Please visit my new blog: Berkeley Conservative

'Berkeley Conservative'
BerkeleyConservative.Blogspot.com

Well, OK, my mojo is back and I am writing many new snarky op-eds. At the end of the campaign, I was afraid that the well had gone dry. All I needed was a vacation. Check out my new blog for current political observations.

Thoughts Upon Being a Candidate

Now that the election is over, my life has become eerily quiet.

Yes, it was stressful, exhausting, took over my life for almost a year, and I had the time of my life. It will challenge you intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically. You will have the adventure of a lifetime, and I recommend it highly. If you are thinking of running in 2012, the time to start planning is today (no, I am not kidding).

Part of the art of politics is know what is in the realm of possibility. My district, CA’s CD9, is the most Democratic in the entire state and the fifth most Democratic in the entire House of Representatives, according to the Cook Political Index. So, flipping my district to Republican was not exactly my goal. My vote total, 10.8%, did blip up slightly from 2008, where the Republican got 9.7%. I did this by running as a pure conservative with a budget campaign. No, my real task was adding my voice to a growing Conservative chorus within the Republican party. By this measure, I succeeded rather well.

As for the future, I plan to continue blogging right here, but under a different blog, since the election is over. Future entries on this blog will occur only if it relates specifically to my campaign, but I do not expect that to happen.
I also plan to write an article for those who are thinking of running for public office.
I have already started to accumulate new op-eds, so stay tuned for further details.

My Blog Is Going On Vacation

This blog will go dark for a bit (couple of weeks?). I will blissfully ignore the world and especially politics. I have started to read Madison’s daily diary of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and look forward to many longish, quiet evenings enjoying it.
However, this is not the end. I will be back, but probably on a different blog. I will leave this blog up. When I return, stay tuned to this space for updates and further info.

Election Results - I Lost, or Did I???

Official, final results Calif 9th Congressional District from the ROV:

Barbara Lee (Dem) 180,400 - 84.3%
Gerald Hashimoto (Rep) 23,054 - 10.8%
Dave Heller (Grn) 4,848 - 2.3%
James Eyer (Lib) 4,113 - 1.9%
Larry Allen (P&F) 1,670 - 0.7%

If you compare my total to past results (see previous post), my results were about what you would expect. Republicans in my district get votes in a rather tight band, and I was right in the middle. Yes, I was a bit disappointed that I was not able to break out of this band, but I got slightly better results than the past few elections. I had an interesting conversation with a local political reporter. He was interviewing me, and I said that running for Congress in this district is good training for political candidates; he agreed, saying very succinctly: yes, it does not really matter what the candidate does. Indeed: many have run before me, all with very different campaigns, yet the results are remarkably similar.

There is an old saying that you do not have to win the battle to win the war, and so it is with my candidacy. My goal was to spread the word of conservativism, and in this I succeeded rather well, and was rewarded with a mildly better vote total.

Yes, I am relieved and exhausted (in a good way). I am no longer stressed out, and I am sleeping better. I think I deserve a vacation.

The NY Times Thinks That I Will Get 17.5% of the Vote? Really? Hmmm…

I saw this story:
http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house/california/9
It predicted that I will get 17.5% of the vote; course, the margin of error is 8.8%.
Sadly, I do not think that this was based on direct polling on my district, but rather a macro-trend projection based on national analysis.

This may sound like a disaster, but consider. Here are the % of votes received by Republicans that have come before me (reverse chronological order):
9.7%
10.7%
12.3%
9.8%
9.8%
13.2%
12.1%
(these are all results with Barbara Lee as candidate)
If the NYT prediction is more or less true, it will mean that I will get almost double the votes of the last Republican in my district.

Keep in mind: my strategy was to run to the right as hard as I could. This presented no problem, since my personal political beliefs are what political pundits would call hard right. I simply had to speak my personal opinion.

I also saw that my opponent spent $998,976.00 on her campaign.
Here is a secret: I spent and raised a tad under $300 (no that is not a typo: there are only 2 zeroes on that number), if you exclude the $900 filing fee for getting my candidate statement in the primary ballot flyer. To answer your next question: I did not do fund raising or hold fund raising events.
I was out-spent 3,300-to-one.

