the Korean peninsula, working to better the economic lot of the working folk

    such extremism..i am aghast at the ugliness of this administration

  60. grumpy, I assume then george will is pizzed trump appointed constitutionlists to the sc.

    if you value “conservative” thought, you must be pumped about this

  61. Songbird,

    – George Will is a famous conservative columnist and commentator: he was the representative of the right on the MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour. His opinion is that the GOP has abandoned conservative principles. He’s also a famous baseball commentator.

    – Kavanaugh is not a “constitutionalist” in any particular sense. I think you got the phrase wrong. I think you meant “strict constructionalist”, or “textualist”, or “originalist”. Those don’t all mean the same, by the way, and it isn’t clear that Kavanaugh is any of those. But, until the assault allegations, I generally supported Kavanaugh’s appointment as I believe that to oppose it is to oppose any conservative being appointed, which makes no sense. A conservative was elected president, and it is key to our process that he be allowed to appoint conservatives, so long as they fall within the mainstream. And in matters of jurisprudence, Kavanaugh absolutely does. Gorsuch is more of a nut. I don’t think Kavanaugh will be.

    – I’m not pumped. But given that Trump could have appointed a dead cat to the Supreme Court, I think he had made a good choice.

    – All of this is now overshadowed by the allegations, but that has to do with the character of Kavanaugh and not his jurisprudence per se.

  62. wow kathleen…ive seen that person take all kinds of heavily condescending jabs at people expressing their opinions on this board

    one little light-hearted jab to give that person a hard time and you call me out?

    this has all been fun..need to prepare for work this week…btw i work for a very large bay area tech company..a place where if it were known i have moderately conservative view i would likely be ostracized

    but i’ll try to be a better person next time i post here.

  63. grumpy

    i know who george will is, thanks. i’ve actually read two of his books. maybe that surprises you.

    i use the term “constitutionalist” interchangably with “constitutional originalist”….i’ve found doing so triggers the right people, so a win in my book.

  64. Grump,

    “Dan, you’re emoting a lot but not making much sense.”

    1.) Here we go again…

    “I didn’t call you Hitler.”

    2.) I didn’t say YOU called me Hitler. Read again.

    “But the fact that you think you know me, and already hate me, demonstrates my point all too well. ”

    3.) I never indicated that I know you. I only respond to what you write. I also have NEVER said I hated anyone on PW. Go ahead and search. You’re making a leap.

    “I think it’s embarassing for you, and I think it’s immoral too.”

    4.) That’s you’re opinion and you are entitled to it. Don’t like what I have to say? Don’t respond, I just don’t care.

    “You need to look inside and figure out what life choices got you to the point where you hate your political opponents rather than just disagree with them.”

    5.) I’d wager I understand myself way more than you think, but again, I don’t care what you think of me. I’m free from your judgement, which is why you think your faux-puritan rambling has any significant effect on me.

    “…but you don’t have a right to call leftists “brown shirts” or thugs. You just don’t. It reflects poorly on you.”

    6.) I have the “right” to call anyone who threatens people and property in the name of their politics a “Brownshirt” because that is exactly what they are. That you think it immoral is your issue, not mine.

    Always fun.

    Dan

  65. kathleen,

    i plead guilty to the infraction of expressing a bit of light-hearted sarcasm in the face of the hysterical left.

    but then again, now that Hillary is endorsing incivility i may need to take my banter game up a few notches

    however where i work expressing one’s opinion may be ruinous to the career…this has been the case for many years, much longer than trump has been potus.

  66. Songbird, why do you want to “trigger” anyone? That’s not okay. And, as far as triggers go, I don’t think it’s very good. All Supreme Court justices are constitutionalists. You wouldn’t sign up for the role without being one. I’m not sure who would have any reaction to it besides “huh?”

    No, I’m not surprised you read George Will. He’s famous. Lots of people read him.

    I think it’s good to read and debate and disagree. I don’t think it’s good to trigger or troll. But oh well…I’m not going to convince you.

  67. Dan, you do not have the right to call people brown shirts. You have the right to do so free of governmental interference. But you do not have the right to avoid sullying your reputation in the community. And it is immoral to call them that. That’s not really debatable by reasonable people. Don’t call someone you disagree with a Brownshirt. Don’t change the subject and make it about me, or anyone else. Just change your behavior.

  68. sorry, but it’s somewhat well understood that “constitutionalist” and “originalist” are basically interchangable terms, in general meaning the belief in limited government.

    is every supreme court justice a believer in limited government? no

    and george will is sad..oh well

  69. sorry forgot to mention, no i do try to intentionally trigger anyone.
    but related to one of my previous posts, the most innocuous of statements can get folks’ undies in a knot these days…sad and amusing i guess.

  71. Grumpy,

    “Sullying” my reputation is my business and my business only.

