New Polity

In a state as Progressive as my own, it is truly alarming how slight Senator Barbara Boxer’s lead is over the failed CEO of HP and millionaire Carly Fiorina.  I think for Californians to truly understand Boxer, they need to look back into our not-so-distant past:

The Bush Debacle

Our Senator began her mission to stand up to the war-mongering and interventionist policies of the Bush regime almost entirely alone.  When her party still cow-towed to the demands of the increasingly irresponsible Republican-controlled Senate in the early years of George Bush’s presidency, Boxer reminded the Senate that it was not they who would pay the price for war, but the American people. [1] Even in 2008, when Bush’s lies had long since been exposed, many Senate democrats betrayed their loyalty to the rights and liberties of the American people by authorizing the FISA amendments act of 2008, which not only expanded the means in which the federal government could search and seize the records of citizens, but also functioned as a vote of confidence in the intrusive and police-statist policies of Bush and Cheney. [2] Not even California’s other Senator, Dianne Feinstein, would risk the political backlash to do what was right. [2]  Yet as soon as she became informed, Senator Boxer has been an advocate for the rights and freedoms of the people of California, and of the United States, and has opposed acts like FISA.  Senator Boxer has stood up to Presidents, Senators, Secretaries of State and everyone in between, and has done so without hesitation.  When it comes to peaceful ends to the Bush administrations’ numerous wars, there is nobody California can trust more than Senator Boxer. [1,2]

Supporting a Green Energy Economy, and no Carly, not in India

I think the fact that the people of California are (at least to a certain degree) falling for Fiorina’s framing of this election as one about jobs is tragically comedic.  Senator Boxer’s voting record gives testament to her continued fight for economic recovery, whether it be  tax subsidies to small businesses, the Jobs bill, or the extension of unemployment benefits, something that Republicans like Fiorina are taking aim at, Boxer has consistently fought to mend the hole in the economy ripped by the irresponsible wars and policies of the Bush administration [3]  Fiorina, it seems, would advocate the policies that left so many unemployed, and then while they sank into the depths of unemployment, simultaneously end the aid that previously would’ve kept the search for a job one step farther away from an utter fight for survival.  While Boxer has fought to pass the economic stimulus, as well as the Jobs bill, Fiorina during her time at HP literally outsourced OVER 60,000 jobs.[4]  She laid off an additional 18,000, calling it “corporate restructuring”, and her only regret at the end of it all was that she “should have moved more quickly in ejecting certain people”. [4]  Jobs?  The economic stimulus supported by Senator Boxer has already created 150,000 jobs in the state of California, which is, admittedly, not enough to undo the damage of the CNMC’s 19th Worst CEO of All Time. [5]  While thousands of her workers sank into depression, Fiorina awarded herself for destorying her company with “millions in bonuses” [6].  In fact, much of the funding for Fiorina’s campaign comes from the multi-million dollar golden parachute she was “awarded” after being fired from HP.

A Brief End Note

These two issues are brief spots on both candidates list of issues, and believe me, this article has not even touched on A Women’s Right to Choose, Global Climate Change, or Marriage Equality, all very important issues, all of which will be touched upon in the follow up to this sometime soon.  In closing, a vote for Senator Boxer is a vote for a woman who has championed Progressive politics since she began, has survived waves of Conservative revival, and has never backed down from what she knew was right.  The people of California, and indeed the people of the U.S, cannot afford to lose one of the most liberal democrats in the Senate during such a tumultous time.  When the corporate interests behind the GOP’s resurgence show their true colors once more, we can count on one woman to stand without a second thought for the people of this country, and not the Industrial giants who are growing ever-closer to retaking and reversing the Progress of the last 2 years.  That woman is Senator Boxer.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LfZypqW2to&feature=related

[2] http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2008-437

[3] http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-07-07/bay-area/21940402_1_doyle-drive-sen-barbara-boxer-san-diego

[4] http://politicalcorrection.org/factcheck/200908200003

[5] http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61K1GD20100221

[6] http://www.cnbc.com/id/30502091/Portfolio_s_Worst_American_CEOs_of_All_Time?slide=3