FYI: here is the schedule for tonight, election night, based on what happened during the Primary:
**10pm, first results from absentee ballots
**1am, update with most districts reporting
20 years ago, the absentees would come up at about 10 and results would trickle in all evening into the early morning; no more, thanks, to computerized voting, and Alameda is unusually rapid in reporting results.

And one last thing: Karl Rove, bite me. My hats off to O’Donnell.

Who Is the Tea Party?

The Tea Parties have been around for many months, more than enough time for people to find the answer, yet I keep reading goofball stories about them. Permit me to express my opinion: this is based on my personal experience with the various Tea Parties here in the bay area. I have no idea if my experiences are indicative of Tea Parties in other parts of the country.

Are They A Front Group For Someone Else?
Certainly not. The nature of my contacts with them are profoundly different than the contacts I have with established political groups. They are clearly informal, amateur neighborhood groups.

Are They Secretly Financed By Powerful Forces?
Hah, hah: I wish. I just recently found out that I am a great favorite of several Tea Parties. If they were well financed, they would have found a way to contribute to my campaign fund. This has emphatically not happened.

Are They Weirdoes, Potheads, And Nazis?
Truthfully, these are spontaneous, grass root organizations. Ragtag collection of people would not be unfair. So, yes there are a few nutballs. Since they seem to be quite egalitarian, this is kinda unavoidable, I guess.

They Are Republicans, But Are They Conservative?
This is also a difficult subject. They are certainly fiscal conservatives, but they are not always social conservatives. I suspect that this is the main reason why some Republicans are, behind closed doors, rather skeptical.

Are They Republican Sock Puppets?
This is another charge that keeps popping up. To see the answer, just consider O’Donnell (Delaware), Angle (Nevada), and Miller (Alaska). Are these candidates being welcomed and hugged by establishment Republicans, or are they being pilloried?
Hmmm?

Why Don’t Libs Believe Any Of This?
This one was a puzzle to me for a quite a while; surely the evidence is clearly on display for anyone who wishes to examine it. I suspect that Libs find it impossible to believe that a grassroots political organization could ever be conservative and totally opposite to their political beliefs, so there must be more to it that is below the surface. It must be shear disbelief.

Hey, Are You A Tea Partier?
Well, umm, err: no. I have great respect for them, and, as a candidate, they make me very happy. I have been to a few events, but as an invited guest or speaker, not as a member. Sorry about that.

Training Manual for Candidates: Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals

If you are a candidate, politician, or political activist, this book is required reading. The author has become famous because he is widely given credit for giving the President, who is a relative newbie to national politics, the campaigning skill to win the Presidency.

The subtitle is a Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals. Indeed: this book is equally useful for conservatives and liberals.

Do not let the author’s famous leftist leanings put you off: the wisdom he imparts is equally profitable for both liberal and conservative. In the very beginning he explains that he is trying to expound useful and powerful techniques, not advance a particular point of view. In this, he is mostly successful: his liberalism pops up here and there, but it does not effect the value of what he is saying.

He has a deservedly brilliant grasp on political and community organizing: surely a useful skill, regardless of your politics. It gives you extremely valuable insights into politicking and campaigning. I only wish I had read this earlier in my campaign.

This book is a good companion to Hoffer’s The True Believer. Alinsky gives you tactics, Hoffer gives you strategy. These 2 books complement each other perfectly. Both authors do their share of slicing, dicing, and colorizing history, psychology, and facts to suit their own needs, but this does not take away from the value of what both men are saying. If you are thinking of running for office in 2012, you would be doing yourself and your constituents a big favor by reading both books before formulating your campaign strategy.
Highly recommended.

Oct 12 Update On My Campaign

I have not written about my campaign recently, plus I saw something on the internet that my opponent has spent something like $3/4 million dollars on the campaign so far. Really? In a safe Democratic district? Does that sound like the actions of a budget-wise Congressman?

You mean I am being outspent 1000-to-one?
Sheesh.

