 Patsy Montgomory Elected to Important CDP Women''s Caucus Post
At this November's CDP Executive Board Meeting in San Diego, our Past President Patsy Montgomery was elected to the post of Women's Caucus Political Development Chair. Patsy had the honor of being nominated for this important party post by State Senator and Majority Leader Dean Florez. She was elected by unanimous acclamation from the floor.
We are told that attendance at the Women's Caucus portion of the meeting was very high due to interest in the recent vote by some House Democrats to approve the Stupac Amendment to the recent Healthcare Bill. Among other things that amendment would prohibit federal money from being used to buy any policy offered through the exchange that covered abortions other than those related to rape, incest or danger to the mother's life. The Amendment was widely opposed by those who support Women's reproductive rights.
As Women's Caucus Political Development chair, Patsy will have responsibility of developing a statewide program for women candidates, appointees, campaign staff, and volunteers. A daunting task indeed, but we know our friend Patsy is up to it.
 Sotomayor Begins First Day of Her First Term
Ten days after throwing out the first pitch at a game in Yankee Stadium, Sonia Sotomayor began her first day as the newest
Associate Supreme Court Justice of the United States. Justice Sotomayor took an active role in questioning those attorneys
stating their cases before the nation's highest court.
Attention continues to be focused on Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court's oldest member. He has yet to hire a full compliment
of law clerks for this term, a sign that he may decide to retire soon. Such a move would give President Obama a second
opportunity to select a Justice early in his first term.
Tom Bohigian, Boxer's State Director,
Speaks at Sept. Meeting
The Guest Speaker at this month's meeting of the Fresno County Democratic Women's
Club was Tom Bohigian, the State Director for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer.
Mr. Bohigian gave us the latest news on what's going on in DC from the Boxer perspective.
Bohigian, a long time member of Boxer's staff, has been State Director since 2004 with responibility for operations in her six state offices
in Sacramento, San Francisco, Fresno, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego. A lifelong Fresnan, he served as a member of Fresno's City Council from 1989 to 1993. He is well known by many of the members of the club.
Bohigian spoke on two of the burning issues of today, Healthcare and the big one for us in the valley: Water. He assured us that the Public Option was not dead yet (though today's news might contradict that). He reminded us that our country used to be able to do the big things, the great things. Creating Social Security, Medicare, Landing a Man on the Moon, these are the great things in the past that we've done. As a nation we need to be able to accomplish great things again, despite the fact that our opposition, the Republicans wish to do nothing.
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Whitman's Failure to Vote
Recently the Sacramento Bee conducted an analysis of newly announced Republican candidate for Governor, Meg Whitman's less than stellar record of voting.
At the recent Republican State Party Convention, Whitman stated, "Every citizen should take time to vote, and on more than one occasion, I didn't,"
A gross understatement one could conclude. The Bee's report covered the six states and over a dozen counties and towns in California, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island where Ms Whitman has claimed residence during her lifetime.
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Whitman turned 18 in Suffolk County, N.Y., in 1974. There is no record of her registering or voting there.
She resided in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1979 to 1981 after completing her master's at Harvard. No record of Whitman having registering or voting there.
In the 1980's she lived in San Francisco, working for an investment firm. There is no record of her registration.
Between 1989 and 1992 she resided in LA County. Once again no record of registration or voting.
In the late 90's she lived in Brookline Mass with her husband. She never registered, never voted.
Whitman was hired in 1998 to be eBay's first CEO when the company only had 30 employees. At the convention held last week at Indian Wells in Riverside County, she told delegates that she had "been a registered 'decline-to-state' voter since 1998." The Bee found no public record of that registration.
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In fact it appears that her first registration (as a declined to state) took place in 2002, when she was 46 years old. Despite being registered she failed to vote in the special election of 2005 or half the local, state and federal elections held until 2007.
In 2007 she re-registered as a Republican, voted and four times in 2008, including presidential and statewide elections. She did vote in last May's special election.
Well she sure is showing a lot of interest in voting now that she's running for governor. In fact she announced last week that she would give the state Republican Party a quarter million dollars to fund an effort to increase Republican registration in California ahead of the 2010 elections.
You may draw your own conclusions.
Surgeon General Nominee Nears Approval
 If all goes well the Senate Health Committee will vote next week to confirm Dr. Regina Benjamin's nomination to be U.S. surgeon general. She was selected for the post by President Obama in mid-July.
Muddeling up the expected vote is a threat by Republican Senators to stall the approval of Benjamin and 9 others for top health posts. This in retaliation for an order by the Department of Health and Human Services barring health insurers from sending"potentially misleading mailings to beneficiaries about health care and insurance" to their Medicare Advantage customers.
Eight Republican senators led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, vowed in a letter. to stall on the nominations until the HHS order is rescinded.
Their action reinforces the general perception that the GOP is concerned only with the welfare of the Insurance Companies, rather than the people they were elected to serve.
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