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Divisiveness & The Corner Office Bully
by Ellis Goldberg

The corner office bully mentality describes the management environment in many of the largest organizations in the world. It is an environment where rocking the boat is a career limiting decision, in other words you can get fired without a usable reference, or worse. The bully mentality is built into the infrastructure of organized crime. The bully on top manipulates and extorts under-bullies who do the same throughout the organization.  On the other hand the chief is often very good to his family and generous to those loyal to the organization who are unaware of their participation in damage to the rest of the world.

Today’s corner office bully has learned the lessons of organized crime and has figured out how to go legit.  The corner office bully makes decisions that are most profitable to him or her.  Decisions like:

¨        Laying off workers and off-shoring production to increase profits

¨        Producing unsafe products and hiding that from customers and regulators

¨        Falsifying reports about providing veteran’s health care in order to justify bonuses

¨        Lying about WMDs to start a war for oil

¨        Not funding inspection of gas pipelines

¨        Choosing production schedules over safety on oil drilling platforms

¨        Not funding the replacement of corroded unsafe refinery equipment

¨        Selling fraudulent mortgage packages with high risk as low risk causing the 2008 financial meltdown

¨        Cheating on sanctions against doing business with banned countries

¨        Leaving poisons in corroding barrels to leak into water supplies

¨        Corrupting the political process through; lobbying, campaign contributions & independent expenditures, revolving door job placement for former government officials.

¨        Off shoring profits to avoid taxes

Going legit is no longer enough, corporate bully dominance of the planet is the new goal.  To achieve that goal; a new weapon has come into play “DIVISIVENESS”.  Because environmentalists and labor stand between the bullies and their goal, the bully strategy is to drive wedges between environmentalists and labor. 

¨        Locally in the recent Sbranti / Glazer contest.   Glazer’s independent expenditure committees portrayed union supported Sbranti as anti-environment because the BART strike put more vehicles on the road. 

¨        Environmentalists are going head to head with some unions who favor allowing the WESPAK refinery in Pittsburg to bring in shale derived oil to town by rail. 

¨        PG&E opposes Community Choice Aggregation (allowing communities to compete with PG&E) with representatives from its union arguing on PG&E’s behalf.  
See the article by Eloise Hamann below in Did you know?.

¨        Some unions oppose Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones’ ballot measure giving the Commissioner purview over health insurance rate hikes.  See the letter from Insurance Commissioner Jones below.

How do the bullies get away with it?

If you have a middle management job with a big company and feel secure enough to buy a house, raise a family, send your kids to college and plan a secure retirement, then it is unlikely that you will rock the boat.  If at that point in your career you became aware of corporate foul play, would you report it and risk being thrown under the bus for your efforts?  Whistleblowers are frequently scapegoated for revealing foul play, while corporations are fined when they are caught, letting the stockholders take the bullet for the actually responsible corner office bullies.

Political consultants with many connections to the Democratic Party are working for organizations that would drive the wedge deeper into the party.   See “An Inside Job – Selling Out the Democratic Grassroots by Gerri Field” and the message from DARAKA LARIMORE-HALL both below.

An Inside Job – Selling Out the Democratic Grassroots             by Gerri Field

Spring 2014 – While California Democratic activists were focusing on the Koch brothers’ activities, a far more pernicious threat to Democratic values was unfolding at central committee meetings throughout the state. WellPoint Inc., Blue Shield of California, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., United Healthcare Ins. Company and other insurance special interests had pooled together over 25 million dollars to defeat a proposition endorsed by Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, California Nurses Association, Physicians for a National Health Program and other community coalitions that would require insurance companies to justify their rate increases on small businesses and individual health insurance policies. The 25 million dollars bought the insurance special interests some friends in high places – Democratic Party insiders with fat Rolodexes from years of networking with the grassroots.