I have made a number of appearances the past month. Now, that the election is less than month off, I actually have fewer such things scheduled. Course, now comes the hard part: intense GOTV and precinct walking.

While I have received contributions, endorsements, and some media attention, these are all what I would call passive events. In other words, they were all the result of those who have contacted my campaign. I have not actively gone out to seek them, and that is greatest mistake I have made. The problem is that I am a campaign of one running things out of my apartment, and I do not have a campaign manager, whom I now realize I really need for such these things, since I do not have personal time myself for them.

One bit of political strategy I have learned, however. It is common wisdom, at least from local media, that since the SF Bay Area is so far left, that Republicans must make a strong move to the center to at least have a chance to capture a few votes from the center. I disagree strongly with this idea. I believe that the starker contrast that Republicans draw with their Liberal opponents, the more votes that we will receive; it is a strategy that has worked for Bay Area Democrats for years, and I think that it will also work for Republicans.

In any event, I am having the time of my life. Right now, my voice carries weight, and that is quite edifying.

Required Reading for Candidates - the Economics of Dr. Doom

Review of Crisis Economics by Nouriel Roubini.

If you are a candidate for public office and could be in a position to write or vote for legislation on financial reform, this book is a must-have. In particular, chapters 8 and 9 have specific recommendations that are easily translated into a legislative bill, and I agree with all of them.

The author acquired the nickname Dr. Doom because, for years, he warned against the financial meltdown of 2008 and about the severity and long-lasting effects it will have. He was widely ignored and even ridiculed; not anymore. Today, he is well-regarded as a visionary or a sage, and his voice carries weight.

Many have written about the financial meltdown, but Dr. Doom is one of the few people who has, in my opinion, correctly analyzed the current financial crisis. Far from being a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, he has pointed out that these type of financial panics occur regularly in capitalistic, western countries: they have happened many times in the past, and shall certainly happen again. His perspective is a historical one, and the old saw that ‘those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it’ comes to mind.

Particularly unsettling is the last chapter, Outlook. The good doctor foresees a rather rocky economic road ahead for the US and the world. It is a good bet that the next financial collapse will come from one of those listed by the author.

Master Class in Economics: the Laffer Curve

Review of Return to Prosperity by Laffer and Moore.

As a candidate for public office or a political activist, it is easy to ignore the basics, especially when it comes to economics. This election season, this subject is front and center to the exclusion of almost all else, yet most of us get our understanding from a few scattered news wire stories and the occasional Wall Street Journal article (even then, we probably will not read the whole story).

This book is the cure for all this. Laffer’s knowledge and explanations are clear and easy for even the layman to understand thoroughly. It is easy to have one’s political outlook color one’s view of economics; happily, the author has avoided this pitfall. His explanations are spot on, and powered by actual fact and history, not rhetoric or political belief. Of special is note is the chapter on the Great Depression, and the appendix where the author explains his famous graph.

Yes, it is easy to disagree with some of the author’s political judgments and curative prescriptions (he presents his plan for a flat tax, which is just one of many that has made the rounds in recent years), but one cannot help but be impressed by his knowledge and clear-headed thinking.

Recommended Reading: The True Believer by Eric Hoffer

When I was a teenager, Erik von Daniken was all the rage. He had a theory (Chariots of the Gods) that the pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens from outer space. Stupid, yes; but for several years he garnered a following of fierce, loyal believers. Going to his speeches was sort of like going to a religious revival. The emotional attitude of modern day conservationists reminds me of the followers of von Daniken. The parallels are downright eerie.

This book by Hoffer does a fabulous job of dissecting the psychology of these mass movements. His essay incorporates powerful movements from religion, politics, and nationalism. If you have ever wondered how these fanatics over the millennia changed the world, this is the book you need.

I have no doubt that if a conservative Republican where to absorb the lessons of this book and tap into the psychology of mass movements, he could easily ride a tidal wave all the way to the White House in 2012. Of particular interest are the chapters 89-95 on leadership.

Recommended reading for any candidate or political activist in this rather turbulent political season.