    Your continue attempt in trying to regulate my speech only proves my point. Only your attempt is less violent than those brown shirts hounding politicians in restaurants and shooting at them on baseball fields, all because they don’t agree with their speech and ideas.

    Tough. Deal with it.

    Dan

  72. “Those with extreme views, and a platform to speak from, are our country’s biggest problem—and that’s both sides of the aisle. “

    Want to know why the country is so successful at this moment in time? Because the class of people who say what I just quoted ARE NOT IN POWER.

    These do-nothings have been great at losing with grace, which they’ve done a lot. When they’ve been in power, they’ve done NOTHING, all to support collegial togetherness over progress.

    Then when these faux-Puritan moralists and their cross-isle opponents are out of power, they start telling us how bad things are even though every scintilla of evidence states the opposite.

    It’s pathetic to watch.

    Note how open they are about the real problems the US faces. It isn’t the economy or race relations or even Russia.

    It’s FREE SPEECH.

    They just can’t get over that their opinion and their way of doing things is over.

  78. Dan, your reputation is not your business at all, and any bonanfide conservative would never even make that.

    Some people are now able to have a laugh at your expense. Was that your goal?

    No, I support the existence and health of conservatives in this country. And I do so intentionally, even if I don’t vote for them commonly. I think the shooting you refer to is horrendous. But you can’t see that I think that, even when I say that to the point that everyone else here is annoyed. You just assume that all people who disagree with you are liberals, and that all liberals side with shooters. That makes you immoral. Deal with it. Or don’t. But understand that we all know.

    By the way, Dan, the reason why this country is successful is that capitalists like me make things work. I may be wrong, but since you speak with a sense of naive understanding of basic economics and business, I suspect that you have not contributed the same way.

  79. Songbird, then I misunderstood you about triggering, and I apologize. Good to hear that you aren’t trying to trigger people.

    I don’t agree that constitutionalist and originalist are synonyms. Constitutionalist is a bit perjorative if applied not to everyone.

  80. Grumpy,

    So many assumptions…

    My reputation is just fine, you don’t have to continue lecturing on it. Laugh away. Like I said, yours and others peoples opinion of me simply don’t interest me in the slightest. All I care about are the ideas expressed.

    As for my capitalist cred – I work in technology – I wouldn’t be so confident in comparing your experience to mine. I won’t go into details because they’re none of your business.

    I was also in the Military back in the early 80’s.

    I have literally done and seen it all.

    Your thoughts on conservatives are uninteresting. I don’t care.

  81. Kathleen,

    I’m totally free of the burden of caring what you think of me.

    You know how I know it bothers you? Because you CANNOT stop telling me how you feel.

    I just don’t care!

    And all you and Grumpys moralizing and puritanical preening about me STILL cannot make Eric Swalwell a successful politician.

    Full circle.

  83. This thread was supposed to be about Swalwell. I just moved it back to him so that you and Grumpy can stop obsessing over me. It’s become tiresome.

  85. Just look at Baker’s level of community involvement, reaching middle of the road decisions, being fiscally responsible while balancing the needs of undeserved. She is a clear, balanced winner that represents the values second graders are taught.

  86. “I’m an independent voter who has become so disgusted and appalled with what has become of the Republican Party under Donald Trump that I’m going to do what I’ve never before done in this upcoming November election: I’m going to vote straight Democratic all across the ballot to send a strong message to the Republican Party. I urge other voters to do the same.”

    Just the kind of “strong message” that we do not need.

    A vote for higher taxes, fewer people employed,increased taxpayer dependency, open borders, getting rid of ICE, gun bans for law abiding citizens, health care run like the DMV, socialism, etc. And how about referring to people as “prejudiced”, “favoring the rich”, “against the children”, etc. if they oppose any of it?

    The Democrat Party is dominated by the far left and is out of touch with the average person. They just want more money/control over the lives of the citizens to create their utopian fairness state (and ignoring the Constitution) where the ranks of the “less fortunate” and “victimized” expand – and remain that way.

  87. Swalwell has been a huge disappointment and, at times, an embarrassment to this district. He does not deserve to a fifth term. He won the seat because at the time, anyone seemed to be a better choice than Pete Stark. I voted for him the first time he ran. But now Swalwell has become Pete Stark. To say that Swalwell will work with Republicans in the next congress is absurd. He routinely slams his Republican colleagues. Why would he change?

    I am supporting Rudy Peters.

  88. “Oh, yeah, we all know that the Republican Party is the party of fiscal responsibility with a President who really respects the US Constitution.”

    While it’s true that Trump and Republicans have not done enough to address the spending/entitlement growth issue, giving people more of their money back is preferable. It doesn’t “belong” to the government to begin with – and higher taxes on businesses do not create economic growth/employment opportunities. It’s better to have more people employed/self sufficient.