With a Democratic governor and a Democratic supermajority in the California Legislature right-wing strategists realized that if their issues were to win in the Golden State, business as usual – hiring Republican strategists - would no longer deliver victories. Defeating the Democratic grassroots could no longer be done from outside the Democratic Party; it had to be done from the inside. Election 2014, and in particularProposition 45, the Justify Rates proposition, is the testing ground for this strategy of undermining Democratic Party values. During the spring, the insurance special interests began implementing this strategy by sending paid consultants to Democratic central committee meetings up and down the state of California masquerading as financially disinterested Democratic activists to persuade real Democrats to vote against putting an end to health insurance gouging.

Among the mercenaries hired by the insurance industry was the ultimate insider - former executive director of the California Democratic Party, Kathy Bowler. Bowler’s consulting firm, K Bowler Group, received $65,250 from insurance special interests in exchange for her willingness to argue in favor of allowing insurance companies to continue to gouge California businesses and consumers at Democratic central committees and clubs. Twenty-five million dollars buys a lot of friends in high places. Democratic insiders Robin Swanson (Swanson Communications), former spokeswoman for John Perez, Steve Maviglio (Forza Communications), Perez’s current spokesman, and Labor’s Bob Balgenorth (KMA Consulting) have all joined Bowler on the insurance special interest payroll. See the full list of expenditures made by the insurance special interests to defeat this proposition on Secretary of State Deborah Bowen’s page

The California Democratic Party is at a crossroads. Betty Yee, in her electrifying speech at the California Democratic Convention alluded to this. The direction our party takes will be determined by how we in the grassroots respond to the inside job that is taking place within the heart of our party. Will we allow the agents of the special interests among us to come into our meetings and corrupt our party or will we fight them as ferociously as we do the Koch money? How we vote on Proposition 45 will tell the tale.

What is the danger of 
finding out too late?

A message from DARAKA LARIMORE-HALL Secretary, California Democratic Party

Arnold Schwarzenegger's former Chief of Staff, Susan Kennedy, has for some time opposed health insurance rate regulation. That's not surprising.

What may surprise you is she is on the Board of Covered California (California's new health insurance exchange). In fact, 3 of the 5 Covered California Board members have opposed health insurance rate regulation in the past. Two of them were appointed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

So, it wasn't a shock when Kennedy and others said they had "questions" about Justify Rates, even though health insurance rate regulation will not impede Covered California, a program that with others Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has worked hard to help implement.

Don't be fooled.

Health insurance rate regulation has been adopted in 35 states. The federal agency responsible for implementing the Affordable Care Act - the Department of Health and Human Services- even provides additional funding to states that have rate regulation authority to help them in their efforts to reject excessive rates.

The Justify Rates ballot measure is endorsed by key supporters of the Affordable Care Act and Covered California, like United States Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, as well as Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. I am working with the grassroots Democratic coalition to support Justify Rates because, as Senator Feinstein has said, it fills in a missing piece of the Affordable Care Act.

Health insurers have already dumped $25 Million into their campaign against Justify Rates, so you are going to hear a lot of negative and misleading questions and arguments against Justify Rates in the days and weeks ahead. It's just noise. There is no conflict between the Justify Rates ballot measure and the Affordable Care Act or Covered California.

The ACA is a great step forward, but we have a long way to go toward true, universal health care. Requiring that insurance companies justify their rates is another important step on that journey. I hope you will join us.

In solidarity,  Get involved, get info

DARAKA

Truth Bytes

Did you know?

Nader explodes the myth of Corporate Capitalism

Ralph Nader writes, “Large corporate capitalism is a breed apart from smaller scale capitalism. The former can often avoid marketplace verdicts through corporate welfare, strip owner-shareholders of power over the top company bosses and offload the cost of their pollution, tax escapes and other “externalities” onto the backs of innocent people.

Always evolving to evade the theoretically touted disciplines of market competition, efficiency and productivity, corporate capitalism has been an innovative machine for oppression.”  Read his blog to understand how the bullies in the corner office pull this off.

The six ways Justice Stevens would fix the constitution

Just a few words can hold a world of meaning. John Paul Stevens, the retired Supreme Court justice, has written a short new book in which he proposes a few words here and there that would create some sweeping changes.

