Julie Padilla is one of only two Democrats who have the balls to take on the widow of the late Rep. Robert Matsui in the special election to fill the Sacramento-area seat in the U.S. House of Representatives that was left vacant when Robert Matsui died on Jan. 1. Robert Matsui's widow, Doris, who has the backing of the "Democratic" Establishment, announced yesterday that she will not participate in any debates for the March 8 special election. Doris Matsui's refusal to debate, which is a reversal from her earlier statement that she would debate, demonstrates the mentality of entitlement and the contempt for the people that she and other Establishment "Democrats" have.
Julie Padilla for Congress
I know: "Who is Julie Padilla?"
But this local story has national significance, I think.
Julie Padilla is a progressive Democrat, a real Democrat, one of only two Democrats who have the cajones to oppose the widow of the late Rep. Robert Matsui, who died on Jan. 1, for his vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
When Matsui's widow, Doris, announced that she was running for his seat, no other prominent Democrat, including experienced legislators (which Doris Matsui is not), would run against her. (Robert Matsui held his seat for more than 25 years, but apparently that wasn't enough; the Matsui family clearly wants to preserve its dynasty.)
Padilla, the executive dean of a Sacramento law school and a progressive activist -- who, like Doris Matsui and the 10 other candidates for the House seat, has never held elected office -- entered the race when it was clear that Democrats weren't being given a choice, that the Widow Matsui was being shoved down their throats by the Democratic Party Machine.
At the Democracy for America Meetup here in Sacramento on Wednesday night, which was attended by dozens of people, Padilla and third-party candidates for the open congressional seat made their cases.
Doris Matsui -- who, I understand, rarely makes public appearances (hey, with the name recognition and the endorsement of the party elites, why bother to show up anywhere?) -- sent a proxy, some young woman who probably was expecting a friendly audience. If she was, she was mistaken.
The Widow Matsui's proxy was grilled. How can we expect Doris Matsui, who has been a lobbyist for corporations in Washington, D.C., to do a 180 and represent the people? the Matsui Proxy was asked. What about her late husband's support for, or at least his silence on, the Iraq war?
The take-no-prisoners questioning of Doris Matsui's proxy got to the point that I spoke up and said I felt that it was getting unfair. (I was starting to feel sorry for the Matsui Proxy, who was taking all of the flak that Doris Matsui should have been taking but apparently avoids at all costs, even though it was clear that the proxy -- who, rather than giving real answers to the questions that we put to her, gave us rather vague, unconvincing assurances that Doris Matsui is on our side -- was just a hack.)
The Sacramento branch of Democracy for America, Sacramento for Democracy, at least tentatively plans to endorse a candidate for the congressional seat, and it's pretty clear that Julie Padilla would get the group's endorsement.
What's the national significance of this?
Well, Howard Dean, who is going to be the next Democratic National Committee chair, founded Democracy for America. As DNC chair, Dean will set the tone for the party, as outgoing DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe set the tone for the party (which included an incredibly misguided top-down/one-way-communication, take-your-base-for-granted and treat-people-like-ATMs approach, which cost the Democrats the elections of 2000, 2002 and 2004 -- strike one, strike two, strike three).
So I predict that the "Democratic" Establishment Machine is on its way out.
It is the "Democratic" Establishment Machine that would deny us, the people, of truly qualified candidates, such as Doris Matsui's candidacy has done. Doris Matsui has the full support of the soon-to-be-defunct "Democratic" Establishment Machine. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has been a disappointment and who needs to take some hints from Sen. Barbara Boxer on what it means to be an opposition party, inappropriately endorsed Doris Matsui early on, scaring off most potential rivals. And Padilla told us during Wednesday night's Meetup that at least one local Democrat who had wanted to run against Doris Matsui told Padilla that he was "squeezed" by the local party machine to abandon his candidacy.
(I will add that the state and local Democratic machines also lost the California gubernatorial recall election. The scandal-tainted Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante was an awful candidate to go up against Ahhhnuld Schwarzenegger. The California Democrats should have removed their heads from their asses long enough [1] not to go into denial about the chances that the woefully uncharismatic, crusty and wooden Gray Davis would be recalled and [2] to rally around a Democratic candidate who could have beaten Ahhhnuld.)