Thoughts Upon Reading the Qur’an

The behavior of Islamic countries is the driving forcing behind American foreign policy these days. When I was a youngster, it was the Soviet Union. These days, it is the Shia crescent in the Middle East.
As a candidate for national office, I thought it wise to read the Qur’an and become at least a wee bit familiar with Islam. It is an activity that I recommend to others. The view of Islam from the Qur’an is rather different from how it is practiced by radicals or viewed by the West.

A Jarring Disconnect
My reaction upon reading the last page and closing the back cover was nearly identical to my reading of the Bible. What I read in the religious tome had nothing to do with the behavior of churches/mosques of each religion. There was a jarring disconnect from the tome to religious practice.
A forest of interpretive works has grown around each book. Modern day adherents of these 2 religions, more often than not, will base their behavior on the interpretive essay rather than the tome itself.
For Christianity: rigid dogma was not a characteristic of the churches built by Jesus, the Disciples, and Paul.
For Islam: nowhere does it advocate beating women, killing people who create unflattering images of Mohammed, or committing suicide and taking as many nonbelievers with as you can.

Taken Out of Context: Is Islam a Militaristic Religion?
Many smart people, some of whom really should know better, will make this charge. They say that to be a Muslim means that you are automatically at war with Christianity or Judaism. They can, but usually do not, quote something from the Qur’an to prove their point. This may be so, but such attitude does not come from the religious book itself.
They are probably referring to Surah’s 8 and 9, and the latter part of 4. This, however, is taking the Qur’an out of context. These Surahs refer to a strict Muslim code of behavior when part of an Islamic army that is on the battlefield; as such, it represents a more moral code of behavior than was typical of Christian armies of the period.
It is not a template for everyday life. Nevertheless, some will regard it as such.
Likewise for the New Testament: nowhere does it mention homosexuality or black slavery, but there are those who will make it so by quoting from the Bible out of context.

Does the Qur’an Advocate Terrorism?
Not that I can see. Nowhere is suicide condoned, nor is the killing of innocents, even if they are nonbelievers. In fact, at several points, it is made clear that Allah (relax: ‘Allah’ is merely the Arabic word for ‘God’) will punish the nonbelievers on the Day of Resurrection, not the rank and file Muslims.

On this point, see:
3:180
6:137
18:104-106
22:17, 55-57
31:23
39:68-72

Mohammed is only a warner, and therefore not an enforcer. See:
35:23
38:65, 70
42:48
48:8
79:45

Do yourself and your religion (whatever it is) a favor: once you have read these verses, take a deep breath, lean back a little, and read the entire Surah so you can understand the phrase in context.
Of course, the truth has never stopped radicals or extremists, and this applies to religion. This has been true throughout history.

Bibliography
I am fully aware of the dogma that reading the Qur’an in a language other than Arabic is invalid. Anyone who has struggled with variously inaccurate and slanted English Translations of the New Testament will understand the wisdom of this precept. However, since I do not read Hebrew, Koine Greek, or Arabic, I am stuck with English translations of same.
Changing the shade of meaning here and there in key passages can dramatically alter one’s perception of the tome. I read it twice:

**The Meanings of the Illustrious Qur’an, Abdullah Yusuf Ali (trans.), Adam Publishers & Distributors, New Delhi, 2006, ISBN 81-7435-153-1.

**The Glorious Qur’an, various (trans.), Asir Media, Why Islam Project, Istanbul, 2009 (tenth edition), (no ISBN).

What Is Islam?
I have no idea. Anyone who pretends to answer this question without having been involved in a Muslim community for an extended period of time is talking through his hat.
However, to get a flavor of the Qur’an, start out by reading the following Surahs:
35-36
39-42
I should note that if you read these Surahs and substitute ‘YHVH’ for ‘Allah’, you could easily be reading something from the Torah.

An Islamic Reformation?
The parallels between Christianity and Islam are too close to ignore. Islam, schematically, is at the same point that Christianity was at just before Martin Luther and the Reformation: rigid and intolerant.
The only reason Christianity is so dominant in today’s world was because of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation: it brought religion from an elitist institution down to the level of the individual. Islam appears to be similarly ripe for a revolution in religious thinking

Update on My Campaign Strategy

Well, the election is now less than 3 months away, and my campaign strategy is more or less set.

