The Democratic Party is splintering, not unlike that of the Republican Party following the rise of the Tea Party offshoot. Yet, for the Democrats, the splitting was less predictable.
As the nation geared up for an election season, it seemed already a given that Hillary Clinton would be the party nominee and even when Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, entered the race, not much changed. Sanders was originally given a three percent chance of taking the nomination, an estimate that would be blown out of the water and move that would shake the Democratic party to its core.
Now we are left with Clinton Democrats, those happy with the status quo, ready to sit and wait why progress slowly moves through the country and they just want a leader who will steer the ship, being careful not to make too many waves. On the other side, you have a new breed of revolutionary Democrats, wanting to challenge the establishment on both sides of the aisle. This, the Sanders side of the argument, is not willing to sit back and wait and want action now, they want a higher minimum wage, healthcare for all, free public colleges, and the like.
This division, however, extends far beyond the national stage and can be seen at even more local level. Most notably in San Diego as the battle for City Council wages in the city's District 7.
D7 has been a Republican stronghold since 2012. An upper-middle class neighborhood, councilmember Scott Sherman, an insurance agent by trade was recruited by Tea Party elite, and disgraced politician Carl DeMaio to run for the seat after the Democratic incumbent ran for a newly created district.
Since his election, the county's Democratic Party has paid little attention to the district, running low-key campaigns and offers little challenge to Sherman. 2016, however, seems to be panning our differently, but the local party is hedging its best early, before the primaries and setting itself up once again for failure.
The Democratic Party has decided to back Justin DeCesare, an inexperienced candidate with no political background, but a run-of-the-mill, Clintonesque candidate who doesn't sound much different than Sherman when it comes to the big issues facing San Diego citizens.
Another challenger on the field is Jose Caballero who campaigned on the Sanders side of the tracks who fought hard for the party's endorsement, but was passed up because of his younger age and seemingly his commitment to change. Caballero brought to the table with him the experience of running a successful San Diego campaign as the campaign manager for a successful school board candidate, and a fresh look at the issues facing the city.
San Diego is currently debating the construction of a football stadium to house the NFL's San Diego Chargers, and how much this project should cost taxpayers. Sherman, as with most city Republicans is fighting to build the stadium, and DeCesare falls right in line with him. Caballero is the only candidate to say that, "the city should not give them a penny of public money. The only circumstance where I support public funds for stadium construction and maintenance is if the NFL gives ownership of the team to the city of San Diego (like what happened in Green Bay), where the city receives all profit from ticket sales, naming rights, parking, concessions, and other team revenue streams. Otherwise, it is flat out wrong to give the very wealthy Spanos family millions of dollars of public money."
That's because Caballero believes the money could be better spent improving the lives of San Diegans around the county, like helping to house the homeless. With both Sherman and DeCesare saying only they believe the problem of homelessness is serious and needs to be looked at, Caballero is ready to jump into action. He told me at a meeting over coffee that "the time for talking about the issue is over."
His solution is straight forward as he highlighted during a recent debate:
"Housing first. We need to ensure people are provided with a home and the mental and physical health services that will facilitate them getting back on their feet. The city's current approach of shuffling homeless around the city isn't working, and people deserve better."
While Caballero may not have garnered the support of the city's Democratic Party, Democratic groups from La Jolla, La Mesa, Pacific Beach, and other clubs have offered him their endorsement, and maybe even more importantly, he has gained the endorsement of the city's Green Party. That endorsement alone shows how seriously he takes climate change and environmental action, especially in the drought-ridden state of California.
By rejecting the endorsement of Caballero before the primaries and not letting voters decide which direction they want to see D7 and the city take, they have contributed to the splintering of the party and left the ideal progressive candidate out on his own.
District 7 deserves a progressive candidate and they deserve a revolutionary look at the city's issues that have remained stagnant under a Republican mayor and his cronies, such as D7's Sherman who foil progress at every turn. There is little reason to believe that DeCesare has the ability or desire to offer a real pushback against the establishment and that leaves voters with one simple solution.
Image: Facebook
Dan Arel