The book, Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution, details the half-dozen ways Stevens thinks the Constitution could be improved, changes that he says are worth the trouble of the arduous amendment process. 
FULL INTERVIEW

Hobby Lobby Ruling

In “Freedom, Power, and the Conservative Mind” Robert Reich says “The Supreme Court struck down a key part of the Affordable Care Act, ruling that privately-owned corporations don’t have to offer their employees contraceptive coverage if that conflicts with the corporate owners’ religious beliefs.” He discusses how the court increased corporate constitutional rights by giving corporations the right to practice religion.

CommonDreams.org says, “This ruling goes out of its way to declare that discrimination against women isn't discrimination.”

In a second ruling the court held that the corporations’ religious rights include not being required to fill out a form that exempts them from providing contraception, because that would enable employees to apply for government funded contraception.

The Washington Post reports that Democrats acting to negate the effects of the court ruling failed to get sufficient support in the senate.  It is predicted that the Hobby Lobby Contraception issue will drive the 2014 congressional campaigns.  Conservatives may have won in court but they will lose many women in November, some men too.

Gentlemen - You have a stake in this too. The Roberts Court decreed that the employer’s beliefs matter, the employees’ beliefs do not matter and in areas where personal beliefs matter most. Where will this stop?

Chuck Carpenter, Contra Costa Democratic Party Chair suggests, "Hobby Lobby stores are located in Antioch @ Lone Tree & Empire, in Concord @ Willow Pass & Diamond Blvd &  in the Dublin Plaza Shopping Center.  Keep your friends away.”

Why is the Federal Reserve considering
raising the interest rate?

Apparently the economy is nearly back to pre-2008 conditions, the equivalent to zero growth from then until now.  Where is the pressure to raise the FED rate coming from?  Paul Krugman postulates the pressure comes from those who would stand to gain – that is because he is an economist.  Most of us stand to gain little if our bank accounts pay a slightly higher dividend. But the one percenters accrue a considerable portion of their income from dividends.

Krugman writes “Complaints about low interest rates are usually framed in terms of the harm being done to retired Americans living on the interest from their CDs. But the interest receipts of older Americans go mainly to a small and relatively affluent minority. In 2012, the average older American with interest income received more than $3,000, but half the group received $255 or less. The really big losers from low interest rates are the truly wealthy — not even the 1 percent, but the 0.1 percent or even the 0.01 percent. Back in 2007, before the slump, the average member of the 0.01 percent received $3 million (in 2012 dollars) in interest. By 2011, that had fallen to $1.3 million — a loss equivalent to almost 9 percent of the group’s 2007 income.”  FULL STORY

The ultimate-goal-of-the-
NSA-is-total-population-control

says William Binney one of the highest-level whistleblowers to ever emerge from the NSA. He was a leading code-breaker against the Soviet Union during the Cold War but resigned soon after September 11, disgusted by Washington’s move towards mass surveillance.

On 5 July he spoke at a conference in London organized by the Centre for Investigative Journalism and revealed the extent of the surveillance programs unleashed by the Bush and Obama administrations.

“At least 80% of fibre-optic cables globally go via the US”, Binney said. “This is no accident and allows the US to view all communication coming in. At least 80% of all audio calls, not just metadata, are recorded and stored in the US. The NSA lies about what it stores.”

How would you like to use cleaner electrical energy without lifting a finger?

Community Choice
Clean Power for the People
Aggregation (CCA)

California legislation, AB 117, enables communities and counties to work together to create a public energy service provider for electricity.  It is the most powerful tool local governments have for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by empowering them to choose renewable energy.  The legislation passed in 2002, but was not available to California local governments until 2005 due to a lengthy California Public Utilities rulemaking process.  Then, it took five years for the first Community Choice program to be launched in Marin County.  Marin Clean Energy’s operation was a success from the outset.  They paid off the $1,000,000 startup costs within the first year and since its service start in 2010, MCE has eliminated an estimated 131,000,000 pounds of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of the annual carbon sequestered by 48,752 acres of U.S. forests. 
FULL STORY by Eloise Hamann

TAX Inversion 

About 41 U.S. companies have reincorporated in low-tax countries since 1982, including 12 since 2012. Five, including Walgreens, plan to do soin the coming year, according to Alternet. Inversion is another user friendlier name for EVASION.