I have discovered that there are 2 ways my candidacy gains currency:
1) personal self promotion
2) a wide web of electronic precincts run by voters and supporters in my district

In order to promote #2, I have endeavored to make my website a primary source of information and thought from the politically conservative point of view.
Well, #1 is the usual sort of campaign activity, of which I am engaging in the usual variety, but I am beginning to realize the limitations of this in the absence of a well financed media buy strategy, even more since I have decided to forgo the usual political fund raising as being unseemly.

Thoughts on Karl Marx

I finally read (the relevant parts of) ‘The Marx-Engels Reader (Robert C. Tucker, ed.)’. I found this book to be most illuminating, and recommend it. Why spend so much time on this? If you are going to defeat the enemy, you must first understand his core philosophy.

The introduction was quite useful: the editor gives you Marx’ philosophy in a nutshell. ‘Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844’ was also important. Here, you will find his beliefs on free will, the proletariat, private property, communism, and science as god. Strangely, the selections from ‘Capital’ were only marginally useful: Marx attempts, with little success, to rewrite the tenets of capitalism. Going from this work to the ‘Communist Manifesto’ was jarring, inasmuch they seemed to be written by different people (e.g. Engels).

Another point I realized: you have to trace the development of communism. Marx was the solid, German philosopher. Engels was the PR/application arm of this team. Do not confuse this pair with Communism as implemented by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, the subsequent changes by Stalin, and further changes by Khrushchev and Brezhnev. The flavor of Communism in China by Mao is different still, and much closer to that of Marx than the Russian variety.

Final word: just because Communism was a practical failure, do not dismiss it so lightly. It has a solid, difficult-to-refute philosophical basis.

Hegel, Feuerbach, and Marx - Phooey

Funny: I read ‘The Marx-Engels Reader’ (Robert C. Tucker, ed.) in an attempt to understand the radical left and their Marxist roots. Yet, my epiphany was reading the editor’s introductory explanation, specifically section I of the Introduction on pages xvii-xxii.

According to this, Hegel postulates a movement by mankind from self awareness to a higher plane of existence (God), or whatever he calls it. Feuerbach goes the opposite direction; he goes from God back down to the individual: care, love, and worship (humanism).

Marx makes the key equation: God = political economy = capitalism = accumulation of wealth = private property = man as simple commodity = producer = self estrangement. He then moves from here back down to the individual (socialization and release of the creative powers of the proletariat). He postulates a movement from Man’s self-estrangement back down to his natural state of existence.

Yes, I know: those of you who actually know something about philosophy are probably laughing into your sleeves by now. However, for the first time, I have that warm, fuzzy feeling that I have some inkling of understanding.

As a Buddhist, I view humanity as a dynamic, uncontrollable, and ever changing stream flowing through one of those Zen gardens. Sometimes, a calm, tranquil mirror. Sometimes, a happy, gurgling, babbling brook. Sometimes, a fierce, angry demon destroying everything in its path. Anyone who thinks that they can control this human river is a fool. As such, Hegel, Feuerbach, and Marx are about as valid as The Great Pumpkin.

About Advertising

There has been a thought buzzing around the empty space between my ears for a while. It has finally landed and I can put words to it.
In the 70’s, consider an industry with several prominent competitors. At that time, a lack of advertising was considered to be a sign that there was real competition between them. The thought being advertising could only be afforded by a competitor who was well ahead of the others, and that they had such a large portion of the market, that they stood to benefit most from the ad. In the absence of advertising, the impression was one of intense competition. None of the competitors could afford ads, nor be assured that they would benefit from any effects of the ad rather than one of its competitors. One possible trick is for a monopoly to never advertise, implying that there is genuine competition in its industry.
It occurred to me that simply refusing to do ads or assorted media buys could, by itself, be a significant statement. Course, it could also be taken to be the actions of a poorly supported campaign. Advertising could be construed to be an act of desperation in a lopsided race.
I do not know if my decision to not do media buys up to this point is correct, but we shall see.

