Democrat Ami Bera faces party endorsement blowback forvoting recordLocal group mentions his votes on trade, refugeesCritics say he hasn’t been responsive enoughBera will have to fight for his party’s backingDemocratic Rep. Ami Bera, a top target of national
Republicans, now is facing emerging discontent from his own party.
Well. Well. Well. More Democratic infighting, and a mainstream newspaper bothers to write about it, Bera, of Elk Grove, initially angered organized labor by
supporting President Barack Obama’s request for fast-track trade promotion
authority.
A lot of Republicans did not like the deal, either. Too much executive power granted to a rogue Occupant who does not care about this country. The legislation would hurt American workers and jobs, while taking away more of our country’s national sovereignty.
Bera was not thinking when he took that vote. Which special interest was he pandering to? That decision, along with more recent votes on Syrian
refugee legislation, were among the concerns voiced at a Tuesday night meeting
in Bera’s home town, where the Elk Grove-South County Democratic Club took the
exceedingly unusual step of voting against endorsing the two-term congressman.
OUCH! What do you do when your home town party club rejects you? The group mentioned other votes they say demonstrate a
record that is too conservative for the swing district, which stretches from
Elk Grove to Folsom. Members circulated a grid of nine measures on which Bera
often took a different position than Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui, siding with
Speaker Paul Ryan and conservative Rep. Tom McClintock.
Ami Bera, more like Tom McClintock. Personally, I like the sound of that, but I would rather a conservative Republican would cast those votes. Poor Ami. It ain’t over till it’s over, and yet for Bera, the non-stop campaigning and provocation must take its toll. Wonder if he will bother running again in 2018?”A lot of people aren’t happy with Ami lately for things
he’s done,” Sandi Russell, past president of the club, said by phone Wednesday.
Russell said she wished a representative from Bera’s office had been there to
answer questions about his votes. “No one has seen him for quite a while,” she
said. Bera was traveling and unavailable to comment on Wednesday,
but has taken steps to counter criticism from those on his left flank. He met
late last year with California labor leaders to discuss his positions on trade.
After voting for the measure that would make it more difficult for refugees
from Syria and Iraq to come to the U. S., Bera on Tuesday invited Iraqi refugee
Sarmed Ibrahim, an engineer from Sacramento County, to accompany him to the
president’s final State of the Union address.
Awwww. One Iraqi refugee. That will make up for all the activists who want to overrun the country will illegal aliens and transform the country completely. (NOT!)Dan Schmitt, president of the Elk Grove-based club, said the
group is made up of members with diverse beliefs and political passions. While
members had mixed views this week, Schmitt said he suspects most will come
around to support Bera, who is facing a challenge from Republican Scott Jones,
the elected county sheriff. Congressman Ami Bera (D-Sacramento)
Go Scott Jones! The immigration issue is the hottest problem facing Californians, and the Democratic Party wants to throw open the borders and push all law-abiding citizens away.
“Some club members felt more clarification was needed on
some of Congressman Bera’s votes this past year, and they chose not to endorse
him at this time,” Schmitt said. “The vote at last evening’s meeting should not
be perceived as an anti-Bera vote or a pro-Scott Jones vote. Nothing could be
further from reality.”
It is very much anti-Bera. The club President has only hurt Bera’s chances. One politico in the region commented that this vote was a strategic measure to make Bera look less leftist. I believe that this withheld endorsement signals how left-leaning the Democratic Party has become. Irritation from grassroots activists and union members could
have wider implications, however. The California Democratic Party confirmed
Wednesday that it approved a delegate petition to move Bera’s endorsement from
what was only a formality to a full floor vote at the state convention next
month in San Jose. A state party spokesman said there’s a process for Bera to
get back on the consent calendar that involves votes at a pre-endorsement
conference. There also is a way to challenge that vote. Kerri Asbury, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of
Sacramento County, said she’s increasingly heard from activists dissatisfied
with their representative. Asbury said among the volunteers contacting her are
those who helped walk precincts during Bera’s close elections.
“If you lose activists, if you lose labor, if we are taking
about a couple thousand votes in a congressional district, that could generate
huge impact,” she said. “Where people invest their time and money will be
dependent on their values.”
Uh-Oh! Stick a fork in Bera. He’s done! Asbury acknowledged the ire expressed by some could be
counterproductive to their larger cause given that the congressman is again
expected to face fierce competition from the GOP. Still, she said she can’t
blame them for being upset.
“He hasn’t been responsive to the delegates as far as
forwarding relationships or answering to his votes,” she said. “Everything
comes down to relationship building. Those relationships weren’t built or
maintained.”
An arrogant, aloof, out-of-touch Democratic Congressman? You don’t say!
Some of the comments on the SacBee article are very revealing, too:14 CommentsSubscribeRSS1 day agoBernard ScovilleAmi Bera is as much of a Democrat as Donald Trump. Maybe less. ReplyShare10
Ouch? Ami Bera, a darker version of the Donald?1 day agoMorjana CoffmanI voted for Congressman Ami Bera, but was disappointed with
several of his voting actions right out of the gate. But his decision to vote
FOR the Syrian Refugee Screening Bill was abhorrent. And then to add injury to
insult, Congressman Ami Bera “proudly” announced on his Facebook page
that he invited an Iraqi immigrant to the #SOTU. Why is an Iraqi worthy of his
compassion but not a Syrian? However, I will not vote for a Republican.
Hopefully another Democrat will step up to the plate to replace Congressman Ami
Bera. SHAME on Congressman Ami Bera! ReplyShare20
Disappointment. Democrats staying home, and a Republican wins the Congressional seat!
Bera is already losing supporters:2 days agoDuane SkeltonWhen Bera voted for the refugee restrictions, I emailed his
office to express my displeasure. The
only response from him was a request for money.
I emailed him again and said I was withholding any further contributions
in protest over his vote on that bill.
The only response I received was another request for money. The explanation for the vote he gave in his
town hall meeting was a distortion of the truth. I contributed to his campaigns and walked
precincts in past elections. I will not
be doing that this time around. ReplyShare51
Scott Jones already has strong support in the district.2 days agoMike GilesBera has been a consistent evader, hider, and Dissembler of
Truth in Every Possible way!! Scott
Jones’ excrement is accidentally more intelligent, more humane, & more
civilized than is Ami Bera!! Have you
ever been to one of his intellectually constricted, BS-elevated, & fake
“town halls”? ReplyShare13
Other comments beneath this article are very revealing about the Democratic intraparty divides.2 days agoMalcolm MacLeodThis article clarifies my reasons for no longer supporting
Dr. Bera. I remain very fond of Rep. Doris Matsui, however. ReplyShare2 replies322 days agoJohn BellRepresentatives can be defeated. If Jones gets a term or
two, Democrats can take the seat back. Also, we redistrict again in a few
years.
This comment above exposes the mind-set of the left. They do not mind losing a House seat or a council seat in their pursuit of the perfect secular lawmaker. Bera may finally find himself out of a job this year.
Everytime Bera sees a fork in the road, he takes it.
It looks like voters will be sticking that fork in him come Election Day!