Robert Reich suggests “Even if there’s no way to stop U.S. corporations from shedding their U.S. identities and becoming foreign corporations, there’s no reason they should retain the privileges of U.S. citizenship.

By treaty, the U.S. government can’t (and shouldn’t) discriminate against foreign corporations offering as good if not better deals than American companies offer. So if Walgreen as a Swiss company continues to fill Medicaid and Medicare payments as well as, say, CVS, it’s likely that Walgreen will continue to earn almost a quarter of its $72 billion annual revenues directly from the U.S. government.

But as a foreign corporation, Walgreen should no longer have any say over the size of those payments, what drugs they cover, or how they’re administered.

In fact, Walgreen should no longer have any say over how the U.S. government does anything.

In 2010 it lobbied for and got a special provision in the Dodd-Frank Act, limiting the fees banks are allowed to charge merchants for credit-card transactions — resulting in a huge saving for Walgreen. If it becomes a Swiss citizen, its days of lobbying and obtaining special provisions should be over. “

CA makes an official call for a U.S. Constitutional Convention 
to overturn Citizens United
CA passes AJR 1, joins Vermont as the second state to call for an Article V Convention

SACRAMENTO —June 23, 2014, the State Senate passed AJR 1, making California the second state in the union to officially call for an Article V constitutional convention for the sole purpose of passing a United States constitutional amendment that would effectively overturn Citizens United v. FEC and limit the corrupting influence of money in our electoral process.

After passing the State Assembly earlier this year 51 to 20, AJR 1 passed the State Senate 23 to 11 with thunderous applause from the gallery. Because it’s a joint resolution, it takes effect immediately without the signature of Governor Brown.

The most common way to propose a U.S. constitutional amendment is by a 2/3 vote of Congress. But the U.S. Constitution also provides another way: A constitutional convention under Article V of the Constitution can be called by 2/3 of the states. If 32 other states join California and Vermont, a convention will be triggered without any action from the U.S. Congress. In addition, Congress will not be able to prevent it.

In addition, the people of California will have a chance to express their opinion about Citizens United, Proposition 49 (the Campaign Finance: Advisory Election on Overturning Citizens United) this fall. Big business will use every tool in its immense arsenal to defeat Prop 49 so be prepared to work for getting it approved.

 Take the Pledge to Kick the Koch Habit

Charles and David Koch are the poster children for no-holds-barred class warfare and political corruption in the USA. We often support them when we shop. Take the pledge to not buy products made by Koch Industries and its subsidiaries and to ask friends, family, and acquaintances to also boycott Koch Industries because of the harm the Koch brothers' political activities are causing to the USA. They are major Tea Party supporters. The Kochs and affiliates plan to raise about $1 billion for the 2014 elections and to stop Hillary Clinton. But wait! There’s MORE!

Forbes Magazine has an article “New App Lets You Boycott Koch Brothers, Monsanto And More By Scanning Your Shopping Cart” which is very useful. Get a business card sized list of Koch Industry products. 

Don’t get mad, get even – John Bellucci

House Ethics Committee Eliminates Required Disclosure of Privately Financed Travel by Members on Financial Forms by David Vance

The House Ethics Committee has eliminated the requirement for House Members to disclose their privately financed travel on their financial disclosure forms, according to National Journal. The Committee made this change without any public announcement whatsoever, and when it was discovered yesterday the Committee Chair, Ranking Member and Committee staff refused to comment on the controversial move.

Who are the richest people in each state?