What the Hell Kind of Campaign Are You Running, Anyway?

Well, now that I have won the primary and my campaign is well underway, it is time to answer this question. Activists, party regulars, and consultants have wanted to ask this question, but have mostly too polite to ask in such a blunt way.
OK, I will answer.
There are several elements to a traditional political campaign:
*fund raising
*campaign headquarters
*phone banks and robocalls
*precinct captains and workers
*bumper stickers and yard signs
*radio ads and other media buys
*slate cards and door hangers
*fundraising envelopes
Thus far, my campaign has none of these, and it seems that it never will. Those who have run in my district before have tried all these to little effect. This time, I am trying something different. The centerpiece of my campaign is this blog along with my website and a Facebook page.
Will it work? We shall see.

I Won the Primary!

Well, OK, I was uncontested. I will take victory any way I can get it. The number of voters who voted in my district was barely 25% of the turnout in the 2008 General Election. If the vote in November is identical to this Primary, my opponent will get 85%, and I will get 11%. This % is in line with the past half dozen elections in CD9, where the Republican gets 9-13%. The interesting point is that these were very different people with very different campaigns, but yet the results are all pretty similar.

Truthfully, I am having a blast. More seriously, right now my voice carries weight. What I say and what I believe matters, and I can influence people’s thinking. That is why my position papers have top priority with me. I am doing the best job I can to clearly and unambiguously lay out the conservative position on as many subjects as I can, especially the primacy of the Constitution. Planting the seeds of conservativism is easy; caring for the seedlings and nourishing them into mighty trees is another story.

What effect has the campaign had on my personal life? Well, I suppose you can be hyperactive about it, but I have a regular job, and my campaign fits comfortably in with my personal life at nights and on weekends, although my hobbies have been crowded out for the time being. Running is much easier than I anticipated (of course, winning is more difficult), and I recommend it highly to anyone who cares about our country and the future.

In CD9, it is important to be realistic about what is possible. This is the most Democratic district in the entire state of California, and one of the 10 most Democratic districts in the entire House of Representatives. So, if some districts do turn Republican, my district is dead last in line.

Election Day Math - a Roadmap to Victory

This is roughly how my district breaks down:
Dem = 64%
Rep = 8%
Decline to state = 20%
Ratio = 8:1
So, if we assume that the D/S are the same ratio, an election result of 85% to 10% is what we would expect in November, just as it has been in the past half dozen elections or so.

More interesting:
40% White
30% Black
15% Asian
15% Hispanic
The registration % among the last 2 groups is 5% each.
That is where the opportunity lies. Sadly, my campaign is a shoestring operation, so cannot afford fancy election consultant analysis. However, even I can see that the chance for Republican victory is Hispanic and Asian voter registration.

Currently, there are about 29,000 registered Republicans in CD9 which has a total population of 600,000, total registered voters is 350,000.
Total estimated Hispanic + Asian = 180,000.
If Republicans can register 16% of them as new Republicans, the number of registered Republicans in CD9 would double.

How I Designed My Website

It was so stupidly simply, I was able to do it by myself. It was a pre-made template, and was practically free. No, I am not getting paid, and I know that this sounds kinda like an ad, but I thought you would be interested.

A great website with rich content is central to my campaign. It is more important than everything else put together. So, I dreaded the time, expense, and trouble it would take to design it. I had reserved my domain name, and was exploring options for web hosting and design. Low and behold, I got an email from the company I used to reserve my domain name. Webhosting was ten bucks a month, which I thought was reasonable (there are cheaper places); but this company also offered free templates for website design (well, OK, it was 2 bucks more per month for this service along with email).

A bargain, so I signed up. Better, when I went into their do it yourself website service, they recommended a pre-made, patriotic template. I was delighted with this design, and used it. All I had to do was start typing in text and uploading pictures (yes, I know, I still do not have pictures of myself yet on the website). Within 2 hours, my website was up and running.

