Full Disclosure: I'm the media consultant and senior strategist for the Janice Hahn for Congress campaign.
Special elections usually attract a lot of attention. They're correctly seen as referendums on the direction of Congress; a chance between election cycles for people in one part of the country to send a clear message to those in power.
May's special election in New York-26 is a perfect example. Voters in the district overwhelmingly rejected the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. In a historically Republican district, voters backed Democrat Kathy Hochul and in so doing told John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan to take their hands off Medicare, which was a major issue throughout the campaign.
That message to Republicans was unmistakeable. So you would think that for maybe just a second after NY-26 Republicans recognized that Americans weren't going to re-elect people who sacrificed their healthcare to service a far right agenda. Unbelievably, that doesn't seem to be the case. As the Washington Post's Greg Sargent points out, Republicans are in "total denial" that their Medicare plan is deeply unpopular.
It's a good thing we have another chance on July 12 to make it clear how wrong Republicans are on Medicare.
In California-36, Democrat Janice Hahn is facing off against Republican Craig Huey. The stakes couldn't be higher. And yet, this race is not receiving nearly the attention it deserves. It's time to tune in to this campaign and stand up for Medicare. Millions of people across this country are counting on Democrats to defend it. This is your chance.
Craig Huey is running on an extreme agenda. As I wrote recently, Huey has a long record of shady business dealings including working with clients to market a ponzi scheme and targeting seniors with products that claimed to "cure" Alzheimer's disease. Huey got rich off these scams while taking hard-working Americans to the cleaners. So it should be no surprise that Huey supports a similar scheme to turn Medicare into a voucher program leaving seniors vulnerable to the skyrocketing costs of healthcare.
We simply cannot trust someone like Huey in Congress. Giving Huey and his extreme ideas a seat at the table in Washington will enable Republicans to continue down the path towards slashing Medicare.
The contrast between candidates in this race couldn't be more stark. Democrats have an experienced, practical and ethical alternative.
Janice Hahn has promised to protect Medicare while making smart cuts in Washington and investing in tomorrow's jobs. That's the type of leader we need right now. Someone with common sense solutions who is not beholden to an extreme political dogma. Someone who fights for hard-working people.
In four days, we have the chance to stand up to John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan. By sending Janice Hahn to Congress we can force the Republicans to face reality. They will have no choice but to see just how many people across this country are against their Medicare scheme. We can send Paul Ryan's plan into a tailspin on July 12.
Janice needs your help in the final days of this campaign. Donate. Spread the word. Volunteer if you're in Southern California.
The stakes couldn't be higher.
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