I am realistic; Doris Matsui probably will win her dead husband's seat. She benefits not only from name recognition; from soft-headed sympathy (you don't vote for someone just because he or she is the widow or widower of a politician for whom you voted); and from the premature, knee-jerk blessing of the "Democratic" Establishment Machine, but also, like Schwarzenegger did, she benefits from a compressed campaign (the special election is on March 8).
But after the changes that we of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party are about to usher in, winning her late husband's seat will be much easier for Doris Matsui than holding onto it will be.
More information about Julie Padilla, including her biography and her positions on the issues, is at her Web site.
Fun Julie Padilla trivia!: Padilla was an intern in the late Rep. Matsui's Washington, D.C., office.
Here is the story from today's Sacramento Bee regarding Doris Matsui's incredible, Republican-like refusal to debate her opponents:
Doris Matsui will not debate her opponents in the congressional race to replace her late husband despite saying last week she intended to do so.
The decision by the Democratic front-runner sparked criticism [yesterday] among her opponents, several of whom have been calling for public debates leading up to the March 8 special election to replace the late Rep. Robert Matsui.
Nick Papas, a spokesman for Doris Matsui, said there are too many candidates -- 12 in all -- to have a useful forum on the issues. Instead, Matsui plans to hold a series of town hall meetings throughout the Sacramento-based district.
"Mrs. Matsui will take her case directly to the voters in forums that result in a meaningful discussion of the issues," Papas said. "A debate between 12 candidates simply isn't practical."
But Matsui's opponents immediately denounced the move as an attempt by the leading candidate to stifle the democratic process and prevent a full examination of her views.
"I think that by Doris Matsui refusing to debate, it indicates she might not have the right answers," said John Thomas Flynn, a Republican technology expert and former appointee to the Reagan administration. "I was pleasantly surprised when I heard initial indications that she would have debates, but now her handlers don't think it's the right thing to do."
Flynn issued several calls for debates this week, proposing a schedule with five different forums with the candidates.
A trio of anti-war candidates on Tuesday also demanded that Matsui debate them on the Iraqi conflict and questioned her stance on the issue.
One of those candidates, Democrat Julie Padilla, dean of the Lorenzo Patino School of Law, said Matsui's refusal to debate "shows a lack of respect for the people."
Padilla also questioned Papas' mention of logistics as a problem, pointing out that she attended a 90-minute televised debate as a mayoral candidate in 2000 in which all 10 hopefuls appeared.
Matsui opened her campaign headquarters last week in Old Sacramento with dozens of supporters on hand. Asked whether she would debate with her opponents, she said, "I imagine so. I mean, why not, right?"
But Papas said [yesterday] the campaign has reconsidered that position and ultimately decided that a congressional debate this election season will not be possible.
"We certainly considered debates with other candidates but determined that a 12-candidate debate was simply not practical," Papas said.
Papas said the campaign also considered attending events with fewer candidates, such as a Democratic debate. But he said the campaign felt that would be exclusionary in a special election.
"With the nature of the primary and the nature of the election, it makes it really difficult to exclude anyone," Papas said.
[Doris] Matsui was unavailable for comment. [Oh, what a fucking surprise!]
Ray McNally, a Republican political consultant, said Matsui's debate stance is typical for a front-runner, particularly one with little experience as a politician.
"The debate dance happens every race, and the thinking is, if you're the front-runner, why would you want to put yourself in harm's way and expose yourself to attacks?" McNally said. Just as predictable is the outcry, he said.
"It's a political 'Hail Mary' pass for them because every candidate has the belief that if he or she can just get in front of voters and communicate with them, they can win because what they have to say is so profound and so important that voters will sweep them into office."
Even so, candidates who share Matsui's lack of experience in elected office find her stance difficult to accept.
"Often for an incumbent that's the prudent political strategy, but one, she's not an incumbent and two, she's never held public office," said Shane Singh, a Republican attorney. "So nobody really knows her stance on the issues beyond what she has tactically released."
The 10 other candidates for the House seat vacated by Robert Matsui are: Charles Pineda Jr., a Democrat; Republicans Serge Chernay, John Thomas Flynn, Patrick Michael O'Brien, Shane Singh and Bruce Stevens; Pat Driscoll of the Green Party; John Reiger of the Peace and Freedom Party; Gale Morgan of the Libertarian Party; and Leonard Padilla, who declined to state a party.
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