Barack Obama, both in his campaign for the Presidency, and as President, is a moderate Democrat.
People tend, given a chance, to read into an exciting candidate their own values, but a close
observer would notice that in his speeches, Barack Obama was always careful either to omit the
progressive detail we were yearning for or to qualify progressive-sounding positions so that he
would not be susceptible to attack from the right.
Even a moderate Democrat appears liberal compared to the horrible far right policies of the previous administration. We must continue to work to influence not only the President, but also the moderate Democrats in Congress, to get the progressive government this nation needs and to get back on the path of peace, prosperity, freedom, and world moral and political leadership.
Is it just me or do elections seem to start earlier than they used to? I know President Obama’s campaign kicked off earlier than usual. It worked for him, so maybe he has started a trend. At any rate, we are now well into the 2010 general election campaign season with well over a year to go until the November ‘10 election. We have no shortage of great candidates for Ted Lieu’s termed out seat for the 53rd Assembly District, and once again, Jane Harman has Marcy Winograd (after a one-season hiatus) as challenger for the 36th Congressional District. Naturally, the Torrance Democratic Club would like to hear from all the Democratic candidates. We’ve already hosted Betsy Butler and Kate Anderson (53rd AD candidates). In July we will have Mitch Ward and in August we will have Nick Karno as our guest speakers (both candidates for the 53rd AD with others still to be scheduled). Ted himself is running for Attorney General of California, and I have heard rumors that Torrance School Board President Al Muratsuchi might be seeking State office. All are welcome to address the club at any time, but please contact me at least two weeks ahead to get put on the agenda. Our bylaws require agenda approval by the board and publication to the membership at least three days in advance of a general meeting.