MARK IS A CORPORARATE NEO-LIBERAL DEMOCRAT AGAINST PROGRESSIVE CHANGE
While, I might support many of Mark DeSaulnier’s sponsored or co-sponsored legislation, Mark just doesn’t take many BOLD position stands publicly on imporant issues! Mark avoids controversial legislative proposals, especially those not approved by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Mark is a “play it safe” politician. Whenever possible, he will avoid involvement and discussing controversial “no win” political issues. When forced, Mark is skilled in deflecting away from taking strong stands on controversial issues.
Mark stays away from foreign and military policy issues like it’s a plague. One would be hard pressed to know his opinion on foreign policy issues. Mark’s official Congressional website has no mention of foreign policy at all. In reviewing his 5+ years of Press Releases, I found very, very few about foreign policy. There is a myth, even I once believed, that Mark is a Peace activist. But I am not aware of Mark ever taking a public stance on a foreign policy issue, let alone on behalf of Peace in the World or against any of the wars and USA sponsored coups against other nations!
The Democratic Party is always engaged in polarizing debates between progressive social issues put forth by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, AOC & the squad and those issues from pro-corporate “so-called” moderates who are mostly sponsored by billionaires and corporate media & Democratic Party leadership! Mark DeSaulnier does not support any of the policies put forth by Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. He does not in fact really support Medicare for All, $15 Minimum Wage, Free College, Student Debt Forgiveness! He will vote for them as long as corporate Democratic leadership does not need his “No” vote to help make them fail! However, you won’t find Mark outspoken on these issues on his websites, press releases and in other public actions. He gives them passing support only at his town halls of several hundred mostly regulars only if asked! A Congress person should do more than just vote when the issue needs outspoken action to ever pass! That is if he is serious about the issue!
I have known Congressman Mark DeSaulnier for many years. I have truly liked him as a person. I appreciated his friendly down to earth involvement in my Bay Point community while he was a County Supervisor, Assemblyman and State Senator. I was especially deeply impressed by his willingness to attend and speak at the peace activist created Crosses of Lafayette most each Memorial and Veterans Day. Few other politicians have attended these services, especially regularly, least they become tainted with the public image of peace! Crosses of Lafayette is a Memorial to those young men and women who lost their lives in the honest belief that they were defending the American people!
Then Mark became my new Congressperson! I had such high hopes for what he could do! My first serious disappointment though, came just after he had held a townhall meeting during his first term in Congress. Mark had always voted and supported California’s Medicare For All as a State Senator. It had passed both the CA Assembly and Senate twice only to be vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. Now a Democrat Jerry Brown was governor. However, despite increased Democratic control of both CA Assembly and Senate, it was having a disturbing problem passing the CA legislature and reaching the Governor’s desk.
I met and walked along side of Mark as he was leaving the townhall and begged him to use his extensive intimate connections in CA state government to help get the Medicare For All bill on the Governor’s desk. I was shocked and left speechless with his response. Mark told me, bluntly, with little hesitation that California just couldn’t afford Medicare For All. Yet, Mark was always bragging about how California was the 5th largest economy in the world, greater than almost every nation in the world. So It seems Mark’s support for the healthcare of his fellow Californians is just a lie!
Mark had voted for Medicare For All when he knew it wouldn’t pass the Governor’s desk! Now when there was no excuse for Medicare For All not to finally pass in California, not only was he refusing to help, but he had become a negative force against its passage! Mark was always bragging at his townhall meetings on how he is such a strong advocate of Medicare for All. Yet on his Congressional website’s issue page on healthcare Mark strongly promotes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) while never mentioning Medicare For All. No mention of Medicare For All in Press Releases or on his campaign or Congressional website. Mark just ignores the issue and hopes you won’t notice!
Now completing his third term as Congressman, I finally took the time to review his record as Congressman. In examining his Congressional website, he has posted a number of Issue topics. Yet there is nothing on foreign policy, despite all the corporate media and public attention concerning numerous serious War Scares & major Diplomatic Campaigns Trump has instigated into Foreign Policy crises. Mark has just ignored all these important issues! In examining his 5 years of press releases, I was astonished at the lack of any press releases on important foreign policy issues. One would be hard pressed to know Mark’s opinions on anything about foreign policy! I understand that taking a position on foreign policy can often be a no-win situation with the public. However, if your Congressperson avoids publicly dealing with anything on foreign policy, who then represents us in a time of serious foreign crisis.
In fact, on his Issues page, Mark only talks in a very brief superficially and self-congratulatory manner about some important issues! As with most politicians, Mark follows the safest path to the holy grail of Politicians “If you can’t ignore it, try to speak little and vaguely about anything possibly controversial”. No one will accuse Mark as being outspoken on any issues even slightly controversial! You certainly won’t confuse Mark DeSaulnier with a Sanders, Warren, Gabbart or Ocasio-Cortez, all of whom have inspired not only progressives, but a large number of Americans tired of the corporate controlled Democrats and Republicans.
Mark has long bragged at his townhall meetings that he was one of the first to sign on to impeach Trump, however he then quickly turns to support of Nancy Pelosi and her excuses to keep delaying impeachment even while his constituents at every one of his numerous townhall meetings clamored for impeachment.! Now the Impeachment has happened and failed in the Senate. Pelosi chose to ignore a full impeachment process of over 10 articles, as recommended by the renowned consumer rights expert Ralph Nader! Pelosi wanted just a narrow Impeachment concerning only the Ukraine issue and Trump’s attack on her corporate darling Joe Biden.
What was required was an impeachment with articles covering all of Trump’s crimes, improper Presidential behavior, attacks on those who have disagreed with him in Administration and out, enriching himself and family in violation of Emolument clause, reckless foreign policy and deliberate undermining of important regulations protecting the people and environment. Such an all-inclusive impeachment could have united more than enough Americans against Trump to finally overwhelm and force more calcitrant Republican Senators to vote for the President’s removal. However, Mark stood loyally with Pelosi never challenging her guaranteed Impeachment failure tactics! Mark seemingly is always the supportive puppet of the Democratic Party corporate boss Nancy Pelosi. Experts say Trump’s reelection hopes improved with this weak impeachment attempt!
Mark ignores the dynamic Bernie Sanders Presidential campaign and all the issues that speak to the interests of the people and many of his constituents. Mark has also ignored the pending Climate Crisis and Green New Deal solution. Mark tinkers with environmental issues as if we have centuries to deal with the Crisis!
At several of Mark’s Townhalls during the August Congressional recess, I passed out hundreds of strongly worded fliers to attendees in an effort to encourage Mark to finally speak to progressive issues! I can only say that I failed to make any difference! Mark avoids the real serious progressive issues like they are a plague to avoid at all costs! In the unfortunate event that Bernie does not win the Democratic Party nomination on the First DNC ballot, as a Super Delegate do not expect Mark DeSaulnier to speak up for Bernie even if he has won CA, District 11 and/or leads the Nation in delegates!
Mark is a pretend Progressive. But Mark DeSaulnier has become one of the loyal neo-con corporate owned Democrats managed by the Corporate Democratic Party Leadership under Nancy Pelosi.
That’s why I ran against Mark as a Green Party candidate in the 2020 primary and will probably run again in the 2022 primary.
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2020 Congressional District 11 Opponents
Kerr vs DeSaulnier on the Issues
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