See if your favorite billionaire is the richest in the state. Click

Success of Endorsed Democratic Party Candidates in 2014 Primary Election 
by California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton

While votes are still being tallied, it’s important to note that in contests where the State Party’s delegates endorsed a candidate, those candidates performed exceedingly well. In fact, 96% of candidates endorsed by the California Democratic Party moved past the primary election and will be on the ballot in November – that’s an extraordinary success rate.

Our candidates' success speaks to the importance of the Democratic Party’s endorsement in the era of the “Top Two” Primary.  Below is a tally on the performance of endorsed candidates in the 2014 primary election:

For a complete list of endorsed California Democratic Party candidates moving on to the 2014 general election click here (endorsed candidates moving on are highlighted in blue):

http://www.cadem.org/admin/miscdocs/files/2014_Primary_EndorsedMovingOn1.pdf

Assembly District 16
Round One: Sbranti beats Glazer
Round Two: Sbranti vs Baker starts now

The June primary was a malicious contest where $3.5 to 4 Million dollars was spent by the combined Sbranti – Glazer campaigns and independent expenditure committees.  The candidates’ campaign committees are prohibited by law from communicating with independent expenditure committees.  According to www.ebcitizen.com “Baker, a Tri Valley attorney, won 36.5 percent of the vote, followed by Sbranti with 29.6 percent; Glazer at 22.5 percent and Danville Mayor Newell Arnerich with 11.4 percent.”

Round two, the general election pits a relatively unknown Catherine Baker against Tim Sbranti.  According towww.foxandhoundsdaily.com “Republicans have a substantial candidate of their own in attorney Catharine Baker. She has worked in the public arena for the late Congressman Sonny Bono and in politics as Mitt Romney’s Bay Area Regional Chair. She also has the financial backing of Republican rainmaker, Charles Munger, Jr.”.  Munger’s dad is Warren Buffett’$ business partner.  Baker comes into round two without mud from round one.  Glazer’s campaign was very divisive, driving Democrats away from Sbranti, some will vote for Baker, others won’t vote and some will vote for Tim Sbranti. 

But the glass is more than half full for Sbranti.  His campaign is in fourth or fifth gear where as Baker is starting up. Sbranti’s campaign has hundreds of former & current students from Dublin HS, in addition to local Democrats who campaigned for him in round one.  The district registration is 32% Republican and 40% Democratic.  The unions are firmly behind Sbranti and are able to fund the independent expenditures committees and staff them with volunteer union members and their families, making phone calls and walking precincts. 

Two things to watch: 

1.                                   Will Munger’s millions in independent expenditures swamp Sbranti’s grassroots support or will Baker join Carly & Meg learning that California is not for sale. 

2.                                   Will the campaigns become malicious?  Remember the Independent Expenditure organizations are not controlled in any way by the candidates, Munger’s $$$ will go to these organizations.

AD 16 will certainly be the most interesting race to watch in the bay area if not the state.  The outcome will be determined by voter turnout.  There are fewer Republicans in the district, but they tend to turn out to vote more than Democrats.

To campaign for Tim Sbranti for State Assembly in AD16 
contact Michelle Henry michelle@mwhconsult.com 925 389 7253

California Democratic Party EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING by Regional Director Craig Cheslog

The California Democratic Party's Executive Board met in Oakland July 12 & 13. In addition to committee and caucus meetings, E-Board members voted on resolutions, a legislative committee report, and to make endorsements for the propositions on the November general election ballot.

With the certification of the primary election results, the California Democratic Party in accordance with its by-laws endorsed Alex Padilla for Secretary of State, Betty Yee for State Controller, and Bill Dodd in Assembly District 4. Congratulations to them for joining the statewide Democratic slate! 
Click here to see the full list of California Democratic Party endorsed candidates.

