Since his election in 1988, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) hasn’t amassed many honors. In fact, in thirty years, he’s passed a measly three bills, the most recent of which passed a whopping fourteen years ago.
Last week, however, Dana’s winless streak came to an end as he earned a first-place finish on a major publication’s ranking.
Unfortunately for Dana, that ranking was entitled “The Most Vulnerable Trump Clone in Congress.”
Assembled by Mother Jones reporter Dan Spinelli, the ranking acknowledges that, should a blue wave truly be on the horizon come November, “[m]any of the Republicans sent packing would likely hail from the more moderate wing of the party—swing district representatives who, on occasion, have attempted to stand up to President Donald Trump.”
However, in an era when the President is making catastrophic decisions on issues ranging from immigration to climate change to the economy, it’s no surprise that lawmakers up for re-election who have latched their political fortunes to Trump are also facing tough battles.
No Trump foot soldier, argues Spinelli, has suffered more from tying himself to the President than Dana Rohrabacher. Spinelli points to Dana’s cozy ties with the Kremlin, his propensity to defend Trump’s pro-Russia instincts, and his insistence on calling climate change a “fraud” as major reasons for his electoral predicament.
While Spinelli is right, he is only right in part.
Dana is the most vulnerable Trump crony in the country. His insistence on putting Russian interests over those of CA-48 families and American families is indefensible. And his pugilistic pigheadedness on denying climate change is medieval at best, and pure evil at worst.
But the reason Dana will be saying goodbye to his congressional seat come November has just as much to do with Dana as it does with the changing tide happening in CA-48. As a first-time candidate, I’ve had the honor of speaking face-to-face with residents of CA-48 from Seal Beach to Laguna Niguel for more than a year now - and all signs point to the fact that Dana is now firmly out of step and out of touch with the concerns, the desires, and the values of CA-48’s individuals, families and communities.
First, the people of CA-48 can wait no longer to be represented by a leader who believes that climate change is real. The evidence of climate change’s devastating effects is all around us - from the Holy Fire raging in our backyard, to the king tides in our beach-side communities causing “nuisance flooding” due to climate-related sea level rise. The people of CA-48 are hungry for a leader who will fight to protect our environment, and who recognizes that doing so isn’t mutually exclusive with incentivizing economic growth. As a business leader, I will work hard to make Southern California the clean tech capital of the world.
Second, CA-48 voters know they deserve a representative savvy enough to work with her or his colleagues to legislate. Dana’s legislative record is nothing short of an embarrassment to our communities. For example, after years of being pressed by his constituents, in April of this year, Dana, feeling pressure from the primary election’s strong field of candidates, tried to introduce some standard amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill that would reduce jet noise for CA-48 residents. However, within a few days, all of his amendments had been killed. Four were found to be "out of order" - meaning Dana failed to follow the basic rules of introducing an amendment - and the final one was voted down 375 to 37. This example is one of countless, and speaks volumes as to why Dana’s colleagues regard him as little more than a bad joke. The people of CA-48 know they deserve more.
Finally, the one resounding piece of feedback I’ve heard from CA-48 residents eager for change, is that they want to see common decency, respect and civility in their elected leaders. Dana has proved time and time again that he is incapable of these. Not only has he stood by Trump’s bullying at every turn, but one year ago, in the aftermath of the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, Dana had the nerve to call the blatant racial violence on display a “total hoax.” That is not the type of leader the people of CA-48 are looking for. That's why I am running for Congress. Frankly, my community in Orange County deserves better than Dana Rohrabacher.
Dan Spinelli is right - Dana’s time in Congress looks like it’s coming to an end. But Dana’s demise is only partially his own doing, because his incompetence is nothing new. It’s not Dana who has changed - it’s the tide, it’s us. The people of CA-48 are ready for someone new - for a common sense, common ground leader who will lead on critical issues and restore civility to our democracy.
That's the kind of leader I hope to be in Congress and I hope everyone who reads this will consider joining our campaign. To learn more about our campaign's movement to bring change to Orange County, please visit: www.harleyforcongress.com.
Thank you.