    You should “know” from the Obama years that Democrats will just continue to spend/create new entitlements – and then raise taxes on the “rich” (already paying most of the income taxes) to be supposedly “fiscally responsible”. How silly. Never mind the explosion of debt that occurred afterward. Is NPR going to cover this? Or how much the “free” health care plans are going to cost the taxpayers?

    More government control/equality of results (what Democrats want) does not respect the Constitution. Trump has been rolling back government regulations, not increasing them. And we all know about that pesky 2nd Amendment, don’t we? Democrats (including Swalwell) ignore it, treat criminals who abuse firearms as victims, and promote Australian/British style gun confiscation programs for the law abiding to “reduce violence”.

  89. “Yeah, tell us about all those “law abiding” gun owners in your simplified world view of “law abiding gun owners” versus “criminals”. Here’s one statistic that you’ll never, ever, ever hear from Republicans or the NRA, guaranteed:“Criminals steal more than 237,000 guns from legal American gun owners every year”

    I’ll tell you – but you still would not understand.

    It’s already against the law to steal firearms from legal owners, gun shops, warehouses, etc. but in your simplified world view the people who do so are really “victims” of a (non progressive) society where guns are available/sold/possessed vs. criminals to be held accountable for their poor decision making. Thanks for illustrating my earlier point with your distorted sense of law and order. Perhaps we should imprison the legal gun owners instead? It was their “fault”, right?

    Here’s what is going to happen on this issue despite the poll tested “common sense gun safety” campaign slogan from Democrats. Law abiding citizens who own guns, gun manufacturers, 2nd Amendment supporters, etc. will endlessly be blamed by people like you and Swalwell for supposedly “not doing enough” or being “responsible” for what people who do not respect our laws (and have a choice not to abuse guns) actually do. And more firearms/magazines/ammunition/etc. will therefore “need” to banned/confiscated/restricted/surrendered as a “gun violence prevention” measure. Some of us have already caught on to this approach to gut the 2nd Amendment while paying lip service to going after/stopping people actually committing crimes on the streets of our cities.

    Yeah, and I am still waiting for all of the “wild west shootouts” that gun control advocates guaranteed would take place when more states issued permits for trained citizens to carry firearms.

  90. What is the job description of a U.S. Congressional Representative? That job description may vary from voter to voter. Over the past (almost) 6 years Eric Swalwell has earned over $1M in taxpayer funded salary – and should be held into account for what he’s done to command such a salary. This is the third endorsement I’ve read that has failed to reference a single accomplishment by Eric.

    In these hyper-partisan times I’ve heard people say that they like that he’s a vocal and visible opponent to President Trump. If that is the criteria one holds for their elected officials then it’s as good a reason as any. However, keep in mind that there is a cost to the district for embracing Eric’s approach. For example, Lawrence Livermore Labs (large employer) lost $100M in funding. The Federal funds that were promised when BB passed to take BART to Livermore have never materialized.

    While Eric is no doubt a rising star in the Democrat party it is difficult to say if that status will ever pay dividends for District 15. We should stop viewing elections as a team sport and more of a job interview. Plenty of Democrats have passed legislation since 2016. Plenty of Democrats have delivered funds back to their districts since 2016. If this was an annual review Eric would be held accountable to show his boss (the district) what he’s accomplished. The district can always replace Eric with another Democrat if a Republican or NPP is so untenable. Never forget that elected officials work for you the voter, and you should hold them accountable to deliver on promises…you’re the boss.

  91. “What, me fault gun owners for not properly locking up and securing their guns so that 237,000 guns a year can get stolen from them by criminals? Surely you jest.”

    Surely you jest that a house/apartment with a door is never locked and windows not secured after the occupants have left? People’s homes are still broken into anyway – as well as their safes/locked containers containing guns, money, valuables,etc. And these same people now need to go to jail because of this? Is your attention span larger than a small chipmunk?

    I guess it really doesn’t matter to you (or you just don’t get it) who is actually breaking in/how often they have done so/why they did it/etc.? A person who is willing to abuse/steal a gun is really just another “alternative lifestyle” that we have to accommodate, right? Actually, we don’t.

    We could vote the so called “progressives” (like Swalwell) out of office. Or look forward to more violent/uncivilized behavior in our society (regardless of the weapons being used) with reasoning like this. Criminals will have nothing to fear from their actions – but people minding their own business/doing nothing wrong will get the blame for things going wrong.

  92. Sepp, and San Jose gets al the high tech sales taxes and development fees but the Tri Valley gets all the commuter traffic and responsibility to build their SK housing. Sure its a domino effect but we need the AltaMont rail. This is one area where we need regional government and all counties should required to contribute. I also want another freeway via Hollister to I5 so the Tri Valley does not get the bulk of traffic pass throughs for North and South Calif travel! Dont even get me going on what happens when the next big earthquake happens. It will be gridlock and we will be trapped.