The California Democratic Party also made the following endorsement decisions for the Propositions on the November general election ballot:

Proposition 43 (Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012): Defer to California Democratic Party Chair in consultation with party leaders as the content of the measure may change

Proposition 44 (State Reserve Policy): Yes

Proposition 45 (Approval of Healthcare Insurance Rate Changes): Yes

Proposition 46 (Drug and Alcohol Testing of Doctors. Medical Negligence Lawsuits): Neutral

Proposition 47 (Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties): Yes

Proposition 48 (Referendum to Overturn Indian Gaming Compacts): Yes

Proposition 49 (Campaign Finance: Advisory Election on Overturning Citizens United): Yes

Click here to learn more about these propositions on the November 4 statewide ballot.

The Executive Board also adopted resolutions and legislative recommendations. 
Click here to review those reports and a report of the Rules Committee.

A message from Insurance Commissioner DAVE JONES

Thanks to the support of the Democratic grassroots, the California Democratic Party endorsed Proposition 45 Justify Rates!

Thanks to all who supported our grassroots campaign at the CDP Executive Board meeting in Oakland this past weekend.

At the start of the three day meeting we had the endorsement of over 1,200 Democratic Party Delegates, 51 Democratic County Central Committees, 220 Executive Board Members (two-thirds of the leadership body), Democratic Clubs, labor unions, progressive elected officials and party officers. Volunteers worked hand in hand with Democratic activists throughout the state over the last five months to phone, mail, text and email every delegate, county central committee member and Executive Board member and built a true grassroots coalition in support of Justify Rates/Prop 45.

The health insurers and their army of consultants pulled out all the stops - including sleazy personal attacks and circus stunts such as Koch brother impersonators waving cash around (yeah, we didn't get it either) - to try to defeat us.

Grassroots Democrats saw through their misleading arguments. Our momentum and support grew with each debate and procedural battle at the three day Executive Board meeting. 

Finally, the morning of the last day of the Executive Board meeting, the health insurers and their paid consultants threw in the towel. Facing certain and overwhelming defeat on the floor of the general session, they packed up and left.

And then, the California Democratic Party endorsed Proposition 45 with a unanimous vote!

Thanks again to each and every Democrat who stood up against the health insurers to insist that they justify their rate increases.  And, thank you to the 51 Democratic County Central Committees that stood up in support of Proposition 45 before the Meeting - this gave the Democratic base a strong voice at the Executive Board Meeting, and sent a strong message to the Executive Board to endorse the ballot measure.

Thanks to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, SPI Tom Torlakson, Secretary of State nominee Alex Padilla, Party Secretary Daraka Larimore-Hall, Controller Hilary Crosby, Vice Chair Eric Bauman, and the California Federation of Teachers, California School Employees Association, California Nurses Association, United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council, AFSCME Local 685 Probation Officers, Northern Regional Council of Carpenters, ILWU Northern District Council, Orange County Employees Association, United Teachers of Los Angeles, and Labor United for Healthcare, along with so many others, for your support of Proposition 45.

Grassroots Democrats faced down the health insurers' millions and won this critical endorsement.

Now, with your leadership and help,  we need to take the message to the voters -- vote YES on Proposition 45. Stop health insurers from charging excessive rates!

Thank you.
DAVE JONES     Insurance Commissioner 

Proposition 45: Scoreboard

At the July Executive Board meeting in Oakland the California Democratic Party endorsed Prop 45 as noted by Commissioner Jones & Craig Cheslog.  Forces opposing Prop 45 realized that pulling the proposition from the consent slate would result in a contentious floor fight that they would not win.  But the forces of opposition still have the upper hand in financial backing. 

Who is backing & opposing Prop 45 with how much money?  

Prop 45 is still below the general public’s radar.  Those opposing Prop 45 have deep pockets and realize that spending millions could bring billions in additional income to those pockets.  Is California for sale?  Unregulated health insurer’s rate hikes have treated members of all political parties unfairly.  This ballot measure can be the issue that will bring out voters and activists.  

How are we doing?

·         To what extent are we fulfilling our goals “to educate Democrats so that they may refute and re-frame misinformation in a way that is easy to understand and to encourage the involvement of Democrats in the political process.”

·         What do you recommend we do differently?

·         What can we do to maximize voter turnout in November?

Please send your comments to Marie McDonald & Diddo Clark.

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