My website today is pretty much the same one I designed myself that night. Who is this company? You will have to visit my website to find out (heh, heh).
www.geraldforcongress.com

Political parties are controlled by special interests? Not me!

I heard one of those idiotic radio commercials supporting Calif Prop 14. It claims that political parties are controlled by special interest. What nonsense.

I am the Republican candidate for Congress in my district. I shall now expose exactly how many special interests and lobbyists have contacted me:
None; zip, zero, zilch, nada.

True, I will probably get pounded in the general election, which may explain why I am being ignored by ‘special interests’, and if I win I expect the usual cavil of lobbyists to beat a path to my door. However, to claim that we are ‘controlled’ is simply not true, especially during the election cycle.

Republicans are Rich? Not Me!!

C'mon people. I am THE Republican candidate for Calif CD9, inasmauchas I am running unopposed in my district. Truthfully, my job hours have been cut back for the most part of a year, and I occassionally have trouble making ends meet at the end of the month. I sometimes use my credit cards to buy groceries, OK?

Nevertheless, I have a clear political philosophy and I want to be your congressman. It is high time to send someone with practical sensibilities to Congress from my district. I am sick and tired of Democrats promising pie-in-the-sky using MY tax dollars. There is no way in hell that I will allow this to happen ever again.

I am grateful to the Republican Party in my district: they have given me maximum possible support.

Yes, I could do with a few more political contributions from my website, but make no mistake: traditional fund raising and traditional media buys is NOT what my campaign is about. My campaign is about ideas and truth and liberty. Frankly, if I can communicate my message, I could care less what the results are on election night.

C'mon: when was the last time you heard this message from a politician?

how badly does my district usually lose?

In 2008, the Republican in Calif CD9 lost 86%-9%. I was pretty sure that this was the biggest losing margin in the entire House of Representatives.
Well, almost. My district lost by the biggest margin in all Calif.
However, nationwide, there were a few districts where the losing margin was actually larger:
Illinois, 1 district
New York, 6 districts
Pennsylvania, 3 districts
Texas, 1 district
That makes a total of 11 congressional districts that actually lost bigger than mine.
(I have exluded those cases where a major party was running unopposed).
Well, now I don't feel so bad (I think).

what’s on my bookshelf?

I am trying very hard to read all books I ought, but for every book I read, I add 2 more to the unread stack. Currently, these are unread on my bookshelf:

How to Win Arguments (William A Rusher)
Speaking in Public (Reid Buckley)
Environmental Overkill (Dixy Lee Ray)
Trashing the Planet (Dixy Lee Ray)
The Marx-Engels Reader
Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (James Madison)
Liberty and Tyranny (Mark Levin)
Conservative Victory (Sean Hannity)
Climategate (Brian Sussman)
Return to Prosperity (Arthur Laffer)
2010: Take Back America: a Battle Plan (Dick Morris)

why am I running?

People who are running for office or contemplating running often have no answer to this potentially heart-stopping question. When you get an answer, it is often vague like ‘to help my country’. No, you must have a solid, concrete, powerful reason if you are to have a chance of winning.

In my case, I had a Network moment (this cultural reference usually means nothing to people who are under 40; it has nothing to do with Cisco. It was a defining movie of my generation. It starred Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch. He plays a TV news anchor who gets fed up with the lying and hypocrisy, and has a nervous breakdown while on the air. He advises: get up out of your chair, go to the window, stick your head out and shout: I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore).

The federal deficit is now $1.5 TRILLION. Wha? To me, a budget deficit of $200 billion is being spendthrift. But: trillion?? C’mon: the federal gov’t receives $2 trillion in taxes every year; surely this is enough to run the machinery, and still have a little leftover to pay off a bit of the national debt?

I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!

where do I get my ideas?

At this point, I am doing things a little differently from what I was anticipating in the beginning. These are just a couple of examples I thought of.