  93. “But for now, the actually existing Democratic Party is a centrist organization that champions fiscal responsibility, balanced budgets, procedural norms, a civil public discourse, strong border enforcement,”

    Did you just make all this up – or did someone do it for you?

    The Democrat Party is run by the far left that openly embraces socialist candidates running for office (Ocasio-Cortez). There is nothing “fiscally responsible” about advocating “free” college, creating a new entitlement program (Obamacare), and running up trillions of dollars in new debt under Obama. “Civil public discourse” with the recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings where the candidate under consideration was deemed “guilty” with unsubstantiated claims? Now this is funny – “strong border enforcement” but then advocating that ICE needs to be abolished.

  94. “If you want fascism vote for Baker. I support the “Swalwell for President” movement.”

    Baker’s voting record isn’t that much different from Democrats in the California State Assembly. Hardly “fascism”.

  95. “Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t run the DNC. In fact her win was a SURPRISE to them! Strike one against your attempt to say DNC is far left.”

    Tom Perez was quoted earlier saying she was the “future of the Democrat Party”. Strike one against your silly claim of “moderation”. Are Maxine Waters and Nancy Pelosi “moderates” as well? The leadership of the party is far left.

    “Obamacare as policy has roots in conservative circles, including the individual mandate part. DNC embraced the ACA over a more left-leaning universal single-payer system. Strike two.”

    But why didn’t any conservatives/Republicans vote for it? DNC didn’t compromise on any other ideas to reform health care that were offered and rammed it through on a party line vote. Turns out you really couldn’t keep your plan/doctor – and businesses got around the mandatory coverage requirements by hiring fewer employees or using part time workers.

    “DNC didn’t attack Kavanaugh on the more troubling features of his record on civil liberties, instead they chose some other way to attack (and keep up political appearances by distracting from the real issues with Kavanaugh) because DNC BASICALLY AGREE WITH Kavanaugh’s RULINGS.”

    No, they didn’t “agree”. Democrats attacked/opposed him because he was not a “progressive” in favor of protecting/defending abortion rights, gun control, government health care, immigration, etc. All issues that the party base supports. I guess you didn’t bother watching the exchange with Feinstein regarding “assault weapons” and how she wasn’t pleased Kavanaugh didn’t agree with banning them?

  96. “Rudy Peters being a hard-core defender of Trump disqualifies him from further consideration in my book. A vote for Rudy Peters is a vote for Donald Trump.”

    A vote for Swalwell is a vote for…..?

    Longing and wishing for the “good old days” under Obama when fewer people were employed,more people received government assistance programs, economic growth weak,national security threats were ignored,trade deals were never revisited, etc.? Hillary Clinton would have perpetuated the same policies if elected.

  97. Nikki Haley:
    “In our toxic political environment, I’ve heard some people in both parties describe their opponents as enemies or evil,” Haley said. “In America, our political opponents are not evil.”

    “In South Sudan, where rape is routinely used as a weapon of war — that is evil. In Syria, where the dictator uses chemical weapons to murder innocent children — that is evil,” she said. “In North Korea, where American student Otto Warmbier was tortured to death — that was evil.

    “In the last two years, I’ve seen true evil,” she continued. “We have some serious political differences here at home. But our opponents are not evil. They’re just our opponents.”

    Those with extreme views, and a platform to speak from, are our country’s biggest problem—and that’s both sides of the aisle. There isn’t a dialogue; one side doesn’t listen while the other side bellows and spews epithets. Try the high road people. Make your points without name calling. You won’t change each other’s minds, but someone who reads what you say may just learn something if you are credible in what you say and how you say it.

    You have an audience; it may be small, but it matters.

  98. songbird, so you start fine pointing to republican accomplishments; I might agree or disagree. But then you can’t resist an unnecessary, unhelpful jab that discredits your point. See?

  99. I was talking about your post where you say “such extremism”.

    I worked in school districts where I was asked what it’s like to be a republican (honestly); and know other people that asked why I’m a democrat. So I know who I am, but perspective can cast me as “other than” by the observer.

  100. Sooooo, I started with a quote from Nikki Haley . . . not sure why you are on a rant, except maybe you feel like you are in power.

    I asked that e v e r y o n e be more civil. Not required. Many are taking cues from our president. Regardless of where you stand, I personally think it is unfortunate and devalues what you or anyone else is SHOUTING about.

  101. KC, made my day!

    Dan, I didn’t pick on you for a misspelling; I was being nice. Nikki was the point; opposing viewpoints. Always going to be that way. Just don’t need to be mean in the process.

  102. Dan, “I have LITERALLY done and see it all.” No you haven’t. Literally.

    Working in tech or anywhere doesn’t give you capitalist cred. No cred at all.

    Pretty sure just about nobody cares about you or your opinions. You are just an opposing view.

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