Mitt Romney
No, I am not a fan, nor do I plan to read his book. However, he was on those Sunday morning political shows, and he said something that I took to heart. The host asked what happened to his campaign, which started out so promisingly, then faded. Romney said that his campaign did not have focus; things were diffuse and spread out. So, now, when asked to give some brief comments, I say: the focus of my campaign? Big, fat, juicy tax cuts = more jobs. That’s it. I plug my website, say thank you, then sit down.

marketing guy
I would give credit for this, but I do not recall where I heard this, other than it was a marketing person who successfully used a blog to promote his company’s products. He said that most companies simply use a blog to tell people how wonderful their product is, and that they should buy it; these things also uniformly fail miserably. He said to make the blog of general interest, and those interested will go to your product or service or website. So, I put up my Facebook page and this blog up first (plus, these are free) right away (even before my website and donation functions), and am trying to make them of general interest to all people interested in politics, and perhaps a few are in my district and will become interested enough to vote for me. I figured that a personal blog about what it is like for a total rookie to run for congress would be interesting. Hence, this blog.

how is the fundraising going?
I heard from some other political rookies and some old hands about fundraising. Plus, the stories about how Obama and Scott Brown used the new social networking media to their advantage on the way to victory. I suddenly realized that old-fashioned fundraising and media buys were not going to get the job done, certainly not in my district that elected the D last time around 86%-9%. That is why fundraising is not going to be a big part of my campaign, and why the ‘donate’ function still does not yet work on my website. Besides, I do not wish to mislead people who wish to contribute to my campaign about what my campaign is all about.

Me, Myself, and I

Being a Republican in California CD9 is not easy. We are scarce as hen’s teeth. Right now, I wear all hats: candidate, campaign manager, treasurer, web master, speech writer, researcher, book reader, official government form filler-iner, coffee-bringer-iner, and I am running my campaign from my studio apartment.

My website is now up (www.geraldforcongress.com), as is my facebook page (Gerald for Congress). Getting these up to speed will take a bit of time, so forgive me if they are bare bones right now. I promise more, richer content in the weeks to come.

Cold Feet

It was late February. I had taken out papers to run for Congress a week ago, and gotten about half the signatures I needed. I was tired and it was Sunday, so decided to rest that day: bad mistake. I got a bad case of cold feet that day.

It was a cold, windy, rainy day with nothing but depressing, dark skies. I wore several layers of clothes, but was still shivering. The weather was not helping.

What was I doing? Not qualified to be a Congressman. No previous political experience; at least I should try something easier first, like running for city council? Not a community activist or active member in the county Republican Party. Do not have a built-in, political following. This was a foolish thing to do. I questioned my very existence. I had an upset stomach and ate nothing. I spent most of the day sitting gloomily in a chair, staring at gray, gloomy skies. I almost quit.

Then, I had an early dinner, since I was unable to eat lunch, and began to feel a little better. I thought: if I quit now, I will disappoint all the people who had supported me so far, not to mention the entire Republican party. Besides: I would be unopposed. I would win the primary, even if I were one of those disgusting, slimy things that you find under rocks at the beach at low tide.

It was Sunday, so I enjoyed watching 60 Minutes and Nature. That night, I went to bed confident, and looking forward to what the next week would bring.

WFB, where have you gone?

Being a long-time subscriber to National Review, I received WFB The Tribute; it is a paean to WFB, the father of modern conservative Republicans. Running as a Republican in a very safe Democratic district, I was thinking: well, it is either glory or ignominious defeat. After reading this book, I now feel puny and insignificant. Now that I am in the battle of my life, WFB, I need you now more than ever. Where have you gone?

I am Running for Congress

I am Gerald Hashimoto. I am a consevative Republican in District 9 in California, which includes Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, Emeryville, and Castro Valley. All told, this is about 1 million people. This is my personal blog. My original plan was to keep 2 diaries: one destined for public publication, and another one only for internal, Republican consumption. I have changed my mind. Herein, I will record all of my personal thoughts and observations and information. I will display all of my thoughts, for better or for worst.

I realize that this is not the norm for politicians. However, I am a Buddhist, and ultimate truth and ultimate honesty is the center of my universe. If I cannot run for public office with these truths, then I will resign. However, I have found the Republican party agreeable to my beliefs.